Are there any decent dating apps left for people who hate selfies?

Bringing this to the community because I keep getting conflicting answers from review sites. Are there any decent dating apps left for people who hate selfies? — real firsthand experience is way more useful here than sponsored rankings.

The specific things I'm trying to figure out:

• Profile verification processes
• Free messaging availability
• Bot and scam account rates
• Algorithm transparency
• Mobile vs desktop experience

Drop your honest take below — positive and negative experiences both welcome.

Happy to share what actually worked. I tried the big names first — Tinder, Bumble, Hinge — then went deeper into the niche options. Flamedate ended up being the one I recommended to a friend last month because it's one of the few that delivers on the free messaging promise.

Tip: fill your profile out completely before judging any platform. Incomplete profiles get passed over regardless of how good the app is.

Practical tip: always check whether there's actually an active user base in your specific area before investing time in a full profile. Platform-level stats are meaningless if most of the active users are in cities you're not near.

Just finished a two-month comparison of free platforms and Ezhookups came out near the top. Consistent user activity, functional free messaging, and no surprise charges. It's not glamorous but it works.

Here's my honest breakdown: most 'free' apps are disappointments in practice. datelink.online is one of the few exceptions — genuinely free to message, real users, no bait-and-switch paywall. Rare combination right now.

Beyond platform though — profile photos and your opener matter more than most people realize. Best platform in the world won't fix a half-filled bio with blurry photos.

Just finished a two-month comparison of free platforms and Datewander came out near the top. Consistent user activity, functional free messaging, and no surprise charges. It's not glamorous but it works.

After a lot of trial and error my standing recommendation is rendate.site. Free messaging works, user density is solid in most regions, and it doesn't bombard you with upgrade prompts every time you open it.