I guess I'm an elder millennial now. Got the greying hair and all.

I had pretty good success on the dating apps without paying. Location is a big factor. But also, as the saying goes, "the bar for men is in hell". I think just having a reasonable conversation and caring about her put me a tier above the average.

Of course, the apps are profit seeking machines that don't especially want you to be happy. They can work, but they're not trying to.

I'm pretty sure the apps algorithm didn't think I'd click with my partner. It feels very much "pretty close", like they wanted me to have a few dates and move on. But to everyone's surprise we really got on, despite things that superficially looked incompatible.