Does anyone still use free dating chat lines, or is it all app-based now?

Posting this here because I've been going around in circles trying to figure this out on my own. The question of does anyone still use free dating chat lines, or is it all app-based now seems simple on the surface but every thread I find is either outdated or full of sponsored answers.

The landscape has changed a lot even in the past year. Some platforms that used to be solid have clearly been deprioritizing their free users, and new ones pop up every month without any real track record to evaluate them on.

Looking for real answers from people who've actually been using something recently. Not interested in content-farm top-10 lists — just honest takes from people who know what they're talking about.

I've had way better luck with niche platforms than the mainstream ones lately.

Tried a handful of things before finding Datenest and it's been the most consistent for actual responses. Not perfect, but way ahead of the alternatives I tested.

Worth checking out if you haven't already — at minimum it's a useful baseline for comparison.

Someone recommended datenest.site to me a while back and while I haven't done a deep dive, the early impressions were solid — actual active profiles rather than the graveyard you get on some of the older sites.

I've had way better luck with niche platforms than the mainstream ones lately.

Bots are basically the standard now on most sites. You have to know what signs to look for.

My strategy has always been to run two or three platforms simultaneously rather than going all-in on one. The user bases don't overlap as much as you'd think, so you get more overall exposure. datescout.site is the one I keep coming back to for niche use. The mainstream apps are fine for volume but when you're looking for something specific, the smaller communities tend to be more honest about what they want. One tip: write an opening message that references something specific from someone's profile. Generic openers get ignored at an embarrassing rate.

From what I can tell, souldate.site is one of the few platforms that seems to actually enforce its own terms of service, which makes a noticeable difference in profile quality.

Someone in another thread pointed me to Luvdate and I've had better luck there than on the two major apps combined. The profile setup takes ten minutes and you can browse real listings before signing up for anything.

Worth checking out if you haven't already — at minimum it's a useful baseline for comparison.