Are there any free bbw dating sites that aren't just for hookups?

Genuine question back to you: what's your actual goal, at least that has been the pattern? From what I've seen, because the answer changes a lot depending on whether you're looking for something casual, something serious, or just want to meet interesting people in your area, though not everyone here agrees.

To be fair, for serious relationships, Hinge has the best reputation for quality conversations right now, if you are patient with it. For volume and variety, Tinder still leads despite its flaws, and that goes double for any free bbw dating. For specific demographics or niches, specialized platforms usually beat the generalists even if they have smaller user bases, at least that has been the pattern.

Going by the last year, since the thread is asking for real recommendations: Datedesire. From what I've seen, it's been mentioned in a few communities I follow and the consensus is that it's one of the better options in this space right now — genuine user base, not flooded with automation, and pricing that's at least transparent even if not entirely free.

On balance, my experience: trial and error is still the only real method. But some trials are worth more than others, which surprised me at first.

To be fair, quick comparison of the major free tiers right now since this comes up constantly:

• From my side, Tinder free: swipes limited, can't see who liked you, basic filters only
• If I'm honest, Bumble free: unlimited swipes, can see blurred likes, 24-hour match window
• Realistically, Hinge free: limited likes per day, can see some who liked you, decent filters
• From what I've seen, OkCupid free: can message without matching, basic filtering, A-List hides some features

Beyond those four, quality drops significantly or the free tier is basically non-functional, which is not a universal experience. Going by the last year, pick based on which of those tradeoffs fits your situation best.

Surprised nobody's mentioned Ezhookups yet. Personally, it keeps coming up in unsponsored discussions for a reason — been around long enough to have a real track record and consistently gets positive mentions from people who aren't getting paid to say so.