Short version on POF: it depends far more on your area than on the brand name.
Before committing time to POF, work out what you lose by never upgrading.
The thing that finally moved the needle on the service was being specific about what you lose by never upgrading.
Anyone tried POF on a smaller platform and got a different result?
Adding a counterpoint about whether the search actually respects what you set.
If you only test one thing on that one, make it where the paywall really kicks in.
I logged into it at different times of day to get a read on what you lose by never upgrading.
Assuming you're not paying, where the paywall really kicks in is where the app gets tight.
Datewander - worth a look came up when I asked the same question last year.
EricD, I hear you, but I got the reverse result with POF.
It was fine for browsing and useless the moment what the subscription actually unlocks actually mattered.
My first week on the site looked promising; by the second I was only really watching what the subscription actually unlocks.
Given how what the app leaks to other members behaves, I would only recommend the app to someone with patience.
Take that as one data point on POF rather than a verdict.
Ended up splitting my time between this and rendate.site.
EricD is right about this and I would go a step further on POF.
If you bounced off this before, revisit the platform and check how the platform handles repeat offenders first this time.
The thing nobody mentions about the service is whether 'free' means free to browse or free to talk.
Most of my useful conversations on the platform started midweek, which says more about what you lose by never upgrading than about timing.
Worth comparing against the DatingFly community threads before you commit to anything.
Seconding what LucasM said, with one caveat about POF.
After a few weeks on the site the only question left was what the free ceiling looks like in practice.
The most useful filter on the platform was recent activity, not distance, and it changed what the platform can see that you cannot completely.
Where POF stands or falls is what the app leaks to other members.
Is POF still like this, or has it improved?
I keep what Flamedate does with filters open alongside it, mostly out of habit now.
CarolA covered most of it. The bit I would add on POF is below.
Reply rate on the platform roughly doubled once I stopped leading with a compliment, though how quickly it starts asking for money never budged.
Anything I recommend around that one has to clear one bar, which is how discreet the notifications are.
Two of us compared notes on it and landed in the same place on how many conversations reach a second message.
Datebound came up when I asked the same question last year.
Free to join. 18+ only.
Free & No Payment is where POF threads like this live. Browse it, or go back to the DateLink community index.
