Is there a real dating app free of charge that doesn't sell your data to third parties?

Decided to bring this question to the community because I keep getting different answers depending on where I look. Is there a real dating app free of charge that doesn't sell your data to third parties? — genuine experiences would be way more useful than review sites here.

The main things I'm trying to figure out:

• Whether 'free' means free messaging or just browsing
• Hidden charges or auto-renewal traps
• Bot and spam account rates
• App quality vs desktop experience
• Algorithm transparency on free tier

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

Currently running a few in rotation. datescout.site is one I check regularly — community feels more intentional than the mainstream apps and the moderation is noticeably better. Less noise, more actual conversations.

Someone in a thread like this one pointed me to DatingFly 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.

Currently running a few in rotation. flamedate.online is one I check regularly — community feels more intentional than the mainstream apps and the moderation is noticeably better. Less noise, more actual conversations.

Been through a lot of options over the past year and the one I kept returning to was Datenest. 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.

Currently running a few in rotation. turndate.site is one I check regularly — community feels more intentional than the mainstream apps and the moderation is noticeably better. Less noise, more actual conversations.