best hookup sites and casual dating apps

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If you’re too busy to date or aren’t interested in getting into something serious right now, then hookup sites might be your best bet.

But with so many hookup and adult search sites around, finding one that suits your sexual needs can be daunting.

I mean, which ones are catfish central and which ones are genuine?

Luckily, that’s where we come in. Here we’ll review the 18 best hookup sites, discussing their main features, pros, and cons. Ready? Let’s get straight to business!

Best Hookup Sites and Free Dating Sites Reviewed

Here’s a quick idea of the top 10 hookup sites we’ll be digging deeper into. We’ll be reviewing 18 platforms in total, so don’t miss out and read them all.

First Look

Best Hookup Sites & Adult Search Apps in 2023

1. AdultFriendFinder—Best Hookup Site Overall

adultfriendfinder

Few hookup sites compare to AdultFriendFinder when it comes to user pool and member activity.

The site has an impressive 80 million users, most of whom are looking to explore their sexuality. This makes AdultFriendFinder a perfect hub for both singles and couples looking to spice up their bedroom affairs.

You can either create a free account or subscribe to the premium package to access advanced features. A free account is ideal if you just want to view photos and videos without interacting with other members.

But to send messages, view full profiles and use the live stream feature, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium plan. Still, the relatively small fee is worth it for all of the fun you’re going to have with this adult search site!

Pros 

  • Over 2,000,000 members log in weekly
  • Open to gay, trans & bisexual people
  • Live stream & chat room features
  • Ideal for swinging couples & threesomes

Cons 

  • Free accounts must upgrade to remove ads
  • A fair amount of fake profiles

2. Ashley Madison—Best Adult Search Site For Discreet Hook Ups

ashley madison

Ashley Madison needs no introduction when it comes to short-term flings and extramarital affairs. The hookup site is highly controversial and is often criticized for promoting affairs.

Beyond the controversy, however, the casual sex site is an ideal hunting ground for people looking for casual encounters. Women are allowed to register, view profiles and share photos for free, while men need a premium subscription to interact with potential interests.

In 2015, the site was hacked, exposing potentially damaging data of its million-plus clients. But this can be seen as a blessing in disguise as the one night stands website beefed up its security, adding a two-factor authentication feature as part of the signup process.

A silver lining!

Pros

  • Great for cuckolding couples
  • Detects & suspends fake profiles
  • High level of discretion
  • Premium is free for women

Cons 

  • Promotes infidelity
  • Costly for men

3. Seeking—Designed For Casual Luxury Dating

seeking

Seeking is a niche hookup app that targets young ladies looking for luxury daddies (or mommas) and vice versa. Impressively, the site has more young members than wealthy older singles, which creates a good balance for registered users.

If you’re a young lady, you can sign up for free!

Registering at Seeking is pretty straightforward as the process takes less than 10 minutes. And while you can edit profiles and access the chat function with a free account, it’s usually full of ads, which takes away from the browsing experience.

If you become a premium subscriber, you can access a wide range of features like inbox filters, read receipts, advanced privacy, and advanced search filters.

Pros 

  • Over 10 million active members
  • Income & background verification
  • Many younger singles
  • Ladies can chat with free accounts

Cons

  • Fake sugar daddy accounts
  • Hookups feel transactional
  • Not ideal for men on a budget

4. Tinder—Ruler of the Sexual Dating Apps

tinder

Dubbed the hookup app for millennials, tinder is undoubtedly a global leader when it comes to fast, casual hookups.

Besides its popular swipe feature, Tinder boasts several advanced features like Rewind (undo a left swipe), Top Picks (best potential matches), and Travel Alert (for the LGBTQ+ community).

While free accounts can upload photos and search members, they’re somewhat limited when it comes to making contact. Therefore, if you’re serious about finding a casual sex partner on tinder, you’ll need to upgrade to premium to access advanced features.

Tinder is technically free, but they love to find ways for you to give them money. Still, it’s undoubtedly one of the most popular FWB apps in the world, so yeah.

Pros

  • Large number of active users
  • Easy registration
  • Email or mobile number verification
  • Live video call
  • Feature-rich—sync with Spotify, Instagram, etc.

Cons

  • Most members are men
  • Free account has limited functionality

5. Bumble—Top Hookup App For Women

bumble

Since its launch in 2014, Bumble has established itself as a reliable dates and hookup platform with millions of active users. Signing up on Bumble is pretty straightforward and won’t take you more than 10 minutes.

The Bumble app is popularly known for its unique approach to communication, whereby women are the only ones who can initiate conversation. This feature has helped make the app safe for women in search of relationships or fast hookups.

No more creeps flooding your inbox!

Bumble has a balanced gender ratio, with most of its members being between 20 to 40 years. And although you’re likely to stumble upon a couple of fake profiles, the site is constantly on the lookout for suspicious accounts, which helps increase overall security.

Pros

  • Easy registration
  • Women initiate conversation
  • Fake profiles are monitored and closed
  • Balanced male-female ratio

Cons

  • Profiles aren’t very detailed
  • No search option

6. Hinge—Hookup App That Also Works For Love

hinge

Although mostly used for serious dates, Hinge can also work as a casual hookup app. The platform has a minimal number of fake profiles since it’s only available via app—this makes it harder for people to make dummy/fake accounts.

Genius.

Additionally, you must verify your phone number and exhaustively fill out your profile in order to access the member pool. All of these additional safety features help to maximize the security of the FWB app, whether you’re looking for love or NSA hookups.

If you have a free account, Hinge allows you to view user profiles, view likes, and send messages (only to mutual matches), which is a great bargain compared to most other sex sites. However, for advanced preferences, search filters, and unlimited likes, you’ll need to upgrade to premium.

Pros

  • Most profiles are complete & well detailed
  • Mobile verification is mandatory during registration
  • Free accounts can send messages
  • Active members

Cons 

  • Customer support is not very responsive
  • Only available via app
  • Some user profiles are dormant

7. Victoria Milan—Discreet Hookup Website Popular In Europe

victoria milan

Victoria Milan is unapologetic about its slogan, relive the passion—find your affair. And true to its promise, the hookup app targets married or attached men and women in need of a sexual spark in their lives.

It’s basically European Ashley Madison.

Although Victoria Milan has a minimalistic, easy-to-use website, its major selling point is its advanced security features. All accounts must be verified, and even better, you can blur your photos for enhanced privacy.

Most of Victoria Milan’s members are males, which makes it a bit hard to find attached women looking for casual relationships if you’re a man (or attracted to women).

Nonetheless, VM has a large pool of active users and even bills your credit card pretending to be a restaurant—so you know that you’re getting top-level privacy and discretion here.

Did someone order a sexy fling?

Pros 

  • Advanced security features
  • Bills credit cards as a restaurant
  • Members can blur profile photos
  • Large number of active users

Cons

  • Free accounts can’t send or view messages
  • Promotes cheating among spouses

8. No Strings Attached—Casual Dating Site with Live Video Cams

nostringsattached

As the name suggests, No Strings Attached is a FWB app dedicated to discreet, sexual rendezvous with … no strings attached. All members on the site are after short-term, virtual or physical casual relationships. 

Your free account can browse uploaded videos, search for cam models, upload a video, and broadcast videos. However, to view profiles, call privately, and access the list of viewers, you will need to upgrade to premium.

The majority of No Strings Attached users are between 20-30 years, with most being men keen on viewing sexual videos. Couples can also join in on the fun and interact with other models on the website, getting kinky even if you’re looking to stay at home the whole time!

Naughty.

Pros

  • Live video cams
  • Perfect for finding friends with benefits
  • Women are more active
  • Advanced search features (hair color, body size, gender)

Cons

  • Fake profiles have been reported
  • No mobile app

9. Alt.com—One of the Best Kink Sites for Fetish Fun

alt.com

If you’re the sexually adventurous type, then you should consider giving Alt.com a shot. One of the top hookup sites for kinksters, those who are into kinky sexual activities like bondage, BDSM, and Cosplay will love this open-minded hookup website.

Most of the members are curious singles and couples aged between 25 and 44, more so those in pursuit of unconventional sexual encounters. As expected, the majority of the members are men looking to view and engage with female members.

This FWB site doesn’t compromise user safety either, as it utilizes a host of advanced security features to protect your data. What’s more, Alt.com’s strict verification process helps to reduce the total number of fake accounts.

Pros

  • Free accounts can view live webcams
  • Ideal for adventurous casual sex
  • Detailed member profiles
  • “Purity Test” helps determine your level of kink

Cons

  • Support team isn’t responsive
  • Free accounts cannot flirt and interact with other users

10. Feeld—Top Site For Couples to Meet Singles

feeld

Although Feeld doesn’t have a large number of active users like AdultFriendFinder and Ashley Madison, it still comes with amazing features that suit open-minded couples and singles.

The app doesn’t discriminate and warns members against discriminatory acts based on sexual preferences, race, and gender, which makes Feeld one of the most inclusive hookup sites around.

Great if you’re LGBTQ+ or BIPOC!

And while most of Feeld’s members are couples looking for sexual fun, single members are also plenty, making the site well-balanced. Signing up is pretty straightforward as the site only asks you for your age, gender, nickname, and phone number.

Pros 

  • Perfect for couples in search of sexual fun
  • Easy signup
  • Great for LGBTQ+ & BIPOC
  • Free accounts can message users
  • App is easy to navigate and can be locked

Cons 

  • Some members use fake photos
  • Not too many security-enhancing features

11. Grindr—One of the Best Free Gay Dating Apps Without a Subscription

grindr

Grindr was formed to cater to the sexual needs of gay men, but has since expanded to include those under the queer/trans umbrella too. The app boasts an impressive 2 million-plus logins a day, making it one of the most frequently used gay hookup platforms.

Based on the geolocation of your phone, the app shows you the users who are closest to your current location, making hookups easy by reducing the distance you need to travel to meet someone and get busy!

Signing up on Grindr is also easy, with most people taking an average of 3 minutes to complete registration. However, the lack of advanced security and verification features means you’re likely to encounter a couple of fake profiles in your pursuit of casual sex.

That, or blank profiles selling knock-off Viagra.

If you opt to use the free version, then you should be prepared for unending ad popups, which can prove annoying. However, the free account can view messages and photos, making it a lot easier to communicate on the site.

Pros 

  • Mainly for gay men looking for friends with benefits
  • Uses geolocation to find nearest users
  • Affordable pricing
  • Large number of active users
  • LGBTQ+ tribes such as “twinks” “bears” “otters” “poz”

Cons

  • Profiles aren’t very detailed
  • Users cannot do manual searches
  • The app is unstable at times

12. HER—Best Queer Dating App For Women & NB in 2022

her

Although mostly a dates and friends site for queer women, HER is also a great platform for lesbians to explore their sexuality. The site has over 1 million active users, with most being young ladies between 18 and 30.

You can sign up to HER through Instagram or Facebook for verification purposes. However, communication inside the app can prove challenging since members can only chat with friends, matches, or through the feed feature (premium).

Still, HER comes with tons of special features like Meet (swipe to like or dislike profile suggestions), Feed (communicate without being friends), and Events (lesbian events happening nearby). Even if you’re not hooking up, it’s a great way to stay in touch with the local LGBTQ community!

Pros 

  • Casual FWB app targeting women
  • Free accounts can send and view messages
  • Find out about local lesbian/LGBTQ+ events
  • Ideal for love, hookups, and friendships

Cons

  • Users can’t search manually
  • Many fake profiles

13. Reddit R4R—Hook Up On Reddit For Free

reddit r4r

Reddit Dirty R4R is a great option if you’re on a budget and can’t afford a premium subscription on casual adult sites (it’s 100 percent free!).

However, your chances of finding a good match and getting laid on Dirty R4R are minimal, as most members are inactive and/or they live very far away from you.

Not ideal.

The majority of users are men, making it fairly difficult to interact and chat with female members. Either way, the subreddit is a good option if you want someone to flirt, sext, and perhaps trade photos with.

But you know, don’t put money on getting a hookup every time.

Pros 

  • 100 percent free hookup site
  • You can post whatever you want (within reason)

Cons

  • Low number of active members
  • Hard to get a one night stand
  • Mostly men

14. FetLife—Casual Dating Site for Sex Fetishes

fetlife

Fetlife is an online FWB and hookup site that targets sexually adventurous adults who are into kink, fetish, and BDSM. Fetlife has a pretty straightforward registration process and doesn’t allow you to register through your social media account, so your identity is low-key.

The search bar allows you to find like-minded members on the site, which increases your chances of successful matching. However, the site has a lot of fake profiles that can take away from the overall experience, so keep that in mind.

“It’s basically Facebook for fetishists”, says Kink expert Jennifer Vencil from Pleasure Seeker … who explains that it is “Simultaneously wholesome and erotic.”

Pros 

  • Friends can post on each other’s walls
  • Free accounts can message and view videos
  • Promotes sexual adventures
  • 7-day return policy

Cons 

  • Most members are men
  • Doesn’t allow certain taboo sexual fantasies

15. Zoosk—Best Dating App for Active Members

zoosk

Zoosk is known for its flexibility and large pool of singles. And although the site has helped many singles find true love, it is also widely used by people such as yourself looking for short-term flings.

With over 40 million registered users, Zoosk is easily among the easiest sites to find a match. The site also has a wide range of useful features like SmartPick, Connections, and Dating Insights that help boost your chances of finding a match.

Unfortunately, free user accounts have limited functionality as you can only view profiles and send smiles and hearts. But to access features like chat, incognito mode, SmartPicks (full access), and send messages, you’ll need to upgrade to premium.

You might find it’s worth the money though!

Pros 

  • Large user base
  • Most profiles are authentic
  • Detailed user profiles
  • Active members

Cons

  • Not exclusively meant for hookups
  • Doesn’t permit the sharing of explicit content
  • Unresponsive customer support

16. Plenty Of Fish—One of the Top Dating Apps For Hookups

plenty of fish

Plenty of Fish is a major player in the online dates, hookups, and casual fling industry. Since its launch, the site has helped its single members find love and lasting relationships. And although not exclusively meant for hookups, POF still has a lot of options if you’re looking for FWB .

Upon signup, you are required to fill your profile exhaustively and state your preferences. This makes it easy to find someone with similar interests. You can also add catchphrases to make your profile stand out and let others know you’re looking for casual sex.

It’s always best to be transparent—especially on sites designed for love!

Pros

  • Free accounts can send messages & get matches
  • Detailed user profiles
  • Advanced features like UltraMatch, Nearby, and Chemistry Predictor
  • Large user base

Cons 

  • Not exactly for one night stands
  • Some members use fake profile pictures

17. Craigslist Activities & Missed Connections—Free Hookup Site with Anonymous Users

craigslist

If you want a platform where you can interact with other singles (or couples) looking for some kinky fun, then you might want to give Craigslist Activities or Craigslist Missed Connections a shot.

You won’t need to provide potentially sensitive details on Craigslist Activities to chat with other members. Additionally, uploading photos is a matter of personal preferences, making it easy to maintain anonymity.

Be careful though—this is the unregulated Wild West of online hookups!

Pros

  • Easy to join, chat and interact
  • Free hookup service
  • Meant for sex hookups

Cons 

  • Not the safest place for hookups
  • Likely to meet and chat with frauds
  • Loads of fake and inactive profiles
  • Small user base compared to other online hookups sites

18. Elite Singles—Best Dating & Hookup App For Over 30s

elite singles

Elite Singles is an app meant to match graduates over 30 with similar interests. The site doesn’t work as a hookup platform but can still help you find a like-minded single who’s interested in casual sex.

Signing up on Elite Singles isn’t as straightforward as other sites, as they require both phone and email verification. You’ll also need to provide relevant documents to prove you’re worthy of being matched with the site’s ever-growing list of elite singles.

Pros

  • Strict verification processes
  • Very few fake profiles
  • Responsive support
  • Most members are active

Cons 

  • Fairly hard to find casual sex
  • Explicit photos not allowed
  • Free accounts have limited functions

Best Hookup Sites Online: FAQs

Are There Any 100 Percent Free Hookup Sites?

Platforms like Reddit R4R and Craigslist Activities offer free adult search and casual flings services and won’t need you to pay to access features.

However, 100 percent free sites like these usually have limited functionality, safety concerns, and immense competition between the few registered users.

Most premium hookup apps like Adult Friend Finder, Seeking, and Tinder have free accounts. However, the free accounts usually have limited features, meaning you’ll need to upgrade to enjoy premium features and have unlimited access to other users.

Which Hookup Site Is Best For Older Men?

The best casual sex website for older men is Seeking, which actively promotes sugar dating.

Seeking has a strict verification system and requires older singles to pay to access the large pool of young men and women.

So it’s great if you’re an older man… with money.

Which Hookup App Is Best For Young Guys?

The best hookup app for young guys is Zoosk due to its wealth of advanced features and an impressively large number of active members.

However, to increase the chances of finding a like-minded single for a hookup, it’s advisable to log in regularly and maintain a well-detailed profile.

What Is The Best Hookup Site For Women?

While there are many hookup sites that can suit women in search of short-term flings, Bumble stands out due to its unique, women-empowering feature.

In Bumble, only women can initiate conversations, giving them the power to determine whether or not to chat with male members.

Which Hookup Site Is Best For Lesbian Women?

The best hookup site for lesbians is HER, which, although not exclusively meant for hookups, can help connect queer women with similar interests.

The large user base and abundance of premium features make HER a great online FWB app for lesbians looking for a safe community of like-minded people.

Are Hookup Sites Safe?

No single hookup site is 100 percent safe, as even premium sites like Ashley Madison have been hacked in the recent past.

However, to enhance your safety when using hookup apps, it’s best to register on premium sites with advanced security features.

You should also avoid interacting outside the adult search sites until you know enough about your preferred one night stand candidate.

Trust your gut and play it safe!

How Can I Stay Safe During A Hookup?

Look for Photo Verification

Ensure that you chat with someone with a real profile, especially once you start preparing for a potential hookup. It is also advisable to check if the photos on the adult dating sites match the user’s identity (on other social platforms like Facebook and Instagram).

Meet in Public

Don’t be in too much of a hurry to fulfill your fantasies that you neglect your safety. As a rule, you should meet with a potential hookup at least once in a public place where it’s safe. During the physical meetup, do your best to read the date’s body language and attitude, keeping an eye out for any red flags.

Video Call

Video call is an excellent way to know if your potential hookup partner has shared real photos. Avoid a one night stand with any person that’s unwilling to go on a video call before a physical meetup.

Should I Be Upfront About My Preferences In A Partner?

It’s advisable to be as transparent and direct as possible when stating your preferences on hookup sites and apps. Stating what you want in your sex life will make it a lot easier to find a suitable match.

However, be extra careful not to make any discriminatory remarks (gender, race, body size, and sexual orientations). There’s nothing worse than seeing a user profile with “no fats, no Asians” or something to that effect.

Toxic or what?

Which Is The Best Hook Up App Of 2023? Conclusion

As established throughout the article, each hookup site comes with its pros and cons. The trick, however, is to pick one that meets your unique preferences.

For instance, Adult Friend Finder is a great pick if you’re after a large pool of active members. Ashley Madison works well for people in commitments, while Seeking can get the job done if you’re into the luxury dating lifestyle.

Now that we’ve discussed some of the best hookup sites around, you should be well placed to choose one that satisfies your sexual preferences. Remember to prioritize safety over pleasure, which means registering on credible hookup sites with proven track records.

Good luck and have fun out there!