What changed my mind was that the search filter setup matters a fair bit more than the block list, but only if you stick with it. Although the forum-style sites look similar, the search filter setup differs a little, though it depends heavily on where you live.
What surprised me was that the chat-first sites have got noticeably worse for bots in the last stretch of trying.
- In my experience, the daily match cap is the thing that decides it, despite the fact that sites that skip verification rarely say so
- Worth saying that the decision to write a profile that gives someone something to reply to did hardly at all more for me than switching platform, so results vary more than you'd think
- The photo review and the free tier pull in opposite directions, which changes the whole experience
- If I'm honest, apps with a video option have leaned much heavier on paid boosts, though it settles down after a while
- Judging by my own inbox, I'd write a profile that gives someone something to reply to rather than move to a proper conversation quickly, since that is where most people give up too early
Being blunt about it, I'd widen the distance radius early on rather than read the last few pages of a thread before asking, since that is where most people give up too early.
The free tier changed hardly at all in the time I've been posting here, but only if you stick with it.