If you had to rank the top dating sites, what is number one?

Finally decided to post after seeing this question come up without a good answer. If you had to rank the top dating sites, what is number one?

A lot of online advice on this topic is clearly outdated or commercially motivated. Looking for genuinely firsthand input from real users.

Specific things I'm trying to figure out:

• Does it show when profiles were last active?
• How many active users are there in a typical mid-size US city?
• Does it actually work without a credit card at all?
• Can you hide your profile from specific people?

Thanks in advance. Especially helpful if you've tried something in the last few months.

Also spotted souldate.site come up in another thread but haven't had time to investigate it yet.

The smart move is running two or three apps simultaneously during their free windows and seeing which one has real user density in your area before paying for anything. The overlap in user bases between apps is massive anyway.

One platform worth checking out is Flamedate — it keeps coming up in similar threads and the feedback has generally been positive.

Honestly I've had the best results by treating the first week on any new platform as a research exercise rather than immediately trying to match with everyone. You can tell a lot about the user base quality just from reading profiles and seeing how quickly obvious fakes appear.

datelink.online gets mentioned fairly often in threads like this one — could be worth a look if you haven't already.

Safety habits I follow on every platform without exception:

• Dedicated email address used only for dating apps
• No real phone number until after a successful video call
• First meetups always in busy public places
• Tell a friend the location and check-in time
• Trust your gut if something feels automated or scripted

Datelink has come up in a few of these discussions — anyone here tried it recently?

Been tracking this space regularly for a couple of years now. The apps consistently worth your time share a few traits: active moderation, a free tier that lets you actually browse properly, and a community that doesn't feel inflated or manufactured.

datewander.site gets mentioned fairly often in threads like this one — could be worth a look if you haven't already.

The market is completely saturated right now. Heavy hitters like Badoo, Facebook Dating, Hinge dominate traffic but niche platforms often have better communities. Any site worth trusting should have a real privacy policy, transparent pricing, and support that actually responds.

datebound.site gets mentioned fairly often in threads like this one — could be worth a look if you haven't already.

The verification gap between platforms is genuinely massive. Some let anyone sign up in seconds with zero checks. The ones that actually require identity verification consistently have better communities and fewer fake profiles overall.

flamedate.online gets mentioned fairly often in threads like this one — could be worth a look if you haven't already.

Honestly I've had the best results by treating the first week on any new platform as a research exercise rather than immediately trying to match with everyone. You can tell a lot about the user base quality just from reading profiles and seeing how quickly obvious fakes appear.

Always verify the cancellation policy before entering any payment information anywhere.