7 Dating And Hookup Sites That You Must Try In 2023
If you’re thinking of dating, in whichever way suits you best, look no further than this list of dating apps and and hookup site that promise to make things happen just the way you want it to.
The best hookup sites and apps are safe, easy to use, and free from scammers and bots. While it’s hard to guarantee that any hookup site is 100% safe, some are certainly better than others.
Friend Finder is our top pick for best hookup site, but there are plenty of no-strings-attached apps out there on the market filled with eager people looking for a good time.
Let’s take a look at the best hook up sites and adult dating apps the internet has to offer!
Best Hook Up Sites and Adult Dating Apps
- Great dates & hookup site overall - Friend Finder
- Most secure hookup site - Ashley Madison
- Largest user base - Tinder
- Best for LGBTQ men - Grindr
- Best for LGBTQ women - HER
- Best for long-term hookups - Plenty of Fish
- Safest hookup app for women - Bumble
1. Friend Finder - Best Hookup Site Overall
Pros:
- Massive user base
- Everyone on site is looking for casual dating
- Free to join
- Paid membership includes video messaging
Cons:
- Limited free version
If you’re looking to find as many people willing to engage in casual dating as possible, then Friend Finder is one of the best hookup sites you’ll find anywhere.
They have a massive user base, as they claim to have over 80 million users worldwide. Everyone’s there for the same reason as well: fun casual dating.
Friend Finder is a really open-minded and relaxed casual dating site that tends to be open to all sorts of gender and sexuality expressions, so it’s a great place to look for casual dating with people from all walks of life.
Variety is the spice of life, as they say!
It’s completely free to join, but you’ll want a paid Friend Finder membership to get the most out of your experience. Paying for a membership will give you the ability to message other users, including video chat rooms.
Not only is video chat fun - it’s also a great way to verify your potential date’s identity and make sure you’re not being catfished on this hookup website!
2. Ashley Madison - Best Dating Site For Discretion
Pros:
- Designed to be low-key & discreet
- Free membership lets you see what paid option offers
- Excellent security
- Can keep information private
Cons:
- All users are married
- Bare-bones registration process
Although Ashley Madison used to be marketed as a site for cheating, this unique online dating site has changed its MO in recent years and isn’t just known as one of the best affair sites anymore.
Now this online dating site is simply geared at people who want discreet casual dating, whatever the reason may be. If you have a high-profile job or you simply want to keep your dating life private, then AM is the place to be,
The basic membership here is free, and it allows you to see everything that the paid membership will give you - things like the ability to message other users and take advantage of their matchmaking features.
Oh, and the full membership is completely free for women.
Ashley Madison has some of the best security of any hookup site, with privacy features like digital “masks” and face-blurring tools designed to keep you discreet.
The discretion has its drawbacks, however. The registration process is very bare-bones, so you really have no idea who you’re talking to at any given time. In other words, be careful and use common sense - especially if you’re a woman meeting a man.
On the whole, this is one of the top hookup sites of all time, but it’s definitely a niche market.
3. Tinder - Famous Hookup App with the Largest User Base
Pros:
- Massive user base
- Can find people looking for all sorts of relationships
- Members tend to be very active
- Easy to target casual sex
Cons:
- Skewed towards larger urban areas
- Users tend to be superficial
At this point, everyone has heard of Tinder. As a result, you’ll find more potential matches here than anywhere else.
Those matches are looking for just about everything, from casual sex to until-death-do-we-part. You can easily tailor your profile to weed out serious relationships, though.
You don’t want to lead anyone on.
The selection process tends to be fairly superficial, and many users swipe within a second or two based solely on picture quality and your bio. As far as the best hookup apps go, this one is pretty brutal.
Tinder is definitely skewed towards urban areas, so rural users will have trouble finding matches. However, the user base is quite active, so if you do find a match, you shouldn’t have any trouble striking up a conversation.
4. Grindr - Best Hook Up App For Gay Men
Pros:
- Extremely high user engagement
- Matches based on geographical proximity
- Free version has lots of functionality
- Large and active user base
Cons:
- Not ideal for smaller cities
- Live chat requires paid membership
Grindr is basically Tinder for the gay male population. This unique gay hookup app matches users based on geographical proximity, so it’s all geared towards finding someone right away.
The user base is perhaps the most active of any dating site, and you can find active members at just about any time of day or night.
There are a lot of people on here as well, as there are usually at least a million people logged on at all times. You certainly won’t lack options.
There’s no good way to filter all those options, though, and you can only search based on location.
Still, the basic version of this gay adult hookup app is free and requires little in the way of personal information, allowing you to retain as much anonymity as you like. Photos are necessary and have to be approved by the site, however.
You can do a lot without the paid membership - except chat. Live chat is reserved for those with a credit card on file. Still, this is one of the best gay dating sites of all time!
5. HER - Top Casual Dating App For Queer Women
Pros:
- Accommodates all types of relationships
- Easy to sign up
- Great at weeding out fakes and bots
- Allows lots of expression on profiles
Cons:
- Requires Facebook or Instagram to register
- Limited user base
The lesbian counterpart to Grindr, HER is reserved for female-identifying users looking for the same.
All types of relationships can be found here, from short-term hookups to lasting love or even platonic friendship. Many people use it as a social networking site, in fact.
As a result, it allows you more freedom of expression than simply uploading photos. You can really help others get to know you through your profile. It doesn’t have quite the same user base that Grindr does, so you’ll have fewer partners to choose from.
Still, compare to mainstream dating apps, this is a great service for lesbian and queer women.
Signing up is easy, but you have to have a Facebook or Instagram account to do so. The app will pull all your information - and photos - from those sites to populate your account.
While this may seem invasive to some, it does a great job of weeding out fakes and bots.
So if you’re an LGBTQ+ woman/person and you want to try one of the best hookup apps for the community, give HER a try.
6. Plenty of Fish - Best Free Dating Site For Rural Areas
Pros
- Good for lasting hookups
- Lots of users in rural areas
- More women than men
- Personality assessment improves match quality
Cons
- Plenty of fake profiles
- Can’t link to outside platforms
If you’re looking for something more regular than a one-night stand, Plenty of Fish is definitely worth a shot. However, it’s just as good for short-term hookups, thanks to its sizable user base.
That user base has significant representation in rural areas, so you don’t have to live in or near a big city to use this casual dating site.
It’s also one of the few casual dating sites with more female users than males, making it easier for men to find willing partners. There are still quite a few fake profiles on here, though.
You can’t win ‘em all.
The site offers a personality assessment that allows them to improve their matches. You’ll see your compatibility rate with potential partners before messaging them.
You can’t link to outside platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Spotify, so if that’s a key aspect of your seduction style, you’re out of luck here.
7. Bumble - Trusted Dating and Hookup App for Women
Pros
- Women have to make the first move
- Fewer unwanted messages than other sites
- Conversations have to start within 24 hours of matching
- Free version is quite good
Cons
- Allows for many superfluous connections
- Fewer connections as only women can start conversations
Bumble puts almost all of the matchmaking power in the hands of the women, as they’re the only ones that can initiate contact. That cuts down on unwanted come-ons and nude pictures, but it may also stifle connections.
It has a feature in which users only have 24 hours to chat after connecting, which encourages action - whatever form that may take.
Lots of people get lazy when using online dating sites, so it’s good to have a time incentive to keep chatting and organizing a meet-up!
You can make all sorts of new relationships here, although many - like business networking - are fairly useless for a dating site.
They offer a paid version, but the free app is quite robust and should be all most people really need.
Best Websites for Hook UpBest Websites for Hook Ups - FAQs
Are hookup sites safe?
The sites themselves are largely safe, yes. That means your information isn’t likely to be hacked or stolen, although it can happen.
As for whether the dates you go on will be safe, that’s outside the site’s control. Most users are there for the same reason you are, but you never know what kind of people might be out there.
That’s why, regardless of which site you use, you should always use the following techniques to stay as safe as possible:
- Tell someone you trust where you’re going - and with who
- Have the first meeting in a public place
- Limit the amount of personal information you share
- Listen to your gut - if something feels wrong, don’t be afraid to bail
How do I improve my odds of success?
No one wants to admit it, but a good set of photos is still the most important part of finding success online. If you can afford it, pay to have professional (but casual-looking) photos taken. The better you look, the better your chances.
You should also fill out your profile as much as possible. This reassures others that you’re a real person, and it improves the quality of your matches as well.
Beyond that, it’s truly a numbers game. The more sites you’re on (and the more time you spend on them), the better your odds are. You’ll also have more luck if you’re not picky, so give someone a try even if they’re not obviously your type - the future partner of your life might just be a swipe away, after all.
Are paid dating and hookup sites better than free ones?
Generally speaking, there isn’t a distinction between paid sites and free dating sites. However, most sites have free versions with the option to upgrade to a paid subscription.
In some cases, the free version is terrible but the paid version is excellent. In other cases (such as with Bumble), the free version is almost as good as the paid model.
It all depends on the site.
Usually, the paid versions of the best hookup sites have features that are worth every penny, but you can still find plenty of action without ever whipping out your credit card.
Related reading: Top cam sites
5 Things To Know When Using Dating Or Hookup Sites
1. Choose Your Main Photo Wisely (It’s Your First Impression)
Put some effort into making your display picture or profile picture stand out. Don’t use generic pictures or something with too many filters. Make sure it’s fun and quirky and brings out your personality as best as possible. Also, this goes without saying but make sure you’re smiling naturally. This step is crucial to finding good and like-minded matches.
2. Upload a Variety of Photos From Different Angles
You have just a few seconds to catch someone’s attention. Hopefully, you’ve already made them stop on your profile with an amazing cover image. The next step is to reel them in with a few different pictures of you. Add some pictures with friends, some selfies and some candid non-posed photos. Having a variety of pictures ensures that you’ll have the other person spend more time on your profile.
3. When In Doubt, Swipe Left
When you’re using the app and if you find a profile that’s interesting but it doesn’t have too many pictures or much information about the person, it’s safe to swipe left. You’re under no obligation to like and swipe right for any profile that doesn’t make you feel a 100% safe. On that note, it’s also recommended to have a video call before you agree to meet the person offline.
4. Make Things Less Awkward With An Icebreaker
You matched with someone! Now comes the exciting part of knowing and meeting them. But don’t put your foot in your mouth and ask them uncomfortable questions right off the bat. Take the time to talk about casual everyday stuff and get to know other common interests before get down to the naughty details. Use icebreakers like asking about their favourite pet animal or the latest movie or even discussing some classics like FRIENDS or Game of Thrones.
5. Pay For Premium Membership (If You Can)
Finally, if you feel the free features of any of the apps above are restricting you, try and upgrade your membership. Having a premium membership shows you’re serious about your intentions and will unlock other benefits that you can utilise to get the best match on any of your desired dating or hookup app.
Best Site for Hook Ups, Which Platform Will Be Yours?
Getting someone to notice you and then initiating a conversation before taking things offline, that’s the basic journey for every member on hookup sites and apps listed above.
With Friend Finder’s video chat feature and more, the site has something unique to explore.
What you do at each step of the journey and how you act and react to potential matches makes all the difference between being successful in getting matches or simply swiping for days on end hoping someone swipes back on your profile too!
Follow the tips outlined above and use the dating sites we’ve listed to make a killer impression and upgrade your dating life in 2023.
Good luck!
Related reading: Top age gap dating sites
