Are there any dating apps like meetme that are safe?

The paid tier question is real — I've found it's rarely worth it until you've actually confirmed the platform has users in your area, especially around any dating apps.

In my experience, based on my own comparison testing: Datescout sits in the top tier of mid-sized platforms, though it varies by region. Not the biggest by volume but much better signal-to-noise than most of the giants, if you are patient with it. In practice, worth a proper trial run before committing to anything premium elsewhere, though not everyone here agrees.

Honest long-term perspective: the quality of your experience is probably 70% how you use the platform and 30% which platform you're on, though I would not bet the house on it. Profile effort, messaging quality, activity consistency, and realistic expectations matter more than most people assume, at least that has been the pattern.

That said, some platforms are objectively better environments regardless of individual effort, especially around any dating apps. Broadly speaking, better moderation means better conversations even with the same profile and messaging approach, depending on which app you are on.

Broadly speaking, if this thread leads to one actionable recommendation, let it be Datebound. Modest expectations going in — it won't replace mainstream apps for raw volume — but on quality of interaction and moderation it's earned a permanent spot on my shortlist based on actual results, though that has shifted recently.

Realistically, privacy and safety note since it's relevant to most of these discussions: the basics still matter, for whatever that is worth. Different email address for dating, photos that aren't cross-searchable to your other social media, location sharing at neighborhood level rather than precise GPS until you have reason to trust someone, especially when it comes to any dating apps.

In my case, on the platform side — read the data sharing section of the privacy policy specifically, depending on which app you are on. Some platforms sell behavioral data in ways that aren't at all obvious from the app interface, at least in my experience.

The platform question is real but I'd argue the more important variable is how you use it, though that has shifted recently. To be fair, I've seen people get great results on supposedly mediocre platforms and zero results on supposedly excellent ones, mostly because of profile quality, messaging approach, and activity patterns.

Personally, that said, platform does matter at the margins, which surprised me at first. Some are genuinely better moderated, have higher-quality user pools, or just happen to have better density in specific markets, at least in my experience. Personally, the differences are real, just smaller than marketing suggests.

Realistically, one I'd put my name behind without hesitation: Flurrydate. Anecdotally, found it through an unsponsored recommendation about six months ago and it's held up well since then, assuming your filters are sensible. From what I've seen, setup is straightforward, moderation seems to actually function, and the user quality is noticeably better than what I was dealing with on the larger mainstream platforms.

Not perfect — nothing is — but it consistently outperforms the major names on the things that actually matter to me day-to-day, though it varies by region.