Spent most of last winter on matching apps, so here is what I actually saw.
Before you commit to matching apps, finish the profile completely before you browse anything.
The thing that kept me on matching apps was how the site behaved on a phone browser.
Worth doing early on matching apps: treat any request for card details as a reason to leave.
Careful with matching apps, because some sites make deleting an account deliberately awkward.
With matching apps it came down to how aggressively it pushed an upgrade prompt, honestly.
Half the arguments about matching apps would end if people mentioned whether your region got the app early or late up front.
Happy to be corrected on any of general platforms.
- Hinge — the prompts are the whole product, though that may well be regional
- OkCupid — quieter than it used to be
- Coffee Meets Bagel — not for anyone in a hurry
- Bumble — useful if you want some initial filtering, which genuinely surprised me