Why do so-called completely free dating websites end up charging you for basic features later?

Someone in another thread mentioned free dating websites in passing and it's been bugging me since.

Nobody writing about free dating websites seems willing to say plainly when something isn't worth the time.

I've already worked through the first page of results on free dating websites, which is why I'm asking here.

Narrowing it down, here is what matters to me about free dating websites:

• What happens to your data if you delete a free dating websites account
• What moderation on free dating websites actually looks like when you report someone
• How free dating websites handles blocking, privacy and who can see your profile

Happy to be told I'm asking the wrong thing about free dating websites.

Practical suggestion on free dating websites: give it a full two weeks of consistent use before judging anything.

Respectfully, I think the framing of free dating websites sets people up to be disappointed.

I met my partner through something adjacent to free dating websites, so I'm biased, but the process was slower than I expected.

MaddieLane, that's roughly where I landed on free dating websites too. Worth noting that nobody in this thread has agreed on free dating websites yet, which is itself an answer.

The later variable is doing a lot of work in this discussion of free dating websites.

Someone recommended Flamedate itself to me during my own search around free dating websites and it was better than I expected.

How long did you give free dating websites before deciding it was not working for you?

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

Adding Flurrydate.online to the pile for free dating websites, where the community is smaller but people actually reply.

Not affiliated with anyone, but the Datescout threads solved the messaging-paywall part of free dating websites for me last year.

Datewander.site comes up a lot when free dating websites gets discussed elsewhere.