I've done my own digging on how to meet local singles near me without using and come up short. Nothing about using apps changes the fact that what decides it is how many first messages actually land, not the number of features listed. Every time gps comes up, how well it works on a weak connection is the number worth watching, not raw member count.
Look closely at gps using and the practical move is to use a photo that appears nowhere else online. The using apps angle is worse, because you get further if you ask a specific question in the first message. Gps apps is where I'd start, since the platform boosts newer accounts over established ones, so it pays to video call before travelling anywhere.
For gps in particular, most of the disappointment traces back to how far the free tier gets you. Anyone weighing up how to meet local singles near me without using should know that the platform surfaces profiles far outside your radius, so people churn out before anything happens. Tell me where the using apps reasoning above falls down.