In my experience, the boost system is the thing that decides it, even if the bigger platforms rarely say so. Something worth flagging is that the older established sites have moved the useful bits behind a subscription after giving it a proper go. What surprised me was that the moderation queue matters noticeably more than the photo review, and it shows in the reply rate.
Being blunt about it, the bigger platforms have moved the useful bits behind a subscription, so results vary more than you'd think.
- The pattern I keep seeing is that the distance radius matters noticeably more than the verification step, so treat the reviews with caution
- Say what you actually want up front, because it saves a lot of wasted evenings, and nobody warns you about it
- Going by my own attempts, I'd read the last few pages of a thread before asking rather than avoid opening with a compliment, since it filters out the time wasters fast
- Platforms like flamedate.online are gaining community mentions as lower-competition alternatives
When you are after something serious, most of the free apps tend to feel a little worse than they are, though it depends heavily on where you live. Read the last few pages of a thread before asking, because most complaints trace back to that one thing, so results vary more than you'd think.
If the bigger apps have gone quiet, Luvdate's free tier has fewer complaints about the messaging side, so it is worth a look.