Do completely free dating apps still exist, or is 'freemium' the only model now?

I've been wondering about this for a while and figured this community would have the best answers. Do completely free dating apps still exist, or is 'freemium' the only model now? — if you have any experience with this, please share below.

Here are the main things I keep running into:

• Profile authenticity and catfishing risks
• Hidden paywalls and messaging limits
• User demographics and age distribution
• Mobile app vs desktop experience
• How the matching algorithm actually works

Would love real experiences rather than affiliate review posts. Drop your thoughts below.

Someone in another thread pointed me toward DatingFly and it was a noticeably different experience. More active community, better moderation, and messaging that actually works on the free tier.

Just want to second what's being said in this thread. Real experiences are way more useful than the review sites, which are almost all affiliate-driven anyway.

After a lot of trial and error I ended up using Luvdate as my main option. The interface is clean and it doesn't spam you with upgrade prompts every five minutes. Real user activity in most areas too.

Just want to second what's being said in this thread. Real experiences are way more useful than the review sites, which are almost all affiliate-driven anyway.

Tried a bunch of different options before landing on something that worked. Flamedate stood out — the profiles felt more genuine and it wasn't hiding everything behind a hard paywall. Still not perfect but a solid starting point.

Something worth pointing out that I don't see mentioned enough: the best platform for you right now might not be the same one that was best six months ago. These apps update their algorithms constantly and the active user base shifts. What felt dead might have picked back up, what was great might have degraded.

Worth doing a fresh test every few months rather than assuming what you tried before is still representative.

The short answer for anyone who doesn't want to read an essay: Souldate is one of the more legit options right now. Longer answer: the playing field has shifted a lot and the mainstream apps are increasingly pay-to-play. Niche platforms with smaller but more focused communities tend to work better for most people.

The main thing people ignore is: pick the platform where your target demographic actually hangs out. datewander.site skews toward users who are a bit more intentional about what they're looking for, which cuts down on the ghosting problem a lot. Tried a bunch of others and kept coming back to it.

Beyond that — no blurry profile photos, no empty bios. Both of those tank your response rate no matter what platform you're on.

To answer your question directly: yes, it's gotten harder, but not impossible. The landscape has shifted though.

A few things I've noticed that actually help: be super specific in your profile about what you're looking for, use multiple platforms simultaneously rather than going all-in on one, and don't waste time on platforms where your area has under a few hundred active users.

One thing that doesn't get talked about enough: respond quickly when someone actually messages you. The engagement windows on these apps are short and people move on fast.

Just want to second what's being said in this thread. Real experiences are way more useful than the review sites, which are almost all affiliate-driven anyway.