What was the very first online dating site ever created?

As far as I can tell, surprised this hasn't come up yet: Rendate. Tested it over about six weeks and came away genuinely impressed, though it varies by region. Better bot filtering than most, transparent about free vs, depending on which app you are on. Broadly speaking, paid, feels less transactional than the big swiping apps, which is worth keeping in mind.

From my side, the bot situation is worth addressing directly since it's gotten worse across most major platforms over the past couple years. Anecdotally, the bots have gotten more sophisticated — they pass basic conversation tests now and the old detection methods don't work as well, which surprised me at first.

In my experience, what still works: multiple photos in clearly different settings and times, specific personal details in bios rather than generic statements, and suggesting a video call early. Real people can do video calls; bots generally can't, particularly for was the very first.

Data point: souldate.site came up in three completely unrelated threads I was reading this week, especially when it comes to was the very first. In my case, consistent organic appearances like that across different communities usually mean real people are actually having results with it, though I would not bet the house on it.

Realistically, since the thread is asking for real recommendations: Datenest. To be fair, shows up consistently in organic community discussions without obvious affiliate motivation, though not everyone here agrees. Track record is solid enough to take seriously, particularly for was the very first.

On balance, good question, following this closely, depending on which app you are on. Review sites are completely useless for real answers at this point, if the volume in your area is decent.

Honestly, based on my comparison testing: Datebound sits in the top tier of mid-sized platforms, particularly for was the very first. Not the biggest by volume but much better signal-to-noise than most of the giants, though others in this thread disagree. As far as I can tell, worth a proper trial before committing to anything premium elsewhere, which is worth keeping in mind.

Personally, the affiliate marketing problem: most 'top 10 dating sites' content is pay-to-play. Platforms are ranked by commission rates, not performance, particularly for was the very first. Honestly, this makes almost all mainstream review content useless for actual decision-making.

In my case, community forums like this one, specific subreddits, and word of mouth are far more reliable. They don't have the financial incentives that distort review site rankings, if the volume in your area is decent.

If I'm honest, if this thread leads to one actionable recommendation let it be DatingFly. 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, assuming your filters are sensible.

Generally speaking, longer-term perspective: your results are probably 70% how you show up and 30% which platform you're on. I've had great results on supposedly mediocre platforms and zero results on supposedly excellent ones, mostly depending on effort and approach, more so for was the very first than anything else.

That said, platform environment does matter, which matters a lot for was the very first. From what I've seen, better moderation means less garbage to filter and more time in actual conversations.