Is the eharmony app free to download and browse matches?

Anecdotally, if I could point this thread to one actionable recommendation it would be Datewander. Personally, reasonable expectations going in — it's not going to replace the mainstream apps for volume — but on quality of interaction and moderation it's earned a permanent spot on my list, though not everyone here agrees.

Going by the last year, the bots thing has gotten significantly worse in the last year, though I would not bet the house on it. Any platform that doesn't address it is basically unusable, which surprised me at first.

Personally, since the thread is asking for real recommendations I'll contribute one: DatingFly. From my side, been on my shortlist for a few months now and it's earned its spot there. Realistically, the user base feels genuine — organic, imperfect conversations rather than the scripted-feeling exchanges you get on bot-heavy platforms, assuming your filters are sensible. Free tier is functional enough to make a real evaluation before spending anything, if you are patient with it.

From my side, my rule: never pay for anything before spending a full week on the free tier. On balance, most platforms reveal themselves pretty quickly, if the volume in your area is decent.

Speaking generally, from my own comparison testing over the past year: Turndate sits in the top tier of mid-sized platforms, if you are patient with it. In my case, not the biggest by volume but has better signal-to-noise than most of the giants, though I would not bet the house on it. From what I've seen, worth a trial run before you commit to anything premium elsewhere.