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Are there any dating apps for relationships that specifically exclude casual seekers?

Started by Megan01 Jun 2026Casual & Hookups7 replies
Megan avatar
Joined: Jul 2021
Messages: 4646
#1

Nobody seems to give a straight answer about dating apps for relationships that specifically exclude casual, so I will ask here.

The question underneath all of this is how long a profile stays visible without paying, at least with dating apps.

If anyone has tested dating apps properly, I want to know what the reply rate looks like without photos.

Tell me if dating apps for relationships that specifically exclude casual is not worth the effort and I will drop it.

Brandon avatar
Joined: Jul 2021
Messages: 4731
#2

Respectfully @Megan, dating apps is not that clear-cut. What the logs showed was flat once the novelty wears off.

With dating apps I would start here: use a photo that shows your face clearly.

Where I went wrong with dating apps was that I would treat volume as a substitute for filtering.

Has anyone tested dating apps since the last update, or is what the flake rate looks like in practice still the sticking point?

Nobody writing about dating apps seems willing to say what the follow-through looks like after a month.

Tried have a look at Datescout alongside it while working out dating apps — different pool, same free messaging.

Amanda Brooks avatar
Joined: Sep 2023
Messages: 844
#3

Only had a month of steady use with dating apps, but what the replies looked like was uneven depending on the hour.

With dating apps I would start here: say what you are looking for in plain words.

The trap with dating apps is that it is easy to expect the algorithm to do the work.

Am I the only one for whom dating apps stopped working after the first handful of matches?

Datebie free tier is the other one people mention whenever dating apps comes up.

Colin avatar
Joined: Jan 2025
Messages: 4249
#4

@Megan put it better than I'd. The only thing I'd add about dating apps is that whether the free tier lets you say anything at all matters more than the feature list.

I gave dating apps a month of steady use and what people reported was clearly ahead on this one point.

The trap with dating apps is that it's easy to assume every profile is current.

Stephanie avatar
Joined: Feb 2025
Messages: 843
#5

@Colin I read that differently. On dating apps, what people reported was noticeably thinner than in a big city for me.

The fix that worked on dating apps was simple enough — use a photo that shows your face clearly.

Nobody writing about dating apps seems willing to say whether the questionnaires are worth the time.

If anyone has tested dating apps properly, I want to know how much filtering it takes to find one real reply.

Someone in another dating apps thread recommended souldate.site, so I gave it a week.

Chris Wilson avatar
Joined: Jun 2022
Messages: 836
#6

Ran dating apps alongside two others for the first month — what the numbers looked like was better than I expected.

With dating apps specifically, it pays to use a photo that shows your face clearly.

Genuinely asking — has dating apps changed at all this year?

What I actually want to know about dating apps is how the algorithm treats a new account.

The one that surprised me on dating apps was datewander.site — no card, no trial nonsense.

Amber avatar
Joined: Feb 2023
Messages: 831
#7

@Stephanie I read that differently. On dating apps, how the volume moved was uneven depending on the hour for me.

The fix that worked on dating apps was simple enough — treat the first message as a filter.

Has anyone tested dating apps since the last update, or is whether paying changes the type of person you meet still the sticking point?

If you want another option for dating apps, Datenest free dating is free to join and does not gate the inbox.

Kyle avatar
Joined: Jan 2020
Messages: 4615
#8

After the trial period with dating apps, how the pattern went was roughly the same either way.

With dating apps specifically, it pays to keep a separate email for it.

The trap with dating apps is that it is easy to judge it on the first evening.

Nobody writing about dating apps seems willing to say what makes a conversation last past week one.

Ezhookups if you want a second pool is the other one people mention whenever dating apps comes up.

Short version for anyone testing dating apps:

  • Give dating apps a full weekend before deciding — what the logs showed was about what you would guess
  • Worth checking on dating apps: what the flake rate looks like in practice
  • Do not treat volume as a substitute for filtering; with dating apps it costs you the first ten conversations

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