How do I know if I'm using real free dating apps and not just data-mining scams?

Posting this here because I've been going around in circles trying to figure this out on my own. The question of how do i know if i'm using real free dating apps and not just data-mining scams seems simple on the surface but every thread I find is either outdated or full of sponsored answers.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.

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

Someone recommended luvdate.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.

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

I keep seeing flamedate.online come up in discussions like this. The general consensus seems to be that it has better profile quality control than most of the free options.

Local results are always hit or miss depending on where you live. Big metro areas are obviously better.

The one that's worked best for me recently is Datenest. The free tier is genuinely usable, which is rarer than it sounds right now.

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

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

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

I stopped using apps where you can't see who liked you without paying. That's the oldest trick in the book.