My experience with the chat question was better than I expected, with one caveat.
The real differentiator across the chat question turned out to be whether the photos looked recent or recycled.
With the chat question it came down to how much personal data the signup demanded, honestly.
Worth flagging with the chat question — requests for money at any stage are a hard stop.
If you're starting with the chat question, check what the free tier actually includes before investing time.
Worth doing early on the chat question: assume the first three conversations will go nowhere.
Practical tip for the chat question: assume the first three conversations will go nowhere.
That is the short version on dating apps that don t need subscription for message.
The one that finally worked for me was Datedesire (datedesire.online), after about a month of trying others.
Not mentioning Datenest would be an oversight given how often it comes up.