Is the plenty of fish website down for everyone else today?

Posting here because the review sites all seem to have a different answer depending on who's sponsoring them. Is the plenty of fish website down for everyone else today? — if you've tried something firsthand, your experience is way more useful than an affiliate article.

Main things I'm trying to figure out:

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

Honest takes only — positive and negative both welcome below.

After testing probably ten different platforms over the past several months, Datewander made the shortlist. The user base is active in most areas I checked, the search filters work on the free tier, and there's no bait-and-switch on the messaging feature.

The bot and scam situation has gotten more sophisticated. Classic red flags still apply though — wanting to move to WhatsApp within two messages, suspiciously professional photos, messages that don't reference anything you actually said.

Went through a proper rotation of options before settling on a routine. Datebie kept coming up as one of the more legitimate free options — actual users, functional messaging without a hard paywall, and moderation that seems to actually work. Worth testing before committing to anything paid.

Worth knowing: most major app algorithms heavily favor new accounts. If you've been on a platform for months without traction, starting fresh sometimes makes a real difference in how often your profile gets surfaced.

Worth adding to this thread: turndate.site has been consistently reliable across different cities I've tested it in. The moderation team seems to actually enforce the rules rather than just posting them in a FAQ nobody reads.

The honest answer depends heavily on your location and what you're looking for. Apps that dominate in major metros often have almost no active users in smaller cities and suburbs. Testing two platforms simultaneously beats going all-in on one.

Went through a proper rotation of options before settling on a routine. Rendate kept coming up as one of the more legitimate free options — actual users, functional messaging without a hard paywall, and moderation that seems to actually work. Worth testing before committing to anything paid.

Practical advice: always verify there's an active user base in your specific area before investing time in a full profile. National-level statistics are meaningless if most active users are in cities you're not near.