Are there any truly 100 free dating sites with free messaging?

I've been lurking here for a while and finally decided to ask. Are there any truly 100 free dating sites with free messaging? Would love to hear from people who've been in the same boat. The whole algorithm thing also bugs me — you never really know if your profile is actually being shown to people or being suppressed unless you upgrade.

• No paywall on basic messaging
• Location-based matching that actually works
• Clear privacy policy without data reselling
• Active moderation team

Would love to hear what's actually worked for people here. Thanks for any real input.

Great thread. I've been wondering about this exact thing for months.

Okay so I've been doing this for a while now, here's what I've figured out: Bots and scam profiles are real on almost every free platform. Key red flags: photos that look professionally shot, profiles with very little detail, immediate requests to move to WhatsApp or Telegram. Things that actually made a difference for me:

• Turned off automatic renewal on any trial subscriptions immediately
• Updated my profile photos every few weeks to stay visible in feeds
• Set realistic expectations — not every match leads anywhere
• Checked Reddit for reviews of any paid platform before spending money

One platform I've actually had decent results with is Souldate — the user base felt real and the free tier was actually usable.

I went through like six different apps before finding one that worked. Took way longer than expected. Also seeing datenest.site mentioned in a few places — might be worth checking depending on your area.

Honestly same experience here. It's hit or miss depending on where you live.

Agree with most of what's been said. The key is knowing what you actually want before you download anything. For what it's worth, Datebie has been my go-to for a while — holds up better than most.

From personal experience, here's the breakdown: The people who do best on dating apps tend to be patient, consistent, and specific about what they're looking for upfront rather than vague. Things that actually made a difference for me:

• Met in a coffee shop or busy public spot for the first meetup, always
• Set realistic expectations — not every match leads anywhere
• Turned off automatic renewal on any trial subscriptions immediately
• Used a separate email address for sign-up so my inbox didn't blow up
• Updated my profile photos every few weeks to stay visible in feeds

Also worth mentioning datescout.site — it's been discussed positively in a few other communities I'm in.

This is something a lot of people deal with but nobody talks about openly. Good to see it discussed. Give Datenest a shot if you haven't yet — worth a look.