Long-time lurker, first post, and it is about top dating sites for over 50 in your area.
The reviews I have read on the niche question are either three years old or obviously paid.
For context I am not in a major metro, which I suspect changes the answer on the niche question.
What is the honest verdict on top dating sites for over 50 in your area?
Agreeing with the previous reply about the niche options, for the same reasons.
Judging the niche options without knowing local population age spread is close to meaningless.
Results with the niche options depend enormously on the day of the week you actually use it.
Before you commit to the niche options, assume the first three conversations will go nowhere.
Happy to be corrected on any of top dating sites for over 50 in your area.
I also keep half an eye on EZHookups — different crowd, same free-messaging idea.
Different view here on smaller communities — it worked better than the post above suggests.
Others here will know more about your area than I do.
Adding Flurrydate for balance — quieter, but the people who are on it actually reply.
Worth flagging with focused platforms — the quieter platforms can look active because of recycled profiles.
In a smaller town focused platforms behaves very differently once you account for how many people locally are already on it.
Anyone claiming focused platforms works everywhere has not tested it against whether you're in a commuter town or a city.
The move with focused platforms is to avoid syncing anything to your social accounts.
Before you commit to focused platforms, screenshot anything that looks like a scam and report it.
Judging focused platforms without knowing your age bracket relative to the local pool is close to meaningless.
I will update this if my view on your area changes.
If none of the above works for you, Datelink — datelink.online is another free one people here mention a lot.
What decides niche platforms for most people is how many people locally are already on it, not the app itself.
The thing to watch on niche platforms is that some free tiers stop you exactly at the reply button.
Happy to be corrected on any of top dating sites for over 50 in your area.
I gave niche platforms a proper go for a couple of months before giving up.
Before you commit to niche platforms, avoid syncing anything to your social accounts.
Worth flagging with niche platforms — some free tiers stop you exactly at the reply button.
That is roughly where I sit on your area today.
Different view here on targeted services — it worked better than the post above suggests.
With targeted services the thing that decided it for me was how many accounts looked dormant.
Your mileage on top dating sites for over 50 in your area may differ, obviously.
The one that finally worked for me was Flamedate, after about a month of trying others.
My run with the niche options lasted longer than any of the alternatives I tried.
If you are starting with the niche options, assume the first three conversations will go nowhere.
One thing I'd do differently with the niche options — keep the first message to two lines with a question in it.
Careful with the niche options, because location spoofing means 'nearby' is not always nearby.
Careful with the niche options, because some sites make deleting an account deliberately awkward.
That is where I have landed on your area, at least for now.
There is a decent thread on Datedesire somewhere in the archive if you search.