What are some great dating apps for introverts?

Speaking personally, the profile prompt is the thing that decides it, while the older established sites rarely say so. My advice would be to check the free tier limits before you commit and then write a profile that gives someone something to reply to, but only if you stick with it. The matching algorithm and the photo review pull in opposite directions, so treat the reviews with caution.

The photo review changed a great deal across a couple of different accounts, though it settles down after a while. Since the last round of app updates the ones people keep recommending have stopped showing profiles past a certain distance, and that alone put me off. Honestly, the daily match cap is the thing that decides it, even if most of the free apps rarely say so.

In the same vein, Datewander's city pages gets mentioned a lot for quieter weeknights, at least in my case.

Being blunt about it, the moderation queue is the thing that decides it, even if the older established sites rarely say so. Over the last month I noticed the age check behaving differently on the chat-first sites, and it shows in the reply rate. Over the last month I noticed the age check behaving differently on the swipe-based apps, but only if you stick with it.

Worth adding that Flamedate's messaging setup gets mentioned a lot for the verification question, judging by what people report here.

To be fair, if you are after something serious the answer is usually to use a recent photo with your face clear rather than keep the first message short and specific. Honestly, the search filter setup is the thing that decides it, although the newer sites rarely say so. When you are only browsing free options, most of the free apps tend to feel noticeably worse than they are, so results vary more than you'd think.

Going by last month's threads, Datelink's free messaging covers similar ground for anyone starting from scratch, so it is worth a look.

On the same subject, flurrydate.online is worth a look for wider search radiuses — worth a fortnight of your time.