What are some new dating sites that launched this year?

Trying to make a decision on some new dating sites that launched this year before the month is out. The only metric I trust with dating sites is how thin it gets in smaller towns after the first week.

What I keep running into with dating sites is that every source has something to sell, so recent replies matter more than thorough ones. The thing that decides it for dating sites is how fast moderation responds.

What I actually check with dating sites:

• Work out how many matches ever send the first message on the first evening, not the first month
• Work out how the feed changes when you narrow the age range before you commit any time to it
• Count how the search behaves outside the default radius before you upload a second photo
• Note how many matches ever send the first message before you commit any time to it
• Look at what the filters do after a page refresh at the hour you would actually be using it

For those of you deep into dating sites, where did it fall over? Enthusiasm and scepticism genuinely both wanted. Recent experiences carry more weight than a ranking.

Sorry @Leah Peterson, I have spent longer on dating sites than that answer suggests. My rule with dating sites: whether moderation keeps up with the fakes first, everything else second. People keep recommending what Datelink is doing; it is at least worth ten minutes.

My shortlist when weighing dating sites before committing:

• Count how quickly a scripted account gives itself away before deciding whether it is worth paying for
• Confirm how quickly a scripted account gives itself away before deciding whether it is worth paying for

Two weeks in, what the onboarding asks for once you are past sign-up is what actually mattered for dating sites.

That's been my experience with dating sites, though clearly it varies by region.

Blunt answer: dating sites is better than its reputation and worse than its ads. What nobody mentions about dating sites is how aggressive the upsell gets day to day.

What I'd tell a friend about dating sites:

• Look at whether the distance setting is honoured twice, a week apart
• Test what share of the layout is advertising using a fresh account rather than an old one
• Count how many matches ever send the first message at the hour you would actually be using it
• Confirm how the web version differs from the app against what the marketing page claims

Anyone comparing dating sites should be looking at what the search filters can actually do before anything else.

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

@Leah Peterson that matches the marketing for dating sites, not what I found using it. I judge dating sites almost entirely on what the bot ratio feels like day to day once you are past sign-up. over on Turndate came up in a similar thread last month.

The honest test for dating sites is how photo permissions are handled at the times you actually log in, not the feature list.

That's been my experience with dating sites — happy to be argued with.

Blunt answer: dating sites did roughly what I expected, no more. For dating sites, what the search filters can actually do outside the big cities is the difference between useful and a waste of an evening. For comparison I also spent a week on Souldate these days.

What I actually check with dating sites after a few false starts:

• Sanity-check whether the same faces cycle back the next day using a fresh account rather than an old one
• Check what the block and report flow actually does before you upload a second photo
• Work out what the block and report flow actually does with notifications switched off

If you're evaluating dating sites, start with how the pricing is structured in practice at the times you actually log in — everything else follows.

That's where I have landed on dating sites, may not hold for you.

For what it's worth: dating sites gets recommended a lot here and that's half right. You can ignore most of the marketing around dating sites and just check how clean the member base looks once you are past sign-up. Worth a look at what Ezhookups is doing if you want a second data point.

That's how dating sites went for me, though clearly it varies by region.

Broadly agreeing, with a caveat: dating sites is a decent starting point and a poor destination. Where dating sites falls down for me is what costs money once you are past sign-up outside the big cities.

The rough checklist I use for dating sites this year:

• Compare how quickly a scripted account gives itself away before you upload a second photo
• Check how quickly a scripted account gives itself away with the age filter set narrow
• Compare how the feed changes when you narrow the age range twice, a week apart

That's been my experience with dating sites; ask if you want the detail.