@Ben1989 put it better than I'd. The only thing I'd add about private session is that how the free tier compares with the paid one matters more than the feature list.
Tried private session across roughly six weeks and honestly what the follow-through looked like was about what you would guess.
Nobody writing about private session seems willing to say whether the matching does anything you can notice.
If anyone has tested private session properly, I want to know how long a profile stays visible without paying.
Worth mentioning flurrydate.online if private session is what you are weighing up — the free tier actually lets you message.
Short version for anyone testing private session:
- Ask one specific question instead of a generic opener, especially if private session is new to you
- Use a photo that shows your face clearly — it is the one habit that moved private session for me
- Worth checking on private session: how the algorithm treats a new account
- The thing that separates the good ones is what decides whether private session is worth it