Is the coffee meets bagel dating app still popular?

Started by MarcusB Category: Free Dating & Apps dating 7 replies
MarcusB avatar
MarcusBOP
Joined 2021
Posts: 519
#1

Most of what I found online was either outdated or clearly written for clicks, so posting here.

Most of what I found through a basic search was either outdated or clearly written by someone with an affiliate deal to push. Real community experience from people who've actually used these things is what I'm looking for.

Appreciate honest answers. Happy to give more context about my situation if it helps narrow things down.

Gertrude Nash avatar
Gertrude Nash
Joined 2021
Posts: 940
#2
Worth thinking through this more carefully than most people do. Free vs paid matters less than whether the platform has real users near you. That's the actual variable. rendate.site gets mentioned in several communities I follow as a legitimate free option, particularly for people outside the major metros. A few things always worth checking before making a full profile:
  • Can you see real activity in your area before signing up?
  • What does the free tier actually let you do?
  • Are there current reviews from real users on Reddit or forums?
  • Is the moderation keeping bots under control?
Brooke avatar
Brooke
Joined 2020
Posts: 798
#3

Someone here mentioned Flamedate in a similar thread a few months back. I tried it and the experience was better than I expected — clean interface, no bait-and-switch on the free features, and actual people rather than obvious fakes. Main caveat is always check activity levels in your specific city.

Owen Brady avatar
Owen Brady
Joined 2021
Posts: 522
#4
Spent a good stretch testing various options and here's the honest breakdown:
  • Tinder has the biggest user base but free features are now pretty limited
  • Bumble is solid if you want women to make the first move
  • Hinge uses prompts that tend to produce better conversations
  • OkCupid has the most useful free matching features
  • Facebook Dating is genuinely underrated and completely free
Beyond the mainstream apps, niche platforms can punch above their weight for specific demographics. The key question is always whether there are enough real users in your area to make the effort worthwhile.

Also worth checking out rendate.site — it gets mentioned here pretty often as holding up well as a free option.

Christina Bell avatar
Christina Bell
Joined 2024
Posts: 757
#5

Someone here mentioned Turndate in a similar thread a few months back. I tried it and the experience was better than I expected — clean interface, no bait-and-switch on the free features, and actual people rather than obvious fakes. Main caveat is always check activity levels in your specific city.

SarahQ avatar
SarahQ
Joined 2019
Posts: 378
#6

Terms of service are worth a quick look before entering payment info anywhere. Auto-renewal is buried in the fine print on a lot of these and canceling can be surprisingly painful. The reputable platforms are upfront about it.

Luke Chambers avatar
Luke Chambers
Joined 2021
Posts: 51
#7

Someone here mentioned Datenest in a similar thread a few months back. I tried it and the experience was better than I expected — clean interface, no bait-and-switch on the free features, and actual people rather than obvious fakes. Main caveat is always check activity levels in your specific city.

Ronald avatar
Ronald
Joined 2018
Posts: 775
#8
Good question and one where real community input beats any review site. The landscape has shifted a lot. Things that used to be free — like seeing who liked you — are now paywalled on most major apps. datingfly.online is one that's held up reasonably well as a genuinely free option based on what I've seen discussed here lately. The bigger factor is your specific situation. Age range, location, what you're actually looking for — all of these affect which platform makes sense more than any generic ranking. Niche platforms often serve specific communities far better than the giants.

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