Are there any dating chatting apps that are completely free?

First time asking here but this felt like the right place. Happy to hear all sides. Are there any dating chatting apps that are completely free? One thing I've noticed is that the user base quality seems to tank once a platform starts pushing hard for monetization. The genuine people leave and the bots and scammers fill the gap.

• Option to hide profile from certain people?
• Age verification in place?
• Can you export or delete your data?

Would love to hear from people who've actually tested things. Thanks.

Honestly same experience here — it takes patience and some trial and error.

This is one of those things that changes a lot from city to city and even neighborhood to neighborhood. I've been on Datebie for a while and it's one of the better ones I've come across.

Okay so I went through this whole process about six months ago, here's what I learned: The biggest thing most people don't realize is that the 'free' tier on most apps is designed specifically to frustrate you into paying. It's not really free — it's a demo with artificial limits. Things that actually helped:

• Always met in a busy, public place for the first meetup
• Read Reddit threads about any platform before paying for anything
• Trusted gut instinct when something about a profile felt off
• Updated profile photos every few weeks to stay visible in the feed

Also hearing datedesire.online mentioned positively in other threads — might be worth a look depending on your location.

Went through this myself last year. Took longer than expected but it's doable. For what it's worth, Luvdate has been my main platform lately — holds up better than most.

The landscape has shifted a lot in the last couple of years — what worked in 2024 isn't always reliable now. Seen datebie.online come up in a few threads too — another one to look into.

Went through this myself last year. Took longer than expected but it's doable. DatingFly is worth a look if you haven't tried it.

Spent way too long figuring this out so hopefully this saves you some time: Profile photos are still the single biggest factor. A clear, natural photo will outperform any bio or algorithm trick on any platform. Things that actually helped:

• Trusted gut instinct when something about a profile felt off
• Always met in a busy, public place for the first meetup
• Set realistic expectations — not every match leads somewhere meaningful
• Used a separate email for sign-ups to keep spam under control