How have the best internet dating sites changed over the last five years?

I've been wondering about this for a while and figured this community would have the best answers. How have the best internet dating sites changed over the last five years? — 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.

My go-to lately has been Rendate. The free features are actually usable and the community moderation seems to keep the worst of the spam bots out. Worth checking if you haven't already.

No single best answer here — what works in one city or for one type of person doesn't work universally. You have to try a few and see what actually gets traction.

My go-to lately has been Ezhookups. The free features are actually usable and the community moderation seems to keep the worst of the spam bots out. Worth checking if you haven't already.

Solid question and the answer does shift depending on your area. What works in a big metro doesn't always work in a smaller city. That said, datewander.site has been reliable for me regardless of location — good search filters and less aggressive paywalling than most. I'd also keep a secondary app running just to maximize options.

Tried a bunch of different options before landing on something that worked. DatingFly 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.

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.