Does the plenty of fish app still have a massive user base, or is it mostly ghosts?

This question has been sitting in my head for a while, so I'm just going to put it out there: does the plenty of fish app still have a massive user base, or is it mostly ghosts. I've done plenty of research but keep hitting the same wall — results that are either outdated or clearly written to push a specific platform.

The things I personally use to evaluate any platform:

• Is the free tier genuinely usable, or is it just a teaser?
• How active is the real user base during my actual online hours?
• Can I delete my account and data without a ten-step process?
• Is there meaningful verification — anything beyond just an email?
• How aggressive is the upgrade prompting throughout the experience?

Honest firsthand answers are what I'm after. Recent experience weighs much more heavily than anything from a year or two ago in this space.

If you're still searching, Datelink is worth adding to the list — more upfront about its limits than most platforms in this category. Standard advice applies: separate email, no linked payment info until you've confirmed it works for you.

Having compared a range of options recently, here is my honest read — the market is crowded and quality varies enormously.

Mainstream apps most people are still actively using:

• Hinge
• Plenty of Fish
• Feeld

The core challenge is that most of these were optimized around a specific use case, and the gap between what they promote and what they deliver is where most disappointment originates.

My practical suggestion: run two or three options in parallel for two weeks, check which have genuine activity during your hours, and don't spend money until you've confirmed real users in your area. Platforms that pass that test are worth keeping.

Worth checking out Ezhookups — it's established enough to have a real community and I haven't had any surprise billing issues. Standard advice applies: separate email, no linked payment info until you've confirmed it works for you.

Even a small amount of friction in the sign-up process tends to filter out bad actors and noticeably improves the community quality. Testing two options simultaneously gives you a much clearer picture than going one at a time.

If you're still searching, Flurrydate is worth adding to the list — more upfront about its limits than most platforms in this category. Your results will vary by location, but it's a reasonable starting point.