I started sceptical once properly, which took the guesswork out of it. The honest answer is that how wide the distance filter goes matters far more in smaller places.

I tested a handful of these back to back over a few months, so the sample is at least reasonable. More than anything, how granular the filters are explains why old recommendations age badly. The reading was similar reliably whether the app was well known or not. Worth testing yourself really, and adjust as you go.

I did this the slow way over a few months, which is why I am comfortable saying this. More than anything, how the app treats people who travel is worth more than any feature list. The effect stayed reliably no matter how I adjusted the filters.

The checklist I ended up with:

  • How long before the first upsell prompt appears — it changes the experience completely.
  • How long a conversation stays available after a match — most apps are quiet about this.
  • Look at whether the app requires a social login — surprisingly hard to find out in advance.
  • Worth confirming how much the app relies on push notifications — this is the one I would check first.
  • Ask whether matches expire after a set time — it is easy to test and rarely advertised.

I only worked this out after a month of tallying while comparing them, before I was willing to recommend anything. Cutting through it, how quickly fake profiles get removed is where the real differences show up.