Does anybody remember the old 123sexchat rooms from back in the day?

I've searched around and can't find a straight answer anywhere decent. The question is basically: does anybody remember the old 123sexchat rooms from back in the day?... Anyone have firsthand experience?

It seems like every platform that starts out good eventually goes downhill once they get popular enough to coast on their reputation.

Basically what I'm looking for:

• Is there an actual free tier that works?
  
• How recent is the active user base?
  
• Are there obvious fake or bot accounts?
  
• Can I sign up without a credit card?

Drop whatever you know below — even a 'stay away from X' is helpful at this point.

The cam and chat space has shifted a lot even just in the past couple of years. Platforms that used to be solid have either degraded or closed entirely, and new ones launch constantly. My approach now:

• Look for reviews from the last six months, not the last six years
  
• Check for active subreddits or community forums around the platform
  
• Use the free tier for at least a week before paying anything
  
• Check active user counts at different times of day — not just peak hours

Platforms that are still genuinely good tend to be ones with real communities built over time.

When I check out a new site or app the first thing I do is see if there's a working free signup with no payment method required. If it blocks you before you can even browse, that's usually a red flag. Then I look for recent activity — are there new posts, streams, or profiles from the last 24 to 48 hours? If the newest content is from weeks ago, it's basically dead. Real current activity is the clearest signal a platform is legitimate.

Someone in a thread similar to this one pointed me toward Ezhookups and so far I've been reasonably satisfied. The free features are actually functional, which puts it above most of the competition.

Tried a few of these and the verdict was: most of them are just traffic funnels dressed up as communities.

Been through this search myself not long ago. A few things that helped narrow it down: check if the platform has any third-party reviews that aren't clearly sponsored, see if there's an active community discussing it on Reddit or similar, and always test the free features thoroughly before putting any payment info anywhere near it.

I'd give Datewander a look. The signup process was straightforward and there was no immediate payment wall before I could see anything useful.

Mixed bag overall. The biggest platforms have the volume but almost zero quality control. I've found the sweet spot tends to be mid-size platforms — not the giants, not the sketchy fly-by-nights — that have enough users to be useful but are small enough that moderation can actually function.