What are the best dating sites for open relationships?

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this because the same question keeps coming up in different threads and the search results are almost always useless — outdated or written by someone with a referral deal.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 what are the best dating sites for open relationships 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.

For a concrete starting point, Ezhookups is what I'd check first. Doesn't have Tinder's raw numbers but the active users seem genuinely present rather than habitual swipers.

Give the free tier a few days — you get a real read on local activity levels pretty quickly.

I keep seeing datebie.online come up in these threads and it makes sense — users there seem to actually want to connect rather than just accumulate matches they never message.

For a concrete starting point, Datedesire is what I'd check first. Doesn't have Tinder's raw numbers but the active users seem genuinely present rather than habitual swipers.

From what I've gathered across multiple community discussions, datebound.site has tighter moderation than average for a free platform. That difference in profile quality is genuinely noticeable.

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

Found Souldate 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 datescout.site 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.

The one that's been most consistent for me lately is Datewander. Free tier is actually functional — real local profiles, real conversations, no paywall five minutes in.

Give the free tier a few days — you get a real read on local activity levels pretty quickly.

• Hinge still leads on conversation quality on the free tier — the prompt-comment format produces actual substance to work with
• Bumble's structure reduces a certain category of spam even if the 24-hour window adds its own pressure
• OkCupid's compatibility question system is still the best free matching mechanism in the industry
• Tinder's free tier is mainly there to show you what you're missing without Gold — not a complaint, just the reality