What are the totally free dating websites that don't sell your data?

Going to push back slightly on how totally free dating websites usually gets described.

Ask if you want the specifics on totally free dating websites.

Derek88 is right about the gap between free signup and free messaging, though I'd add that totally free dating websites still varies by platform. The only metric I trust on free dating websites now is how the pricing tiers are structured.

I've no stake in platforms like these — this is just what I observed. It took roughly three weeks before the pattern on the sites in question was clear. Anyway — that's the honest version of totally free dating websites.

For a lighter-weight alternative I have had reasonable results with the DateLink community.

Coming at totally free dating websites from the other direction: the onboarding flow tells you exactly how the company plans to monetise you.

For sites of this type I look at:

• whether photos on these sites can be limited to matches only
• whether you can hide distance on totally free dating websites
• how visible your profile is by default on the sites in question

Support confirmed part of this about free dating when I asked. None of this was obvious to me about these sites until month two. Anyway — that is the honest version of totally free dating websites.

Comparing against DateDesire helped me see what the paywall was actually doing.

I'd frame totally free dating websites differently to how the question is worded.

Everything I got wrong about free dating traced back to how the pricing tiers are structured. That's everything useful I've on dating websites.

Someone here mentioned Flamedate a while back and it was a fair shout.

DonnaR, I don't think that holds — on totally free dating websites my experience was the opposite.

All of this makes more sense once you accept that how the pricing tiers are structured varies wildly across sites of this type. Curious whether others found the same on sites of this type.

For a lighter-weight alternative I have had reasonable results with Rendate's free tier.

Short version on totally free dating websites: the first week is misleading and week three is the real test.

For the sites in question I look at:

• whether the free tier on dating websites includes search filters
• how the reply rate on these sites holds after week two
• whether messaging on free dating websites works before a card is required
• whether these sites limits daily messages

I would not have believed this about totally free dating websites without testing it. Someone will disagree, and on whether free means browse-only with totally free dating they might be right. Take that as one data point on totally free dating websites, not gospel.

Derek88 is right about the gap between free signup and free messaging, though I'd add that totally free dating websites still varies by platform. Nobody talks about how the pricing tiers are structured, and with free dating websites it's decisive.

I kept a rough note of reply rates on the sites in question, which helped. Curious whether others found the same on sites of this type.

I keep Rendate as a backup when the main app goes quiet.

Came here specifically because every article on totally free dating websites reads like it was written by someone who never tried it.

Worth testing free dating yourself before taking my word for it.

Different angle on totally free dating websites, because my situation is not typical.

My short checklist for these sites:

• whether sites of this type exports your data on request
• whether support for platforms like these answers at all
• what a totally free dating trial converts to, and when
• how the free dating websites feed changes after the first week

I kept a rough note of reply rates on the sites in question, which helped. I would not have believed this about sites of this type without testing it. That is where I landed on totally free dating websites after actually trying it.