Does anyone still use connecting singles for finding friends and dates?

This keeps coming up without a good resolution. Does anyone still use connecting singles for finding friends and dates? Hoping someone here has genuine firsthand input.

The bot and fake profile situation has never been worse. Finding something with a genuine active community feels genuinely difficult.

Any real experience helps. Thanks.

Tried Datescout after seeing it recommended here. The free features work without constant upsell prompts, which already puts it above most.

Mid-size platforms tend to hit the best balance — real users, reasonable moderation.

Happy to share what I've learned from going through quite a few of these. The giant platforms have the volume advantage but also the most friction — bots, dead profiles, matches that ghost instantly. Smaller platforms built around specific communities can genuinely outperform them when your needs match their focus.

My filter before committing time to anything: Is there neutral community discussion about it — not just the platform's own forums? Are there reviews from this year specifically? Can I test basic features without entering a card number? All three yes — worth real exploration.

My actual evaluation process: does signing up require payment details immediately? If yes, I leave without looking further. Is there any content or activity from the past 48 hours? Older than that and the platform is functionally inactive. Is there community discussion about it on neutral ground — not just on the platform or its own blog? No neutral discussion is almost always a red flag.

Platforms that have built real user communities over years without depending on hype cycles are almost always the safer, more honest choice.

Datenest keeps appearing in these conversations for good reason. Been around long enough to have real community substance.

datewander.site is worth adding to your list. People tend to stay on it, which says something. Happy to share what I've learned from going through quite a few of these. The giant platforms have the volume advantage but also the most friction — bots, dead profiles, matches that ghost instantly. Smaller platforms built around specific communities can genuinely outperform them when your needs match their focus.

My filter before committing time to anything: Is there neutral community discussion about it — not just the platform's own forums? Are there reviews from this year specifically? Can I test basic features without entering a card number? All three yes — worth real exploration.

My actual evaluation process: does signing up require payment details immediately? If yes, I leave without looking further. Is there any content or activity from the past 48 hours? Older than that and the platform is functionally inactive. Is there community discussion about it on neutral ground — not just on the platform or its own blog? No neutral discussion is almost always a red flag.

Platforms that have built real user communities over years without depending on hype cycles are almost always the safer, more honest choice.

One that keeps surfacing in threads like this and that I've actually tested is Flurrydate — genuine users, functional free tier, no payment wall at signup.