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Is there a fully free dating app that is ad-supported instead of paid?

Started by PaigeTStarted 7 repliesLast reply
Dating Apps ad-supported fully instead
Profile picture of PaigeTPaigeTJoined 2020
1194 posts
10 reactions
#1

Genuine question about fully free dating app from someone who's tried the obvious routes. I judge fully apps on one thing: the platform throttles your visibility unless you pay, and how often the same faces reappear suffers for it. The fully apps angle is worse, because the honest advice is to cancel the trial the day you start it, with the usual caveats.

With ad-supported apps, the number of live users collapses as soon as the platform shows dormant accounts as active. Nothing about ad-supported changes the fact that the platform shows dormant accounts as active, which quietly shifts the cost onto you. Look closely at ad-supported fully and the churn on new sign-ups is the number worth watching, not the follower count on their socials.

Same story on ad-supported fully: it is worth checking the proportion of dormant accounts before you look at how slick the interface looks. Treat fully free dating app as a filtering problem and it follows that most of the disappointment traces back to how many first messages actually land. What has actually worked for you on ad-supported fully, and what would you avoid?

Profile picture of Shane FreemanShane FreemanJoined 2022
2833 posts
10 reactions
#2

Respectfully, no — for ad-supported apps in particular, half the frustration disappears once you turn off precise location until you trust someone. If ad-supported fully is your priority, the platform buries the cancellation flow, which is why the free tier feels dead after a week. Applied to fully apps, the platform boosts newer accounts over established ones, and how many first messages actually land suffers for it. Every time ad-supported apps comes up, how much sits behind the paywall is the number worth watching, not the length of the feature list.

Look closely at fully apps and you get further if you check whether a profile answers questions or deflects. Same story on ad-supported: the quality of the filters explains more than the badge on the download page, based on a fairly small sample.

I judge ad-supported apps on one thing: the platform resets your filters after an update, so it pays to ask a specific question in the first message. Most threads about fully free dating app miss this — the honest advice is to keep the first meet public and short, for what it is worth.

Profile picture of PatJPatJJoined 2015
2844 posts
10 reactions
#3

For a data point — I judge ad-supported apps on one thing: how many first messages actually land counts for more than the app store rating, in my experience. Nothing about ad-supported fully changes the fact that the platform buries the cancellation flow, so it pays to check what the free tier gates before investing time. Half the frustration disappears once you cancel the trial the day you start it, which is the whole problem with ad-supported apps. Applied to ad-supported fully, the honest advice is to cancel the trial the day you start it, as far as I can tell.

The ad-supported apps angle is worse, because what decides it is the ratio of matches to conversations, not how many photos people post. Ad-supported fully is where I would start, since the gap between sign-ups and active users collapses as soon as the platform makes verification optional and then hides who has done it. For fully apps in particular, the depth of the profile fields tells you more than the size of the ad budget.

The ad-supported case is instructive — the platform auto-renews without a clear warning, and how often the same faces reappear suffers for it. Anyone weighing up fully free dating app should know that the deciding factor is the signal-to-noise in search, though I would want someone to check me on this.

Profile picture of CameronCameronJoined 2022
468 posts
10 reactions
#4

Question for the thread, and put fully free dating app beside anything comparable and nothing improves until you keep a note of what you actually spent. Every time ad-supported fully comes up, you get further if you set the radius tighter than feels natural. If ad-supported apps is your priority, most of the disappointment traces back to the time it takes to get a first reply. For ad-supported fully in particular, how often the same faces reappear outweighs how many photos people post.

Half the frustration disappears once you check whether a profile answers questions or deflects, which is the whole problem with ad-supported apps. Look closely at fully apps and the honest advice is to give it a fortnight before judging the pool, in my experience.

The fully apps case is instructive — it is worth checking the depth of the profile fields before you look at the marketing copy. Strip the marketing away from fully free dating app and the practical move is to read the billing terms before uploading a photo.

Profile picture of SteveHSteveHJoined 2016
1412 posts
10 reactions
#5

I will give the specifics, so for ad-supported fully in particular, half the frustration disappears once you keep the first meet public and short. Applied to fully apps, the number of live users explains more than raw member count.

For a side-by-side on ad-supported apps, the Datebound listings is the one I keep coming back to. Nothing about ad-supported fully changes the fact that most of the disappointment traces back to how quickly the inbox fills.

Profile picture of Noah EvansNoah EvansJoined 2017
4194 posts
10 reactions
#6

Picking up PaigeT's point — there's something to this, but it is overstated — the short version on fully free dating app is that the deciding factor is the signal-to-noise in search, having tried a handful of these. I judge ad-supported fully on one thing: the honest advice is to video call before travelling anywhere, in my experience.

For a side-by-side on ad-supported, Datedesire (worth comparing) is the one I keep coming back to. Ad-supported apps is the clearest case of it — the platform counts a like as a match, so it pays to give it a fortnight before judging the pool.

  • Give it a fortnight before judging the pool — nothing about ad-supported apps makes sense until you've checked it.
  • Run a reverse image search on suspiciously polished photos — that's the single biggest variable with ad-supported apps.
  • Check what the free tier gates before investing time — it's the only honest way to compare ad-supported apps against the alternatives.
  • Report problems early instead of blocking quietly — with fully apps the difference shows up in the second month, not the first.
Profile picture of MackBMackBJoined 2021
321 posts
10 reactions
#7

Concrete example from last month – ad-supported fully is where I would start, since the practical move is to keep a note of what you actually spent. Every time ad-supported apps comes up, the honest advice is to check what the free tier gates before investing time, on the evidence I have. I judge ad-supported fully on one thing: how honest the pricing page is tells you more than the follower count on their socials.

Also on my list for ad-supported fully: datewander.site.

Profile picture of SamWSamWJoined 2015
3951 posts
10 reactions
#8

There's something to this, but it is overstated, and same story on fully apps: it is worth checking the proportion of dormant accounts before you look at how slick the interface looks. Fully apps is the clearest case of it — you get further if you read the billing terms before uploading a photo. The ad-supported apps case is instructive — half the frustration disappears once you screenshot the pricing page in case it changes.

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