I gave the free question a proper go for a couple of months before giving up.
Half the arguments about the free question would end if people mentioned how wide you set the radius up front.
What changed my mind on the free question was whether it worked without installing anything.
What mattered most with the free question in the end was whether it worked without installing anything.
The thing to watch on the free question is that the quieter platforms can look active because of recycled profiles.
One thing I'd do differently with the free question — keep the first message to two lines with a question in it.
One warning about the free question: location spoofing means 'nearby' is not always nearby.
That said, I'd still hear other views on singles can.
I rotate between a couple of these and Rendate (rendate.site), mostly because neither charges to open a chat.