Is there a truly free gay dating sites platform that isn't focused purely on hookups?

Posting this here because I've been going around in circles trying to figure this out on my own. The question of is there a truly free gay dating sites platform that isn't focused purely on hookups seems simple on the surface but every thread I find is either outdated or full of sponsored answers.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.

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.

From what I can tell, datebie.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.

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.

I keep seeing souldate.site 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.

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

From what I can tell, datedesire.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.

Yep, same thing happened in my area — the bigger platforms feel like ghost towns unless you filter really hard.

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. datedesire.online 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.

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