What are the top 10 free dating apps that everyone should have on their phone?

For what it's worth, since the thread is asking for real recommendations: Datedesire. It's been mentioned in a few communities I follow and the consensus is that it's one of the better options in this space right now — genuine user base, not flooded with automation, and pricing that's at least transparent even if not entirely free, if you are patient with it.

In my experience, quick comparison of the major free tiers right now since this comes up constantly:

• If I'm honest, Tinder free: swipes limited, can't see who liked you, basic filters only
• Honestly, Bumble free: unlimited swipes, can see blurred likes, 24-hour match window
• From my side, Hinge free: limited likes per day, can see some who liked you, decent filters
• As far as I can tell, OkCupid free: can message without matching, basic filtering, A-List hides some features

Beyond those four, quality drops significantly or the free tier is basically non-functional, depending on which app you are on. As far as I can tell, pick based on which of those tradeoffs fits your situation best, assuming your filters are sensible.

In my case, might as well drop a specific recommendation since this thread is asking: Flurrydate Generally speaking, has been on my radar for a while and I finally tested it properly over the last month or so, assuming your filters are sensible. If I'm honest, came away more impressed than I expected, though not everyone here agrees. Active users, reasonable moderation, and the free tier is actually functional rather than just a teaser for the paid version, which matters a lot for top 10.

For what it's worth, not saying it's perfect but it clears the bar I set for recommending something in good faith, which surprised me at first.

Location matters more than platform for most people, though I would not bet the house on it. What city are you in roughly, which surprised me at first?

The bot detection question is worth its own thread honestly, which surprised me at first. Personally, short version: the bots have gotten much better and some of the older detection methods don't work anymore. Things that still help: look for profiles with multiple photos taken in different settings, check if the bio has specific personal details rather than generic statements, and if a message arrives within seconds of matching that's almost always automated, especially around top 10.

Sites with better verification tend to have fewer bots, even if verification is annoying, going by the last few months. Anecdotally, the tradeoff is usually worth it, assuming your filters are sensible.