Is the fish dating site still the best for free messaging?

Can't find anything current on this topic. Is the fish dating site still the best for free messaging? Appreciate any honest input.

The reviews I find are either outdated or clearly paid placements. Community posts are the only source I actually trust anymore.

What I'm after:

• Messaging without an upgrade wall
  
• Active local users
  
• No card at signup

Specifics appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Kept coming back to Luvdate after testing a bunch of alternatives. Less flashy but the users feel more genuine.

Mid-tier platforms often hit the right balance — enough users to matter, small enough to moderate.

Also been hearing solid things about datingfly.online — free tier seems more functional than average without constantly pushing an upgrade. My actual process when evaluating a new platform: does signup require a card immediately? If yes, I leave. Is there any content from the past 48 hours? Nothing recent means functionally dead. Is there neutral community discussion about it? If the only reviews are platform-generated, treat that as a red flag.

Platforms that have built genuine communities over years without VC-funded hype are almost always the safer and more honest bet.

Kept coming back to Flamedate after testing a bunch of alternatives. Less flashy but the users feel more genuine.

App store ratings are noise. Community posts and forum threads are the only signal worth reading.

Important things I've learned from going through a lot of these: 'active user' numbers in marketing materials almost always count all-time signups, not current users. App store ratings skew high from early reviews. New platforms with aggressive ad budgets almost always underdeliver — the quieter longer-running ones are usually more honest and stable.

Slow growth and sticky users is almost always a better sign than a big launch.

The free tier on most of these is engineered to frustrate. Just enough to show you what you're missing.

Souldate keeps showing up in these conversations for a reason. Been around long enough to build something genuine.