The Craigslist personals section shut down in 2018 after Congress passed strict laws to reduce sex trafficking. But people still miss the convenience, anonymity, and interesting stories that came from the service. Fortunately, hookup seekers who want to stay anonymous have tons of alternatives to Craigslist.
The best Craigslist personals alternatives combine the ease of use and anonymity that Craigslist offered with better security and safety so casual sex seekers can get what they’re looking for without worrying.
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 »
Although Ashley Madison is most known for facilitating affairs, the dating platform is good for a lot more than married hookups. Whether you’re single or married, Ashley Madison provides the tools to help you keep your sex life discreet.
Photo blurring and anonymous profiles keep your identity a secret, and browser history clearing and the panic button mean that even if someone walks in while you’re browsing, you can keep a low profile. Users also save time because each Ashley Madison member sets their relationship preferences: sexting only, casual dating, or serious dating are all options.
2. BeNaughty
When it comes to arranging hookups, BeNaughty is fast, easy, fun, and safe. This dating site has built a global network of sexy men and women who want to skip the small talk and cut right to the chase. If you’re interested in short-term romance, BeNaughty is the place to go and get your flirt on.
- A global network of naughty singles over 18
- Ability to blur nude and explicit content, if desired
- Advanced search filters and one-on-one messaging
- Browse BeNaughty profiles 100% free »
If you prefer a dating website with a flair for adult content, BeNaughty is the place to be. The site puts videos and photos right at the forefront, so things stay hot while you browse for your next casual hookup.
It takes less than a minute to set up your BeNaughty profile, and you can choose which details to provide or leave out, apart from your gender and the gender you’re seeking. For women, a profile photo opens up all the features, but men will need a premium membership to get access to everything BeNaughty has to offer.
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 in the business of helping local singles, couples, and groups for more than 20 years, and the adult dating site continues to offer the biggest platform for casual encounters in the world.
It’s easy to sign up and post a personal ad in the forums, or take part in spicy chat rooms full of sexy people, all for free. Although the popular site has had scandals in the past, users can be confident that AFF has learned from its mistakes, and the security and privacy features mean you can stay anonymous while you search.
OneNightFriend keeps things real by offering singles the chance to mix and mingle without making a big commitment. They don’t even need a subscription to join the ranks of casual daters. This tried-and-true hookup website is part of a larger network of sex-positive communities that empower individuals to find local hookups more quickly and privately than they could at a bar or club.
- Safety settings ensure accountability for users
- Free login and browsing via search filters
- Profile pictures are recommended but not required
- Browse OneNightFriend profiles 100% free »
Singles who are tired of screening potential matches to rule out people who are looking for something more serious can turn to OneNightFriend, which provides a platform where everyone is on the same page. The hookup site keeps everything simple, down to creating your dating profile.
OneNightFriend isn’t like a classifieds section, but instead, a simple platform where you can browse, match, and message without a lot of bells and whistles. With a premium membership, you can access even more perks, like auto browser history clearing and read receipts.
5. Flirt.com
If casual sex is your goal, then Flirt.com can be your wingman. This sex site offers anonymous browsing, advanced searches, and private communication, all for free, to help single men and women find a potential partner and arrange sexual encounters that satisfy their secret fantasies.
- A massive user base of over 70 million dating profiles
- Send a free private message or Flirtcast to get something going
- Exchange nude pics or adult videos with a Flirt member you trust
- Browse Flirt.com profiles 100% free »
Flirt.com makes it easy to find people who are just your speed if you’re looking for a low-pressure environment where you can have fun while you search for a casual date or a hookup. Chat rooms are a low-pressure venue for making contact, letting you get to know people in your area without the stress of a first message.
Flirt.com offers several ways to make the first contact. If you want to cast your net wide, you can send out a Flirtcast, or make use of the private messaging system. Premium users get full access, while free membership comes with restrictions.
FriendFinder-X offers sexy singles the gratifying experience of meeting hot dates within a few clicks. This hookup site is designed to excite people’s imaginations and fill them with sexual energy. Whether you’re chatting privately or in a group forum, singles and swingers can be upfront about their sexual desires, fetishes, and fantasies.
- A casual personals site for singles, couples, and groups
- Profiles have suggestive photos and strip tease videos
- Chat live via a two-way webcam or private messaging
- Browse FriendFinder-X profiles 100% free »
FriendFinder-X offers up a judgment-free atmosphere and lots of sexy content to keep things going. Whether you’re single or in a couple, this playground for hookup seekers allows you to find the right people in your area to unlock your fantasies, without judgment or harassment.
Free membership on FriendFinder-X is easy and quick, but premium membership unlocks a lot of benefits, including unlimited access to erotic photos, stories, and video, and unlimited private messages.
7. MenNation
MenNation has tons of X-rated content to arouse the senses and stimulate conversation. The hookup site attracts single men and gay couples all over the world and has grown its network to include over 93 million people. Free members can browse these profiles for as long as they want and send flirts to anyone who catches their eye.
- A massive men-only sex and swinger community
- Browse profiles and send private messages to your favorites
- Profiles feature erotic videos and sexually explicit blogs
- Browse MenNation profiles 100% free »
Gay men in search of casual sex have a lot of options, but MenNation stands out from the pack by combining sex with community. If you’re a man seeking men for a hookup or just want to talk, MenNation welcomes you to the dating service, regardless of your sexual orientation.
In addition to hookup ads in the forums, MenNation offers live video content and photos to get your motor running. Premium members get access to Buzzmode, a tool that lets you control a wearable sex toy that a live streamer on the site is using.
As part of Friend Finder Networks, LesbianPersonals is a fast-paced hookup site built to satisfy. The dating platform caters to women, straight couples, lesbian couples, and groups who are looking to enjoy lesbian sex. LesbianPersonals members can find romance in live video chats or instant message conversations and take things to the next level by exchanging contact information.
- Create a free profile in less than a minute
- Search filters can identify attractive singles and couples in the area
- Strip tease videos, revealing photos, and other adult content
- Browse LesbianPersonals profiles 100% free »
For woman-loving women, finding sex online is often a daunting experience, but LesbianPersonals creates a safe space to explore sapphic attraction. The hookup site cultivates an open, inviting space for queer women to get explicit in classified ads by excluding straight women and single men.
You can browse anonymously for free if you’re not comfortable being out about your lesbian attraction, but the community at LesbianPersonals works hard to welcome women who want to be with women, from the public areas of the site to private messages.
9. Grindr
Grindr facilitates hookups by telling local singles where the hottest guys in town are and giving them a direct line of communication. It’s easy to jump into this active dating pool and start flirting with gay and bisexual men near you.
- Sexually active men can create free profiles
- Matching system uses GPS information to find local dates
- Millions of prospects available in 192 countries
- Browse Grindr profiles 100% free »
Grindr is a well-known name when it comes to gay hookup apps — and for good reason. The swiping app brought the convenience of Tinder to the gay community, while still keeping the community at the heart of what it does. The Grindr app remains one of the most popular apps for gay, bisexual, and queer men to cruise, no matter their sexual orientation, and it offers all the basic services for free within your local area.
10. Plenty of Fish
Plenty of Fish lowers the cost of romance by allowing casual daters to send private chats for free. It’s easy to make a fast connection thanks to Plenty of Fish’s free messaging system. On average, POF members send over 1 billion messages a month, and these chats often lead to romantic encounters in the real world.
- Free instant messages for all singles
- Over 150 million members in 20 countries
- The MeetMe section highlights local hotties
- Browse Plenty of Fish profiles 100% free »
Plenty of Fish is a free dating site that attracts a casual dating crowd. If you’ve only heard of Plenty of Fish from the namedrop in the Lady Gaga video for “Telephone,” it’s worth looking at for an alternative to Craigslist.
The 4 million active daily users on the platform boost the odds of finding sexy singles in your area, and it’s easy to sign up. You may have to spend a little more time dodging fake profiles, but for a free platform, it’s an easy trade.
11. 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 launched in 2004 with the goal of keeping every essential feature free, and every CEO who has jumped on board has held to that promise. Combining the ease of a personal ad board with the enhanced security of a dating site, OkCupid lets users broadcast who they are and what they’re looking for without charging. Free messages work a little differently than they used to — you need a mutual match to send a second message — but free members can still browse, chat, and meet a real person without needing to pay a cent.
Other Sites Like Craigslist to Consider
We have done detailed research into the online dating scene, and you’d best believe there are way more than just 11 options for hooking up. If none of the options above tickled your fancy, we recommend you give the following sites a try:
FAQs: Why Did Craigslist Remove Dating?
Initially, in response to pressure from Congress, Craigslist shut down only one section of the online personals the site hosted. The original personals section on Craigslist included a space for sex workers, both advertising for clients and recruiting, but concerns about sex trafficking pushed the team behind Craigslist to shut that down first.
After the passage of the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act in 2018, Craigslist made the decision to remove the personals section entirely, citing the danger to the overall classified ad board and the difficulty of monitoring the content. Pressure against Backpage, which ultimately resulted in the site being seized a month later, almost certainly played a role.
Where Can I Safely Meet Someone on Craigslist?
Although Craigslist shut down the personals section in 2018, enterprising people continue to use the platform to advertise for casual encounters, usually through a fake ad for something else. We suggest you exercise caution if you’re interested in meeting a stranger for a hookup on this platform.
Before you agree to meet, try to arrange for a phone call or a quick video call so you know who you’re going to be meeting. Once you decide to meet up, make sure to meet in a public place first, preferably one where there will be some people around. Take reasonable blind-date precautions and make sure you have an exit strategy just in case.
Do Dating Sites Have an Incognito Mode?
Several dating sites do offer Incognito Mode as a premium feature so you can browse for hookup partners without making your presence known. But very few sites or dating apps offer that function as an automatic setting for all members. Ashley Madison is an affair dating platform, so it has more incognito and privacy features than most apps and sites in the dating world.
Ashley Madison is an extramarital dating site with over 80 million profiles in its private database, and it is full of temptation. The site and app offer a judgment-free zone where married people can consider their options and chat with singles who are willing to get together on the down-low.
- A uniquely open-minded dating network
- Privacy-conscious features
- Over 1.4 million matches per month
- Browse Ashley Madison profiles 100% free »
Ashley Madison is one quasi-exception to the rule. Since everyone on the online dating platform is anonymous, it’s like an automatic incognito mode. Members don’t provide their names, and any photos are blurred, so while it’s not quite the same thing as not showing up at all, your identity remains protected.
Dating Sites Offer More Security Than a Craigslist Hookup
Many singles still mourn the loss of Craigslist personals for finding local hookups. But lots of alternatives offer anonymity and a judgment-free space, as well as a more secure method of finding hookup partners while staying safe.
Don’t put your body at risk while working on your body count! Try a hookup site or app and get your casual sex fix safely.
