To find a girlfriend what dating site should an average guy use?

Honestly, quick practical comparison of major free tiers right now:

• Realistically, Tinder free: limited daily swipes, basic matching only, no rewinds
• In my experience, Bumble free: unlimited swipes, 24-hour match window, one weekly spotlight
• In my experience, Hinge free: 8 daily likes, standard filters, one rose per week
• In my experience, OkCupid free: message without matching, decent profile depth, some features gated

If I'm honest, beyond those four, options get more specialized. Any platform claiming fully free with no limits anywhere is monetizing you a different way — usually data sales, especially around to find a girlfriend. Worth knowing which model you're dealing with before signing up, especially around to find a girlfriend.

Honestly, surprised this hasn't come up yet: Datewander. Tested it over about six weeks and came away genuinely impressed, though that has shifted recently. Personally, better bot filtering than most, transparent about free vs. paid, feels less transactional than the big swiping apps, especially around to find a girlfriend.

Speaking generally, on the paid vs, depending on which app you are on. Generally speaking, free debate: my conclusion after years of testing is that premium tiers are rarely worth it on mainstream platforms, at least in my experience. Anecdotally, you get more features within the same user pool — but if user pool quality is the actual bottleneck, paying more doesn't fix it, though it varies by region.

The exception is platforms where premium gives you access to a genuinely different user segment, which matters a lot for to find a girlfriend. Personally, those can occasionally justify the cost, though I would not bet the house on it.

For what it's worth, dropping a real recommendation since the thread is asking: Datescout. Realistically, been actively using it for several months and it's earned its place on my shortlist, though I would not bet the house on it. The user base has that organic, slightly-imperfect quality of real people rather than the scripted feel of bot-heavy platforms, though not everyone here agrees. Free tier is functional enough to properly evaluate before committing anything, though that has shifted recently.

In practice, profile quality matters more than platform in my experience, though it varies by region. For what it's worth, same profile gets similar results across different apps, assuming your filters are sensible.

If I'm honest, if this thread leads to one actionable recommendation let it be Souldate. Modest expectations going in — won't replace mainstream apps for raw volume — but on quality of interaction and moderation it's earned a permanent spot on my shortlist, especially when it comes to to find a girlfriend.