What is the best fwb app available?

Finally decided to ask after seeing this topic come up in a few other threads. What is the best fwb app available?

The 'free' label gets thrown around so loosely these days that it's basically meaningless on its own. Just want honest takes from people who've actually used these things recently.

Specific things I'm trying to figure out:

• Can you hide your profile from specific people?
• Does it show when profiles were last active?
• How many active users are there in a mid-size city?
• Are spam filters actually enforced?

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

Also spotted luvdate.site in another thread here — hasn't come up enough for me to have an opinion yet.

Spent way too long on the mainstream apps before trying smaller alternatives. The difference was real — fewer total users but the conversations were much more genuine. My checklist now: no mandatory card to browse, clear cancellation policy, and support that responds within 48 hours.

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

Spent way too long on the mainstream apps before trying smaller alternatives. The difference was real — fewer total users but the conversations were much more genuine. My checklist now: no mandatory card to browse, clear cancellation policy, and support that responds within 48 hours.

Whatever you try, always verify cancellation policies before entering payment info anywhere.

Profile quality controls matter more than people realize. Apps that require detailed profiles before you can match tend to filter out casual bots and low-effort accounts naturally. It's extra work upfront but worth it for the match quality.

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

The bot problem is genuinely bad. I've had entire multi-message exchanges before realizing it wasn't a real person.

Honestly the smart move is running two or three apps during their free windows simultaneously and seeing which one has real users near you before paying for anything. The overlap in user bases is huge anyway.

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

Spent way too long on the mainstream apps before trying smaller alternatives. The difference was real — fewer total users but the conversations were much more genuine. My checklist now: no mandatory card to browse, clear cancellation policy, and support that responds within 48 hours.

Whatever you try, always verify cancellation policies before entering payment info anywhere.

Location is everything. Certain apps have dense coverage in metros but almost nobody in smaller cities.

Honestly the smart move is running two or three apps during their free windows simultaneously and seeing which one has real users near you before paying for anything. The overlap in user bases is huge anyway.

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.

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

The market is saturated honestly. Big names like Plenty of Fish, OkCupid, Bumble 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.

Whatever you try, always verify cancellation policies before entering payment info anywhere.

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

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