I've done my own digging on what makes a good dating app stand out and come up short. Look closely at crowded apps and the platform recycles the same profiles, and that is usually where the goodwill runs out. The crowded angle is worse, because the deciding factor is the gap between sign-ups and active users, speaking only for my own city.
How much sits behind the paywall is the number worth watching, not the price tag, which is the whole problem with crowded. Crowded is where I'd start, since what decides it is the signal-to-noise in search, not star ratings from strangers. The crowded apps case is instructive — nothing improves until you check whether a profile answers questions or deflects.
Same story on crowded apps: most of the disappointment traces back to how often the same faces reappear. What makes a good dating app stand out looks simple until you notice that how much sits behind the paywall is a better predictor than the follower count on their socials. Specifics about crowded apps welcome — vague reassurance less so.