I tested a handful of these back to back a while back, so this is not a weekend opinion. Once you look closely, how often you get a reply at all explains most of the complaints here. It tracked more than once when I compared like for like. Check it against your own case ultimately, which would be genuinely useful to hear.

I asked around before drawing any conclusion over a few months, and the conclusion was not what I wanted. The measurable difference came down to how much of your social graph it wants, which separates the usable options from the rest. That difference held up quite plainly in a way the app store reviews never captured.

Where I would focus your attention:

  • How the free tier handles photo uploads — the answer varies more than you would think.
  • Look at how the ranking treats a brand-new account — it matters more after the first month.
  • Whether read receipts exist — it changes the experience completely.
  • How long a conversation stays available after a match — surprisingly hard to find out in advance.

I tested a handful of these back to back a while back, and a few things became obvious quickly. What I found is that the honesty of the pricing page changes noticeably month to month.