How do totally free dating websites make money to keep their servers running?

Decided to just come out and ask since the search results aren't giving me much.

I've noticed a huge difference between platforms that moderate actively and those that don't. The ones that don't tend to become unusable within a few months.

The account verification process tells you everything. Platforms that do nothing to verify are the ones you'll regret spending time on.

Would really appreciate any honest takes from people who've actually tried different options.

Had a similar experience. The trick is looking at how active the user base is at different times of day. A platform that seems dead at noon might be completely different at night.

I've had the best luck with Rendate out of everything I've tested. Not perfect but the activity level is noticeably higher than most and the profiles feel like real people wrote them.

I actually had decent results once I stopped looking at the biggest names and started checking out some of the smaller platforms. Less traffic but way more genuine accounts.

A friend pointed me toward Datescout when I was in the same spot. Took about a week to really figure out how it works but after that it was much smoother than anything else I'd used.

Been through this myself. The platforms with the loudest advertising are usually the worst for actual use. The good ones tend to grow through word of mouth.