Is Plenty of Fish Worth It for Men?

Plenty of Fish is worth using, because the free account does more than most men expect. It is worth paying for only after the free version has given you replies. Whether it gets you dates comes down to how many women near you are active on it, and you can find that out in two weeks without spending anything. We have no figures on how many dates it produces, so we will not make any up. Test it, and let your own numbers decide.

A free account is useful. Search works at every membership level and filters by distance, age and other details. Meet Me is the swiping side, where you like or pass on women one at a time. When a woman you liked also likes you, you have a mutual match, and a mutual match gives you unlimited messaging.

You also need a main photo before you can send messages, so the first thing to fix is a clear picture of your face.

That covers the whole basic loop: find women, show interest, match, talk, and plan a date. None of it needs a card.

The limits are worth knowing so they do not surprise you. A first message to a woman you have not matched with is her choice to answer or like back, and if she does neither, you cannot keep writing. That makes your first line count, because you get one.

Seeing everyone who likes you comes with the paid tiers, which are Plus, Premium and Prestige. In general terms they add things such as unlimited likes and read receipts, and what each includes changes, so read the screen when you buy. Boosts and extra Super Likes are sold on their own.

The free tier is the real strength. A man can search for exactly the women he wants and message his matches without paying anything, which lets him learn what works before he spends.

Search also gives you control. On swipe apps you see whoever the software shows you. On Plenty of Fish you can set a sensible distance and age range yourself and look through the women who fit. Most men underuse it and go straight to Meet Me.

The weak point is who is active. a dating coach's rule for choosing an app is that your results depend on whether the people on it are really looking to date. He says good game on an app full of fake profiles and people who are not looking works worse than decent game on an app where people genuinely want to meet. App selection also depends on your area, because an app that is strong in one city can be quiet in another.

So do not take anyone's word for how busy Plenty of Fish is near you. Look. Search for the women you would want to meet, and see whether the results show women who look active and real, with clear and current photos.

My rule for any paid tier is that it multiplies what you already have. A man who gets likes and replies on a free account will get more of both. A man who gets nothing will get nothing to more people.

He is also clear that never paying is a mistake. His view is that men are too reluctant to spend on dating, and that apps look after paying members. So the sensible plan is to test cheaply. If the free account gives you a few real conversations a week and you wish you could see who liked you, a short stretch of a paid tier is a fair experiment. Count what changes, and drop it if the numbers do not move.

It suits a man who wants to control his search, and who is willing to write one good first message instead of a stream of casual ones. It suits a man who lives somewhere with enough active members, and who wants to test an app before paying.

It does not suit a man who wants a short cut. Plenty of Fish gives you tools, and a woman still has to want to answer. If your photos are dark, cropped or years old, the app will not hide that.

Pick a distance you would genuinely travel on a weeknight and set your filters. Use two or three clear, recent photos, with a lead photo that shows your face in daylight. Like the women whose pages give you something to say, and write to each of them the same day.

Make your first message short. Mention one real detail from her page, add a small piece of your own life, and end on a question she can answer in a line. Then count four things: likes sent, matches, replies and plans. If the early numbers are weak, change one thing, usually the lead photo, and count again.

When a chat is going well, move it toward a place and a day within a few texts. My range is about four to seven short messages, each with a purpose. A man who asks within that range gets dates that a man who chats for weeks does not.