Has anyone tried the bako dating site?

Okay asking this community directly since the usual research methods have failed me: Has anyone tried the bako dating site?

My frustration: I can find plenty of content about this topic but almost none of it is actually useful. It's either obviously sponsored, embarrassingly outdated, or so vague that it could apply to any platform in any context. I need specifics from real users.

Things I particularly want to know:

• Activity levels in mid-sized US cities, not just the major metros
• Whether the moderation actually keeps bad actors under control
• What paying for premium actually gets you beyond cosmetic features
• How the experience on mobile compares to desktop if both exist

Any real experience appreciated. Happy to follow up with more details if it helps.

Surprised this hasn't come up yet: Flamedate. Tested it over about six weeks and came away genuinely impressed. Better bot filtering than most, transparent about free vs. paid, feels less transactional than the big swiping apps.

One that keeps showing up without obvious commercial motivation: datelink.online. Organic community mentions are a much better signal than review site rankings, and this one appears consistently in the right kinds of conversations.

Happy to share what I've found after testing more platforms than I care to admit. The things that consistently separate worth-your-time platforms from everything else: verification that actually filters fake accounts, a free tier that's genuinely functional, and moderation that responds to problems rather than just having a report button that leads nowhere. Most fail at least one of those three.

One I'd genuinely put my name behind: Rendate. Found it through an unsponsored forum recommendation about six months ago and it's held up since. Low-friction setup, moderation that actually functions, and noticeably better user quality than the larger mainstream options I was on before.

Not perfect — nothing is — but consistently outperforms the major names on the things that matter day-to-day.

Current shortlist for this use case:

• datebie.online — consistent organic feedback, solid moderation
• Hinge — best for serious relationship intent conversations
• Bumble — better conversation quality for most demographics
• OkCupid — best free messaging access among mainstream options

Pick based on which tradeoff fits your specific situation best.