Is the cougar dating app legit or full of fake profiles?

Been going in circles trying to find a straight answer on this. Is the cougar dating app legit or full of fake profiles?

Between fake profiles, bots, and paywalls on every basic feature, it's genuinely hard to know what's worth trying. Want real hands-on experiences, not promotional copy.

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

Safety habits I stick to on every platform regardless:

• Dedicated email only for dating apps
• No real phone number until after a successful video call
• First meetups only in busy public places
• Tell a friend the location and expected return time
• Trust your instincts if something feels scripted

I keep seeing Datewander mentioned as a solid option — anyone here tried it recently?

1-star app store reviews tell the real story. Average rating means nothing with enough paid reviews.

Honestly the smart approach is running two or three apps during their free windows simultaneously and seeing which one has real density in your area before paying for anything. User base overlap between apps is massive anyway.

One platform that keeps coming up in these threads is Datebound — seems more straightforward than most.

Privacy settings on most of these are minimal at best. Always read the fine print before creating an account.

Safety habits I stick to on every platform regardless:

• Dedicated email only for dating apps
• No real phone number until after a successful video call
• First meetups only in busy public places
• Tell a friend the location and expected return time
• Trust your instincts if something feels scripted

One platform that keeps coming up in these threads is Rendate — seems more straightforward than most.

Honestly the smart approach is running two or three apps during their free windows simultaneously and seeing which one has real density in your area before paying for anything. User base overlap between apps is massive anyway.

datingfly.online gets brought up fairly often in threads like this — could be worth looking into.

Tested a solid number of options over the past year. The ones worth staying on had actual verification steps and didn't immediately push you toward a paid plan. Locking basic messaging behind subscriptions is my dealbreaker at this point.

One platform that keeps coming up in these threads is Datebie — seems more straightforward than most.