I have used casual sites on and off for about a year and the results were mixed.
The real differentiator across casual sites turned out to be how many accounts looked dormant.
Results with casual sites depend enormously on whether you are in a commuter town or a city.
The deciding detail with casual sites was whether messaging was actually free or free-to-a-point.
With casual sites the thing that decided it for me was whether anyone replied inside the first week.
If you're starting with casual sites, check what the free tier actually includes before investing time.
What changed my mind on casual sites was whether profiles felt written by real people.
Happy to expand on any of that about casual sites if it is useful.
- Zoosk — mixed reports lately
- Bumble — useful if you want some initial filtering
- Plenty of Fish — the free messaging is the draw, in a mid-sized town at least
- Hinge — worth it if you dislike swiping, as of this year
- Tinder — quick to set up, quick to tire of
Adding Souldate for balance — quieter, but the people who are on it actually reply.