Casual hookup seekers despaired at the shutdown of the Craigslist Personals section in 2018. The Craigslist team decided they couldn’t run the risk given the government crackdown on platforms that facilitated sex trafficking in the U.S. The loss of the free classified ad space didn’t stop people for long, however. Sites like Doublelist rose to fill the gap and arrange sexy encounters – but with more safety assurances.
Doublelist isn’t the only option for posting a personal ad seeking casual sex partners. Several dating platforms cater to singles (and even couples) looking for adult relationships. These sites and apps make it easy to stay anonymous while searching for the right partner, even if it’s just for one night.
1. BeNaughty
BeNaughty invites singles to walk on the wild side and explore their sexuality in a fun, free-wheeling environment. This adults-only dating site is full of X-rated content, but users can blur nude photos if they’d prefer to leave some things to the imagination. Premium subscribers get the most bang for the buck because they can send messages, browse incognito, and receive alerts when their messages have been read by someone special.
- Sexually active adults in 10 countries
- Browse the Like Gallery for hot singles
- Stimulate conversation in intimate private messages
- Browse BeNaughty profiles 100% free »
BeNaughty doesn’t leave anything to the imagination, so users can get right to the point about what they’re looking for. The casual dating site functions like a classified ad page while offering plenty of adult content to keep things steamy while you seek your next hookup.
Free users can take advantage of the judgment-free atmosphere to get explicit about their desires, and BeNaughty welcomes singles and couples alike to find the right partner (or partners) for a no-strings sexual adventure.
It’s easy to maintain your anonymity on BeNaughty by using the site’s photo-blurring tools and limited profile details. It doesn’t operate exactly like a classified ad page. Instead, users interact in chat rooms and public posts, openly communicating their sexual desires and kinks.
If you’re a woman on BeNaughty, you can access all private messages with nothing more than a profile picture. Male users have to sign up for a premium membership to communicate freely with sexy individuals online.
Ashley Madison is a breath of fresh air for single or attached folks experiencing a sex slump. This exciting dating site and app offer tons of opportunities to mingle, match, flirt, and hook up discreetly. Over 80 million profiles await you on Ashley Madison, and it’s free to create an anonymous account.
- Discreetly arranges one-night stands and extramarital affairs
- More than 80 million profiles worldwide
- Travel-friendly features for seeking matches in other cities
- Browse Ashley Madison profiles 100% free »
Ashley Madison is well-known as the world’s first affair dating site, but it is worth a try for anyone seeking a casual, discreet encounter. Its privacy and security features allow users to browse and match without anyone finding out who they are — unless that’s what they want.
The platform has a fairly straightforward credit system. Men who use Ashley Madison purchase credits to message women on the app (or send them gifts). This pay-as-you-go model is perfect for those who want to avoid recurring charges showing up on their credit card statements.
Women pay nothing to use Ashley Madison and have full access to its messaging and matching tools and advanced search functions. That gives women plenty of incentive to try the platform, as they have nothing to lose and a possible steamy hookup to gain!
3. Flirt.com
Flirt.com is a great hookup website for fun-loving and dirty-talking singles over the age of 18. The free registration and quick-and-easy searches appeal to online daters who know what they want and aren’t afraid to go after it. If you’re looking for sexting, virtual dating, or hot sex, then look no further than this flirtatious dating site.
- Over 70 million registered users
- Naked photos, videos, and private messaging available
- Send a Flirtcast to get in touch with all potential matches
- Browse Flirt.com profiles 100% free »
If you prefer to look for your next hookup in a low-pressure setting, Flirt.com’s playful and fun atmosphere may be a better fit for you than the more explicit hookup platforms. Flirt.com isn’t just for singles seeking a casual encounter. Instead, the site cultivates a relaxed atmosphere where users can banter and joke, as well as be honest about what they’re looking for.
It’s easy to get started in the chat rooms on Flirt.com, and flirt with online matches near and far. The casual dating site offers several methods to make one-on-one contact, including pre-scripted icebreakers and the Flirtcast function that allows you to send a greeting to several users at once.
Some users prefer to remain anonymous on the casual hookup platform and keep their dating profile to the bare minimum information. Our dating experts recommend providing some personal details to attract more potential matches. A new person on Flirt.com can choose from 17 drop-down options in the profile to describe different personality traits and lifestyle choices.
You will need to have a profile picture to access the private messaging options, so if you want to remain anonymous, you’ll have to choose your picture carefully.
OneNightFriend has been designed to offer fun browsing, speedy matches, and flirty chats between singles with few inhibitions. The casual hookup site and app help new members keep things light and look for opportunities to meet a sexy partner for a one-night stand. In addition to chat rooms and private messaging, OneNightFriend provides Safe Mode browsing to protect user privacy in a fast-paced, sex-positive online space.
- Quick signup for single men and women
- Free no-strings browsing of local personals
- Be the gatekeeper of your inbox with Safe Mode
- Browse OneNightFriend profiles 100% free »
Although it’s a relative newcomer to the hookup space, OneNightFriend is a solid alternative to sites like Doublelist. The online dating site keeps things simple and anonymous, and has enough users to make it easy to find a one-night stand on your terms.
OneNightFriend isn’t a traditional personal ad site, but the users treat it much the same way by providing quick descriptions of what they’re looking for along with a profile picture or two. You don’t have to provide a lot of personal details, so you can stay as anonymous as you want while you’re on the prowl.
OneNightFriend has a Like Gallery that allows a user to swipe on local matches and show interest by sending likes. Basic membership comes with some limited communication options, including sending and receiving up to five messages per day on the platform, so users have every reason to get right down to business and communicate their intentions clearly.
A free member can send a Flirtcast and contact multiple members at the same time with a pre-written message. Premium users have unlimited messaging access as well as other privileges. OneNightFriend attracts premium members with unique perks including automatic browser history clearing and increased visibility in search results.
5. Pure
The Pure app is a sexy, anonymous place to chat up local hotties. The personal ads include kinky bios, playful pickup lines, and revealing photos with a blur option available. Everyone on this app is looking for a sexual release, so there’s no need to be shy when discussing where and how you want to do it. Pure prides itself on offering a private sex club where users move quickly in pursuit of their desires.
- Chats disappear after 24 hours
- Turn-on tags include kinks and hobbies
- Add anywhere from 0 to 3 photos (no nudes)
- Browse Pure profiles 100% free »
Pure is a hookup app for horny people seeking immediate gratification. This app is definitely not about the slow burn — all chats and matches are deleted within 24 hours. Singles are motivated to get their flirt on and test the local dating waters.
New users on Pure do not need to use their real names or add photos of their faces to their personal ads, so it’s easy to anonymously lurk, sext, and see what’s out there.
One difference between Doublelist and Pure is the payment system. While Pure is free to join, communication requires credits to unlock the private chat room.
Registering for an account on Adult Friend Finder (AFF) is like speeding into the fast lane of the online dating world. This hookup site puts you in the center of action and encourages sexy singles and swingers to satisfy their secret fantasies. Anyone over 18 can join AFF and browse millions of profiles for free, but only full-fledged members have access to the revealing content in the community forums and chat rooms.
- One of the largest adults-only sex communities
- Free and fast registration process
- Dating forums and live chats foster live flirtation
- Browse Adult Friend Finder profiles 100% free »
Adult Friend Finder has been around almost as long as Craigslist itself, and the casual hookup site remains a popular choice for people seeking adult adventures. The website operates a lot like a classified site, with users posting personal ads in the forums or adding them to the chat rooms to draw the attention of AFF members. But it isn’t all classified ads. You can browse written erotica, look at steamy pictures in the photo gallery, or watch videos created and posted by other users to keep your motor running while you seek your next hookup.
Basic membership grants a person access to the public areas of the site, including the forums and chat rooms, but if you want to respond to ads or read your private messages, you’ll need a premium account on AFF.
7. MenNation
MenNation boasts having one of the world’s largest men-only hookup community, and it has 93 million dating profiles to back up its claim. Since 1997, this gay dating site has made inroads in the LGBTQ community and supported sexually active singles and couples who want to find a partner for the night.
- Free registration and unlimited profile browsing
- Add online crushes to the Hotlist or My Network
- Enjoy private conversations in the Message Center
- Browse MenNation profiles 100% free »
MenNation has been around since the 1990s, and it outlasted Craigslist Personals by catering to men’s sexual needs without jeopardizing their online safety. The niche dating site operates simliar to a personal ad site, so it’s a good alternative to Doublelist. Whether you identify as gay, bisexual, pansexual, or just curious, MenNation is happy to welcome you to explore your sexual interests, find community, and maybe even arrange a hookup.
The gay hookup site doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to adult content, so it’s not for shrinking violets. Any member can access the racy pictures and recorded videos on MenNation, but live cam content is only open to premium subscribers. Buzzmode is a unique feature that sets MenNation apart from other hookup sites. This premium feature allows cam viewers to remotely operate a sex toy that the streamer is using.
If you want to stick with the core features, MenNation still has a lot to offer, including some private communication options.
LesbianPersonals is one of the most popular hookup sites for women because of its fun-loving and sexually empowering atmosphere. Women don’t have to play it coy or act like a lady here. They can outright state that they’re looking for no-strings-attached sex and find partners who want the same things.
- Open to single women, couples, and groups interested in sex
- Private text and video chats accessible 24/7
- Women add over 25,000 photos and videos each week
- Browse LesbianPersonals profiles 100% free »
LesbianPersonals cultivates a women-first dating community that isn’t afraid to get steamy and sexual. The classic lesbian dating site creates a safe space by only allowing men who are in a couple with a woman to participate. The majority of users are female, and that’s how the LesbianPersonals team likes it.
This feminist atmosphere encourages women to talk about their fantasies and what they’re looking for in a sexual partner. It’s a welcoming space for bicurious and questioning women who want to try a same-sex or polyamorous dating experience for the first time.
LesbianPersonals has many free features to explore. You don’t even have to sign up with a personal ad to browse member profiles. Basic membership includes the ability to post in the forums and chat directly with other users – as long as they’re currently online, but if you pay for a premium membership you gain access to unlimited private messages as well as site contests. While you don’t need a premium membership to chat with LesbianPersonals members or access erotica and other X-rated content, the paid subscription comes with some serious perks.
9. OkCupid
OkCupid’s free communication features make it great for singles seeking a no-strings-attached hookup. The dating site and app allow singles to create a brief profile and dive into match recommendations within minutes. Singles can swipe up a storm until they strike a good match and take the conversation to the next level.
- Free private messaging available to all members
- Users can state that they’re seeking hookups on their profiles
- Responsible for 50,000 dates per week
- Browse OkCupid profiles 100% free »
OkCupid is more of a mainstream dating platform than a classified ad space, but the always-free approach that the site takes can make it a great alternative to posting an anonymous ad.
When CEO Ariel Charytan took over the company in 2018, he didn’t mess with the core promises that OkCupid made when launching in 2004. The dating site and app upholds the power of free messaging and open-ended relationships, so all types of daters can mingle freely here.
Much like an ad forum, OkCupid asks users to disclose what they’re looking for in their dating profile. Members can identify themselves as seeking new friends, a serious relationship, casual dating, or another type of connection. OkCupid is famous for its in-depth questionnaire that has over 4,000 opt-in personality questions ranging from “Do you like beer” to “Do you believe in God?”
OkCupid can use all this information to their advantage and filter potential matches based on distance, body type, gender, lifestyle, and other factors that are important to them. Once you find a promising user profile, you can send the first message for free. The only catch is you’ll have to wait for the other person to like your dating profile and reply before you can continue the conversation – but that’s just good manners.
10. Bedpage
If you’ve ever browsed Backpage, the layout of Bedpage will definitely give you déjà vu. In fact, Bedpage borrows the exact blueprint of the defunct classified ad page – although the Bedpage site doesn’t have any official affiliation with the disgraced Backpage.
Bedpage is a standard personal ad site specializing in casual dating with no frills or flashy features to get in the way. Just sign up, pick your location, and post your ad describing what you want.
Bedpage doesn’t flinch from the sexy side of dating, so you’ll find categories for sugar babies and casual sex as well as missed connections. If you’re looking for professional erotic services, you’ll also see many of those listed in a relevant category, including live cam workers and massage. The Bedpage site is completely free and completely anonymous, and that’s both a pro and a con. A single person should expect to have to vet matches themselves and put in more effort to find compatible dates since a match algorithm won’t do it for you.
Bedpage keeps things tidy with its many niche categories, so at least you can narrow down the ads a bit before you dive in.
11. Oodle Personals
Oodle Personals strikes a balance between the stripped-down functionality of most classified ad sites and the detail-driven approach of dating sites. Oodle isn’t just for finding local hookups – the general classifieds site has all sorts of ads for commerce and communication. However, the personals section gets a lot of attention and makes for comparisons with sites like Backpage and Doublelist.
The approach to finding missed connections, casual sex, or a new romance is very similar to what you’d find on Doublelist. All Oodle Personals users have a verified profile, and it takes more than an email address to complete the registration. This can be a good thing as a single person will have to disclose certain information, including contact details.
Oodle takes things a step further than most classified ad sites in terms of online security. Users don’t worry about filtering out sex workers or scammers when seeking out a casual encounter. However, because the profile verification systems that Oodle uses are not as intensive as the ones you’ll find on traditional dating sites, you may still run into fake profiles on the platform. As with most classified sites, you’ll have to do your own vetting to make sure the person you’re chatting with is the real deal.
12. Chatib
If you’re interested in online flirting, you should check out Chatlib’s chat room. Chatib is an anonymous, free tool for sexy chats and adult conversations. The completely free chat platform specializes in 18+ content, and while you can also find a local hookup, most users are on the platform for chatting and nothing else.
A major part of the appeal of Chatib is the fact that you don’t have to register with the chat site to access conversations. Just set a name for yourself, provide your age, gender, and location, and you can get to chatting right away. This makes it easy to stay completely anonymous while still interacting with local people. Chatlib prioritizes local chatting in its forums. If you want to take the chatting to the next level and make a date, you don’t have to deal with the frustration of your sexy partner being in a far-off location.
FAQs: Is Doublelist a Good Hookup Site?
Yes, Doublelist is a fitting successor to Craigslist Personals, offering similar anonymity and ease of use. However, Doublelist is not a perfect dating tool. Our dating experts consider dedicated hookup sites and apps a better way to go if you want to avoid shady folks and start real chats that lead to hookups.
Doublelist and other personal ad sites tend to have a lot of bots, scammers, and spammy content. This is just the nature of the beast, since the platforms don’t have very intensive verification systems to prevent bad actors from taking hold. We’ve seen reports of bots and fake profiles on platforms dedicated to casual encounters, but casual dating sites and apps put at least some effort into rooting out the worst of the worst and responding to complaints more quickly.
If you’re willing to put in more work to filter out scammy responses to your ads, Doublelist is a good place to look for casual sex. But if you want less legwork, sticking with one of the hookup sites on this list is probably a better option.
Can I Meet Singles on Reddit?
This used to be the case, and Reddit once had a dedicated subforum for members to connect for love, casual sex, and all things romance. However, R4R closed down after the API scandal in June 2023. Several major subforums lost moderators as a result of a controversial decision made by the Reddit team, and R4R suffered for it.
After so many mods left the forums to fend for themselves, Reddit permanently shut down several of the sections and threads to maintain control. R4R was one of the casualties. Reddit simply had insufficient mods to keep the subforum running.
It’s possible R4R will come back in the future, but most fans of the R4R subreddit began looking for alternatives when the original went down. There are a few subforums that have taken up the slack when it comes to romantic chats, but it remains to be seen which one will win out.
Which Online Dating Site Has The Best Success Rate?
The question of which dating site has the best success rate is a little complicated. Online dating success means something different to different types of daters – maybe a first date is good enough to satisfy one person, but another is hoping for true love and marriage as part of their success story. What’s more, not all dating sites and apps collect data on successful pairings, and even fewer share that information with the public.
According to its internal stats, Hinge is the most successful app for second dates, with 72% of app users reporting that they went on a second date after their first date. Where things go from there is a little less clear, but the fact that so many of the first dates result in a second date is a good testament to Hinge’s success. I met my husband on Hinge, so it’s the most successful in my dating life!
For lasting marriages, eharmony has a great reputation and a lot of success, which should not come as a surprise to anyone who knows of the online dating site’s focus on long-term love.
Since its launch in 2000, eharmony has endeavored to find the formula for love. Its 32-dimension personality test uses psychological truths to identify areas of compatibility between two individuals. The dating site’s mission is to foster relationships that last, and every potential match has a reason behind it.
- Over 2 million people have found love here
- Users can filter their match recommendations by age or city
- Compatibility Quiz identifies common interests, lifestyles, and goals
- Browse eharmony profiles 100% free »
By matching singles based on deep compatibility, eharmony increases the odds that a successful pairing will lead to marriage. In fact, one survey found that eharmony is responsible for as much as 4% of American marriages.
When it comes to sheer number of matches and users, Tinder takes the top spot easily. The online dating app has been downloaded over 530 million times, created over 75 billion matches, and is responsible for about 1.5 million dates every week. It’s currently the most popular dating app in the world, and even though it has a reputation as a hookup app, you can find many success stories from Tinder couples who found more than a casual encounter.
Doublelist Isn’t The Only Website With Local Personal Ads
Even though many years have passed since the shutdown, many singles still mourn the loss of Craigslist Personals and turn to personal ad sites like Doublelist to fill the void. A sexy individual can discover a lot of dating sites and apps with X-rated tools, and it’s worth taking the time to do the research and identify a classified ad site that caters to casual romance. Sites dedicated to personal ads help you stay discreet while facilitating casual encounters and maintaining your security all at the same time.
If you’re interested in a one-night stand, you can skip the bar and club scene and create a personal ad to up your odds of meeting a hookup partner. Good luck!
