Cougar Dating Apps

Men's Dating

7 Best Free Cougar Dating Apps (April 2025)

Hayley Matthews

Written by: Hayley Matthews

Hayley Matthews

Hayley has over 10 years of experience overseeing content strategy, social media engagement, and article opportunities. She has also written hundreds of informational and entertaining blog posts. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Bustle, Cosmo, the Huffington Post, AskMen, and Entrepreneur. When she's not writing about dating news, relationship advice, or her fantasy love affair with Leonardo DiCaprio, she enjoys listening to The Beatles, watching Harry Potter reruns, and drinking IPAs.

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Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to ensure DatingAdvice articles have been edited for overall clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Gwinnett Daily News, and The Gainesville Sun covering lifestyle topics.

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Reviewed by: Amber Brooks

Amber Brooks

Amber Brooks is the Editor-in-Chief at DatingAdvice.com. When she was growing up, her family teased her for being "boy crazy," but she preferred to think of herself as a budding dating and relationship expert. As an English major at the University of Florida, Amber honed her communication skills to write clearly, knowledgeably, and passionately about a variety of subjects. Now with over 1,800 lifestyle articles to her name, Amber brings her tireless wit and relatable experiences to DatingAdvice.com. She has been quoted as a dating expert by The Washington Times, Cosmopolitan, The New York Post, Bustle, Salon, Well+Good, and AskMen.

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Advertiser Disclosure

The right cougar dating app can help older women and younger men embark on a romantic adventure where age doesn’t matter one bit, so it’s worth doing some research to find a good service.

The hunt for a cougar has come a long way from the days of “American Pie.” Thanks to the rise of cougar dating apps, you’re no longer limited to scoping out your friends’ moms like Finch was. You can now find all kinds of beautiful, mature women with a few swipes.

Not only are the Best Cougar Dating Apps convenient and fun, but they’re also free to join and offer tons of features to help you along the way, including filters to set your preferred age range and the distance you’re willing to travel for a date.

★★★★★
4.9/5.0
Match.com

Available on: iOS, Android

  • Relationships: Fun Dates, Serious Relationships
  • Match System: Browse by location, age, interest, and more
  • About the App: Available via the App Store and Google Play, Match is a fantastic app for dates and relationships. With a user base of 30 million singles, Match is where you'll have a high chance of success. It's free to download, create a profile, search for date prospects, and receive compatible matches based on personalized preferences. Free members can also chat with select members and send unlimited likes.
  • Browse Free: View Profiles Now

Your chances of finding that right older woman are higher on Match than on any other dating app — simply because of the sheer volume. This mature app is popular for singles seeking true love, and age is one of the factors you can put in your date preferences and searches.

Pros

  • Relationship-minded matches
  • Limited free chatting
  • Age filters

Cons

  • No video features
  • High competition for dates

More than 13.5 million daters use Match every month, and you can either search through them all on your own or have the platform match you up via its advanced algorithm.

Since 1995, Match has perfected its matchmaking system, and its streamlined service has worked for people of all ages and backgrounds.

2. AFF.com

★★★★
3.8/5.0
AFF.com

Available on: iOS, Android

  • Relationships: Hookups Only
  • Match System: Filter by distance, gender, encounter
  • About the App: With 77 million members, Adult Friend Finder is one of the most popular apps for the sex community. It doesn't matter if you're single or part of a couple — you're welcome to search for sex buddies, threesomes, and other casual encounters. And you won't have to pay to do that as well as download the app, fill out a profile, and chat.
  • Browse Free: View Profiles Now

When they’ve got sex on their mind, AdultFriendFinder is the online app millions of people turn to, and its vast membership base in includes cougars hunting after younger guys.

Whether you’re on a desktop or smartphone, AFF is available for free. You can also do the necessary things, like register, search, and communicate in various ways, without having to spend any money.

Pros

  • X-rated content
  • Filters by age and appearance
  • Video streaming

Cons

  • Overwhelming interface
  • No match algorithm

AdultFriendFinder has been around since 1996 and has grown to 105 million users and counting. Not only is it a pioneer in the online dating industry, but it’s also extremely popular as a hookup site for sex-driven singles.

You can rest assured that the AFF community has enough young, handsome men and beautiful, mature ladies to tempt you during your late-night scrolling. This site is most definitely NSFW (not safe for work), so leave your inhibitions behind.

★★★★
3.5/5.0
BeNaughty

Available on: iOS, Android

  • Relationships: Casual Encounters
  • Match System: Sort profiles by zip code, appearance, more
  • About the App: On BeNaughty, everyone is interested in finding sexual encounters with no strings attached. Within a couple of minutes, you can get a profile up for $0. Free membership includes unlimited photos, browsing, matches, winks, and chats. BeNaughty also has an advanced anti-fraud system to ensure your personal information stays private while you flirt online.
  • Browse Free: View Profiles Now

Not everyone wants a serious relationship. If you’re just looking for something casual (a sugar momma or sugar baby), then you might want to try BeNaughty, a hookup app that fosters sexual encounters online and offline.

Pros

  • Free chats for ladies
  • Sexy photos
  • Ability to stay anonymous

Cons

  • Smaller membership base
  • Pricey upgrades

Thanks to the free trial and search capabilities, BeNaughty is one of the best choices if you’re looking for affordable, local dating. Cougar women can pursue young guys on BeNaughty and live out their sexual fantasies with impunity.

★★★★★
4.6/5.0

Relationships: Friendship, Casual Dates, Serious Relationships

Match System: Search by age, location, height, education, ethnicity, and religion

Our Experts Say: “SilverSingles caters to relationship-minded singles over 50 with simple, safe, and effective online dating tools...” Full Review »

Browse Free: View Photos Now

SilverSingles is another dating app that says it’s strictly for seniors, but if you’re at least 18 years old, you can still sign up and do everything everyone else can: create a profile, browse members, and communicate with matches for free.

The app can be a great resource for the average mature woman looking for true love, hot sex, or long-term companionship.

Pros

  • Mature members
  • Photo blurring for privacy
  • Simple interface

Cons

  • Smaller dating pool
  • Paywalls on some features

SilverSingles has what it takes to give an older person more options in the dating scene, and its thorough vetting system ensures that fake profiles have no place here.

A niche dating app like this might be the way to go if dating mature women is your thing.

★★★★
4.4/5.0
OurTime.com

Available on: iOS, Android

  • Relationships: Dating and Relationships
  • Match System: Search by age as well as zip, gender, more
  • About the App: Made just for single seniors, OurTime is one of the most well-known niche dating apps. It's a fun and straightforward app with simple swiping features. Once two people swipe right on each other, they can communicate. For more match options, visit the Connect and I'm Interested pages. Plus, if you sign up for OurTime, your profile will appear on its sister site, SeniorPeopleMeet, for free.
  • Browse Free: View Profiles Now

OurTime is most commonly known as an over 50 dating app, but anyone over the age of 18 can join, so it could technically be used as a cougar dating app as well.

Pros

  • Rigorous profile vetting
  • Zero tolerance for harassment
  • Responsive customer support

Cons

  • Not specifically for cougars
  • No video features

As a senior dating site, OurTime welcomes people who find age and experience to be attractive, and the platform can introduce older women to attractive dates in the neighborhood.

Some more good news is that this cougar dating site and app are completely free, and 52% of the members are women (compared to 48% of men). So the odds are in your favor if you’re a cougar hoping to find a match.

★★★★
4.0/5.0
BlackPeopleMeet

Available on: iOS, Android

  • Relationships: Dates, Relationships
  • Match System: Browse by city, hobbies, age, etc.
  • About the App: Since it was founded in 2002, BlackPeopleMeet has established the largest online dating community for black and biracial singles of all orientations. Every month over 1.4 million daters use this simple and safe platform to connect with African-American singles in their area. You can download the app and create a profile for free to find new friends, hot dates, and love interests online.
  • Browse Free: View Profiles Now

BlackPeopleMeet is one of the largest Black dating apps, with over 1.4 million visitors a month. Its network is most popular in the United States and Canada.

Pros

Cons

  • Not totally free
  • Users have mixed intentions

A cougar can turn to this niche dating site and app to meet Black, biracial, and multiracial singles who are looking to grow in love.

BlackPeopleMeet’s fast-growing user base is rapidly becoming more popular with women who identify as a cougar, and the site is open to people of all backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities, so age-gap dating and interracial relationships often blossom here.

★★★★
4.0/5.0

Relationships: Hookups, Casual Dates, Affairs

Match System: Search by age, location, appearance, and more

Our Experts Say: “With its massive user base and advanced privacy features, Ashley Madison is the #1 site for discreet hookups, dates, or relationships...” Full Review »

Browse Free: View Photos Now

“Life is short. Have an affair” is the motto of Ashley Madison. It’s a judgment-free space where you can express your desires and find a person who feels the same. The app is free to download, search through profiles, and communicate in various ways.

Whether you’re single or in a relationship, you can use Ashley Madison to explore casual dating opportunities on your terms.

Pros

  • Privacy features like photo masks
  • ID checks verify profiles
  • Discreet app icon

Cons

  • Men must pay to chat
  • No video features

Thanks to the app’s photo blurring tool, you could pick up a cougar date without anyone in your personal life being the wiser. The site’s privacy features are on point, so you can mingle at your discretion.

Ashley Madison has a lot of success stories to its name. The affair site has helped certain people leave an unsatisfying relationship because they fell in love with someone they met online.

FAQs: How Do I Meet a Cougar Online?

An aspiring cub can’t count on making a chance encounter with a cougar in the wild. He has to go outside his usual routine to hunt for this rare beauty.

Online dating is a good place to start, as long as you choose the right platform and make smart choices on everything from your dating bio to your first message.

First, you need a good icebreaker to stand out to her.

Message examples

I recommend starting a conversation with a cougar by asking her what she’s passionate about. Is she career-driven and a self-starter? Does she spend all her energy on her children, her career, or other family members?

Find out what makes her tick so you can get a feel for how your romance will fit into her lifestyle.

Get her to take you seriously by talking about your ambitions and plans for the future. Let her know how mature and level-headed you are. That way, you start your relationship on something stronger than physical attraction and chemistry.

Is Tinder a Good Cougar App?

Tinder is one of the most popular dating apps in the world — it’s been downloaded over 630 million times since 2012 — and it’s great for meeting younger guys if that’s your thing.

However, cougars should note that they’ll be competing against young women in their 20s and 30s, so it can be a little more challenging to flirt on Tinder than on a mature dating site or app.

Tinder logo
To date, Tinder has inspired more than 97 billion matches worldwide.

The Tinder app doesn’t exactly target older women in the dating scene. It’s more geared toward singles in their 20s. In fact, over 50% of Tinder users are under 25 years old, so be prepared to match with a lot of youngsters here.

If you’re seeking an older woman, Tinder will not be very helpful, but if you’re a cougar looking for handsome young men, feel free to download the app to start your romantic journey in a fast-paced swiping scene.

What Is Toyboy Warehouse?

Toyboy Warehouse is a U.K. dating site that was designed to introduce beautiful older women to younger men in the dating scene. We’ve written a full review of Toyboy Warehouse, but the short version is the platform supports age-gap dating.

Since 2006, Toyboy Warehouse has established itself as one of the leading cougar dating sites in the world, and its members are actively pursuing the cougar life.

Can I Use eharmony to Meet Older Women?

Yes, eharmony is a relationship-driven dating site and app that particularly appeals to serious daters who are in their 40s, 50s, and up. Thanks to its intuitive matching system, the platform is perfect for meeting a mature woman and building a relationship on a strong foundation.

eharmony logo
eharmony is a dating site dedicated to identifying relationship compatibility.

It’s completely free to join eharmony, take its in-depth personality test, and use the matching tools to find compatible dates who could be in your age range or outside your age range. As far as dating apps go, eharmony is a fairly reliable and streamlined option.

If your ultimate goal is to get into a relationship, you may want to subscribe to eharmony so that you can send flirtatious messages and get to know like-minded women in your area.

Is There a Dating Website Just for Cougars?

Yes, if you want to go really niche, you can do that. Our experts have positively reviewed Cougar Life because it is a straightforward dating website for cougars and cubs seeking an age-gap relationship.

A mature woman can feel at home on Cougar Life because this site was designed to fulfill the needs of a cougar, and it attracts young men who like an older date.

Cougar Life screenshot
Cougar Life has made a name for itself in the cougar dating niche.

As you can see, the cougar dating scene is full of some great options and opportunities to meet new people without age being a big issue. Cougar Life doesn’t have the biggest dating pool, but it does have a lot of people willing to be honest about who their type is.

Which Dating Site Is Best for Women?

Everyone enters the online dating scene looking for something different. Younger women tend to want a partner who can help them make important life decisions and figure things out. They swipe on Tinder for fun.

Older women often know themselves better than that. They have clearer standards and higher expectations for a romantic partner. Apps like Raya and The League appeal to them.

If you’re a woman with money, poise, and some great assets, then maybe all you need is someone to share in the wealth and enjoy no-strings-attached fun.

In that case, an adult dating site like AdultFriendFinder will be your greatest wingman. This casual site puts on no pretenses and is full of guys who are horny and ready to go.

Cougar Dating Leads Mature Women to Younger Men

No matter if you’re on your laptop at home or on your phone while out and about, you really can’t go wrong with any of these cougar dating apps. They’re free to join, so you can explore profiles at your leisure, and they don’t put judgmental age limits on relationships.

You can use our reviews to figure out which cougar apps can help you out the most. So put away your wallet, and before you know it, you’ll find your very own Mrs. Robinson!

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