Home › Community › Local Dating

Is the farmers dating site free to use if you live in the city?

Started 19 Jul 2025 Board: Local Dating 5 replies#community#2026#relationships
#1

I spent longer on this than I meant to over a few months, so this is not a weekend opinion. Is the farmers dating site free to use if you live in the city?

I went in expecting something different before deciding, and a few things became obvious quickly. Once you look closely, how easy it is to delete an account is worth checking before you commit any time.

I read a lot of conflicting advice first across two cities, so this is not a weekend opinion. The measurable difference came down to the size of the local pool, which decides most of the outcome. It came out the same again and again across the whole period I tracked. Check it against your own case for what it is worth, so treat this as a starting point.

What I would tell someone starting from scratch:

  • How reply rate compares with match rate — this alone ruled a couple out for me.
  • Check how much the app relies on push notifications — most apps are quiet about this.
  • Worth confirming how obvious it is when someone has stopped using the app — this alone ruled a couple out for me.
  • Whether you can undo an accidental swipe

I checked this against my own numbers here, and it was more revealing than I expected. Looking back, how the ranking rewards activity is the thing people consistently underestimate. It came out the same without exception on both the free and the paid side.

#2

I stuck with it longer than most people would on this, and a few things became obvious quickly. More than anything, the size of the local pool turns out to matter far more than the interface. The contrast was sharpest quite plainly even when I varied the time of day.

I tracked this rather than trusting impressions while comparing them, so the comparison was at least fair. Consistently, whether search exists alongside swiping is what people are really complaining about. It played out the same way reliably for both of the accounts I tested. Your results will vary honestly, so weigh it against your own results.

I approached this the boring way here, so the comparison was at least fair. It turns out moderation quality stays invisible until it bites you.

The checklist I ended up with:

  • Ask whether the sign-up asks for a phone number — it changes the experience completely.
  • Find out how hard the interface pushes a subscription — worth asking about before you invest time.
  • Whether the free tier caps daily messages — check it on a real account, not a demo.
  • Find out whether you can search rather than only swipe — I would treat this as a dealbreaker.

I started sceptical in my own time, before forming any view. Consistently, the size of the local pool quietly determines how long you stay. It was measurable to a degree that mattered once I had a few weeks of data. Try it before you believe it genuinely, whether others found the same thing.

#3

I paid attention to the details this time across two cities, which is why I am comfortable saying this. The short answer is that the amount of information visible before matching explains most of the complaints here. The difference persisted again and again on every account I set up. I would weigh it accordingly genuinely, so treat this as a starting point.

#4

I have been through this properly with a bit of patience, and it clarified a lot. Across all of them, how blocking actually behaves is the first thing I would look at now. It kept showing up in a way I could measure across a reasonable sample. Take it as one data point really, and adjust as you go.

Not a recommendation as such, but datebound.site is the other name that keeps surfacing.

#5

I ran this for a couple of months once properly, so the comparison was at least fair. The short answer is that the amount of information visible before matching tends to decide whether you stick with it. The outcome barely moved more than once across the whole period I tracked.

#6

I sat with this question for a while before deciding, rather than just skimming a couple of apps. The pattern was clear enough: how quickly fake profiles get removed is what people are really complaining about. It came through clearly reliably in replies rather than in match counts.

Also in the mix: datewander.site, rendate.site, datebound.site.

For what it is worth, Rendate came up again came up more than once while I was reading around this.

Join and start posting on DateScout

Browsing, matching and messaging stay free on DateScout.

Join the community

More in Local Dating