Looking for no-strings-attached sex? Then a free hookup site is going to be the ideal dating ground for you.

On a mainstream dating site, it can be hard to guess people’s intentions and then charm them into bed. Maybe they’re not comfortable having sex with strangers. Maybe they’re looking for a relationship. Maybe they just want to be friends. Such excuses are non-issues for people mingling on adult dating sites.

The best hookup sites offer a secure and anonymous platform where singles can be themselves, be upfront about their desires, and arrange sexual meetups without facing harsh judgments and rejections.

Best Overall Free Hookup Sites

Like casual daters, we’re not here to waste time or beat around the bush, so let’s get right to it, shall we? We’ve ranked the top hookup sites and free dating apps for men and women seeking a steamy casual encounter online and offline.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
  • 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

No nonsense. No commitments. No phonies. Just hookups. That’s the promise of the BeNaughty hookup site.

BeNaughty serves a global membership base that’s active in North America, Europe, and Australia, so it’s safe to say someone is always online and horny here.

The fastest way to meet people on BeNaughty is by going to the Like Gallery and swiping right on photos that appeal to you. Every time you like someone who likes you back, you’ll receive a notification and an invitation to chat using the live messaging tools. You can also search for hot dates yourself using search filters for age, location, orientation, and body type.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

Adult Friend Finder boasts supporting the world’s largest sex and swinger community. The site has over 97 million members, and it’s hard to compete with those numbers.

The anonymous nature of the AFF hookup site appeals to all sorts of people. The AFF community is open to singles seeking one-night stands and couples seeking threesomes or orgies.

You can engage in private chats or video calls on AFF, and members can also share public posts and erotic stories in the discussion forum, which hosts over 14 million active conversations.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.5/5.0
  • 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

FriendFinder-X claims to be the dating site where “good girls do bad things.” Well, not exactly bad, but definitely naughty. We’ve ranked FriendFinder-X as one of the top online dating sites for a sex hookup because its local searches have turned up many promiscuous and promising matches over the years.

Sexually active singles and swingers come to this site looking for a good time, and they’re not disappointed by the flirtatious X-rated atmosphere.

FriendFinder-X is an anything-goes website where members can share lewd photos and send sexually explicit messages without getting censored or banned.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
  • Discreetly arranges one-night stands and extramarital affairs
  • More than 80 million profiles worldwide
  • Travel-friendly features for seeking matches in other cities

Ashley Madison is a controversial name in the online dating industry. But what’s life without a little controversy. This unapologetic site provides a nonjudgmental and free dating space for 54 million people of all relationship statuses.

It doesn’t matter if you’re married, single, or in a relationship, you can create a private profile on Ashley Madison and discover romantic possibilities right in your neighborhood. The discreet site will keep your secrets and let you explore without anyone being the wiser — you can even blur or mask your face in photos so you won’t be recognized online.

Ashley Madison also has a travel-friendly feature that allows people to seek dates while in different cities or foreign countries.

5. Tinder

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.4/5.0
  • The dating app of choice for millions of sexually active singles
  • Accelerating the dating process through swiping
  • Has led to over 97 billion mutual matches

If you’re single and hunting for dates, you’ve probably considered joining Tinder before. After all, it’s one of the most popular and efficient dating apps out there.

In 2012, Tinder forever changed online dating by introducing swiping and mutual matching features, and casual daters everywhere have benefited from that. Now singles can quickly assess their options and only spend time chatting with people who actually like them back.

Today, Tinder is responsible for creating over 43 billion matches, and it fosters over 1.5 million dates per week. The Tinder app has been downloaded over 340 million times and sees billions of swipes each and every day — so you basically can’t help but meet people in this open-ended dating forum.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

You can pursue any type of sexual relationship on OkCupid. This completely free dating site doesn’t charge a cent for sending unlimited messages, so it’s a natural wingman for open minded singles seeking a casual encounter.

OkCupid supports a fast-paced dating scene where singles swipe, search, match, and message without missing a beat. The site and app can help create an instant connection between people who are looking for the same things in life. New members don’t have to complete every section of their profile nor answer more than a few match questions to get started.

The make-it-your-own OkCupid profile appeals to singles seeking compatible partners. It gives you the chance to describe yourself and date on your terms. For instance, You can state in your profile that you want a hookup or short-term dating, and thereby rid potential dates of any illusions about getting into a relationship.

7. Match

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.9/5.0
  • Free profile browsing and liking
  • Private chat rooms and video dates for Match members only
  • Fast-working, time-tested AI match algorithm

Match may not market itself as a local sex app or discreet hookup site, but that hasn’t stopped casual daters from going online and mixing things up here. With more than 30 million members, Match has one of the largest online dating networks in the world, and that’s awfully tempting to singles seeking adult dating opportunities.

Some international dating sites can have a disappointing number of fake profiles and scammers, but that’s not the case on Match.com. This legit dating site (and its companion app) has a global reputation in more than 50 countries, and it offers safety guidelines to ensure members know how to navigate the site without running afoul of anyone.

Since 1995, Match has led to more first dates than any other dating sites and apps, and it continues to set high standards for the online dating scene.

8. Zoosk

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.8/5.0
  • Fast-paced dating scene available in 80 countries
  • Full members can send unlimited messages
  • Advanced search filters help you zero in on the hottest dates

Since 2007, Zoosk has endeavored to streamline the online dating process by removing obstacles and giving singles multiple ways to get in touch.Today, it’s one of the most popular dating sites with over 40 million people using its Facebook-like newsfeed and local sex search features.

Zoosk users can send flirts, instant messages, virtual gifts, and favorites to make a good impression. Only members with photos can send messages on the site and app. Free members enjoy limited communication on Zoosk, but they can always upgrade to a premium membership if they want full access to all messages.

Zoosk’s behavioral matchmaking system has led to many promising connections between singles who have chemistry that goes way beyond the online space.

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.7/5.0

It’s completely free to message anyone on Plenty of Fish, and that means singles can engage in sexy conversations whenever they want without busting their monthly budgets.

A POF free membership is pretty valuable to local sex seekers who don’t want to pay dating websites for the pleasure of making friends and meeting like-minded people.

Every day more than 65,000 users join the POF community, which has over 150 million members total. This is a flirtatious and chatty environment for singles of all ages, orientations, and backgrounds. When all is said and done, the dating site and app creates somewhere around 57 million matches in the average week.

Best Free LGBT Hookup Sites

Online dating has been embraced by many people in the LGBTQ+ community. According to a 2017 survey, around 65% of same-sex couples met one another online, nearly half of gay people have tried dating sites or apps before.

Whether you’re looking for a same-sex partner for life or for the moment, the following gay-friendly local sex sites can hook you up.

10. MenNation

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.4/5.0
  • 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

Since its launch in 1996, MenNation has become one of the most popular gay hookup sites around with millions of profiles to its name.

The global dating network is open to gay singles and couples seeking men to cuddle at night. It’s free to set up an account and start browsing profiles, but you’ll have to invest in a subscription if you want to chat with like-minded people and arrange a casual encounter.

MenNation wasn’t built for long term relationships or friendships — it was designed to enhance men’s sex lives and give them an anonymous space where they can be playful and outgoing.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.3/5.0
  • 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

LesbianPersonals is a women-friendly hookup site that can satisfy the sexual appetites of LGBTQ+ singles and straight couples. The discreet site invites women to run wild and enjoy all types of sexual experiences.

It’s not uncommon to find queer women seeking threesomes and chasing the elusive unicorn on LesbianPersonals. The site encourages open minded women to explore their sensuality in online conversations and offline dates.

LesbianPersonals offers a lot of different chat tools. You can get a one-on-one conversation off to a flirty start by exchanging photos or video messages. Or dive into a live chat room and see what happens.

12. Grindr

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.8/5.0
  • Sexually active men can create free profiles
  • Matching system uses GPS information to find local dates
  • Millions of prospects available in 192 countries

Last but not least, Grindr is a dynamic gay dating app with over 27 million male users worldwide. The app is available in 192 countries, but it will only recommend adult dating profiles within a certain mile radius of you.

Many singles consider Grindr a hookup app because it uses location-based tools to recommend matches, and singles swipe through profile pictures to find attractive potential partners and local fuck buddies.

Grindr can facilitate real-time connections between men who are in the same club or bar and want to make something happen. It’s free to download, swipe, and message, so gay and bisexual men don’t need to shell out a lot of cash to pick up a date.

What Free Hookup Sites are Really Free?

The online dating world is full of opportunities and possibilities, and that’s thrilling for today’s singles, but a paid membership can really cramp the style of daters on a budget. A lot of people want to meet like-minded, but they don’t want to pay exorbitant prices to do so — and that’s where 100% free dating sites come in.

With unlimited free chatting and matching, OkCupid is definitely one of the top free dating sites and dating apps out there.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.1/5.0
  • Free, unlimited communication for everyone
  • Singles can swipe or search for a compatible date
  • Over 91 million connections every year

An OkCupid free membership includes chatting with potential matches. This free dating app doesn’t charge members to send likes or messages via the service; however, OkCupid does have A-List features for people who want to boost their chances of meeting someone who wants casual sex or long term relationships.

A-List members show up higher in search results and match suggestions, and they can also see who has liked their dating profile as well.

You don’t need a Facebook login or social media account to join the OkCupid free membership base, and you can start mingling with open minded singles right away.

What is the Best Hookup App?

The best hookup app will vary depending on where you live, how you flirt, and what type of person you desire most. As a general rule, we’d recommend heading to the biggest dating pool you can find and sending likes to the most active and attractive potential partners

AdultFriendFinder has millions of registered members, so it’s a great place to get your flirting on. You can create an account for free and see what this sex hookup site is all about.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.0/5.0

AdultFriendFinder offers sex-positive forums, discreet hookup communities, and web broadcasts to give people the chance to mingle with potential matches in a way that makes them feel comfortable.

A local sex app is geared more toward casual sex than love and long term relationships so don’t expect potential matches to swoon for you or start talking about introducing you to their friends or getting married or anything like that.

What is the Best Alternative to Craigslist Personals?

In 2018, Craigslist closed its personals section due to pressure from U.S. law enforcement. A new law had passed to crack down on online companies that enabled sex trafficking, and the Craigslist team didn’t want to risk its entire business because some unsavory characters misused its dating personals.

“We are regretfully taking Craigslist personals offline,” the official statement read. “Hopefully we can bring them back some day.”

Fortunately, there are many great alternatives to Craigslist that offer similar local listings and discreet hookup opportunities. BeNaughty, for instance, is a free adult dating site that offers live chatting between anonymous members, and its profile setup is pretty similar a Craigslist ad.

Reputable adult dating sites can help casual daters come into their own and arrange a casual encounter on their terms.

Is Zoosk Just a Hookup Site?

Zoosk is not just a hookup site — it can also be used for friendships, short-term dating, and serious relationships — but a lot of people have hooked up because of its fast-working dating services.

Zoosk offers a fun-filled dating platform where free members can send winks, likes, chats, and virtual gifts to get attention, and the search filters and matchmaking recommendations can further support singles looking for a dream date in their area.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.7/5.0
  • Send messages to premium members for free
  • Over 3 million messages sent a day
  • Premium perks include photo verification and sending virtual gifts

Zoosk offers a lot of communication tools, and that helps singles connect without too much preamble. No need to form a mutual match. No need to write a lengthy message. Just send a greeting and see what happens.

Taken as a whole, Zoosk is one of the top dating sites and dating apps for local singles seeking casual sex with potential partners in the free online dating space.

Is eharmony Good for Hookups?

No, our dating experts do not recommend joining eharmony if all you want out of your online dating experience is to get laid. There are plenty of other adult dating sites that can accommodate your sexual needs without the hassle of a lengthy signup process, personality test, and paid membership subscription.

From its founding days in 2000, eharmony has always been geared more toward relationships than casual dating and hookups. The dating site uses a psychology-driven match algorithm to discover innate compatibility between two people, and it requires members to pay a subscription fee to send unlimited messages to their potential matches.

The eharmony site and app focus on helping serious daters meet their soul mates, so you won’t find many people open to something casual here.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.7/5.0
  • 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

All in all, there are just too many rules and restrictions on eharmony to make the dating site and app really worthwhile for casual daters seeking sex. Filling out an 80-question personality test can seem like a waste of time to the sex seekers of the online dating scene, and the eharmony matchmaking system can be too slow for their tastes.

Plus, the eharmony dating pool is more mature and relationship-minded, and that can be a real drag too if all you want is a sexual experience. Singles on eharmony are invested in finding the yin to their yang, not just someone to bang, so search elsewhere for local sex and hookups.

The eharmony dating site is great if you’re looking for a long-term commitment and true love, but it’s not going be satisfying for casual daters.

Which Apps Are Best for a Sex Hookup?

If you want to get laid ASAP, you need the right dating site or app to be your wingman. The best hookup sites offer free dating services, a diverse and active user base, and plenty of matchmaking tools to help make something happen, but it’s still up to you to seal the deal.

We consider OkCupid to be one of the best all-purpose dating sites and apps because it offers totally free communication and personality-driven matches to all users. You don’t have to jump through hoops to land a date here. You don’t even have to complete every section of your profile.

The OkCupid registration process can take less than a minute if you’re in a hurry, or it could take 10-15 minutes if you want to answer personal questions about yourself and add more than one photo of yourself. Once you’ve got your profile up and running, you can start matching and messaging right away.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.1/5.0
  • Free, unlimited communication for everyone
  • Singles can swipe or search for a compatible date
  • Over 91 million connections every year

Another good hookup app for singles is Plenty of Fish, which also offers free unlimited communication between everyone online. This online dating free for all is great for people seeking friendships, dates, and relationships, and its robust database can help casual daters find someone who’s exactly their type.

The Plenty of Fish community includes over 150 million active users in 20 countries, and over 4 million people visit the site and app (available for Android and iOS) on a daily basis in hopes of finding romance in their direct messages.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.1/5.0

Plenty of Fish can offer singles a nonjudgmental space to flirt freely and pick up local dates, but some users have complained that they’ve run into a lot of fake profiles and inactive users along the way. So, if you want to join an app where you’re guaranteed to meet folks, then Tinder is the best bet.

Tinder has been downloaded over 340 million times, and it facilitates over 1.5 million dates per week. It’s hard to see Tinder as anything but the most popular dating app in the world when you look at its sheer size, diversity, and online activity.

Since 2012, Tinder has expanded its online dating services to reach over 190 countries, and it’s currently available in 40 languages. You can’t go wrong swiping in this one-of-a-kind scene.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.0/5.0
  • Supports active daters in 190+ countries
  • The swiping system creates over 12 million matches per day
  • Tinder Plus members have unlimited likes and 5 Super Likes

The Tinder app is a great wingman for finding dates and sexual partners. You can join #SwipeLife with a free dating profile on Tinder, and you never have to upgrade or subscribe to chat with your mutual matches. The only catch is that free members only have certain number of likes and super likes they can use per day — so you’d better make it count!

Whether you choose to download Tinder, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, or another free dating app, you should keep in mind that no online dating service can deliver hot dates to your door. You have to explore the database and send messages that lead to the kind of romantic connections you’re after. It’s not going to happen on its own!

Our dating experts recommend downloading three or four dating apps at once so you can get a good feel for how they differ and explore the online dating scene using as many matchmaking and search tools as possible.

How Do I Avoid Fake Profiles in the Adult Dating Scene?

Fake profiles can become widespread on some local sex apps and sites, especially those with free communication services and zero accountability, because not everyone in the online dating scene has good intentions. Sure, a lot of people are honestly seeking intimacy and romance, but others are just bored and looking for a distraction. And a slim minority are hunting for dupes rather than dates, and these scammers can be incredibly manipulative and hard to spot.

Luckily, we’re here to guide you with some good common sense dating tips, so you should be able to detect a fraud immediately if you follow these basic rules:

  1. Be suspicious of profiles with little information or too many grammatical errors
  2. Confirm someone’s authenticity through Facebook, Instagram, or another social media site
  3. Immediately cease contact if someone asks for money or exhibits unstable or unsafe behavior

These safety guidelines are essential to having a good online dating experience. You can’t and shouldn’t trust anyone and everyone who shows up in your inbox with a compliment and a virtual wink. It’s important to do your homework and vet that person before agreeing to meet up for an in-person date — which, by the way, you should always schedule in a public place like a bar or coffee shop.

Trust your instincts while navigating online conversations and matches on a free online dating site or app. If someone gives you the creeps or makes you feel uncomfortable, call them out and make sure you put up boundaries where needed. A legit date will respect your boundaries and follow your lead, while a scammer, gaslighter, or catfisher will either argue with you or cease all contact.

Should you come into contact with someone who isn’t trustworthy — and could possibly be dangerous — be sure to flag that profile on the dating platform where you met. Almost all sites and apps will have a blocking and reporting feature available so that users can identify which profiles are causing problems and harming the online dating experience.

Does Online Dating Really Work?

Yes, online dating can be an incredibly effective way to meet new friends, lovers, romantic partners, and spouses who want the same things as you in life. I’m not just saying that because I met my boyfriend on a dating app. There is hard evidence to suggest that online dating is the way of the future, and singles no longer have to spend their nights trolling the bar scene to pick up hot dates.

Something like 30% of all American adults have used a dating site or app to meet people at some point in their lives. Those numbers only get bigger as singles get younger. About 38% of daters between 30 and 49 years old said they had tried online dating, and 48% of the under-30 crowd has used a dating site or app.

Match.com actually claims to be the most successful online dating site of all time because it’s been around the longest (since 1995) and has more relationships and marriages to its name than any of its competitors. A Match free membership can help singles meet people they would never have encountered otherwise, and its match algorithm can quickly identify date prospects who share similar lifestyles, goals, and interests.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.9/5.0
  • Match is the world's longest running dating site
  • The Discover section has search filters by interests, looks, lifestyle, and more
  • Match is available in 50 countries and 15 languages

What’s even better news is that 57% of these online daters said they had an overall positive experience, and only 9% said they had a “very negative” time swiping and matching online.

As of 2017, the Knot has declared that online dating is the most popular way to meet a husband or wife. The wedding-oriented site conducts an annual survey of its newlywed users and has found that more brides now say they met their spouses online than through friends, at work, or in school. In fact, about one in every four couples who get married last year met online.

Online dating can definitely work for you if you take the time to create an attractive profile, engage in stimulating conversations, and pursue dates who are authentic, responsive, and serious about meeting people.

When Is the Right Time to Ask for a Hookup Online?

This is definitely a tricky topic that many online daters disagree about. Some say it’s best to put your cards on the table right away and solicit sex within a few messages — or even the very first message. Others prefer building heat and chemistry over time and argue that it’s better to ask someone for a hookup after you’ve done the small talk thing and built a little trust.

Both these dating strategies are highly situational and can succeed or fail depending upon the person you’re chatting with. If you’re on a hookup site like BeNaughty, asking for sex within the first few messages is almost expected, so it usually won’t come off as creepy or forward. But the same message may raise red flags on a more serious dating site like Match or even OkCupid.

Dating apps like Tinder tend to be more fast-paced and welcome open minded singles who are upfront about their sexual desires and expectations. You could get away with asking for a hookup with a stranger here, but definitely don’t mention sex within the first message unless you’re 100% sure that person is DFT.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.0/5.0

You have to make sure you’re talking to the right audience and going at the same pace as your potential sex partner.

The dating profile should give you a few clues about what he or she is looking for and open to in terms of sex and romance. Some guy showing off his abs in his profile picture is almost certainly open to moving fast and getting down and dirty within minutes of chatting.

Someone who talks more about love and friendship will probably want to get to know a person before getting intimate, and you may have to wait for the first date, second date, or third date to initiate a conversation about sex.

Free Love is Available on Free Hookup Sites & Apps

It can be frustrating to think you’re gelling with someone and then realize you have totally different expectations for the relationship. Sometimes one person is ready to go to the next level and get intimate, while the other person would prefer to take things slow and see what happens (translation: it’s not happening).

On a hookup site, everyone is on the same page, and they’re all after the same thing: sex. That takes an enormous amount of pressure off online conversations, and it helps people feel more confident and take proactive steps toward arranging casual hookups in the dating scene.

We’ve listed our favorite hookup dating sites to give casual daters the resources they need to take their games up a notch and arouse interest among sexually active dates. Any of these sites and apps could make a huge difference in your love life and help you fill your date calendar after just a few days of swiping and matching. Have fun!

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