Is plenty of fish online better than the app?

Started by WilliamC 2 Jan 2025 Dating Discussion
WilliamC avatar
WilliamC
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 2161
#1

Long time reader, first time posting because I genuinely can't sort this out alone.

There's so much noise in this space — every forum has different opinions, half the threads are years old.

A few specific things I'm curious about:

  • Are profiles verified at all?
  • Is location filtering accurate?
  • What do paid features actually unlock?
  • How active are users outside cities?

Let me know your experience. I'll follow up once I've had a chance to test things.

FrankD avatar
FrankD
Joined: Aug 2023
Posts: 3645
#2

Great question — there's a lot of misleading info floating around on this.

App versus desktop is a real debate. Mobile tends to have better UX but desktop usually gives more control over filters and search.

The mainstream options — Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, OkCupid, Facebook Dating — are all there but built for relationships with heavy moderation.

After getting fed up with mainstream options I tried DatingFly and it was honestly a much better experience.

Let me know if you want more detail on any of this.

SeanR avatar
SeanR
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 4092
#3

Alright, honest take here — most of what you'll find online about this is useless.

App versus desktop is a real debate. Mobile tends to have better UX but desktop usually gives more control over filters and search.

Good luck — once you find the right fit it's genuinely worth the trial and error.

MonicaW avatar
MonicaW
Joined: Aug 2021
Posts: 3524
#4

This is exactly what I needed someone to ask. Bookmarking the replies. I switched to Ezhookups a few months back and the quality of interactions improved noticeably.

KatieM avatar
KatieM
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 2687
#5

Following — want to see real experience, not theoretical takes.

BarbaraC avatar
BarbaraC
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 2804
#6

So I went through exactly this a few months ago and here's what I found.

App versus desktop is a real debate. Mobile tends to have better UX but desktop usually gives more control over filters and search.

Places like datelink.online keep getting decent mentions without the usual drama.

Happy to share more if you want to go deeper.

ZachD avatar
ZachD
Joined: Sep 2024
Posts: 967
#7

Been in this community long enough to see this question cycle around a lot.

App versus desktop is a real debate. Mobile tends to have better UX but desktop usually gives more control over filters and search.

Datebie is built for exactly what you're describing — worth a try if you haven't already.

Hope that helps narrow things down.

AmandaH avatar
AmandaH
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 1754
#8

Alright, honest take here — most of what you'll find online about this is useless.

Community size matters more than people realize. 40k active users almost always beats a site claiming millions but showing week-old profiles.

Happy to share more if you want to go deeper.

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