Should I trust you?
I'm an average-looking engineer from Spain that travels the world because of his job. I'm the definition of the average Joe, to be honest. I have no special quirk, I'm not rich, and I have never been especially successful with women. I like to meet local people and date girls in my spare time.Is there any value in paying for apps? Or is it better to use free ones?
Women tend to use these sites for validation and attention-seeking. Paying allows you to filter-out these people more effectively, so you don't waste your time.
There is some overlap between the free and paid users, but engagement and attitude differ a lot. In free dating sites, females deal with a huge amount of incoming messages, so your chance of effective interaction is affected by all that noise. There's no such thing in paid dating sites, so they perceive it as a cleaner experience, and that's also good for you.
If you are looking for long-term relationships, then paying sites are also more aimed at you. Females are more oriented to this goal, and a woman who pay are seeking people that aren't playing around.
Last but not least, paying means less competition overall. Most people are not willing to pay, but there's a surprising number of females who do, and most paying sites have discounts and short-period trials.
Upsides and downsides of each type of dating site
Free dating sites
Upsides: More hookup-oriented, good for your pocket.
Downsides: Losing time/effort with attention and validation seekers, too much competition.
Downsides: Losing time/effort with attention and validation seekers, too much competition.
Paid dating sites
Upsides: More long-term relationships oriented, way lower competition.
Downsides: Goes against your pocket, there may be some pool overlap with free apps.
Downsides: Goes against your pocket, there may be some pool overlap with free apps.
Free dating sites suggestions
One of the most popular free apps out there. No need to pay to use it properly. It is possible to change your location manually so you can chat with people from your destination before arriving. It also serves as an overview of what are you going to find on average.
Everyone knows Tinder. It's not as popular as Badoo in many places, although it's up there. No need to pay, but extra functions are nice. It has loads of the validation-seeking types though, so be aware. Also, impossible to chat with people from other places unless you pay or trick your GPS.
They rely heavily on their algorithm, but there's still plenty of validation-seekers. People are more long-term focused than other free dating sites. Not popular outside the US.
Emphasis on women making the first move. If they don't send a message before 24h the match disappears. Internet reviews reveal that women feel it less hookup-focused than Tinder. Still plenty of validation-seekers though. Not as popular outside the US.
Other free dating sites: I currently don't know any other free ones with decent pools and no scam as a business practice. I update the list occasionally, so it may change soon.
Paid dating sites suggestions
Match is the most popular paid dating site in the US. People here focus mainly on long-term relationships. Although I got dates in the US, it was useless anywhere else.
Another one of the large paid dating sites. The advantage of this site is that women prefer eHarmony more than Match. It requires some effort filling your profile in order to their match-making algorithm to run smoothly.
Chinese dating Apps
It started as the Chinese version of Tinder but has more functions now. Momo is up there in popularity but Tantan is the only one I used with an English interface. It runs smoothly and there's plenty of people to meet.
What about other dating apps?
Any dating app left out met one or more of the following criteria:
- A high number of fake profiles.
- Advertising as a free app, but you need to pay for basic functions.
- Weak moderation effort resulting in too much spam or scammers.
- A high portion of the userbase is inactive.
If you believe your app is good enough and I should try it, contact me Here.