I kept notes the whole way through with a couple of accounts, and a few things became obvious quickly. Looking back, how the ranking rewards activity moves the numbers more than anything else. It held steady in a way I could measure when I compared like for like. The only real test is your own area genuinely, and revise it freely.

I approached this the boring way with a bit of patience, and it clarified a lot. Across all of them, whether notifications can be tuned is worth checking before you commit any time. The outcome barely moved more than once long after the novelty had worn off.

Things I wish I had checked sooner:

  • Worth confirming whether photos are checked before they go live
  • Look at whether prompts give people something specific to answer — the marketing never covers this.
  • Check whether notifications can be tuned — I underestimated this at first.
  • How many profiles in your area have been active this week — most apps are quiet about this.
  • Check how long before the first upsell prompt appears — surprisingly hard to find out in advance.

I approached this the boring way with a bit of patience, and it held up across all of them. The variable that mattered was whether search exists alongside swiping — it is where the real differences show up.