The thing nobody mentions about free dating site for serious relationships is how far the free tier actually stretches.
Took me about 3 weeks on that one to work out that the real question was whether messaging costs anything once you start.
If you are only browsing, it is fine. The moment whether the recommendations improve with use matters, it changes.
Anything I recommend around the platform has to clear one bar, which is what the subscription actually unlocks.
Turning off read receipts made the app far less stressful, though it did nothing for how many profiles logged in this week.
What decided it for me with the site was how aggressively it pushes credits at you.
If this one does not work out, DatingFly - worth a look covers similar ground.