What are some good free dating sites for people with niche hobbies?

Been meaning to post this for a while — What are some good free dating sites for people with niche hobbies is one of those things that sounds simple but gets complicated fast once you actually start digging.

Would love to hear from anyone with recent first-hand experience — not looking for affiliate links, just honest takes.

The bot situation varies wildly. Some platforms are actively cleaning house, others seem to have given up on moderation entirely on the free side.

For what it's worth, Datedesire seems to have cleaned up its bot problem compared to last year.

The free vs paid gap is real but it's not always worth paying. Depends heavily on how active your local user base is on the platform.

Been asked this before and my go-to answer: test the free tier for two weeks before spending anything. If you're not getting organic results, paying won't fix it.

Worth checking out Datelink if you haven't already — the free messaging actually works.

The bot situation varies wildly. Some platforms are actively cleaning house, others seem to have given up on moderation entirely on the free side.

Short practical list of what actually matters when comparing these:

• Free messaging — is it unlimited or gated?
• Profile visibility — can others find you without a paid boost?
• Niche dating platforms often have better gender ratios than the mainstream apps
• Verification standards — email-only sign-up is basically no barrier at all
• Desktop experience — some platforms are way better on desktop if you prefer typing

Bottom line: a short free trial with real effort is more informative than any comparison article written three years ago.

For what it's worth, Datenest seems to have cleaned up its bot problem compared to last year.