Same for me, made two friends out of Meetup groups, but no one to date, that was a dead end. One reason is that the Meetup groups in my area still attracted the same kind of mainstream culture and lifestyle people as the paid dating sites, therefore not compatible for me to date. Also, found that almost all the people in Meetup groups for my area were Christians.

@TomMcGiverin in my area there's a meetup group for atheists. I just joined. I'll let you know what happens.

@BitFlipper Based on what I've learned about the group in my area, I wouldn't expect much in the way of dating prospects. Probably all the group will offer are interesting discussions and the opportunity to make a friend or two.

If that is your goal. There are all kinds of groups - Lesbian groups, groups by age ranges.

Too bad -I joined a Freethinker Group, Red and Blue Reunite Group, 2 Trivia Groups, Movie Group, Gaming Group (Board), and Singles Social groups that go out to dinner and have cocktails. Many hiking, kyaking, physical activity groups too. Keep checking-new groups all the time.

I guess it depends on your geographic area, but there a lot of meetups in ours, particularly niche groups. We found some anime groups and my cousin, after resisting for a while, checked it out and found a gay& lesbian sci-fi book club that she loves. I wish I had more time to check them out.

New groups all the time-keep checking. Day groups too.