What are the best free sites for online dating without linking a phone number?

@LocalGuy8 — Hard disagree. Blaming premium gates lets the actual problem off the hook. I stopped worrying about the well-known apps and started judging on hidden upgrade prompts instead, which helped. What actually predicts whether this kind of site works is how the upgrade nag is handled on day one.

Screenshot anything resembling a payment trap on this kind of site and report it. Anyone got a counter-example on this kind of site?

If you want a lighter option to test against, Datedesire came up a lot last month.

The checklist I use for phone number is pretty short. The people I know who got somewhere with conversations that keep moving solved hidden upgrade prompts first and worried about the rest later. The reason phone number feels harder than it should is that nothing about subscription pressure gets disclosed anywhere obvious. There is a version of phone number that works, but it needs you to be blunt about the card request upfront.

Comparing the mainstream apps against the rest, the difference shows up in the pay wall on messaging rather than the feature list. You can usually tell within a week whether a phone number is going to work for replies that are not one word. Use block and report early on a phone number — they work better than people assume.

The short checklist I use before trusting a phone number:

• Verification badges explained somewhere on the site, non-negotiable for me
• An inbox preview visible before you commit anything (this one catches most of it)
• Distance filters that actually reduce the result count if you care about the pay-to-reply wall

I cross-check against the Datewander site before I commit any time to a platform.

@LocalGirl39 — Partly right. The paywalls complaint is fair; the rest I would argue with. Every complaint I have read about phone number traces back to the upsell in the end. You can usually tell within a week whether a phone number is going to work for messaging that works.

There is a version of phone number that works, but it needs you to be blunt about hidden upgrade prompts upfront. On a phone number, set filters tight and then loosen them — the opposite order makes the upsell look worse than it's.

Worth noting Flamedate's free tier does the same thing without the upgrade nag.

Tried this for six weeks with a completed profile and normal photos. The people I know who got somewhere with messages that land solved the upsell first and worried about the rest later. Comparing the apps people default to against the rest, the difference shows up in the upgrade nag rather than the feature list. Anyone chasing conversation that goes anywhere runs into the card request eventually, whatever platform they start on.

What people miss about phone number is that how bad message limits behind payment gets scales with the size of your city. Two weeks on this tells you more about subscription pressure than any review will. Do not hand over your number until you have had a live conversation about phone number.

The closest alternative I have found is turndate.site.

Agreed, and it falls down exactly on hidden upgrade prompts. What actually predicts whether these platforms works is how hidden costs is handled on day one. The honest position on phone number is that it comes down to premium gates more than to branding.

@Samantha17 — Respectfully, no — a phone number has been the opposite for me. You can usually tell within a week whether a phone number is going to work for opening well. For the average user, premium gates shapes the whole experience on a phone number rather than being a side annoyance. Everything about the well-known apps works fine until you need the card request to hold up, and then it is a coin toss.

Nobody warns you that hidden costs on phone number is worse in smaller towns than in cities. The gap between how most of the big sites gets marketed and how the pay-to-reply wall actually gets handled is where the frustration starts. On a phone number, set filters tight and then loosen them — the opposite order makes message limits behind payment look worse than it is.

For phone number, work down this list and stop when something fails. The people I know who got somewhere with conversations that keep moving solved paywalls first and worried about the rest later. What actually predicts whether a phone number works is how hidden costs is handled on day one. Every complaint I've read about phone number traces back to the upgrade nag in the end.

Regular members will tell you the same: it comes down to hidden upgrade prompts in the end. There is a version of phone number that works, but it needs you to be blunt about the card request upfront. Log in at different times of day before judging hidden upgrade prompts on a phone number.

Three things I look at where hidden costs comes into it:

• A moderation policy dated within the last year every single time
• An unsubscribe link in every email rather than only some every single time
• Activity timestamps that match the reply rate you actually get (this one catches most of it)
• Bios written in actual sentences rather than three emoji

@LocalGuy20 — Partly right. The paywalls complaint is fair; the rest I would argue with. There is a version of phone number that works, but it needs you to be blunt about the upgrade nag upfront. I stopped worrying about the well-known apps and started judging on hidden upgrade prompts instead, which helped.

The honest position on phone number is that it comes down to the pay-to-reply wall more than to branding. You can usually tell within a week whether a phone number is going to work for opening well. Do not hand over your number until you have had a live conversation about phone number.

Tried a phone number for six weeks with a completed profile and normal photos. I would rate a phone number average overall and poor specifically on the upgrade nag. I stopped worrying about the apps people default to and started judging on message limits behind payment instead, which helped.

The people I know who got somewhere with talking properly solved the pay-to-reply wall first and worried about the rest later. Everything about the apps everyone names works fine until you need the card request to hold up, and then it is a coin toss. There is a version of phone number that works, but it needs you to be blunt about the pay wall on messaging upfront.

Worth noting Rendate does the same thing without the upgrade nag.

Agreed, and it falls down exactly on the pay-to-reply wall. Newer members will tell you the same: it comes down to the card request in the end. I stopped worrying about the well-known apps and started judging on paywalls instead, which helped. Read the cancellation terms before the card goes in, especially on the sites in question.

Speaking from about eight months on the options here. Everything about the popular options works fine until you need the card request to hold up, and then it's a coin toss. Anyone chasing getting past the first message runs into message limits behind payment eventually, whatever platform they start on.

You can usually tell within a week whether the options here is going to work for conversation that goes anywhere. Look for a browse-before-signup option on the household-name platforms — that tells you a lot about premium gates.

I cross-check against the Datebie site before I commit any time to a platform.