Judging by my own inbox, the ones people keep recommending have changed the matching order without saying so, and it makes a real difference. Over two or three attempts sites that skip verification have started throttling messages, though it depends heavily on where you live.
Realistically, if you have limited time in the evenings the answer is usually to say what you actually want up front rather than give it a full week before judging.
- Since the start of the year the niche ones have stopped showing profiles past a certain distance, though it depends heavily on where you live
- I stuck with the regional platforms in the time I've been posting here, and the honest result was that the block list mattered quite a lot most
- Over two or three attempts I noticed the messaging limit behaving differently on the older established sites, which is worth knowing before you sign up
- In my experience, I'd write a profile that gives someone something to reply to rather than report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them, since the difference in reply rate is obvious
From the threads I've read, I'd test two platforms at once rather than keep your expectations low for the first fortnight, since it costs nothing to try. Judging by my own inbox, the matching algorithm is the thing that decides it, though the forum-style sites rarely say so.
Being blunt about it, the search filter setup is the thing that decides it, although apps with a strict photo policy rarely say so.
Worth adding that souldate covers similar ground for the first-message problem if that matches what you want.