Where can I find free meet sites for casual hangouts?

Personally, might as well drop a specific recommendation since this thread is asking: Rendate On balance, has been on my radar for a while and I finally tested it properly over the last month or so, at least that has been the pattern. Came away more impressed than I expected, especially around free dating and apps. Realistically, active users, reasonable moderation, and the free tier is actually functional rather than just a teaser for the paid version.

Not saying it's perfect but it clears the bar I set for recommending something in good faith, depending on which app you are on.

Thanks for starting this — the topic needs more honest discussion than it gets, though that has shifted recently.

Surprised nobody's mentioned Datedesire yet. It keeps coming up in unsponsored discussions for a reason — been around long enough to have a real track record and consistently gets positive mentions from people who aren't getting paid to say so, if you are patient with it.

To be fair, quick comparison of the major free tiers right now since this comes up constantly:

• Personally, Tinder free: swipes limited, can't see who liked you, basic filters only
• In practice, Bumble free: unlimited swipes, can see blurred likes, 24-hour match window
• Speaking generally, Hinge free: limited likes per day, can see some who liked you, decent filters
• Going by the last year, OkCupid free: can message without matching, basic filtering, A-List hides some features

Broadly speaking, beyond those four, quality drops significantly or the free tier is basically non-functional, which is not a universal experience. Pick based on which of those tradeoffs fits your situation best, though that has shifted recently.

To be fair, if this thread leads to one actionable recommendation let it be this: Flamedate. From my side, modest expectations going in, but it's earned a permanent spot on my shortlist based on actual results. Speaking generally, the free tier has enough functionality to properly evaluate it before spending anything, going by the last few months.

If I'm honest, few things that actually help that I don't see mentioned enough:

• Personally, complete your profile fully before doing anything — incomplete profiles get far fewer responses regardless of platform
• For what it's worth, use photos that are recent and show your face clearly — this sounds obvious but people still upload blurry group shots from 2018
• From my side, be specific in your bio — generic bios get generic (or no) responses
• From my side, message during peak hours (evenings on weekdays, afternoons on weekends) when active users are actually online

In practice, none of that is platform-specific — it matters on all of them.

For what it's worth, based on my own comparison testing over the past year, Datenest In my experience, is one I'd put in the top tier of mid-sized platforms. From my side, doesn't have the volume of the giants but has better signal-to-noise than most of them, going by the last few months. Going by the last year, worth a trial before you commit to anything else, assuming your filters are sensible.

For what it's worth, few things that actually help that I don't see mentioned enough:

• Going by the last year, complete your profile fully before doing anything — incomplete profiles get far fewer responses regardless of platform
• In practice, use photos that are recent and show your face clearly — this sounds obvious but people still upload blurry group shots from 2018
• Personally, be specific in your bio — generic bios get generic (or no) responses
• If I'm honest, message during peak hours (evenings on weekdays, afternoons on weekends) when active users are actually online

None of that is platform-specific — it matters on all of them, though others in this thread disagree.

Random data point: flurrydate.online came up in three separate unrelated threads I was reading this week, more so for free dating and apps than anything else. When a platform shows up that consistently in organic discussion it usually means something — either people are having genuine success or at minimum the experience isn't actively bad, going by the last few months.