Figured I'd ask this community since you tend to have more honest takes than review sites. Profile quality matters more than which platform you choose — a well-written bio beats a hundred passive swipes.
The best free platforms generate revenue from ads rather than subscriptions, which keeps access open. Match quality on free plans is solid if you're in a populated area and actually use the filters available.
Push notification settings are worth configuring carefully — over-notifying leads to faster app abandonment.