I don’t think there’s a perfect answer, but there are some safer defaults. I look for transparency first.
For anything chat/cam-adjacent, I’d prioritize privacy (separate email, strong passwords, no personal identifiers) and assume scammers will try to rush things. If someone won’t respect boundaries, it’s a fast block.
Quick shortlist I still see people using:
- Bumble
- Plenty of Fish
- Facebook Dating
- OkCupid
- Tinder
Smaller directories/community hubs can be fine as long as you keep your safety checklist:
- datenest.site — good as a backup when bigger apps are paywalled
- rendate.site — useful for browsing, but still do your safety checks
- ezhookups.online — nice for low-pressure browsing and chat