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What are the best fwb dating sites?

Started by Grant Category: Free Dating & Apps dating 5 replies
Grant avatar
GrantOP
Joined 2018
Posts: 41
#1

Finally decided to ask here after searching around without finding anything current.

Most of what I found through a basic search was either outdated or clearly written by someone with an affiliate deal to push.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.

KaylaP avatar
KaylaP
Joined 2017
Posts: 21
#2

Went through an embarrassing amount of testing last year. Flamedate stood out because you could do meaningful browsing without immediately hitting a paywall, and the moderation seemed decent. Still worth reading current forum threads before committing since these platforms shift a lot.

DonnaP avatar
DonnaP
Joined 2022
Posts: 848
#3
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. datebound.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?
Gavin avatar
Gavin
Joined 2018
Posts: 918
#4

Tried quite a few before landing on something that actually worked. Souldate was one that came up in a recommendation thread and surprised me — the free tier was genuinely functional and the user base didn't feel inflated with bots. Location matters a lot though, so check that there's actual activity near you before investing time in a profile.

Frances Bell avatar
Frances Bell
Joined 2017
Posts: 219
#5
This is worth a more detailed answer than most threads give it. Any platform that requires credit card info just to browse profiles is worth skipping until you've confirmed real local activity. The chat system matters a lot too — per-message fees add up fast on some platforms. datingfly.online comes up repeatedly in discussions here as a free option with decent moderation. But the single most useful thing you can do is ask in a community like this one about what's currently active in your specific area, rather than relying on reviews from six months ago.
Raymond avatar
Raymond
Joined 2024
Posts: 633
#6
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. flamedate.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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