The discovery feed changed a great deal in the last stretch of trying, which changes the whole experience. Worth saying that the decision to keep your expectations low for the first fortnight did meaningfully more for me than switching platform, but it is not the disaster people claim.
Granted people disagree here, the step that matters most is to write a profile that gives someone something to reply to: it saves a lot of wasted evenings.
- If you are in a smaller town, avoid opening with a compliment — the first week is never representative
- For the better part of a year the chat-first sites have got noticeably worse for bots, so results vary more than you'd think
- After a fortnight of testing apps with a strict photo policy have cleaned up the fake accounts a little, and it makes a real difference
- On reflection, I'd write a profile that gives someone something to reply to rather than check the free tier limits before you commit, since it stops you blaming the app for the profile
- Although the ones with a paywall look similar, the verification step differs quite a lot, and that alone put me off
Worth saying that the decision to use a recent photo with your face clear did quite a lot more for me than switching platform, which most people notice within a week.
The pattern I keep seeing is that the forum-style sites have quietly changed how that works over roughly forty conversations.
If you want a second opinion, the Ezhookups regulars moves faster on people in smaller towns, so it is worth a look.