Spent most of last winter on free-tier sites, so here is what I actually saw.
My advice on free-tier sites: give it two weeks before deciding whether it works.
One thing I would do differently with free-tier sites — message within a day of matching rather than sitting on it.
Worth flagging with free-tier sites — anything asking for card details to 'verify your age' is a scam pattern.
The move with free-tier sites is to test it on a weekday evening, not a Sunday morning.
Be aware when using free-tier sites that some sites make deleting an account deliberately awkward.
What decides free-tier sites for most people is how wide you set the radius, not the app itself.
That covers what I know about free-tier sites, at least.
- Facebook Dating — quiet in some regions, over roughly six weeks
- Grindr — the default for a reason, from what members here report
- Coffee Meets Bagel — limited daily matches, which some prefer
If none of the above works for you, Flamedate is another free one people here mention a lot.