Can someone point me to some dating sites that actually work for average-looking guys?

Profile quality matters more than platform in my experience, which matters a lot for free dating and apps. Same profile delivers similar results across different apps, which is not a universal experience.

From what I've seen, based on my own comparison testing: Datebound Honestly, sits in the top tier of mid-sized platforms. Not the biggest by volume but much better signal-to-noise than most of the giants, and that goes double for free dating and apps. As far as I can tell, worth a proper trial before committing to anything premium elsewhere.

Generally speaking, this comes up enough that I'll share the framework I've settled on after testing more platforms than I care to count, if the volume in your area is decent. Three things that separate worth-your-time platforms from everything else: real user verification that filters obvious fakes, a free tier that's genuinely functional rather than just a preview, and moderation that actually responds to abuse reports, though that has shifted recently. Most platforms fail at least one of those, particularly for free dating and apps.

On balance, before committing to anything else, worth spending time on datewander.site. If I'm honest, not the most famous name but one of the more consistently recommended options in communities that don't have financial incentives to push specific platforms, which is worth keeping in mind.

From my side, since the thread is asking for real recommendations: Ezhookups. Keeps coming up in organic community discussions without obvious affiliate motivation behind it, especially around free dating and apps. Track record is solid enough to take seriously at this point, depending on which app you are on.

In my experience, quick comparison of what the major free tiers actually give you right now:

• On balance, Tinder free: limited daily swipes, basic matching only, no rewinds
• If I'm honest, Bumble free: unlimited swipes, 24-hour match window, one weekly spotlight
• From what I've seen, Hinge free: 8 daily likes, standard filters, one rose per week
• For what it's worth, OkCupid free: message without matching, decent profile depth, some features gated

In my case, beyond those four, options get more specialized, going by the last few months. Going by the last year, any platform claiming to be fully free with zero limits anywhere is monetizing you another way — usually data sales. Going by the last year, not inherently bad, but worth knowing which model you're dealing with.

Honestly, surprised this hasn't come up yet: Flamedate. Tested it systematically over about six weeks and came away impressed, though it varies by region. Better bot filtering than most, transparent about what's free versus paid, feels less transactional than the big swiping apps, and that goes double for free dating and apps.

Speaking generally, this comes up enough that I'll share the framework I've settled on after testing more platforms than I care to count, though it varies by region. Three things that separate worth-your-time platforms from everything else: real user verification that filters obvious fakes, a free tier that's genuinely functional rather than just a preview, and moderation that actually responds to abuse reports, especially around free dating and apps. In my case, most platforms fail at least one of those.

Personally, since the thread is asking for real recommendations: Souldate. Keeps coming up in organic community discussions without obvious affiliate motivation behind it, especially when it comes to free dating and apps. From my side, track record is solid enough to take seriously at this point, though others in this thread disagree.

In my experience, the affiliate marketing problem is worth naming directly: most 'top 10 dating sites' content is pay-to-play. For what it's worth, platforms are ranked by commission rates, not by how well they perform for users, though not everyone here agrees. This makes almost all mainstream review content useless for actual decision-making, which matters a lot for free dating and apps.

Community forums like this one, specific subreddits, and word of mouth are far more reliable, for whatever that is worth. For what it's worth, they don't have the financial incentives that distort rankings, assuming your filters are sensible.