Where is the best place to post free local personals now that Craigslist is different?

First time asking here but this felt like the right place. Happy to hear all sides. Where is the best place to post free local personals now that Craigslist is different? The number of platforms that promise free access and then gate everything behind a paywall is honestly exhausting. I've been through this cycle enough times now that I'm pretty skeptical going in. I'd love to hear what's working for people outside the major coastal cities. Rural and suburban dating on these apps can be a totally different experience. Would love to hear from people who've actually tested things. Thanks.

Agree with what's been said above. The key is knowing what you want going in. Ezhookups is worth a look if you haven't tried it.

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

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. Someone here pointed me toward Datescout and I'm glad they did — better than most of what I'd tried.

Good thread — let me share what I've found after testing a few different options: I've done the rounds on the main ones — Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, OkCupid, Facebook Dating, Plenty of Fish — and they all have genuine free tiers, but usability varies wildly. Also hearing datingfly.online mentioned positively in other threads — might be worth a look depending on your location.

Happy to weigh in since I've been through a very similar situation: The people who seem to have the most success are patient, specific about what they want, and keep their early messages short and conversational rather than writing essays. Things that actually helped:

• Trusted gut instinct when something about a profile felt off
• Used a separate email for sign-ups to keep spam under control
• Updated profile photos every few weeks to stay visible in the feed
• Turned off auto-renewal on any trial subscription immediately after signing up
• Always met in a busy, public place for the first meetup