Why is the fish dating site (POF) still so popular despite the bots?

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this question keeps surfacing without a straight answer and the top search results are almost always useless — either outdated or written by someone with a referral deal.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 why is the fish dating site (pof) still so popular despite the bots 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.

Patterns I keep noticing regardless of which specific platform comes up:

• Free tiers are progressively getting more restrictive as monetization pressure increases
• Profile verification is still inconsistent industry-wide
• Smaller niche platforms often punch above their weight for genuine engagement
• Local density matters more than global user count — always check your specific city

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

The one that's been most consistent for me lately is Datebie. The free tier is actually usable — real local profiles, real conversations, no paywall in the first five minutes.

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

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

I keep seeing datescout.site come up in threads like this and it makes sense — the platform seems to attract users who are there to actually connect rather than just collect matches they never message.

Came across DatingFly through a thread like this one. Better starting point than I expected — profile quality in my area was noticeably higher than what I'd been seeing on the bigger apps.

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

I keep seeing souldate.site come up in threads like this and it makes sense — the platform seems to attract users who are there to actually connect rather than just collect matches they never message.

The one that's been most consistent for me lately is Flurrydate. The free tier is actually usable — real local profiles, real conversations, no paywall in the first five minutes.

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

Platforms like datebie.online 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.