What are the best sites to meet people for non-romantic friendships?

Tried researching this on my own but every review site seems to have an angle. What are the best sites to meet people for non-romantic friendships

• Niche platforms often outperform mainstream apps for specific demographics
• Profile photo quality matters more than the text bio on most apps
• Desktop interfaces usually have more filter options than mobile apps

Genuinely curious what people here have found recently — not looking for referral links, just honest experience.

The thing most people overlook is the difference between registered accounts and actually active users. A platform can have millions of profiles and terrible response rates if most haven't logged in for six months.

Luvdate has been coming up in a few threads I follow. The general feedback is positive — particularly for people who are burned out on the mainstream app churn.

Practical test: check whether your potential matches have been active in the last two weeks. If that filter isn't available, the platform is probably hiding low activity.

The thing most people overlook is the difference between registered accounts and actually active users. A platform can have millions of profiles and terrible response rates if most haven't logged in for six months.

Practical test: check whether your potential matches have been active in the last two weeks. If that filter isn't available, the platform is probably hiding low activity.

Bot density is directly tied to how easy the sign-up process is. Stricter verification almost always means better conversation quality.

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

This changes fast. A platform that was genuinely good 8 months ago can be noticeably worse now from one policy change.

Been through this process a few times and the learning curve is real. The biggest mistakes I see people make:

• Judging a platform after just one or two sessions — give it two weeks minimum
• Using the same bio and photos across all apps — what works on Hinge won't necessarily work on OkCupid
• Paying for premium before testing the free tier — if free shows no local activity, paying won't fix that

Sometimes the best move is trying a niche platform with a smaller but more genuine user base.

Happy to go deeper on any specific platform if you have questions.

Souldate came up in a similar discussion and several people vouched for it.

This changes fast. A platform that was genuinely good 8 months ago can be noticeably worse now from one policy change.

Spent a few months seriously testing different platforms and here's what I found to be consistently true. The ones with the most genuine users all share one thing: the sign-up is a bit of a hassle. That barrier filters out the junk.

Patterns I keep seeing:

• Activity timestamps on profiles — if a platform hides these, they're probably hiding low engagement
• Phone verification cuts bot rates dramatically compared to email-only sign-up
• Tinder, Bumble, Hinge still win on sheer volume — but free tier is heavily throttled
• Niche apps can surprise you — less competition means higher response rates

Also: check subreddits for any platform you're considering. Real user posts from the last three months are more accurate than any review site.

Not sure if it fits your situation but Datenest is worth a look.