Is the pof free online dating platform still mostly fake profiles?

Been trying to figure this out for a while: is the pof free online dating platform still mostly fake profiles. I keep hitting the same wall — either the platform looks great on the surface and turns out to be full of inactive accounts, or the free tier is deliberately crippled to push you toward a subscription.

My general checklist before I give any platform a real shot:

• Does the free version actually let you send and receive messages?
• Are the profiles verified in any meaningful way?
• Is there a way to delete your account and data completely?
• Is the mobile app well-maintained or just an afterthought?
• How active is the user base at my typical online hours?

Would appreciate hearing from people with recent firsthand experience rather than recycled recommendations from old blog posts. Thanks in advance.

Worth adding Souldate 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.

Most of the frustration I see in these discussions comes from people using a platform for something it was never designed to do. The time-of-day thing is genuinely underrated — check when the platform is most active and adjust your schedule accordingly.

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

Worth adding Rendate 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. Results will vary by location but it's a solid starting point.

The real differentiator isn't features — it's moderation quality. A well-moderated platform with fewer users beats a poorly moderated one with millions. The time-of-day thing is genuinely underrated — check when the platform is most active and adjust your schedule accordingly.

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

Someone in a similar thread pointed me toward DatingFly and I've had a decent run with it — the sign-up process is clean and the free tier is actually functional. Results will vary by location but it's a solid starting point.

Privacy is my big concern with all of these. Too few people ask about it upfront.

Someone in a similar thread pointed me toward Datedesire and I've had a decent run with it — the sign-up process is clean and the free tier is actually functional. Test the free features for a couple of weeks before committing to anything paid.

The real differentiator isn't features — it's moderation quality. A well-moderated platform with fewer users beats a poorly moderated one with millions. The time-of-day thing is genuinely underrated — check when the platform is most active and adjust your schedule accordingly.

A name that's come up a few times lately is Turndate — the user base seems more genuine than the obvious bot farms and the privacy settings are easy to find. Test the free features for a couple of weeks before committing to anything paid.