I feel like most people would tell you that it's harder to date than it used to be, because most people are older than they used to be. That is, you're generally "less attractive" (in a median sort of way), as well as having stronger opinions about who/what you like. So your standards have come up, and your general desirability has gone down - so of course dating is going to feel more like a slog than when there were promising potential partners were around every corner.

Data point of one: I'm older, and my experience with the apps was more than mostly positive. I hadn't dated in years, and with the exception of a couple clunkers, all my dates were fun and friendly. In every match, there was a lot of texting, and I put in a lot of effort.

Nobody was a swimsuit model, but I'm not either. I might be I've crossed the threshold where looks are less important than personality (looks are still important!).

Everyone I dated mentioned that their experience with the apps mostly sucked though.