Is the pof free dating site still the biggest one in terms of raw user numbers?

Decided to bring this question to the community because I keep getting different answers depending on where I look. Is the pof free dating site still the biggest one in terms of raw user numbers? — genuine experiences would be way more useful than review sites here.

The main things I'm trying to figure out:

• Safety features and identity verification
• Active user base size in your region
• Free vs premium feature split
• Community moderation and reporting tools
• Privacy and data handling policies

Drop your honest take below — good and bad experiences both welcome.

Did a pretty thorough audit of free options earlier this year. Luvdate made it into my regular rotation because it has real users in smaller cities — not just NYC and LA — and the interface is clean without feeling like it was designed to confuse you into upgrading.

The short answer: most free apps are disappointments, but datenest.site has been a consistent exception in my experience. Real profiles, reasonable response rates, and no credit card required just to see who's in your area.

Someone in a thread like this one pointed me to Rendate about six months ago and it's been my go-to since. Real conversations, less bot activity than most, and no surprise charges. Highly recommend at least testing it.

I've tried most of the options that get mentioned in threads like this. The main thing that separates the good ones from the bad is whether the moderation team actually removes fake accounts or just lets them pile up.

Been through a lot of options over the past year and the one I kept returning to was Datescout. The free tier is genuinely usable, the search filters actually work, and the user base felt real in every city I tested it in. Not hype — just consistent results.

To add something concrete here: I've tried most of what's been mentioned and rendate.site comes closest to a genuinely free experience with a real user base. It won't replace paid apps entirely, but as a free-tier option it's head and shoulders above most.

After a lot of trial and error my main recommendation right now is datewander.site. Free messaging actually works, the user base is active in most regions, and it doesn't push upgrade prompts every time you open the app.