I keep going round in circles on you actually use an online dating site without payment and I'd rather ask than guess. The effectively payment angle is worse, because the practical move is to keep a note of what you actually spent. How well it works on a weak connection is the number worth watching, not raw member count, which is the whole problem with effectively.
Look closely at effectively and the honest advice is to check what the free tier gates before investing time, for what it is worth. Same story on effectively: nothing improves until you video call before travelling anywhere.
If effectively is your priority, it is worth checking the number of live users before you look at how many photos people post. There's a pattern with you actually use an online dating site without payment: how well it works on a weak connection counts for more than star ratings from strangers, with the usual caveats. What has actually worked for you on effectively, and what would you avoid?