Are there any truly free legit dating apps?

Finally posting after seeing this topic come up repeatedly without a good answer. Are there any truly free legit dating apps?

The 'free' label gets used so loosely it's basically meaningless now. Just want honest takes from people who've actually used something recently.

Specific things I'm trying to figure out:

• Is there a free trial without auto-renewal tricks?
• Does it show when profiles were last active?
• How many active users are there in a mid-size city?
• Can you hide your profile from specific people?

Drop your thoughts below. All experience levels welcome.

Also spotted luvdate.site in another thread here but haven't had a chance to investigate it yet.

Safety habits I stick to on every platform regardless:

• Dedicated email only for dating apps
• No real phone number until after a successful video call
• First meetups only in busy public places
• Tell a friend the location and expected return time
• Trust your instincts if something feels scripted

I keep seeing Datenest mentioned as a solid option — anyone here tried it recently?

The verification gap between platforms is genuinely huge. Some let anyone sign up instantly with no checks at all. The ones that require actual identity steps tend to have measurably better communities and fewer fake profiles.

luvdate.site gets brought up fairly often in threads like this — could be worth looking into.

Safety habits I stick to on every platform regardless:

• Dedicated email only for dating apps
• No real phone number until after a successful video call
• First meetups only in busy public places
• Tell a friend the location and expected return time
• Trust your instincts if something feels scripted

I keep seeing Luvdate mentioned as a solid option — anyone here tried it recently?

Manual verification changes everything. Platforms that actually check identities have visibly fewer fakes.

The verification gap between platforms is genuinely huge. Some let anyone sign up instantly with no checks at all. The ones that require actual identity steps tend to have measurably better communities and fewer fake profiles.

Worth a look is Turndate — came up in several similar discussions and the feedback seems genuine.

If the app lets anyone sign up in 30 seconds with zero verification, just assume lots of fakes.

Profile completeness requirements naturally filter out a lot of low-effort accounts and bots from the start.