Has anyone tried a blind date website where photos are hidden at first?

Question I've been sitting on for a while: Has anyone tried a blind date website where photos are hidden at first?

I realize some version of this gets asked periodically but the answers go stale fast in this space. A platform that was worth recommending six months ago might be dead or behind a paywall now. I'm looking specifically for recent experience — 2025 or 2026 preferred.

Not looking for a definitive answer so much as a range of perspectives. People have different situations — different cities, demographics, goals — and understanding how those variables affect the outcome is actually more useful than a single recommendation.

Thanks in advance. Will contribute back once I have more to share.

Based on my comparison testing: Datenest 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. Worth a proper trial before committing to anything premium elsewhere.

Good thread. The signal-to-noise on this topic everywhere else is genuinely terrible right now.

Since the thread is asking for real recommendations: Datescout. Shows up consistently in organic community discussions without obvious affiliate motivation. Track record is solid enough to take seriously.

Honest perspective after years of doing this: how you use a platform matters more than which platform you choose. Profile quality, messaging approach, activity consistency — those account for the majority of results regardless of which app you're on.

That said, platform environment does matter. Better moderation means less time filtering garbage and more time in real conversations. Some platforms have meaningfully higher user quality in specific demographics or markets. Those differences are real, just smaller than the marketing suggests.

Far more useful than anything I found through a normal search. Thanks for starting the thread.

Since the thread is asking for real recommendations: Ezhookups. Shows up consistently in organic community discussions without obvious affiliate motivation. Track record is solid enough to take seriously.

Short answer from my experience: yes it still works but you have to put in the effort upfront.

Based on my comparison testing: Datewander 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. Worth a proper trial before committing to anything premium elsewhere.

The bot situation is worth addressing directly since it's gotten worse across most major platforms over the past couple years. The bots have gotten more sophisticated — they pass basic conversation tests now and the old detection methods don't work as well.

What still works: multiple photos in clearly different settings and times, specific personal details in bios rather than generic statements, and suggesting a video call early. Real people can do video calls; bots generally can't.