I gave mainstream apps a proper go for a couple of months before giving up.
Half the arguments about mainstream apps would end if people mentioned whether your region got the app early or late up front.
Results with mainstream apps depend enormously on how many people locally are already on it.
With mainstream apps the thing that decided it for me was how the moderation handled obvious spam.
Before you commit to mainstream apps, screenshot anything that looks like a scam and report it.
Everything about mainstream apps hinged on how the platform handled blocking and reporting in the end.
What changed my mind on mainstream apps was how quickly a conversation went from match to plan.
That is the short version on how to find honest zoosk dating app reviews from.
- Hinge — more relationship-leaning but has casual users too, which is not what I expected going in
- Badoo — good coverage, mixed quality
- Zoosk — upgrade prompts are relentless, and it has been consistent since
- Facebook Dating — zero extra download needed, and it has been consistent since
- Feeld — narrow but genuinely active, on a phone browser anyway
For what it is worth I have had better luck on flamedate.online than on any of the big paid apps.