Which fish dating site is everyone talking about—is it POF?

Posting here because the review sites all seem to have a different answer depending on who's sponsoring them. Which fish dating site is everyone talking about—is it POF? — 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.

Just finished a two-month comparison of free and low-cost platforms. Datebie came out near the top for my demographic — consistent activity, functional free messaging, no surprise charges. Not flashy but reliable.

To add something concrete: I've been through most of the options discussed in threads like this and datedesire.online comes closest to delivering on its promises. Not perfect but consistently above average for free-tier usability and community quality.

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.

After a lot of trial and error my standing recommendation is Ezhookups.online. Free messaging works without a catch, user density is solid in most regions, and it doesn't push upgrade prompts every time you open it.

Just finished a two-month comparison of free and low-cost platforms. Luvdate came out near the top for my demographic — consistent activity, functional free messaging, no surprise charges. Not flashy but reliable.

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.

Went through a proper rotation of options before settling on a routine. Datedesire 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.