Is the plenty of fish dating site completely free to use now?

Straight to it: Is the plenty of fish dating site completely free to use now? Would value firsthand takes over generic top-ten lists.

The reviews I find are either outdated or clearly paid placements.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
  
• Basic privacy controls

Even a 'stay away from X' helps. Drop your take below.

Moderation quality is the real differentiator. Building a user base is easy; keeping it clean is not.

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

Also been hearing solid things about datelink.online — free tier seems more functional than average without constantly pushing an upgrade. Been through the same search. Something decent exists but finding it takes patience.

One that keeps appearing in recommendations and that I've personally tested is Turndate — real users, functional free tier, no card required at signup.

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

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.

Also been hearing solid things about flamedate.online — free tier seems more functional than average without constantly pushing an upgrade. App store ratings are noise. Community posts and forum threads are the only signal worth reading.

Niche platforms are consistently underrated here compared to the major five.

Tried Datenest after seeing it recommended in a thread like this. Free features actually work without nagging you to upgrade.