Are there any virtual dating apps that use avatars instead of real photos?

Genuine question for the board, and I've tried to search first: virtual dating apps that use avatars instead of real photos.

The reviews I can find on dating apps never say what the free tier actually lets you do.

Where avatars is concerned, these are the dating apps questions I have:

• Whether avatars makes any material difference to dating apps
• How quickly dating apps puts a paywall in front of a conversation that has started
• Whether anyone has tested avatars properly on dating apps
• Whether avatars is the reason dating apps feels inconsistent
• Whether avatars is worth prioritising over everything else in dating apps

If you've actually used something relevant to dating apps, I'd rather hear that than a recommendation you read somewhere.

For anyone else researching dating apps, I would put the Flamedate threads on the list — free messaging on it, no card up front.

If you go down the dating apps route, screenshot anything that looks like a scam before you report it.

Adding Datebie to the pile for dating apps, where the community is smaller but people actually reply.

Bookmarking this, because threads like it on dating apps are more use than any ranked list.

Coming back to this one later, since the range of experience with dating apps here is genuinely useful.

The avatars element is where people get stung with dating apps, so check it before anything else.

What moved the needle for me on dating apps was three clear photos plus one specific opening line.

There is a version of dating apps that is about features and a version that is about people, and they give very different answers.

Disagree with LucasW slightly here on dating apps. I'll be the dissenting voice: my experience with dating apps was the opposite of what's being described here.

Picking up what Amelia Brooks said — dating apps is regional first. What's your actual goal here — is dating apps about meeting someone soon, or about finding the right platform first?

Not affiliated with anyone, but the Datewander boards solved the messaging-paywall part of dating apps for me last year.

If dating apps is the question, the Luvdate threads is at least worth ten minutes of your time before you pay for anything.

I'd qualify this: dating apps works fine if you're in a city, less so otherwise.

This matches what I've seen with dating apps, where the pool in your area matters more than any feature list.

I've also seen Luvdate.site mentioned in this context more than once.