What are your top 5 dating apps right now?

Finally decided to ask after seeing this topic come up in a few other threads. What are your top 5 dating apps right now?

I've already gone through a few options and most of them turned out to be money grabs the moment you try to do anything useful. Privacy and scam avoidance are top priorities for me, so I always research before signing up anywhere.

Specific things I'm trying to figure out:

• Are there verified profiles or any kind of ID checks?
• Does it show when profiles were last active?
• Is there a free trial without auto-renewal traps?
• Does it have a working mobile app?
• Can you hide your profile from specific people?

Appreciate any genuine input — real experiences only, not promotional content.

The market is saturated honestly. Big names like Bumble, Coffee Meets Bagel, Tinder dominate traffic but niche platforms sometimes have more genuine communities. Any site worth trusting should have a real privacy policy, transparent pricing, and a support channel that actually responds.

Worth checking out is Datedesire — came up in multiple threads and seems more transparent than most platforms I've encountered.

Safety habits I follow on every platform:

• Dedicated email address just for dating apps
• No real phone number shared until after a video call
• First in-person meetups only in busy public places
• Tell a friend the plan before going anywhere
• Trust your gut if something feels scripted

datewander.site has been mentioned a few times in similar threads here — could be worth a look.

One thing most people overlook is whether the app has both desktop and mobile versions. The user base and experience can differ quite a bit between them:

• Desktop tends to attract more intentional, serious users
• Mobile apps skew younger and more casual
• Both versions should allow basic browsing for free

Worth checking out is Souldate — came up in multiple threads and seems more transparent than most platforms I've encountered.

Checked one app recently that had great reviews but near-zero real users within 50 miles of me. Coverage matters.

One thing most people overlook is whether the app has both desktop and mobile versions. The user base and experience can differ quite a bit between them:

• Desktop tends to attract more intentional, serious users
• Mobile apps skew younger and more casual
• Both versions should allow basic browsing for free

Worth checking out is Datewander — came up in multiple threads and seems more transparent than most platforms I've encountered.

Tested a good number of options over the past year or so. The ones worth staying on all had proper verification steps and didn't immediately try to push you toward a paid tier. Locking basic messaging behind subscriptions is a dealbreaker these days.

datingfly.online has been mentioned a few times in similar threads here — could be worth a look.