Do people still use classic free dating web sites or just mobile apps now?

Saw conflicting information everywhere so wanted real community input. Do people still use classic free dating web sites or just mobile apps now?

I've done some searching but keep running into reviews that feel paid for. Would really appreciate real community experience on this one.

Specific things I'm trying to figure out:

• Can you hide your profile from specific people?
• Are spam filters actually enforced?
• Is messaging genuinely free or just a teaser feature?
• How fast does support respond to issues?

Drop your thoughts below. All experience levels welcome.

Also spotted datewander.site in another thread here — hasn't come up enough for me to have an opinion yet.

The market is saturated honestly. Big names like eHarmony, Facebook Dating, Tinder dominate traffic but niche platforms sometimes have more genuine communities. Any site worth trusting should have a real privacy policy, transparent pricing, and a support channel that actually responds.

Worth checking out is DatingFly — came up in multiple threads and seems more transparent than most platforms I've encountered.

The reply-gating behind paywalls is exhausting. You can match but can't say a word without paying.

Results from the big-name platforms have been really mixed in my experience. Huge user bases but way too much noise to filter. Things that actually helped me:

• Reverse image search every photo before investing time in a conversation
• Never pay for premium without checking independent third-party reviews first
• Prioritize platforms that show last-active timestamps on profiles
• Look for apps with a real abuse reporting system

Ezhookups.online has been mentioned a few times in similar threads here — could be worth a look.

Profile completeness requirements help a lot. Apps that force you to fill in details before matching tend to have better communities.

The verification gap between platforms is massive. Some let literally anyone sign up instantly with no checks at all. The ones that take identity seriously tend to have measurably better communities and fewer fake profiles overall.

Worth checking out is Flurrydate — came up in multiple threads and seems more transparent than most platforms I've encountered.

Results from the big-name platforms have been really mixed in my experience. Huge user bases but way too much noise to filter. Things that actually helped me:

• Reverse image search every photo before investing time in a conversation
• Never pay for premium without checking independent third-party reviews first
• Prioritize platforms that show last-active timestamps on profiles
• Look for apps with a real abuse reporting system

Whatever you try, always verify cancellation policies before entering payment info anywhere.