I gave free-tier sites a proper go for a couple of months before giving up.
One thing I would do differently with free-tier sites — screenshot anything that looks like a scam and report it.
The real differentiator across free-tier sites turned out to be how the platform handled blocking and reporting.
If you're starting with free-tier sites, test it on a weekday evening, not a Sunday morning.
With free-tier sites it came down to whether the radius setting actually worked, honestly.
Be aware when using free-tier sites that screenshots of a conversation travel further than you think.
Take that as one data point on met their spouse through freedating com, not gospel.
I also keep half an eye on Datewander — datewander.site — different crowd, same free-messaging idea.
Someone will inevitably suggest Datebound, so I will save them the trouble.