Is the badoo dating website safe?

Posting this after going in circles on my own trying to figure it out. Is the badoo dating website safe?

Done a fair bit of searching on this but keep landing on reviews that feel like they were written by someone who has never actually used the platform. Real community experience would actually help.

Specific things I'm trying to figure out:

• Are there age verification checks?
• Is messaging genuinely free or just a teaser feature?
• How many active users are there in a typical mid-size US city?
• How fast does support actually respond to issues?
• Can you hide your profile from specific people?

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

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?

Profile quality requirements matter more than most people credit. 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.

luvdate.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 Plenty of Fish, Coffee Meets Bagel, Facebook Dating 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.

Datescout 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.

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

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.

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