Best Dating Sites
Looking for a dating site you can trust? Search no more.
It’s been years since Backpage and Craigslist shut down their dating personals, yet many people are still looking for sites like Backpage and Craigslist Personals to satisfy their romantic desires.
The online world is full of opportunities to connect with hotties, and legit adult services can help make something happen. Plenty of dating sites and apps can act as a Craigslist or Backpage replacement by offering free profile browsing, discreet chatting, and live video streams with a sexy cohort.
Our dating experts have put together a list of the top Backpage and Craigslist Personals alternative sites that give casual sex seekers new life in the dating scene.
Relationships:
Hookups Only
Match System:
Search by location, interest, more
Our Experts Say:
“Make no mistake: this site isn't about making friends, it's about finding hookups and casual encounters. No adult site has a larger or more active user base of those seeking discreet fun...”
Browse Free:
View Photos Now
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles*
65%*
35%*
25.5 Million*
3 Months @ $19.95/Mo
Since its launch in the 199os, Adult Friend Finder has become one of the most popular personals sites of all time. It has over 104 million members in its sexy database.
The AFF community features classified ads for straight, gay, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender individuals, and it also has swingers forums for couples and groups seeking a sexual partner. Free members can browse the erotic blog and photo gallery at their leisure, but they cannot access live videos or private chat rooms until they subscribe to a gold membership plan.
Adult Friend Finder’s pricing options start at $14.95 per month, and subscribers can upgrade at any time to get more advanced chatting and privacy options.
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 »
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★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles & Attached*
71%*
29%*
65 Million*
Start Now for FREE
As a dating site for affairs, Ashley Madison offers a positively scandalous Craigslist alternative that is absolutely free to try.
Ashley Madison caters to sexually active individuals who are looking to date on the down low. The dating site allows its members to identify as attached or unattached, and it has photo-masking tools to help keep identities a secret.
Despite its controversial premise, Ashley Madison has proven to be popular among men and women who don’t subscribe to monogamy. The dating site currently has over 80 million registered users. Our full review covers other stats and successes of this married dating site.
Relationships:
Hookups, Chats
Match System:
Search by encounter, location, and more
Our Experts Say:
“BeNaughty is a premier hookup app where you can feel comfortable expressing your desires. Plus, it's free to join, browse, and flirt...”
Full Review »
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3. BeNaughty
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles*
48%*
52%*
13.3 Million*
Browse Profiles Free
BeNaughty is a casual hookup site with more than 13 million active members, so it can be a useful Backpage alternative or Craigslist replacement. This adults-only dating platform gives casual daters the chance to engage in sexting conversations and attract hot dates without having to leave home.
It’s free to join the BeNaughty network and explore dating personals by using search filters by location, age, gender, and appearance. The FlirtCast tool allows free members to send an introductory message to all locals singles who are their type, or members can send virtual winks to get a person’s attention. Our BeNaughty review goes into more detail about the match system and pricing.
Female users enjoy free and unlimited messaging on BeNaughty, but male users are kept on a tighter leash. They can send five free messages via the dating site. After that, men must upgrade to a paid membership if they want to chat up someone new.
4. Pure.app
Relationships: Casual Dating, Sexting, Hookups, Friends with Benefits
Match System: Search filters, Suggested matches
Our Experts Say: “Pure is a straightforward hookup app designed to make immediate connections. Profiles are only live as long as the person is actively on the app looking for dates. So, basically, everyone you see is available…”
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| User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) |
Free Trial
|
| All Singles* |
65%*
35%*
|
500,000* | Download FREE |
The Pure dating app works quickly and efficiently to pair up sexy singles in real time. The journey on the app starts by taking a selfie and creating a brief personals ad stating who you are and what you want. The ad will only be visible on the app while you are actively swiping and browsing. That means more instant connections and no inactive profiles slowing things down.
Pure is a sex-positive dating service dedicated to facilitating sexting, flirting, and hot dates that lead to casual hookups. The app does come with a price tag (it’s free to download but not to chat); however, some users say the cost of entry works like a cover at a bar — it ensures the people there are quality singles.
Relationships:
Hookups, Casual Dating, Chats
Match System:
Search by age, location, gender, orientation, and other factors
Our Experts Say:
“Flirt.com frees singles to chat with attractive locals and pick up dates on the spot. This hookup site is always open to horny and sexy people seeking one-night stands, casual dating, threesomes, and other sexual encounters...”
Browse Free:
View Photos Now
5. Flirt.com
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles*
48%*
52%*
1 million*
Browse Profiles Free
Flirt.com is a popular X-rated dating site for singles seeking a sexual release or casual encounter. Its adult services give locals a boost and allow them to move at a fast pace in the dating scene. Flirting is the name of the game here.
The Flirt.com setup is similar to the Craigslist personal section because free members can read bios, view photos, and send some flirty messages to local dates. Every single woman on Flirt.com can chat for free on the platform, while men have limited communication options available for free.
Relationships:
Daters & Hookups
Match System:
Search by age, zip code, more
Our Experts Say:
“MenNation is a well-established gay dating and hookup brand, having been founded in 1996. It's totally free to join, view profiles, receive matches, and flirt...”
Browse Free:
View Photos Now
6. MenNation
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
Singles & Couples*
95%*
5%*
780,000*
Start for Free
MenNation is a hookup site for gay, bisexual, and queer men who don’t want to fill out a personal biography just to get a date. The website’s quick registration process and straightforward profiles get single men and gay couples into the online dating game with no muss or fuss.
MenNation has taken a page out of the Backpage playbook with its open-ended and user-driven format. The dating site promotes personal ads, photos, blogs, and videos created by adult men seeking sex, and this X-rated content sets the tone for private conversations between paid members.
Relationships:
Hookups Only
Match System:
Search by location, interest, more
Our Experts Say:
“A hookup site specializing in casual encounters, secret affairs, live chats, and member videos, FriendFinder-X skips the awkward "dating" stage of a relationship and fast-forwards straight to the sex...”
Browse Free:
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★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
Singles & Couples*
64%*
36%*
1.2 Million*
Browse Members Free
FriendFinder-X is an anonymous sex site where adults can engage in X-rated chats and seek casual hookups with like-minded strangers. The membership base is open to straight, gay, lesbian, and trans individuals as well as couples and swingers.
Setting up a dating profile on FriendFinder-X is similar to setting up a Craigslist personal because both processes require an email address, age, and gender. The main difference is that FriendFinder-X requires its members to upload a profile picture and pay a subscription fee before they can send private messages.
Relationships:
Hookups Only
Match System:
Search by location, interest, more
Our Experts Say:
“LesbianPersonals provides a fun, quick, and easy experience for gay and bisexual women looking for sex online. Join for free, and you'll be able to search and communicate immediately...”
Browse Free:
View Photos Now
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
Singles & Couples*
10%*
90%*
500,000*
View Profiles Free
LesbianPersonals can show single women and lesbian couples a good time by encouraging them to embrace their sexuality and meet attractive dates. The personals site facilitates casual dating opportunities for anyone seeking a casual encounter with a woman.
This lesbian hookup site provides live videos, chat rooms, and photo galleries to put people in a flirty mood. Only paid subscribers can access some of LesbianPersonals’ most stimulating features, but free members are welcome to post a classified ad and take a look around.
LesbianPersonals can help unicorn hunting couples as well as newly out lesbian singles find their way to a romantic tryst.
Relationships:
Friends, Dates, and Relationships
Match System:
Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
Our Experts Say:
“Match has facilitated the most dates and relationships of any dating site, and its large audience and high success rate make it our top review...”
Full Review »
Browse Free:
View Photos Now
9. Match
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles*
49%*
51%*
39.7 Million*
Try Match FREE
Match has been helping singles express themselves and meet new people since the early days of the internet. This massively successful dating website predates social media giants like Facebook and Twitter by more than a decade.
Match.com and Craigslist actually launched in the same year — 1995 — and helped pave the way for the future of online networking. Craigslist personals is no longer in the online dating business, but Match Group is still going strong and has built one of the largest dating networks in the world.
It doesn’t take much digging to find evidence that Match can work in real life and inspire relationships that lead to true love and marriage.
10. Zoosk
★★★★★
Relationships: Fun Dates, Serious Relationships
Match System: Search and get match recommendations
Our Experts Say: “Zoosk is integrated with social media sites, like Facebook and Google+, so it's very popular with singles on the go...” Full Review »
Browse Free: View Photos Now
| User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) |
Today's Deal
|
| All Singles* |
48%*
52%*
|
28.9 Million* | Start Zoosk for FREE |
Thanks to its active and diverse user base, Zoosk has all the makings of a new Backpage — but with more legit dating opportunities. Over 40 million people have joined the Zoosk network so far, and the dating website and app see over 3 million messages exchanged every day.
One of Zoosk’s biggest claims to fame is its behavioral matchmaking system. This intuitive process allows singles to skip a lengthy registration process and still receive personalized match recommendations that fit their type.
Zoosk has used technology to streamline the online dating process, and it’s completely free to set up a personal ad and see who’s online.
11. Doublelist
Doublelist is a casual hookup site that double verifies every personal ad on its list. Hence the name Doublelist. New users must provide a valid email address and go through a text verification process to get their dating profile up and running in the ad digest.
Doublelist maintains strict guidelines to ensure its users act appropriately and do not get into trouble. The classified site deletes and bans all fake profiles, but the good news is that fake ads only amount to about 1% of new signups. Doublelist is a dating site, not an escort site, so you won’t find sex workers lurking here.
When Craigslist closed its personal ads section, it left millions of daters scrambling to find a new classified website to act as their wingman. Doublelist has stepped up to fill that void and be the Craigslist personals replacement for casual daters around the world.
Doublelist began in the U.S. and has rapidly expanded to cover nearly 250 cities in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The site now has over 3 million members and sees over 100,000 posts every day.
12. Oodle
Oodle is a public marketplace that is similar to Craigslist in a lot of ways. People can use Oodle to sell their cars or find job openings — and they can also use it for dating purposes. The Oodle personals section is available to any legal adult seeking companionship, and the ad digest will automatically rank ads by proximity to make for easy browsing.
Since 2004, Oodle has grown from a California startup to a global company with millions of personal ads and city news. Its classifieds cover multiple categories — everything from apartment rentals to casual dating encounters — so it can be used as a Backpage alternative website.
The Oodle website supports straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, and queer singles seeking mutual connections, and it doesn’t stand in the way of the new romance.
13. Locanto
Locanto is one of the most popular free classifieds websites in the United States, and its ad listings include local dating options. A person can browse the Personals, Dating, or Community sections to find opportunities to connect with local singles through private messages or public posts.
The personals section is full of X-rated ads where people are blunt about what they want to happen in the bedroom. The website has two category options for online daters: a casual encounters section and a long-term relationships section. Plus, the adult ads list has special filters by sexual orientation, gender identity, and couples dating.
Locanto recently released a companion dating app for singles who want to stay in touch while on the go and receive notification on their phones when they get a message. The app creates over 50,000 matches and sees more than 1.2 million messages exchanged per day.
14. Bedpage
Bedpage probably looks and sounds familiar to former Backpage users. The personal services follow the old blueprint of the Backpage website, and its logo is also strikingly similar. However, it’s important to note that the team behind Bedpage has no affiliation with Backpage whatsoever.
“We are one of the leading classified advertising websites,” the Bedpage team says. “The journey, which was started as a mere Backpage replacement, has now evolved into a pioneering force behind the dynamic arena of classified listing.”
Bedpage offers personals listings in the dating sector and beyond. It can help a single woman seeking a one-night stand or a retired couple trying to rent their beach house. The listings are organized by region, and the website reaches just about every major city in the world — though by far its largest following is in the U.S. and Canada.
Bedpage is widely known as the best Backpage alternative for encountering a free classified ad for sex without worrying about fake ads or sex work classifieds.
15. Pernals
Pernals (formerly known as Cragly) is an up-and-coming dating platform that facilitates casual hookups and friendships.
The dating app has given old-fashioned classified ads an upgrade by taking them to mobile-friendly format and using swiping technology to speed up the matching process. It is the best alternative for meeting casual daters anonymously and on the go in the same way yo would on a traditional classified ad site.
The Pernals website launched in the wake of the Backpage scandal, and its team has promised to put user safety first and not make the same mistakes that personals sites have made in the past. Pernals does not cater to sex workers or fake profiles but to authentic singles who are seeking live ads and a bit of casual fun.
“We strive to fight against online sex trafficking,” the Pernals team said. “We manually review each post from our users to ensure the quality and safety. If you find any online sex trafficking activity, please report it to us immediately.”
16. OkCupid
In 2004, OkCupid made a splash in the online dating industry thanks to its data-driven approach to matchmaking. The dating site’s team created a formula for love based on a questionnaire that tapped into a user’s habits, opinions, fetishes, goals, and values.
Today, OkCupid’s 100% optional questionnaire includes over 5,000 questions ranging from “Do you like the taste of beer?” to “Drumpf?”
OkCupid was founded by self-proclaimed math nerds who have come up with creative solutions to help singles identify true compatibility and pursue promising relationships.
Singles who choose to dive into this fun personality quiz can dramatically increase the accuracy of their OkCupid match ratings by being honest about who they are and what they want. OkCupid now supports one of the most effective matchmaking tools on the market. It’s responsible for making over 91 million connections per year.
17. Tinder
Tinder launched in 2012 as the first swipe-based dating app. And it was an instant hit. Singles enjoyed the freedom to follow their desires, match with local daters, and keep unsolicited messages out of their inbox.
Today, Tinder has been downloaded more than 630 million times and created over 97 billion matches between daters in 190 countries. Just in terms of sheer numbers, you can’t beat Tinder as a Backpage replacement, especially if you want instant dates available at your fingertips!
Tinder gets a lot of flack for being a casual hookup app, but it has also sparked many friendships and relationships between young adults who are open to anything. It’s just a matter of how you swipe.
“I met my boyfriend on Tinder,” said Elli in a Reddit post. “Four years later, we live together, and he is the best guy I’ve ever met. I’m so happy and can’t wait for what the future holds for us.”
18. Plenty of Fish
Since 2003, Plenty of Fish has distinguished itself as a free dating website for real people seeking genuine connections. The POF community creates over 57 million matches each week and provides a variety of tools for self-expression and flirtation.
Our experts consider Plenty of Fish to be a great Backpage alternative website because it has free communication features and a large membership base of over 150 million users.
Plenty of Fish has implemented high-tech verification tools to build trust between singles. Plus, in accordance with its photo guidelines, the POF website deletes all photos containing minors, nudity, or gruesome imagery.
POF focuses on wholesome dating, which is a breath of fresh air for daters who are tired of meeting fake profiles and bots on an escort site.
19. Grindr
Grindr created its all-male personals section in 2009, and it has been tantalizing local guys ever since. The dating app organizes a person’s potential date prospects by distance, so it’s easy to swipe through the hottest guys in town.
To date, Grindr has over 27 million male users, and it sees well over 3 million daily visitors stretching across 200 countries.
Grindr is the top dating app for men seeking men for all sorts of reasons. Most people know Grindr as a gay hookup app, but that’s not the only box it can check. Grindr can be a gay relationship app, a swingers app, a friendship app, or a bi-curious app depending on the user’s preferences.
A single guy interested in meeting local men can join Grindr (for free!) to find more than enough options at his fingertips.
20. Happn
The Happn dating app was designed to support local daters, and its smart matchmaking system can offer much more value than a white-label classifieds website. Happn uses real-time location data from an Android device or iPhone to find common ground between its members.
Happn pinpoints where its users cross paths — maybe they frequent the same coffee shop, dog park, or pub — and shares that information on the dating profile. The mobile app does not reveal a person’s current location.
In 2018, Backpage and Craigslist Personals shut down for good, and Happn reached its all-time high. The dating app surpassed 50 million members in 2018, officially ranking among the top 10 most popular dating networks in the world.
Happn maintains robust safety features to ensure it will never fall prey to the scammers, catfishers, and other bad actors that over took the likes of Backpage and Craigslist Personals.
What Happened to Backpage and Craigslist Personals?
Backpage and Craigslist are both permanently out of the online dating game, but for very different reasons. Backpage shut down due to a criminal investigation, while Craigslist closed voluntarily in accordance with changes in the law.
It all started in April 2017 when Representative Ann Wagner of Missouri introduced HR 1865 or the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act. The bill gave law enforcement the ability to hold website owners accountable for facilitating prostitution and sex trafficking.
The bill passed with bipartisan support in Congress and was signed into law in the spring of 2018.
In response, Craigslist closed down its dating personals section. The website made a statement to explain the reasoning behind this decision. “Any tool or service can be misused,” the Craigslist team said. “We can’t take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we have regretfully taken craigslist personals offline.”
Unfortunately, Backpage’s shutdown was much more egregious and scandalous. The U.S. Department of Justice seized control of the website in April 2018. Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer later pleaded guilty to facilitating prostitution and money laundering.
Prosecutors have accused Backpage of making over $500 million from prostitution ads since 2004.
Backpage crossed the line from naughty dating service to criminal online sex trafficking, and its ignominious example is a warning to popular dating personals sites operating in this space.
How Do Sites Like Backpage and Craigslist Work?
Over the last few years, Backpage replacement sites have cropped up to meet a demand in the dating market. I mean, you can’t pick up dates on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist anymore, so it makes sense that personal services with multiple categories have arisen with a competitive edge. These sites offer anonymous chat rooms, dating ads, and adult personals to tempt people of all sexual proclivities.
A classified site usually requires very little personal information from the user. It may ask for an email address or birthdate, but it will generally not have a Facebook login or profile picture requirement. Sometimes users don’t even have to create a personal ad to browse the database, so they can keep their private lives out of the public eye.
Are Sites Like Backpage and Craigslist Safe?
Today’s classified website is held to a higher standard than the old Backpage website or CL personals, particularly when it comes to online dating safety. For decades, classified ads masked sex workers and prostitution rings, but the U.S. Justice Department has cracked down on the shady corners of the web to make it a safer place for the average single person.
A Backpage replacement site has to set stricter membership rules and actively police personal ads if it doesn’t want to follow in Backpage’s criminal footprints and become nothing more than an escort directory.
Online dating is safe — as long as singles are careful about the personal information they share and who they decide to trust. Look out for fake profiles and be skeptical when a romantic encounter seems to be going a little too well or moving too quickly. Remember to vet new love interests and not just take a dating profile at face value.
How Do I Choose the Best Casual Dating Site?
Former Backpage members or Craigslist daters may naturally feel wary about entering the online dating world again. They’ve seen firsthand how adult services can become overrun by sex workers or fake profiles, and they may worry about opening their heart only to find a new Backpage-like scandal awaiting them.
Fortunately, legitimate services like Adult Friend Finder can earn back the trust of online daters and provide an adult-friendly environment for a casual encounter. Adult Friend Finder has been in business since the 1990s, and that experience speaks volumes about its customer service.
Relationships: Hookups Only
Match System: Search by location, interest, more
Our Experts Say: “Make no mistake: this site isn’t about making friends, it’s about finding hookups and casual encounters. No adult site has a larger or more active user base of those seeking discreet fun…”
Browse Free: View Photos Now
| User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) |
Today’s Deal
|
| All Singles* |
65%*
35%*
|
25.5 Million* | 3 Months @ $19.95/Mo |
Our dating site reviews can help people put these fears aside and learn more about the good players in the online dating market. We’ve outlined some tried-and-true Backpage alternatives and made recommendations to help users make an informed decision.
Singles should choose the dating site or app that appeals to people like them and provides enough free features for them to get their bearings in the online scene. All the dating platforms on this list are free to join, so we recommend creating multiple dating personals ads to maximize your odds of finding a romantic partner.
What Are the Search & Match Features on Sites Like Backpage and Craigslist?
The original Backpage website did not have many search filters. It stuck to the basics of age, gender, and location to spark online romances, and that formula has worked well for many a Backpage replacement site. Personals sites typically don’t get too detailed when it comes to search filters and match algorithms.
Some casual dating services may have some advanced search filters based on appearance or background, but the majority offer more of an open dating field where everyone is in the mix.
What is the Best LGBTQ+ Hookup App like Backpage or Craigslist Personals?
Dating apps and sites that offer users a personal-ad-style hookup experience are still quite popular — and LesbianPersonals.com does it better than just about any other platform in the LGBTQ+ space. The site is designed for women and offers an instant messenger and live webcam chat for more intimate encounters.
Relationships: Hookups Only
Match System: Search by location, interest, more
Our Experts Say: “LesbianPersonals.com is a favorite among frisky lesbian singles because it’s free and easy to use. The site and app has more than 30 million members from all over the world looking for casual encounters today…”
Browse Free: View Photos Now
| User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) |
Today’s Deal
|
| Singles & Couples* |
10%*
90%*
|
500,000* | View Profiles Free |
The lesbian hookup site also allows couples (with or without a man involved) to join the site in search of a third for exciting trysts. In addition to LesbianPersonals.com for women, Grindr is one of the most popular apps for helping gay men find hookups nearby — just like personal ads once did.
A Dating Classified Site Can Offer New Avenues to Romance
Backpage and Craigslist Personals are gone, but casual dating goes on. Since 2018, many alternative websites have cropped up to fill the gap left by these two adult services.
The best sites like Backpage and Craigslist Personals can offer online daters a new beginning (and lots of adult ads) in a more regulated and trustworthy environment.
The casual sex sites on this list promote classified ads that introduce singles and swingers to local date prospects. It’s a fast, efficient, and safe way to send out flirtatious vibes and arrange casual hookups with strangers. Best of luck!
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