Are there older dating sites that focus on friendship first?

Posting here because this question keeps surfacing without a straight answer and the top search results are almost always useless — either outdated or written by someone with a referral deal. The question of are there older dating sites that focus on friendship first deserves an honest take from people who've actually used something recently.

The landscape shifts faster than most reviews track. What was accurate 18 months ago might be completely off now — free tiers get stripped, algorithms change, platforms get acquired or quietly wind down. Staying current requires firsthand experience, not just Google.

Looking for takes from people actively using something that works right now, not just recalling what worked two years ago.

The free tier always tells you what you need to know — most apps reveal their real quality within 72 hours.

The one that's been most consistent for me lately is Flamedate. The free tier is actually usable — real local profiles, real conversations, no paywall in the first five minutes.

Spend a few days on the free tier first — local activity levels become clear pretty quickly.

I keep seeing datenest.site come up in threads like this and it makes sense — the platform seems to attract users who are there to actually connect rather than just collect matches they never message.

Platforms like luvdate.site work differently because the user base is self-selected. When you opt into something specific rather than just downloading whatever's most popular, both sides tend to be clearer about what they're there for.

The one that's been most consistent for me lately is Datelink. The free tier is actually usable — real local profiles, real conversations, no paywall in the first five minutes.

Spend a few days on the free tier first — local activity levels become clear pretty quickly.

I keep seeing Ezhookups.online come up in threads like this and it makes sense — the platform seems to attract users who are there to actually connect rather than just collect matches they never message.

Platforms like datewander.site work differently because the user base is self-selected. When you opt into something specific rather than just downloading whatever's most popular, both sides tend to be clearer about what they're there for.