Do local dating websites still exist, or did big apps buy them all?

Posting this because I genuinely can't find a clear answer anywhere. Do local dating websites still exist, or did big apps buy them all? Happy to hear from anyone who's been through the same thing. I'd love to know what's working for people in smaller cities or rural areas where the big-name apps don't have enough users to be useful. 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. Would love to hear what's actually worked for people here. Thanks for any real input.

From personal experience, here's the breakdown: 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. One platform I've actually had decent results with is Datescout — 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 datelink.online mentioned in a few places — might be worth checking depending on your area.

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. Worth looking at Souldate — it came up in a few threads I read and the consensus was pretty positive.

Solid question. The answer really depends on your location and what you're looking for.

Okay so I've been doing this for a while now, here's what I've figured out: I've tested quite a few options. The mainstream ones — Badoo, Plenty of Fish, Hinge, MeetMe — all have free tiers, but they vary a lot in how usable those tiers actually are. Things that actually made a difference for me:

• Met in a coffee shop or busy public spot for the first meetup, always
• 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

I ended up settling on Rendate after testing a few others. The interface is cleaner than most.