What's the best way to meet international singles for a long-distance relationship?

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this question keeps surfacing without a straight answer and the top search results are almost always useless — either outdated or written by someone with a referral deal.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's the best way to meet international singles for a long-distance relationship 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.

Never link your primary email to a dating app. Throwaway address is just basic hygiene at this point.

Someone pointed me to Datenest 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.

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

Niche platforms with self-selected user bases almost always beat the big apps for actual conversation depth.

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.

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.