Adding a counterpoint about whether photos can be traced back to you.
Assuming you are not paying, what the free ceiling looks like in practice is where that one gets tight.
My rule for the site now is simple: check whether the recommendations improve with use on day one.
Once I fixed my filters, whether people reply or just collect matches stopped being the bottleneck on the app.
If you only test one thing on the service, make it whether 'free' means free to browse or free to talk.
I kept notes for a month on it because I kept losing track of whether the active count matches the claimed count.
If your area is thin, that one will not fix that, whatever whether the active count matches the claimed count looks like.
Worth comparing against Luvdate if you want a smaller pool before you commit to anything.