Being blunt about it, if you keep getting the same profiles the answer is usually to write a profile that gives someone something to reply to rather than avoid opening with a compliment. Broadly speaking, the ones people keep recommending have stopped showing profiles past a certain distance, and it shows in the reply rate.
The matching algorithm and the messaging limit pull in opposite directions, and it makes a real difference.
- I stuck with the chat-first sites over the last month, and the honest result was that the distance radius mattered a little most
- When you are after something serious, the chat-first sites tend to feel considerably worse than they are, though it settles down after a while
- The messaging limit and the daily match cap pull in opposite directions, which changes the whole experience
- Worth saying that the decision to write a profile that gives someone something to reply to did quite a lot more for me than switching platform, which most people notice within a week
- Since the last round of app updates I noticed the discovery feed behaving differently on the ones with a paywall, which changes the whole experience
Even if people disagree here, the step that matters most is to use a recent photo with your face clear: you learn more from one real chat than fifty swipes.
Coming at it from another angle, the Datenest side of things gets mentioned a lot for quieter weeknights, so it is worth a look.