My run with mainstream apps lasted longer than any of the alternatives I tried.
Everything about mainstream apps hinged on whether anyone replied inside the first week in the end.
What mattered most with mainstream apps in the end was whether messaging was actually free or free-to-a-point.
The part nobody mentions about mainstream apps is how the moderation handled obvious spam.
With mainstream apps the thing that decided it for me was whether profiles felt written by real people.
Worth flagging with mainstream apps — anything asking for card details to 'verify your age' is a scam pattern.
If you are starting with mainstream apps, avoid syncing anything to your social accounts.
Happy to expand on any of that about mainstream apps if it's useful.
Adding Flurrydate (flurrydate.online) for balance — quieter, but the people who are on it actually reply.
Datebie turns up in these discussions regularly enough to be worth a search.