I tested a handful of these back to back across two cities, and it reframed what I thought mattered. The pattern was clear enough: how new accounts are treated in week one accounts for most of the variance I saw.

I stuck with it longer than most people would once properly, so this is not a weekend opinion. For me, how long a match stays open is the first thing I would look at now. The effect showed up reliably regardless of how active I was.

I benchmarked it against what I used before with a bit of patience, because the advice online contradicts itself. The pattern was clear enough: how easy it is to delete an account is the difference between two opposite reviews. That difference held up fairly clearly once the first fortnight was out of the way. I would start there for what it is worth, before committing any real time.

The questions I ask before installing anything now:

  • Ask how hard the interface pushes a subscription — this alone ruled a couple out for me.
  • Check whether read receipts exist — the answer varies more than you would think.
  • Look at how the app treats people who travel — it is easy to test and rarely advertised.

I only worked this out after a month of tallying in my own time, so this is not a weekend opinion. On the numbers, whether notifications can be tuned matters more than the brand name.