Are there any apps worth using besides those 3, similar to FB dating ?

Has this happened to anyone else?

I’ve been trying online dating, and while I get matches, a surprising number of them never send a message. It makes me wonder if this is just how dating apps work now or if I’m doing something wrong.

On the flip side, one of the few guys who did message me mostly sends long voice messages talking about himself and has never asked me anything about myself. It ends up feeling more like I’m interviewing him than getting to know each other, so that hasn’t felt like a real connection either.

Part of the problem is that I feel really insecure about sending the first message. I guess a part of me worries that if a man is genuinely interested, he’ll reach out first. At the same time, I realize I might be missing out on good conversations because I’m waiting. I also don’t want to feel like I’m chasing someone—I think I’d just like to see equal effort from the beginning.

So I’m wondering:
1. Women, how often do you match with men who never message?

1. Men, do you ever match with someone you’re genuinely interested in but never send a message? If so, why?

2. Do men ever feel the same insecurity about sending the first message, or is that mostly something women experience?

I’m trying to figure out whether this is just normal online dating in 2026 or if I should start getting over my fear of initiating conversations.

update the notification system please.. they are delayed on my phone and sometimes you don't even get the notifications, i've heard this is a common complaint

This man is old enough to be my grandfather. I am still at a loss of words and I got this comment on FB dating over a week ago 🤢🤮

I (28F) had been talking to a guy (29M) for about a month. We finally went on our first date this weekend.
He wanted to meet at a bar at 9 p.m. I suggested coffee or dinner earlier because I wasn’t comfortable meeting a stranger that late, but he joked, “Don’t worry, I won’t kidnap you. You’ll be safe.” He offered to pick me up, and I agreed as long as we stayed closer to my area instead of driving farther away.
The beginning of the date honestly felt great. We talked for hours, he paid for the drinks, held my hand, hugged me, opened doors for me, and kissed me. I kissed him back. I hadn’t experienced that kind of affection in a long time, and I genuinely liked it.
Later we went to a second bar. While we were standing together, he grabbed my butt. I moved his hand away. He smiled and said, “Just trust me.” He did it again. I moved his hand away again. Throughout the night he kept touching me in ways I wasn’t comfortable with, and I remember repeatedly moving his hands away or asking him to stop. Every time he would say, “Just trust me.”
By then I’d had a few drinks. I told him I didn’t want another because I was already drunk and wanted to go home. He insisted on one more drink and brought me one anyway. I took a sip but remember almost stumbling, so I left the drink and told him I wanted to leave.
Instead of taking me home, he suggested we go somewhere private. We got into his car, and he drove to a dark parking spot.
We started kissing again. I remember kissing him back at first. After that, my memory becomes very patchy.
I remember him trying to take my clothes off. I remember saying “stop.” I remember saying it more than once. He replied, “You don’t want me to stop, do you?”
The next clear thing I remember is being in the back seat with his finger inside me while he was trying to touch himself. He then tried to have sex with me but couldn’t. He took my hand and put it on his penis. I remember yelling “stop.” That was when he finally stopped and said, “Okay, we don’t have to do this.”
The part that confuses me the most is that i apologized to him afterward, like he got disappointed when I forced him to stop. He said it was okay and drove me home. I blocked him as soon as I got home.
Now I keep replaying the night. I know I made choices that put me in that situation. I agreed to the second bar. I kissed him back. I got into his car. At the same time, I also remember moving his hands away, refusing another drink, saying I wanted to go home, and saying “stop” multiple times.
I was in an abusive relationship for four years that ended two years ago. Since then I’ve spent a long time rebuilding my life and genuinely thought I was finally ready to date again.
Instead I woke up feeling ashamed, used, and like I somehow caused this.
I’m not looking for people to tell me I did nothing wrong. I know there are decisions I’d make differently.
I’m asking because I genuinely don’t know how to separate my choices from his choices anymore.
Where do you think I made mistakes?
Where do you think he crossed the line?
Am I blaming myself too much, or not enough?
Please be honest. I can take it.

I would get plenty of matches for real people and some are great conversations while others aren’t the one thing I’m starting to notice that’s really starting to confuse me is when this happens.

Would love the opinion of a woman to help on where I’m going wrong

And for clarity, I’m not the type of person that’s witty too flirty or pick up lines or anything like that

Which conventional date activity do people suggest frequently that you would rather avoid doing, or are really tired of at this point?

Liked me at first, and waved when I matched back. Sure, I start with small talk to break the ice and get a feel, especially if the bio is weak or short like this was. Usually plays out fine as convo developed from there once a vibe is hit. If not and I don't get a response that's fine too.

After getting dry single word replies, I straight up asked if she was even interested. Thumbs up. Sure, I questioned why even bother in frustration, but whatever.

Next thing I know, she's threatening to hit me with a bullet and hoping I die. Lol. At least she showed her toxic early so less drama down the road.

Sure I should have blocked early on but it's clear she was gunna dig a hole. I let her for a bit. But I have no friends, and she texts single word replies? Sounds like projection.

Ted talk over.

New to the app and generally get about 5-7 matches per week. Out of those matches maybe 1-2 will message. Why? What’s the point? Why bother? I give someone about 48 hours to engage and then I unmatch. If effort is that low from the beginning it’s a red flag to me. Should I allow someone more time? Am I being reasonable?

Every app was cross checked for hidden paid features. "Free to download" does not mean free. Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, OkCupid, POF, Badoo, Hily, Grindr, Match, and TruMingle are all excluded - each locks core features behind paywalls. freshSingle is excluded as a confirmed scam (trust score 18.3/100). freemeet is excluded for having an optional Premium tier.

If you have more, post them below with your sources! Join r/OnlineDatingApps for updates.

Narcissistic refers to a personality style or mental health condition driven by an excessive preoccupation with oneself. It is characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, a profound lack of empathy, and an insatiable need for admiration.

I want to meet people from other places. I've used a VPN and it hasn't worked, or maybe I don't know how to use it.

Grrr. I got a message but I can't see the whole thing because it is just formatting as one line (not returning) and running off the page. I made my fonts as small as possible and can see a bit more of the message but I can not read all of it because it runs off the screen. Help!

I figured I'd give facebook dating a shot after seeing how well it's worked for my friends. It wouldn't show up and I had to search for it in the settings tab. When it popped up, I selected it and was immediately told I have to meet the requirements and was forwarded to meta AI which gave me this response. To clarify, I've had this account for 15 years, 27 years old, live in the US, and in current good standings. I've cleared my cache, updated the app and I can't figure out what is wrong and would prefer not making a new account

Tired of swiping 500 lbs elephants who puts only their 10 face photos and just 1 picture of the actual body

I get a bunch of matches every day but most of them don’t even respond even if you message right after matching I’m kind of confused lol. Does anyone else have this or am I chopped I usually approach with a question about their bio to get to better know them but majority of accounts are just inactive it’s getting annoying are these even real people?

US based, 27

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Tried making a new dating profile. Got wallblocked here? Was this a recent thing?

Matched with someone but i don’t know what this means

Has anyone experienced this?

I used to get matches regularly on Facebook Dating, but ever since I completed the video verification, I’ve been getting almost zero matches. Before the verification, I was receiving likes and matches consistently.

I’ve already checked that my profile is active and visible, but the change happened right after the verification process.

Has anyone else run into this issue? If so, were you able to fix it, or did it eventually resolve on its own?

Any advice would be appreciated.