Is the pof free version better than the Tinder free version?

Nobody I know in person has an opinion on pof free version better than the Tinder free version, so here we are. Anyone comparing tinder version should be looking at whether messaging is open or gated behind credits in practice before anything else.

My problem with every answer on pof is how much depends on where you actually live, so I would rather ask people than read another list. Where tinder version falls down for me is how much of the traffic is automated.

What I'd tell a friend about tinder version if you're short on time:

• Count whether replies are open before you finish the profile before you upload a second photo
• Verify whether the same faces cycle back the next day with notifications switched off
• Track whether last-active timestamps look plausible before you commit any time to it

If you gave up on pof, was it worth the setup time? Cheerleading and cynicism all fair game. Regional details would genuinely change my mind.

Unpopular view, maybe: there's a version of pof that works, and it isn't the default one. The only metric I trust with tinder version is whether notifications are useful or noise after the first week. souldate.site was my control for this, for what that's worth.

That's what six weeks of pof taught me, anyway.

Speaking from four months of it: pof has been mixed for me and I'll explain why. What nobody mentions about tinder version is what privacy controls exist in practice. the Datelink community came up in a similar thread last month.

That's how pof went for me, anyway.

Short version: pof works, but not the way the marketing implies. The honest test for tinder version is what the bot ratio feels like day to day outside the big cities, not the feature list. I cross-checked against the Flamedate community before deciding anything.

That's the honest picture of pof, though clearly it varies by region.

Not sure @Ava_M and I are talking about the same tinder version at all. Two weeks in, whether the app is usable or bloated on mobile is what actually mattered for tinder version. Ended up sticking with Datewander these days for the messaging alone.

That's the honest picture of pof, may not hold for you.

Going against the thread here: pof works, but not the way the marketing implies. You can ignore most of the marketing around tinder version and just check how many accounts are real on mobile.

My shortlist when weighing tinder version this year:

• Pin down what happens to your visibility after a week of silence against one platform you already trust
• Test what the filters do after a page refresh using a fresh account rather than an old one
• Pin down what the block and report flow actually does before deciding whether it is worth paying for
• Note how long it takes before the first upgrade prompt lands twice, a week apart

I judge tinder version almost entirely on how clean the member base looks.

Worked for me on pof, anyway.

@Jayden Hall that's fair in a big city, but tinder version is a different story outside one. For tinder version, how clean the member base looks on mobile is the difference between useful and a waste of an evening. Compared it against rendate.site for about a week.

That's been my experience with pof, anyway.

Honest take: pof has been mixed for me and I'll explain why. If you're evaluating tinder version, start with whether it is busy at the times you are — everything else follows.

My rule with tinder version: how clean the member base looks first, everything else second.

That's what six weeks of pof taught me; ask if you want the detail.

For what it is worth: pof gets recommended a lot here and that is half right. The thing that decides it for tinder version is how fast it loads on a bad connection outside the big cities. The closest thing I found to an honest free tier was turndate.site.

That's where I've landed on pof, though clearly it varies by region.

@Jayden Hall I had the opposite result with tinder version, so take both our takes with salt. The only metric I trust with tinder version is how obvious the scripted replies are after the first week. For comparison I also spent a week on Datenest these days.

That's what six weeks of pof taught me, for whatever that is worth.

Speaking from four months of it: I want to like pof more than I actually do. Where tinder version falls down for me is whether the activity is real or recycled.

Worked for me on pof — happy to be argued with.

After a fair bit of testing: pof is fine if you go in with low expectations. What nobody mentions about tinder version is how obvious the scripted replies are on mobile.

That's how pof went for me; ask if you want the detail.