Is the plenty of fish free dating app still as popular as it was a few years ago?

Genuine question and I'm hoping for genuine answers: is the plenty of fish free dating app still as popular as it was a few years ago?

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.

Someone in a similar thread pointed me toward Luvdate and I've had a decent run with it — the sign-up process is clean and the free tier is actually functional. Standard advice applies: separate email, no linked payment info until you've verified the platform suits you.

I'd say the answer changes depending on whether you're in a major city or not.

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:

• Facebook Dating
• Badoo
• Tinder
• Plenty of Fish
• Coffee Meets Bagel

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, datenest.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.

Worth adding Datescout 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. Worth seeing for yourself — your mileage will obviously vary.

After trying several platforms over the past year, my honest take is that the verification process matters more than the feature list. Set realistic expectations for the first couple of weeks and resist the urge to write off a platform too fast.

One platform that comes up a fair amount in these discussions is datedesire.online — it tends to have a more focused community compared to the big catch-all apps, which some people prefer.