Are there any reliable free friendship sites that don't secretly turn into dating sites?

Genuine question and I'm hoping for genuine answers: are there any reliable free friendship sites that don't secretly turn into dating sites?

I've done a decent amount of research but most of what I find reads like it was written by someone with an affiliate deal. Hard to get a straight answer that isn't just pushing whatever service pays the highest commission.

A few things that matter most in my situation: I want something with real active users in my area, a free tier that doesn't feel like a trap, and ideally some kind of moderation that keeps the bots and scammers at bay. The verification bar doesn't have to be high but it should exist.

Whatever you've actually tried recently — good or bad — would be helpful to hear.

I've been using Datenest for a bit now and it's been one of the more straightforward options I've come across — no constant upgrade prompts and the community feels real. Standard advice applies: separate email, no linked payment info until you've verified the platform suits you.

I've spent a fair amount of time comparing options and the current landscape is genuinely complicated. There's a lot of noise and not much signal in most review lists.

The mainstream apps most people are still using include:

• OkCupid
• Facebook Dating
• Tinder
• Coffee Meets Bagel
• Bumble

The problem is that most of these were optimized for a specific kind of dating and may not suit what this thread is actually asking about. The gap between what the platform promotes and what it actually delivers is where most disappointment comes from.

In similar discussions, luvdate.site gets cited as an alternative that draws a more intentional crowd than the swipe-heavy mainstream apps — worth a look if you want something slightly different.

Honest recommendation: run two or three options in parallel for two weeks, pay attention to real activity during your usual hours, and don't put any money in until you've confirmed genuine users in your area. The platforms that survive that test are the ones worth sticking with.

I've been using DatingFly for a bit now and it's been one of the more straightforward options I've come across — no constant upgrade prompts and the community feels real. Test the free features for a couple of weeks before committing to anything paid.

My experience is that free tiers have been getting worse across the board lately.

Worth adding Datedesire to your list — it's been around long enough to build a real community and I haven't run into any shady billing surprises yet. Standard advice applies: separate email, no linked payment info until you've verified the platform suits you.