It's a Guy Thing

Best Hookup Sites and Free Hookup Apps To Find Casual Encounters

Let’s take a look at the current dating landscape. 

Cold approaches rarely work; you’d be hard-pressed to get a DM reply from your Instagram crush, for example. And unless you have the time and energy to frequent bars and nightclubs, there’s no real “place” to find a casual relationship. 

The best hookup sites and apps aim to change the narrative.

Some of them are completely free to use, and they all boast plentiful active users. If you’re looking for a casual dating platform that brings results, look no further than our top picks.

What Are The Best Websites for Hook Up?

1. Adult Friend Finder – Best Hookup Site Overall in 2022

Pros 

  • 80+ million active users 
  • Kinky search filters 
  • Mobile-friendly interface 
  • Blogs, live cams & more

Cons 

  • Free membership is useless 
  • Algorithm needs an update 

Pricing

  • Fly-by-night gold membership – $27.95/month
  • 3-month gold subscription – $19.95/month 
  • Annual gold membership – $14.95/month 

AdultFriendFinder has been around since 1996; but 26 years later, they’ve got even more to offer! They’re home to 80+ million members and counting, so you’re bound to find a few potential matches who fit your interests.

We wouldn’t suggest looking for a serious relationship here, but AFF takes the cake for one-night-stands and casual encounters. The possibilities are endless – you can watch nude live cams, join hundreds of public adult chat rooms, or sift through singles to find an IRL partner.

Their advanced search filters allow members to delineate by location, sexual desires, gender, and particular attributes. It’s easy to find your ideal match with a fully customizable selection. 

Unfortunately, the free membership is somewhat useless. Although you can watch live cams, join chat rooms, and read through erotic stories without paying a dime; you’ll need to cough up at least $15/month if you want to message local singles. 

On the bright side, nobody’s here to play games. With a mobile-friendly interface at your fingertips, you’ll have no trouble finding partners wherever you go. 

Click here for our full-on Adult Friend Finder review

2. Ashley Madison – Best Site for Hook Ups With Extramarital Affairs

Pros 

  • 75+ million global members 
  • Designed for swingers & fetishists 
  • High pricing eliminates fake profiles 
  • Re-vamped privacy features 

Cons 

  • Prior history of data leaks 
  • Double charges for subscription & tokens 

Pricing 

  • $29.99 for basic monthly subscription
  • $49 for 100 credits ($0.49 per token)
  • $149 for 500 credits ($0.30 per token) 
  • $249 for 1,000 credits ($0.25 per token) 

Unfortunately, Ashley Madison is widely known for their prior scandals. Don’t worry – since 2015, they’ve made a complete resurgence with best-in-class privacy features that ensure your ultimate discretion. 

They’re also home to 75+ million members from across the globe.

They haven’t deviated from the winning formula, but they have become a dedicated space for kinksters and swingers to unite. Even though they’ve expanded their community to include BDSM enthusiasts, Ashley Madison still enables homewreckers to have their fun online. 

Women can get started for free, but men will have to pay through the nose to find their perfect affair partner. On the bright side, their high pricing dissuades fake profiles and trolls from ruining the ambience. 

Moreso, their site offers a great mixture of 60% men to 40% women.

Other sites are much more competitive. If you have the bankroll to spend on a premium dating experience, Ashley Madison is unbeatable for affair-seekers and kinksters around the world. 

3. SugarDaddyMeet – Top Hookup App for Sugar Dating 

Pros 

  • 6.8+ million members and counting 
  • Luxury dating opportunities abound 
  • Five women exist for every man 
  • All profiles are verified beforehand 

Cons 

  • Fairly pricey subscriptions
  • No video chat feature

Pricing

  • $50 for month-to-month subscription 
  • $90 for 3-month subscription ($30/month)
  • $144 for biannual subscription ($24/month) 

SDM bridges the gap between wealth and beauty – if you’re a male professional on the hunt for a gorgeous companion, SugarDaddyMeet is the best dating site on the market. Each profile is verified and vetted before you reach out, so catfishers and scammers are non-existent. 

They’ve facilitated luxury dating opportunities for upwards of 15 years, and they’re home to 6.8+ million members from across the globe. Unlike Seeking and their ilk, SDM stands out for their 5:1 female to male ratio. 

In other words, there are five women for every man on this site. 

So long as you have the financial resources to keep your sugar baby occupied, the competition here is null and void! Unfortunately, there’s no video chat option available, and free members can’t start conversations with their ideal match. 

Taking on a “glass-half-full” perspective, SDM’s subscription pricing is surprisingly affordable in comparison to other sugar dating sites. While it’s significantly cheaper to use Tinder or Hinge, you’d lose out on features like mandatory ID verification and a non-competitive dating pool. 

4. NoStringsAttached – Best Hook Up Site for “One-Night-Stands” 

Pros 

  • 3+ million active members 
  • 20,000+ new members every week
  • Designed for kinky, casual sex 
  • See your local options before you pay 

Cons 

  • Not as popular as Ashley Madison 
  • Must pay to send and receive messages 

Pricing

  • Fly-by-night subscription costs $29.95/month 
  • 3-month premium membership costs $19.98/month 
  • Annual membership will run you $12.50/month 

Living up to their brand name, NoStringsAttached is the best dating site for casual sex with a kinky twist. While they’re not nearly as popular as Ashley Madison or AFF, they’re skyrocketing up the charts with 20,000+ new members joining every single week. 

If you’re okay with choosing among 3+ million active users, you won’t notice the difference. If you’re brave enough to rediscover adventure, excitement, and sexual desire outside your marriage, you’ll find a like-minded community here! 

All that said, single men, women, and LGBTQ+ folk are more than welcome to join in the fun. 

While you can denote your kinks and preferences upfront, users will find a safe haven within their advanced search filters. You can sort by gender, orientation, and location. Better still, new sign-ups can narrow down their options with tens of specific fetishes.

Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay before sending or receiving any messages. On the other hand, you can create a free account and explore local options before making any sort of purchase. 

Notably, you can read the first message in your mailbox for free. 

5. SearchingforSingles – Adult Dating Website for Privacy 

Pros 

  • Meet thousands of local strangers 
  • Non-members can’t see your profile 
  • Best-in-class message encryption
  • Only pay for the credits you use 

Cons 

  • Very basic search functionality 
  • Credits only unlock live chat 
  • Subscription required for certain features 

Pricing

  • 5 credits – $4.99 
  • 10 credits – $14.99 
  • 25 credits – $34.99 
  • 50 credits – $64.99 
  • 100 credits – $119.99 
  • 200 credits – $199.99 
  • Silver membership – $12.95/month 
  • Gold membership – $10.95/month 
  • Platinum membership – $8.95/month 

If you’re searching for singles, there’s no better way to get started. 

You’ll have the opportunity to meet thousands of local matches in an environment that protects your anonymity and privacy. To elaborate a bit, non-members can’t see your profile or photos in any capacity. 

Members looking to step outside their marriage or hide their online activities are shielded with best-in-class privacy features and secure SSL encryption. Unless your spouse is a skilled computer hacker, it’s virtually impossible for somebody else to intercept your messages. 

Their search functionality is very basic, so don’t expect to filter by fetishes here. At the same time, it’s workable enough to broaden your horizons with a variety of people in your area. 

Members looking to chat with potential matches will only pay for the credits they use. If you care about unlimited access to your favorites list or NSFW media galleries, you have the option to purchase a monthly subscription. However, it’s not required to use the site whatsoever!

6. Passion – Top Hookup Site With Balanced User Rasio

Pros 

  • 3+ million worldwide members 
  • Browse local personals for free 
  • Five women for every male user 
  • Free live cams, chat rooms, blogs 

Cons 

  • Must pay to send and receive messages
  • Same pricing and interface as AFF 

Pricing 

  • Monthly gold membership – $27.95/month
  • 3-month gold subscription – $19.95/month 
  • Annual gold membership – $14.95/month 

Passion and AdultFriendFinder are more similar than they are different; but Passion stands out from their predecessor with an excellent ratio of women to men. While they only have 3+ million global members, there are five active women for every male member on the site. 

Like SDM, this mixture leads to a less competitive dating pool than we’ve seen across other dating sites. It’s no secret that women are swarmed with hundreds of daily messages on massively popular hookup sites like Tinder and Hinge, but that’s not the case at Passion!

You can browse through your local options for free, but you’ll need to pay before sending or receiving any direct messages. Passion and AFF share the same pricing structure; but we think the juice is worth the squeeze for average guys. 

If you don’t feel like paying out-of-pocket, you’ll still have access to hundreds of free live cams. Additionally, you can read through their sex-based blogs or join a chat room to practice your flirting skills online!

7. Feeld – Best Hookup App for LGBTQ+ Users & Couples 

Pros 

  • 2+ million active members 
  • Choose from 20+ gender identities 
  • Send and receive messages for free 
  • Mobile app for iOS and Android 

Cons 

  • App is generally dominated by men 
  • There’s no desktop website available 

Pricing

  • Majestic membership – $11.99/month 
  • Quarterly subscription – $8.00/month 

Feeld leads the way for gender inclusivity, polyamory, and general progressivism within the online dating sphere. While most dating sites welcome LGBTQ+ members with open arms, few of them allow new sign-ups to choose from 20+ orientations and gender identities. 

Better still, you can send and receive messages without paying a dime. 

Even though the app is somewhat packed with guys, this is a nice feature. With 2+ million active members and counting, you’re almost guaranteed to find a couple or partner who fits your preferences. 

Notably, Feeld isn’t a desktop-based dating platform. Instead, they operate exclusively through a dedicated mobile app for iOS and Android devices. If you’re here to open your mind and enjoy new experiences with a like-minded community, it’s easy to get started from anywhere. 

If you want to hide your Facebook profile from other members, see who’s “liked” you, or get a general sense of another user’s activity level, their majestic membership is quite affordable. While their paid subscription isn’t compulsory, it’s cheap enough to make you say “why not?”

8. Alt.com – Best Hook Up Site for Kinksters 

Pros 

  • 2+ million registered users
  • Beginner-friendly BDSM community 
  • Kink-focused chat rooms & live cams 
  • Filter across tens of fetishes 

Cons 

  • Fake profiles make an appearance
  • Free members can’t send or receive messages 

Pricing

  • Silver membership – $19.95/month 
  • Quarterly silver membership – $11.99/month 
  • Annual silver membership – $8.33/month 
  • Gold membership – $29.95/month 
  • Quarterly gold membership – $19.99/month 
  • Annual gold membership – $12.50/month 

As you might expect from a dating site that goes by “Alt.com”; they’re wholly designed for kinksters and online daters with unconventional desires. Vanilla guys and gals need not apply! 

They’ve got 2+ million users, and a flourishing BDSM community encourages new sign-ups to find compatible playmates in a welcoming environment. Although fake profiles sometimes make an appearance here, it’s easy to verify your identity and avoid the unwanted hassle. 

Like our top pick, Alt.com incorporates highly suggestive search filters that span across tens of specific fetishes. Regardless of your preferred gender identity, orientation, or bedroom fantasies, Alt.com gives you the power to find local kinksters who fit your interests. 

While you can participate in kink-focused chat rooms and drool over NSFW live cams for free, you won’t be able to interact with others until you pay for the privilege. Their “silver” and “gold” membership tiers unlock unlimited messages, but “silver” is the best option for most users. 

For as little as $8.33/month, you’ll enjoy a full selection of BDSM-friendly dating options.

9. Tinder – 100% Free Hookup App to Meet Locals for Free Hook Ups

Pros 

  • 75+ million global users 
  • Free swipes and messages 
  • Location-based matching 
  • Mobile app & desktop version 

Cons 

  • High ratio of men to women 
  • Arbitrary “swipe limits” 

Pricing

  • Plus – $7.99/month 
  • Gold – $29.99/month 
  • Platinum – $39.99/month 
  • Annual plus membership – $3.33/month 
  • Annual gold membership – $10/month 
  • Annual platinum membership – $12.50/month 

Nowadays, you can’t utter the phrase “online dating” without thinking about Tinder – the massively popular, “swipe-to-match” app with upwards of 75 million users. 

It cuts to the chase, offering you the possibility to “like” hundreds of local singles every day! 

Their mobile app is optimized for iOS and Android devices, but you can “swipe” on other users through their website if you’re stuck at the office. New sign-ups can get started with no strings attached – after you create your account, you can like and message people immediately.

That’s right – up to a predetermined “swipe limit”, you can send and receive messages for free. If you don’t have the time or patience to deal with arbitrary restrictions, their “Plus” membership unlocks unlimited likes and messages for as little as $3.33/month. 

If you want to see who swiped right on you, you’ll need to spring for their “gold” membership. Honestly, connecting with interested members off the bat will save you a lot of wasted energy. This is especially true because 80% of all Tinder users are men (or male-identifying). 

10. Hinge – Best Hookup Site for Serious Relationships & FWBs

Pros 

  • 20+ million active members 
  • Submit detailed “voice prompts” 
  • Best for longer-term liaisons 
  • You can get started for free 

Cons 

  • Very restrictive “like limits” 
  • Only accessible through mobile app 
  • High-priced subscriptions 

Pricing

  • $34.99 for month-to-month subscription
  • $21.66 per month (quarterly)
  • $16.66 per month (biannually) 

If you’re sick of swiping endlessly on Tinder, Hinge is designed to promote serious relationships. However, with 20+ million users (and counting) on the platform, plenty of local singles are just here for casual sex or a new friend with benefits. 

You’ll have the opportunity to fill out an extremely detailed profile, complete with “voice prompts” that add a deeper touch to your potential matches. Beyond seeing a curated list of photos, you can hear other people respond to questions or introduce themselves online.

Unlike Tinder; just 64.7% of their users are male-identifying. 

The competition is fierce, but there’s enough fish in the sea to satisfy everyone’s appetite. You can start swiping on profiles and messaging other members for free, but be warned – their like limits are very restrictive. 

Members who plan to use Hinge seriously will feel compelled to pay for unlimited swipes, messages, and the ability to see who likes them. There are no “pricing tiers” here – once you become a preferred member, all their best features are up for grabs. 

Additionally, there’s no “desktop website” available for Hinge users. All user interactions are funneled through their mobile app for iOS and Android devices. 

11. Zoosk – Casual Adult Dating App to Find Facebook Friends 

Pros 

  • 40+ million users worldwide 
  • Sign up with Facebook 
  • Browse local profiles for free
  • Strict verification process 

Cons 

  • Can’t send or receive messages for free 
  • All users must have an FB account

Pricing

  • $29.95 per month 
  • $19.98 per month (quarterly)
  • $13.35 per month (biannually)
  • $10 per month (annually) 

You should consider Zoosk the “premium” version of Facebook Dating. 

So long as you have an FB account with a selfie attached, it’ll take you all of 30 seconds to sign up and verify your identity. Zoosk’s strict verification process all but eliminates fake profiles, trolls, scammers, and catfishers from occupying the platform. 

In total, 40+ million global members use Zoosk to figure out which of their FB friends are open to casual sex and short-term liaisons. Notably, you can create a free account and browse through local options before coughing up the cash for a monthly subscription.

It sucks that you can’t send or receive messages for free, but we have to commend Zoosk’s attention to behavioral algorithms. They do away with lengthy questionnaires, instead suggesting curated “matches” based on your previous searches. 

All in all, Zoosk expedites the process of finding your perfect match. 

Of course, they welcome LGBTQ+ members and non-gender-conforming people with open arms. There’s oodles of variety to choose from, but you’d better hope your next hookup uses Facebook.

12. Bumble – Best Hookup App for Women 

Pros 

  • 45+ million active members
  • Women make the first move 
  • Send and receive messages for free 
  • Endless “icebreaker” questions 

Cons 

  • Daily swipe limit for free members 
  • Matches “lost” after initial 24 hours of inactivity

Pricing

  • Bumble boost – $18.99/month 
  • Bumble boost (quarterly) – $13.33/month 
  • Bumble boost (biannual) – $9.99/month 
  • Bumble premium – $29.99/month 
  • Bumble premium (quarterly) – $19.99/month 
  • Bumble premium (biannual) – $16.66/month 

Bumble flips the script – on this dating app, women are tasked with making the first move. Ironically, this results in a much better reply rate for interested guys. Because women on Bumble aren’t swarmed with messages, they have more breathing room to pick and choose. 

Beyond this stand-out feature, Bumble is home to 45+ million global members. 

Like Tinder and Hinge, you can freely send and receive messages from other local singles. While Bumble is geared towards casual liaisons, they give you full customization over your dating experience. 

You can preface your profile with dealbreakers, fill out an endless list of “icebreaker” questions, or connect with new friends and find business opportunities using their “BFF” or “Business” categories. 

Even if you don’t find the ideal partner, Bumble is a catch-all site for socialization!

Unfortunately, Bumble is far from perfect – their “swipe” limits are fairly restrictive, and you’re almost forced to pay for a monthly subscription if you’re serious about finding the right fit. Luckily, they don’t charge an arm and a leg for unlimited swipes and messages.

Personally, we think their “Boost” subscription tier does the job for most casual daters. You’ll have access to the pick of the litter for as little as $9.99/month.

Best Free Hookup Tips for Safety, Success & Fun

If you’ve always been more of an “old-school” person, you might not understand how to attract your desired audience with our top-ranked dating sites. Luckily, we’ve been around the block a few times. 

When you sign up with AFF, the first thing you’ll want to do is purchase their gold membership. If you keep the “free” version, you won’t be able to interact with any other users. After you’ve done that, it’s time to create a detailed online dating profile. 

You should specify your gender, sexual orientation, height, weight, and marital status. You’ll also want to upload a photo of your face – this is the first thing people see when they click on your name, and profiles that resemble actual humans stand out from the crowd. 

Beyond this, you should list your current situation and desires. 

If you’re fresh out of ideas, we’d recommend describing your ideal partner or drafting a short, SFW introduction message. You don’t have to be a comedian to get matches on AFF, but you do have to be yourself. 

Now that you’ve got a detailed dating profile uploaded, it’s time to sift through other online daters and find a potential hookup partner. You can use AFF’s advanced search filters to narrow down your options – feel free to sort by gender, kinks, location, and more.

Don’t be creepy, but don’t be afraid to flirt just a little when you’re messaging other users. After all, at AFF, 80+ million people are here for the same reason.

General safety tips include: 

  • Not sending money to people you don’t know 
  • Avoiding “fake profiles” that aren’t ID-verified 
  • Keeping your phone number and contact info to yourself 
  • Meeting up with your potential partner in a public place 
  • Taking public transportation or an Uber to your first date 

We hope this helps you decipher “hookup culture” in the digital age. There are endless people to meet, especially if you live in a big city! Get out there and have some fun. 

Hookup Sites That Work – FAQs 

How Should I Choose The Best Hookup Dating Sites? 

You should choose the best hookup sites based on your sexual preferences. In 2022, there are plenty of different strokes for different folks. Conventional, majority-vanilla guys and gals will have the most success on Tinder, Zoosk, or Passion. 

Affair-seekers would find Ashley Madison or Searching for Singles best for their needs. In a similar vein, sugar babies looking for a daddy (or vice versa) will find their ideal partner with SugarDaddyMeet. Alternatively, fetishists and kinksters should check out Alt.com. 

Across the board, Adult Friend Finder is the best hookup site for casual relationships, one-night-stands, and everything in between. With 80+ million members and counting, AFF is a “melting pot” for no-strings-attached sex and virtual webcam hookups. 

How Can I Initiate A Hookup Online? 

You can initiate an online hookup by making the first move. 

Don’t be afraid to send an introductory message and “shoot your shot” with other members. So long as you’re not sending unsolicited lewd pics before you know their name, you won’t have an issue meeting new people. 

This sounds corny, but being yourself is the best way to find potential matches. Keeping up a facade gets exhausting, and there are always more fish in the sea. 

Are the Best Casual Hookup Sites Safe to Use? 

Yes, the best adult dating sites are safe to use. 

We did the research so you don’t have to. Our legit hookup sites have been around for years (if not decades). They’re also home to millions of active users, none of whom would stick around if they weren’t the real deal.

Beyond their public-tested reputation, our top hookup sites utilize best-in-class privacy features to shield your personal information from prying eyes. If you purchase a premium membership with our sex sites, you should know that your credit card information is fully encrypted. 

Are There Any Completely Free Hookup Sites? 

Yes, there are tens of completely free dating sites. Even if you don’t have room in your budget for a monthly subscription, you can still get a piece of the action. While Tinder is the best free dating site, you can use Feeld, Hinge, or Bumble without paying a dime out-of-pocket. 

All that said; you’ll only have basic functionality with a free hookup site. 

You can send and receive messages for free, but you’ll have to pay to surpass daily swipe limits. Then again, if you have nothing but time to kill, you can find a real partner with our free hookup sites.

What Are the Best Hookup Sites for the LGBTQ+ Community?

Feeld, Alt.com, Passion, and Adult Friend Finder are the top hook up sites for the LGBTQ+ community. All of the best hookup apps welcome LGBTQ+ members, but only a few are designed with gay, lesbian, non-binary, and trans folk in mind. 

These particular dating apps attract a wider variety of LGBTQ+ members than other dating sites. Additionally, unique search filters accommodate specific kinks, fetishes, and desires that you won’t find listed on Tinder or Bumble.

Which Hookup Site Offers The Best Female to Male Ratio? 

Passion offers the best “female to male” ratio – for every guy on the platform, there are five women. It’s no secret that the online dating market is saturated, but Passion is a lesser-known dating site that focuses on sensuality. 

Because there are five women for every man, average guys (like me) have a much better chance at finding casual sex! Better still, you can browse through personal ads and find your perfect one-night stand for free. 

“Hooking Up” vs. “Friend With Benefits” – What’s the Difference?

The difference between “hooking up” and finding a “friend with benefits” is simple. 

Hook-ups don’t usually evolve into a friendship, and they’re better known as “one-night-stands”. However, in some cases, hookup culture can lead to genuine connections. 

If you have a friend with benefits, you’re just having casual sex without the intention of remaning exclusive. The emotional connection doesn’t extend beyond friendship, but the physical component relies on good chemistry to keep the juices flowing. 

Ready to Have Fun on Your Best Site for Hook Ups?

If you’re looking for strictly casual encounters, the best hook up websites are filled with millions of like-minded people. All that said, affair-seekers, kinksters, the LGBTQ+ community, and vanilla dudes meet in the middle at Adult Friend Finder.

They’ve got 80+ million people on-deck, and thousands of new members join the site every week. Additionally, their time-tested reputation stretches back to 1996. Even though you can’t enjoy AFF’s best features for free, their gold membership is priced at an affordable $15/month.

In the same breath, we’d highly recommend signing up with any listed site that catches your eye. We’ve collected the creme de la creme for you here, so don’t miss out! 

Click here to get started with Adult Friend Finder!

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