Grindr, Scruff, Jack'd, Surge, Growlr, Hornet, Adam4Adam, BoyAhoy, Chappy, Manhunt, Daddyhunt, Recon, FetLife... they all have their pluses and minuses.
I travel a lot and have learned that they vary widely by city. I'm a very "Scruff" kind of guy -- bearish and bearded -- yet Scruff is not so great for me in SF. But in New York and DC it's always quite busy. Grindr in SF for me goes in waves -- it'll be productive for a couple of months, then nothing for a few months. Growlr for me is terrible in SF, but much better in other cities. Grindr and Jack'd are great in many cities in Europe, and Scruff is good in big cities most everywhere. Surge too is great in major US cities but useless everywhere else. And they have their crowds and types. Grindr in SF is very mixed, but very twink heavy. Jack'd is very Asian in SF, but very African-American in NYC. Hornet is very Asian on the US east coast, but very mixed on the west coast.
Also, I do pay for the apps for a month or two once in a while. I've never understood why someone will go spend $25/week on Starbucks, but balk at $9.99 for a month of better dick hunting. For me living in downtown SF, I need pay so that I can see more than the first 100 closest guys -- the first 3 screens are all people in my own damn apartment building! Sometimes you do get what you pay for.
If an app isn't working for you, try another one. Try them all. Try back on ones you haven't tried in a few months -- the population on them changes frequently sometimes. Consider paying for an app occasionally, you might find that it shows you more guys than you knew were there. And use the tools like filters, blocking, etc., to help sort through your feed if you're not seeing what interests you. If you're too cheap to pay, then the 100 (or however many) needs to be focused and well-curated.
And don't forget the "dating" apps... Tinder, OKCupid, etc. Yes, you find lots of people looking for LTRs, but many are open to something more casual in the meantime.
There's a gay comedian named Joel Kim Booster, check out some of his comedy on YouTube. He has one routine where he refers to a bunch of the apps and refers to being on all of them as "checking his traps." It's pretty funny, but also insightful. You have to be on all of them, you never know when something's going to fall into your trap.
Finally, you have to be realistic and strategic about the apps. There's a lot of assholes on there, so I don't put up with any crap. I'm liberal with my blocking. Not my type? Block. Profile sounds like a drama queen? Block. Can't keep up a conversation? Block. Won't share a picture? Block. The end result is that my feed is a lot more focused and I have to do a lot less scrolling. And if you're only viewing those closest, once you block a bunch, the circle widens.