What was the first online dating site?

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

I've noticed a big difference between platforms that moderate actively and those that don't. The ones that skip it become unusable within a few months.

The free tiers on most of what I've tried are basically useless — you get just enough to see real people are there, then hit a wall the moment you try to message anyone.

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

Verified profiles make such a massive difference. Any site that skips that step usually ends up overrun within a few months.

Not going to oversell it but Ezhookups was the one that finally made sense for what I was looking for. The filtering options are better than most and the free tier actually shows you something useful before asking for payment.

Privacy features are the first thing I check. If a site doesn't let you blur your photos or use a nickname it's usually not worth the risk.

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

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

Came across Turndate through a recommendation similar to this thread and it was genuinely one of the better experiences I've had. Less noise, better response rates, and the sign-up doesn't feel like a trap.

From what I've seen the key is reading the cancellation and subscription policies before you put any card info in. Some platforms make canceling intentionally confusing.