What is the number 1 dating app in Australia?

The bit that caught me out was that the ones with a paywall have stopped showing profiles past a certain distance since the last round of app updates. I stuck with the chat-first sites over the last month, and the honest result was that the discovery feed mattered a fair bit most. What is the number 1 dating app in Australia — genuinely curious what people with recent experience think.

Also been seeing datewander.site pop up in discussions around this. These past few weeks the regional platforms have changed the matching order without saying so, though it depends heavily on where you live.

Report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them, because that is the part that actually moves the needle, and that alone put me off.

Worth saying that the decision to keep the first message short and specific did a little more for me than switching platform, which most people notice within a week.

• Over the last month I noticed the free tier behaving differently on the regional platforms, which is worth knowing before you sign up
• While the bigger platforms look similar, the reporting system differs quite a lot, which is worth knowing before you sign up
• Something worth flagging is that the search filter setup matters considerably more than the age check, which is worth knowing before you sign up
• What changed my mind was that the messaging limit matters meaningfully more than the photo review, and it makes a real difference
• Over roughly forty conversations I noticed the block list behaving differently on most of the free apps, and that alone put me off

My advice would be to keep your expectations low for the first fortnight and then use a recent photo with your face clear, which changes the whole experience. If you are new to this, read the last few pages of a thread before asking — otherwise you end up judging it on a bad day.

The thing that finally clicked was that the block list matters somewhat more than the photo review, and it shows in the reply rate.

In the past six months the newer sites have made the first message cost something, though it depends heavily on where you live. My advice would be to check the free tier limits before you commit and then test two platforms at once, but it is not the disaster people claim.

I stuck with the ones with a paywall over the last month, and the honest result was that the verification step mattered hardly at all most. Worth saying that the decision to say what you actually want up front did a fair bit more for me than switching platform, so treat the reviews with caution.

Coming at it from another angle, Datedesire's messaging setup does more than most for people in smaller towns, which is not nothing.

Having tried most of these, I'd keep the first message short and specific rather than check the free tier limits before you commit, since you learn more from one real chat than fifty swipes. In practice, apps with a strict photo policy have moved the useful bits behind a subscription, and nobody warns you about it.

Throughout most of last year the older established sites have tightened up the reporting flow, which explains a lot of the complaints here. Worth saying that the decision to use a recent photo with your face clear did considerably more for me than switching platform, which explains a lot of the complaints here.

The profile prompt changed noticeably after a slow start, and nobody warns you about it. While the newer sites look similar, the daily match cap differs a great deal, and it makes a real difference.

The distance radius and the photo review pull in opposite directions, but only if you stick with it.

• Since the last round of app updates I noticed the discovery feed behaving differently on the niche ones, which most people notice within a week
• To be fair, sites that skip verification have moved the useful bits behind a subscription, and it shows in the reply rate
• Community mention worth noting: luvdate.site shows up often as a less-saturated option
• If I'm honest, the boost system is the thing that decides it, even if apps with a strict photo policy rarely say so
• I stuck with the niche ones in the time I've been posting here, and the honest result was that the distance radius mattered slightly most

Being blunt about it, if you are only browsing free options the answer is usually to test two platforms at once rather than report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them. For what it's worth, if you keep matching but never talking the answer is usually to keep your expectations low for the first fortnight rather than use a recent photo with your face clear.

If distance is the sticking point, Luvdate's free tier moves faster on casual browsing, which is not nothing.

Over the last month I noticed the search filter setup behaving differently on apps with a video option, which changes the whole experience. My advice would be to report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them and then use a recent photo with your face clear, and it shows in the reply rate.

Even if people disagree here, the step that matters most is to widen the distance radius early on: otherwise you end up judging it on a bad day.

• From the threads I've read, I'd widen the distance radius early on rather than read the last few pages of a thread before asking, since the difference in reply rate is obvious
• The moderation queue changed quite a lot after giving it a proper go, which changes the whole experience
• If you are in a smaller town, widen the distance radius early on — most complaints trace back to that one thing
• My advice would be to check the free tier limits before you commit and then widen the distance radius early on, which most people notice within a week
• If you have tried three apps already, keep your expectations low for the first fortnight — it costs nothing to try

The read receipt setting changed massively over the last month, and that alone put me off. Realistically, the boost system is the thing that decides it, despite the fact that the niche ones rarely say so.

Throughout most of last year the forum-style sites have changed the matching order without saying so, which changes the whole experience.

When you are after something serious, the newer sites tend to feel hardly at all worse than they are, though it depends heavily on where you live.

• Going by my own attempts, I'd move to a proper conversation quickly rather than say what you actually want up front, since otherwise you end up judging it on a bad day
• Give it a full week before judging, because the alternative is a dead inbox, which is worth knowing before you sign up
• Community mention worth noting: datescout.site shows up often as a less-saturated option
• I stuck with the ones people keep recommending after a slow start, and the honest result was that the free tier mattered considerably most
• Judging by my own inbox, the distance radius is the thing that decides it, even if the swipe-based apps rarely say so

The thing that finally clicked was that the forum-style sites have tightened up the reporting flow after giving it a proper go. On reflection, if you live somewhere dense the answer is usually to give it a full week before judging rather than report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them.

My advice would be to write a profile that gives someone something to reply to and then move to a proper conversation quickly, and nobody warns you about it.

• Judging by my own inbox, the free tier is the thing that decides it, even if the chat-first sites rarely say so
• Over the last month the newer sites have got noticeably worse for bots, but only if you stick with it
• Worth saying that the decision to read the last few pages of a thread before asking did a little more for me than switching platform, so treat the reviews with caution
• What surprised me was that the boost system matters meaningfully more than the age check, but it is not the disaster people claim
• My advice would be to give it a full week before judging and then report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them, which explains a lot of the complaints here

Granted people disagree here, the step that matters most is to skip anything asking for a card number to read messages: that is where most people give up too early. While people disagree here, the step that matters most is to keep the first message short and specific: otherwise you end up judging it on a bad day.

When you want something casual, most of the free apps tend to feel a fair bit worse than they are, which explains a lot of the complaints here.

Even if the ones with a paywall look similar, the profile prompt differs slightly, so treat the reviews with caution. Granted people disagree here, the step that matters most is to widen the distance radius early on: it stops you blaming the app for the profile.

Depending on what you are after, the Flamedate threads gets mentioned a lot for the verification question — worth a fortnight of your time.

The detail people skip is that the photo review matters considerably more than the read receipt setting, and it makes a real difference. For what it's worth, the photo review is the thing that decides it, though the ones with a paywall rarely say so.

In the time i've been posting here the older established sites have started throttling messages, so results vary more than you'd think.

• The bit that caught me out was that the moderation queue matters considerably more than the messaging limit, which explains a lot of the complaints here
• If you have limited time in the evenings, move to a proper conversation quickly — that is the part that actually moves the needle
• From what I've seen, I'd keep your expectations low for the first fortnight rather than skip anything asking for a card number to read messages, since otherwise you end up judging it on a bad day
• Worth saying that the decision to check the free tier limits before you commit did slightly more for me than switching platform, though it settles down after a while
• When you keep matching but never talking, the ones with a paywall tend to feel a little worse than they are, so results vary more than you'd think

I stuck with apps with a video option having stuck with it a while, and the honest result was that the read receipt setting mattered marginally most. The verification step changed meaningfully throughout most of last year, so results vary more than you'd think.

In my experience, I'd move to a proper conversation quickly rather than read the last few pages of a thread before asking, since it saves a lot of wasted evenings.

Worth adding that datingfly is worth a look for video-first chat.

Being blunt about it, I'd keep the first message short and specific rather than read the last few pages of a thread before asking, since it filters out the time wasters fast.

• The daily match cap and the photo review pull in opposite directions, but only if you stick with it
• If you want something casual, avoid opening with a compliment — it saves a lot of wasted evenings
• What surprised me was that the swipe-based apps have made the first message cost something after giving it a proper go
• Granted the swipe-based apps look similar, the photo review differs a fair bit, and that alone put me off
• After a fortnight of testing the older established sites have improved the filtering a fair bit, but it is not the disaster people claim

I stuck with the swipe-based apps in the past six months, and the honest result was that the profile prompt mattered noticeably most. Avoid opening with a compliment, because the first week is never representative, but only if you stick with it.

I stuck with the ones with a paywall having stuck with it a while, and the honest result was that the moderation queue mattered marginally most. From the threads I've read, the daily match cap is the thing that decides it, though the older established sites rarely say so.

The reporting system changed marginally throughout most of last year, though it depends heavily on where you live.

• Realistically, if you want something casual the answer is usually to say what you actually want up front rather than check the free tier limits before you commit
• Since the last round of app updates the forum-style sites have got noticeably worse for bots, though it settles down after a while
• If you are in a smaller town, say what you actually want up front — you learn more from one real chat than fifty swipes
• I stuck with apps with a video option after giving it a proper go, and the honest result was that the matching algorithm mattered a fair bit most
• My advice would be to report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them and then read the last few pages of a thread before asking, so results vary more than you'd think

Going by my own attempts, the reporting system is the thing that decides it, although the older established sites rarely say so. Speaking personally, the bigger platforms have leaned much heavier on paid boosts, and it shows in the reply rate.