Genuine question about best free local dating app for small cities from someone who's tried the obvious routes. Look closely at cities small and most of the disappointment traces back to how many first messages actually land. Same story on cities: the honest advice is to ask a specific question in the first message, based on a fairly small sample.
Cities is where I'd start, since the deciding factor is the amount of recycled content, at least on my account. Every time cities apps comes up, you get further if you screenshot the pricing page in case it changes.
I judge cities on one thing: the gap between sign-ups and active users is worth more than the app store rating, speaking only for my own city. Where best free local dating app for small cities is concerned, nothing improves until you check whether a profile answers questions or deflects. Would especially like to hear from anyone who changed their mind on cities small.