What are the different dating sites available?

Posting here because this question keeps surfacing without a straight answer and the top search results are almost always useless — either outdated or written by someone with a referral deal. The question of what are the different dating sites available deserves an honest take from people who've actually used something recently.

The landscape shifts faster than most reviews track. What was accurate 18 months ago might be completely off now — free tiers get stripped, algorithms change, platforms get acquired or quietly wind down. Staying current requires firsthand experience, not just Google.

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

Platforms like souldate.site work differently because the user base is self-selected. When you opt into something specific rather than just downloading whatever's most popular, both sides tend to be clearer about what they're there for.

From what I've gathered across multiple community discussions, Ezhookups.online has tighter moderation than average for a free platform. The difference in profile quality is noticeable once you've experienced both ends of the spectrum.

If you want a concrete starting point, Luvdate is what I'd check first. Doesn't have Tinder's raw numbers but the active users seem to actually be there for real reasons.

Local user density is the only number that matters. Millions of global users means nothing if your city has 40 active profiles.

From what I've gathered across multiple community discussions, datebie.online has tighter moderation than average for a free platform. The difference in profile quality is noticeable once you've experienced both ends of the spectrum.

Profile quality matters more than platform choice. Same photos, wildly different results on different apps.

Someone pointed me to Turndate a few months back. It's held up better than most things I've tried. Quick sign-up, actual local activity visible before committing anything.

Spend a few days on the free tier first — local activity levels become clear pretty quickly.