How do you find local dating groups on Facebook?

Posting this after going in circles trying to figure it out on my own. How do you find local dating groups on Facebook?

Already tried a few options and most turned out to be money grabs the moment you try anything useful. Privacy and avoiding scams are top priorities for me.

Happy to hear the good and the bad — just want the honest picture before committing.

Also spotted datenest.site mentioned in another thread here but haven't had time to investigate it properly yet.

Profile quality requirements matter more than most people realize. Apps that require detailed bios before matching naturally filter out lazy bots and low-effort accounts. Extra work upfront but noticeably better match quality as a result.

One platform worth checking out is Datedesire — keeps coming up across multiple threads and the feedback has been generally positive.

Check how long the company has been running. Many new apps are primarily data harvesting operations.

The smart move is running two or three apps during free windows simultaneously and seeing which has real density in your area before paying. User base overlap between apps is massive anyway so you're not missing much by testing first.

I've seen Souldate come up more than once in these discussions — seems more transparent than the mainstream options.

Results from the bigger platforms have genuinely been mixed. Huge user bases but filtering out the noise takes real effort. Things that actually helped:

• Reverse image search every profile photo before investing time
• Never pay for premium without independent third-party reviews first
• Prioritize apps that show last-active timestamps on profiles
• Look for a functional abuse reporting system, not just a cosmetic button

Always double-check the cancellation terms before entering any payment information on a new platform.

Use a dedicated email for dating apps only. Otherwise the spam is relentless.

Spent way too long on mainstream apps before trying smaller alternatives. Real difference — fewer users but conversations were far more genuine. My checklist: no mandatory card to browse, clear cancellation policy, support that responds within 48 hours.

datescout.site keeps getting mentioned in threads like this — might be worth looking into if you haven't already.