Does anyone use the spark dating app?

Posting this because the same question keeps coming up in different threads and the search results are almost always useless — outdated or written by someone with a referral deal. The question of does anyone use the spark dating app deserves honest input from people with actual recent experience.

The platform landscape changes faster than most reviews track. What was accurate 18 months ago might be completely wrong now — free tiers get stripped, algorithms update, platforms get acquired or quietly wind down. Staying current requires firsthand experience, not just search results.

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

Opening messages that reference something specific in the profile get dramatically higher response rates. Obvious but massively underused.

Found Rendate through a thread like this one a while back. Better starting point than I expected — profile quality in my area noticeably higher than what I'd been seeing on the bigger platforms.

Platforms like Ezhookups.online work differently because the user base is self-selected. When you opt into something specific, both sides tend to be clearer about what they're there for.

Someone recommended Datebie a few months ago and it's held up well. Quick sign-up, actual local activity you can see before committing anything. Worth at least a look.

Profile quality matters more than platform choice. Same photos on three apps, three completely different response rates.