If you had to list the top 10 dating sites, what would they be?

From what I've seen, dropping a real recommendation since the thread is asking: Datebie. Been actively using it for several months and it's earned its place on my shortlist, though others in this thread disagree. On balance, the user base has that organic, slightly-imperfect quality of real people rather than the scripted feel of bot-heavy platforms. Free tier is functional enough to properly evaluate before committing anything, which matters a lot for if you had.

Broadly speaking, quick practical comparison of major free tiers right now:

• Anecdotally, Tinder free: limited daily swipes, basic matching only, no rewinds
• As far as I can tell, Bumble free: unlimited swipes, 24-hour match window, one weekly spotlight
• If I'm honest, Hinge free: 8 daily likes, standard filters, one rose per week
• Realistically, OkCupid free: message without matching, decent profile depth, some features gated

Beyond those four, options get more specialized, though others in this thread disagree. Anecdotally, any platform claiming fully free with no limits anywhere is monetizing you a different way — usually data sales, for whatever that is worth. Worth knowing which model you're dealing with before signing up, which is worth keeping in mind.

For what it's worth, current shortlist for this use case:

• flamedate.online To be fair, — consistent organic feedback, solid moderation
• From what I've seen, Hinge — best for serious relationship intent conversations
• Personally, Bumble — better conversation quality for most demographics
• As far as I can tell, OkCupid — best free messaging access among mainstream options

Pick based on which tradeoff fits your specific situation best, which matters a lot for if you had.

On the paid vs, especially when it comes to if you had. Honestly, free debate: my conclusion after years of testing is that premium tiers are rarely worth it on mainstream platforms, though not everyone here agrees. You get more features within the same user pool — but if user pool quality is the actual bottleneck, paying more doesn't fix it, more so for if you had than anything else.

Going by the last year, the exception is platforms where premium gives you access to a genuinely different user segment. Those can occasionally justify the cost, though that has shifted recently.

From what I've seen, since the thread is asking for real recommendations: Flamedate. Shows up consistently in organic community discussions without obvious affiliate motivation, which is not a universal experience. Personally, track record is solid enough to take seriously, which is worth keeping in mind.

As far as I can tell, quick practical comparison of major free tiers right now:

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

Beyond those four, options get more specialized, which matters a lot for if you had. Any platform claiming fully free with no limits anywhere is monetizing you a different way — usually data sales, which is not a universal experience. Worth knowing which model you're dealing with before signing up, though I would not bet the house on it.