Hi everyone,

I posted a quick intro a few days ago, but I wanted to ask for honest feedback in the right section.

I’m Bryan, based in the UK, and I’m building a small early-stage dating/community platform called ZendraDating.

The idea is to create a calmer dating space focused more on real people, trust, safety, and respectful conversations rather than swiping, fake profiles, or spammy behaviour.

It’s still very early, and I’m not here to advertise or hard-sell it. I’m mainly trying to understand whether the idea is worth building further before pushing it too much.

I’d really appreciate honest feedback on a few things:

1. Does the idea sound useful, or is the dating space already too crowded?

2. Is the trust/safety/community angle clear enough?

3. What would stop someone from joining a new dating/community platform like this?

4. Does the site feel credible enough for an early-stage project?

5. What would you improve before trying to get more users?

The site is zendradating.com if anyone is willing to take a quick look, but feedback on the idea itself is just as useful.

I’m especially interested in honest criticism rather than praise. I’d rather find the weak points now while it’s still small.

Thanks,
Bryan

2 hours ago, bryan said:

Hi everyone,

I posted a quick intro a few days ago, but I wanted to ask for honest feedback in the right section.

I’m Bryan, based in the UK, and I’m building a small early-stage dating/community platform called ZendraDating.

The idea is to create a calmer dating space focused more on real people, trust, safety, and respectful conversations rather than swiping, fake profiles, or spammy behaviour.

It’s still very early, and I’m not here to advertise or hard-sell it. I’m mainly trying to understand whether the idea is worth building further before pushing it too much.

I’d really appreciate honest feedback on a few things:

1. Does the idea sound useful, or is the dating space already too crowded?

2. Is the trust/safety/community angle clear enough?

3. What would stop someone from joining a new dating/community platform like this?

4. Does the site feel credible enough for an early-stage project?

5. What would you improve before trying to get more users?

The site is zendradating.com if anyone is willing to take a quick look, but feedback on the idea itself is just as useful.

I’m especially interested in honest criticism rather than praise. I’d rather find the weak points now while it’s still small.

Thanks,
Bryan

Hi Bryan,

Firstly, I really like the direction you're taking. There are plenty of people who are fed up with fake profiles, bots and swipe culture, so I definitely think there's room for a platform focused on genuine conversations and trust.

I had a look through the site and my biggest piece of feedback is that, if I landed on it without knowing what it was, it feels more like a community or SaaS landing page than a dating website.

The homepage talks a lot about trust, safety and being calmer, which are all great selling points, but it doesn't immediately make me think, "There are people here I could meet!"

I'd love to see things like example member profiles (even if they're demo profiles while the community grows), success stories as they start coming in, and more emphasis on the people rather than the platform itself. Dating is ultimately about connecting with people, so showing that visually would make a huge difference.

From an SEO perspective, I'd also consider building out content over time around dating advice, staying safe online, first dates, dating by location, etc. That can become a really valuable source of long-term traffic.

Overall though, I think you're solving a genuine problem. I don't think the market is "too crowded"—I think it's crowded with apps that all feel very similar. If you can genuinely deliver a safer, more respectful experience, that gives you a clear angle. I'd just lean harder into showing people and connections rather than features, so visitors instantly recognise it's a dating platform.

Best of luck with it, and keep us updated on how it progresses!

3 hours ago, James said:

Hi Bryan,

Firstly, I really like the direction you're taking. There are plenty of people who are fed up with fake profiles, bots and swipe culture, so I definitely think there's room for a platform focused on genuine conversations and trust.

I had a look through the site and my biggest piece of feedback is that, if I landed on it without knowing what it was, it feels more like a community or SaaS landing page than a dating website.

The homepage talks a lot about trust, safety and being calmer, which are all great selling points, but it doesn't immediately make me think, "There are people here I could meet!"

I'd love to see things like example member profiles (even if they're demo profiles while the community grows), success stories as they start coming in, and more emphasis on the people rather than the platform itself. Dating is ultimately about connecting with people, so showing that visually would make a huge difference.

From an SEO perspective, I'd also consider building out content over time around dating advice, staying safe online, first dates, dating by location, etc. That can become a really valuable source of long-term traffic.

Overall though, I think you're solving a genuine problem. I don't think the market is "too crowded"—I think it's crowded with apps that all feel very similar. If you can genuinely deliver a safer, more respectful experience, that gives you a clear angle. I'd just lean harder into showing people and connections rather than features, so visitors instantly recognise it's a dating platform.

Best of luck with it, and keep us updated on how it progresses!

Thanks for taking the time to look through it — I really appreciate it.

That’s actually a very helpful point about the homepage maybe feeling more like a community/SaaS landing page than a dating site. I think you’re probably right. I’ve focused a lot on the trust, safety and calmer-community side, but maybe not shown enough of the “real people connecting” side straight away.

I’ll have a look at making the homepage feel more immediately like a dating/community platform — clearer wording near the top, more people-focused visuals, and maybe some example profile/member sections so visitors understand it quicker.

The SEO/content point is really useful too. Dating advice, staying safe online, first-date ideas and location-based content could be a good long-term route instead of relying only on ads or social posts.

Really appreciate the honest feedback — this is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to learn while it’s still early.

Quick update — I took the feedback on board and have now reworked the homepage so it feels much more clearly like a dating platform rather than a SaaS/community landing page.

I’ve added more people-focused visuals, clearer dating language near the top, and a stronger emphasis on genuine profiles and real conversations.

I’ve also started building out the longer-term content side with pages around UK dating safety, serious dating, and avoiding fake profiles and bots.

The current focus is now Operation 100 — finding the first 100 genuine members to help shape the platform and offer honest feedback, without filling it with fake activity or bots.

Still early, but the feedback here genuinely helped shape the direction, so thank you again.

On 20/07/2026 at 13:02, bryan said:

Quick update — I took the feedback on board and have now reworked the homepage so it feels much more clearly like a dating platform rather than a SaaS/community landing page.

I’ve added more people-focused visuals, clearer dating language near the top, and a stronger emphasis on genuine profiles and real conversations.

I’ve also started building out the longer-term content side with pages around UK dating safety, serious dating, and avoiding fake profiles and bots.

History

The current focus is now Operation 100 — finding the first 100 genuine members to help shape the platform and offer honest feedback, without filling it with fake activity or bots.

Still early, but the feedback here genuinely helped shape the direction, so thank you again.

Made a dating platform before - they can be nightmares to work on. Bots plague them consistently and they become a real problem to deal with.. Cloudflare is fantastic option for this and whatever under the hood recaptcha system you use too. Site looks good though

Thanks, really appreciate that — and yes, the bot problem is one of the biggest things I’ve been trying to take seriously from the start.

I’ve now added Cloudflare Turnstile to signup and login, along with duplicate-registration checks and behaviour monitoring in the admin side. I’m also keeping the platform small and real-user focused rather than trying to manufacture activity with fake profiles.

It’s still early, so I’m expecting plenty of lessons along the way, but I’m glad the site is heading in the right direction. Thanks for taking a look and for the feedback. 👍

On 23/07/2026 at 14:26, Razvan Grigoriciuc said:

Made a dating platform before - they can be nightmares to work on. Bots plague them consistently and they become a real problem to deal with.. Cloudflare is fantastic option for this and whatever under the hood recaptcha system you use too. Site looks good though

Thanks — that caught my attention actually. You mentioned you’ve built a dating platform before. I’d be genuinely interested to hear a bit about what you built and what the biggest headaches were, especially around bots and moderation.

We’ve already put quite a lot into Turnstile, duplicate-registration checks, behaviour monitoring and moderation, but I’m always interested in lessons from someone who’s been through it before.

Quick update on ZendraDating — I’ve taken some of the earlier feedback onboard and changed the homepage so it feels much more people-first and less like a software platform.

The focus is still the same: real people, no fake or manufactured activity, calmer browsing, and stronger safety/privacy controls.

I’d genuinely appreciate another look if anyone has a minute:

Does the homepage now feel more like a dating site you’d actually trust enough to explore?

Any first-impression feedback is welcome — especially anything that still feels unclear or too “techy”.

11 minutes ago, bryan said:

Quick update on ZendraDating — I’ve taken some of the earlier feedback onboard and changed the homepage so it feels much more people-first and less like a software platform.

The focus is still the same: real people, no fake or manufactured activity, calmer browsing, and stronger safety/privacy controls.

I’d genuinely appreciate another look if anyone has a minute:

Does the homepage now feel more like a dating site you’d actually trust enough to explore?

Any first-impression feedback is welcome — especially anything that still feels unclear or too “techy”.

Well done it looks leagues better!

I would say its quite dark compared to other sites though!

Just quickly had a look and matched it against other sites :P might be worth doing! I had someone like me on you rplatform too haha but i'm now getting seirous with someone I met on Tinder.. So I think it might be worth copying themt oo, light styles etc!

12 hours ago, James said:

Well done it looks leagues better!

I would say its quite dark compared to other sites though!

Just quickly had a look and matched it against other sites :P might be worth doing! I had someone like me on you rplatform too haha but i'm now getting seirous with someone I met on Tinder.. So I think it might be worth copying themt oo, light styles etc!

Thanks James, genuinely appreciate you taking the time to have another look and even compare it against some of the bigger dating sites 👍

I can definitely see what you mean about the lighter style as well. Bumble especially goes very bright and open with it, whereas Zendra has always leaned quite heavily into the darker purple look. I’m going to leave the current version alone for a little while rather than constantly changing things, but I’ve made a note of that for the next bigger design pass. I think there may actually be a nice middle ground where the main dating side becomes a little lighter and warmer, while some of the other areas can keep more of the darker Zendra identity.

And congratulations on meeting someone too! 😄 If things are getting serious, I hope it all works out for you both.

Also, completely separate from the feedback side of things — if you want me to remove your Zendra account now that you’ve met someone, just say the word and I’ll sort it. I know having an old dating profile sitting around can sometimes cause an awkward conversation even when there’s absolutely nothing going on 😂 No pressure either way, though.

And seriously, thanks again for all the comments and help. You’ve given me useful feedback at a few different stages now, and having someone outside the project look at it against established dating sites is genuinely valuable.

7 minutes ago, bryan said:

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Thanks James, genuinely appreciate you taking the time to have another look and even compare it against some of the bigger dating sites 👍

I can definitely see what you mean about the lighter style as well. Bumble especially goes very bright and open with it, whereas Zendra has always leaned quite heavily into the darker purple look. I’m going to leave the current version alone for a little while rather than constantly changing things, but I’ve made a note of that for the next bigger design pass. I think there may actually be a nice middle ground where the main dating side becomes a little lighter and warmer, while some of the other areas can keep more of the darker Zendra identity.

And congratulations on meeting someone too! 😄 If things are getting serious, I hope it all works out for you both.

Also, completely separate from the feedback side of things — if you want me to remove your Zendra account now that you’ve met someone, just say the word and I’ll sort it. I know having an old dating profile sitting around can sometimes cause an awkward conversation even when there’s absolutely nothing going on 😂 No pressure either way, though.

And seriously, thanks again for all the comments and help. You’ve given me useful feedback at a few different stages now, and having someone outside the project look at it against established dating sites is genuinely valuable.

No worries at all man, nice to see someone tackling the big names!

I think dating is one of those nuance things where the dark purple looks can sometimes look a little sad? Whereas if you look at the other sites - they've almost all gone for a light background, I believe the sentiment around this might be more around making dating is a vibrant, fun, but also relaxing thing - and having! Like you associate the Light side vs the dark side. Anything to get a star wars pun in there!

Thank you, I'm supposed to be meeting her for a date in a few days, so rather happy!

I think it can stay on there it's ok! She knows I help startups!

Happy to help completely, we're a growing forum and my number one goal was to set out to help people!

5 hours ago, James said:

No worries at all man, nice to see someone tackling the big names!

I think dating is one of those nuance things where the dark purple looks can sometimes look a little sad? Whereas if you look at the other sites - they've almost all gone for a light background, I believe the sentiment around this might be more around making dating is a vibrant, fun, but also relaxing thing - and having! Like you associate the Light side vs the dark side. Anything to get a star wars pun in there!

Thank you, I'm supposed to be meeting her for a date in a few days, so rather happy!

I think it can stay on there it's ok! She knows I help startups!

Startup Mentorship Program

Happy to help completely, we're a growing forum and my number one goal was to set out to help people!

Haha, I did notice that 😄
The light side vs the dark side comparison definitely made me laugh — any excuse to sneak a Star Wars reference into dating app feedback is a good one 😂

Hope the date goes well mate, sounds like things are moving in the right direction for you.

And cheers again for taking the time to properly look over Zendra and compare it with the bigger apps. The feedback’s genuinely useful. I’ll keep chipping away at it 👍

Quick little update since the last one 🙂

I’ve carried on chipping away at Zendra and it’s moved on quite a bit again.

I haven’t gone charging into the lighter redesign yet 😂 I still think your point about the brighter dating sites is a good one, but I wanted to get the actual product and safety side into a really solid place first rather than constantly redesigning things.

Since then I’ve added quite a bit around the actual dating/chat experience — better matching and conversation flows, voice messages, optional mutual contact sharing, profile voice/video introductions, referrals/invites, and quite a lot of work on the safety side so normal conversations don’t get unnecessarily blocked while obvious contact-sharing/scammy behaviour still does.

I’m now at the point where I’m deliberately trying to stop adding endless features and focus on the bit that actually matters next:

getting genuine people through the door.

I’m still sticking to the original rule of no fake profiles, no bots and no manufactured activity just to make the site look busy, so the growth side is obviously harder — but I’d rather build it properly.

So this is probably the next bit I could use some outside brains on:

If you were trying to get the first 100 genuine UK users for something like this without throwing loads of money at ads, where would you focus first?

Also hope that Tinder date went well, James 😂

Quick update since my last post — I’ve mostly stopped adding features and have been focusing on the acquisition side instead.

We’ve tightened up the mobile homepage and signup flow, and Google is now starting to show Zendra for searches around things like “dating apps without bots”, which feels encouraging.

The biggest problem is still the same one though: getting genuine people through the door without faking activity or spending heavily on ads.

At the moment people are reaching the site and some are reaching signup, but very few are actually completing registration.

So I’m curious how others here would approach that stage:

If you had a working product, a tiny real user base, and almost no advertising budget, what would you test first to get the first 50–100 genuine UK users?

I’m especially interested in anything that has worked for consumer/community products rather than generic “run Facebook ads” advice.

Still plugging away at it 😄