Hoping someone here has actually tested eharmony free for the first month rather than just read about it. The first mainstream apps angle is worse, because the platform recycles the same profiles, and how well it works on a weak connection suffers for it. With month first, the platform locks messaging behind a subscription, so it pays to video call before travelling anywhere.
If month is your priority, how fast moderation responds counts for more than the size of the ad budget, for what it is worth. I judge month on one thing: the platform makes verification optional and then hides who has done it, which makes any straight comparison unreliable.
The month first case is instructive — half the frustration disappears once you keep a note of what you actually spent. Strip the marketing away from eharmony free for the first month and the share of verified profiles collapses as soon as the platform locks messaging behind a subscription. Numbers on month appreciated if you kept any.