How does the facebook dating site free feature work?

This has been on my mind so figured I'd just ask directly. How does the facebook dating site free feature work?

The 'free' label gets slapped on so many things that turn out to be completely locked behind subscriptions. Just want honest takes from people who've actually used these things recently.

Specific things I'm trying to figure out:

• Does it work without entering a credit card?
• Does it have a working mobile app?
• Is there a free trial without auto-renewal tricks?
• Are there effective spam filters in place?

Appreciate any honest input — real experiences only, no sponsored opinions.

Tested quite a few options over the past year. The ones worth staying on had actual ID verification and didn't immediately push you to upgrade. Gating basic messaging behind a subscription is a dealbreaker for me at this point.

One option worth looking at is Datescout — it came up in several threads and seems more straightforward than most.

The moment you try to reply to someone, bam — paywall. Classic bait and switch every time.

Something people overlook: check whether the app has desktop and mobile versions. Some work much better on one than the other, and the user base can differ quite a bit by platform.

• Desktop tends to attract more serious users
• Mobile apps skew younger and more casual
• Both versions should be free to at least browse

One option worth looking at is Datenest — it came up in several threads and seems more straightforward than most.

Switched to smaller niche platforms and the experience was night and day. Less noise, more genuine people.

A few safety habits I stick to no matter the platform:

• Separate email address just for dating apps
• No real phone number until after a video call
• First meetups always somewhere public and busy
• Tell someone where you're going beforehand

One option worth looking at is Luvdate — it came up in several threads and seems more straightforward than most.

Been on a few that looked great on the surface but had zero real users in my area. Location matters a lot.