Best Hookup Apps: Guide to Free and Premium Apps that Make Hooking Up Easy
July 1, 2021
It seems like everyone these days has a story about finding love on the internet. It's easier than ever to find your soul mate ? and all you need is a smartphone to do it.
But what if you're just looking for a little no-strings-attached fun? What if you don't want Mr. Right ? you want Mr. Right Now?
Luckily, the internet makes it easy to find that, too. All you need is the right hookup app, and as it turns out, there are more choices out there than ever before.
It's not as simple as just making an account on the first one you come across in the app store and going for it, though. Different apps cater to different people, so if you really want to give yourself the best chance of getting lucky, you need to find the right one for you.
Below, we'll walk you through the best app for finding whatever it is you're looking for.
With many hookup apps, you have to beat around the bush and at least pretend you're after something more than a one night stand? even if you both know that's what you're looking for.
That's not the case with AdultFriendFinder. Everyone on AFF knows exactly what they're there for ? and no matter what that is, the app has something for you.
You can arrange in-person hookups, find a sexting partner, set up a room for video chatting...everything you could possibly want is here.
It's all unfiltered, too, so you don't have to wade through a ton of blurred-out photos (but you will get inundated with dick pics, though, so be prepared).
There are over 20 million users on the app every month, and they have rooms dedicated to even the most niche kinks. Even better, the service does a good job of asking you questions to try to find partners you'd be compatible with.
AdultFriendFinder is perfect for anyone whose tastes venture off the beaten path. You'll find swingers, BDSM practitioners, and anything else you could possibly want.
If your tastes are pretty vanilla, though, it may be overwhelming to you.
For everyone else, AdultFriendFinder is the best way to find exactly what you want in a hookup partner.
If you're a young guy who's willing to set your morals aside for a bit of action, it doesn't get any better than Ashley Madison.
The female to male ratio is better than most sex apps, and the women who are on there are definitely on the prowl for young studs. They already have a relationship, after all ? they just want fun, games, and lots of torrid sex.
You don't have to jump through very many hoops, either ? these women don't have a lot of time to spare. They just want a hot young guy who can give them the passion that's missing in their relationships.
Of course, beyond the moral issue, you could be playing with fire on this app. You never know when your fun little hookup could be interrupted by a jealous husband.
If you're willing to take the chance, though, there aren't many options that are better for young guys who just want to have fun with as little effort as possible.
Ability to make business contacts gets in the way of hooking up
Like BeNaughty, Bumble puts all the power in women's hands. Men can't contact a woman unless she's first shown interest in him, which majorly limits the creep factor.
There's plenty of ways to personalize your profile on the app, allowing both men and women to stand out for more than just their looks. You can also link your Instagram and Spotify accounts to your profile to give prospective dates an even better idea of who you are.
You can add a lot of your information through Facebook (which the app will endlessly prod you to do), so you may have some concerns about the safety of your information. It's undoubtedly convenient, though.
It's extremely inclusive of a variety of genders and preferences, which is nice, but it also offers the ability to make business contacts on the app. That may be good if you're looking for a job, but it just gets in the way if you're looking for some fun.
4. SexMessenger - Best App for Instant Dirty Talk?
Pros:
Has both chatrooms and cam broadcasts
Some features available for free
Great for chatting
Cons:
Difficult to hook up in person
Have to pay to use best features
SexMessenger bills itself as an adult dating community, so you know exactly what you're getting into as soon as you sign up.
It's geared more towards chatting than hooking up, although you can certainly get together with one of the members if things work out that way.
They have both chatrooms and cam broadcasts, so you can find all sorts of ways to entertain yourself. Some of their features can be accessed for free, while others require a premium membership.
You'll have to pay to use the best parts, of course, but it's well worth it if you want some remote fun. You can certainly make in-person hookups happen as well, but it's a lot harder than with some other apps.
Pure is designed for one thing only: meeting people instantly for casual sex.
All it takes is a selfie, and any profile you make self-destructs in an hour. That gives you 60 minutes to find someone to hook up with, or else you have to start from scratch.
If you match with someone, you'll have another hour to chat with them ? then, like your profile, the chat will disappear.
Pure is great for not leaving a digital footprint behind, but you may need to take the conversation to another app if you need more time to seal the deal. Then again, if you all you want is sex (and you want it now),the ticking time bomb certainly makes both parties motivated.
Women can use the app for free, but men have to pay. Even so, there are plenty of cam girls and other fake profiles on there, so it will take some trial and error to find success.
You need to be wealthy, or at least pretend like you are
May make you feel sleazy
SeekingArrangement pairs sugar babies with sugar daddies ? meaning, it sets up attractive young women with rich men who are willing to give them financial gifts in exchange for their companionship.
It's not prostitution, although the line may be a bit blurry. These can be full-blown relationships, just with one side giving the other some monetary support along the way.
If you're a well-off guy who wants a sure thing with a beautiful woman, though, it's pretty hard to beat.
For their part, women use the app to get help with rent, college tuition, and even to find a (rich) husband.
It may make you feel skeezy, but on the other hand, it's not all that different from many regular relationships ? SeekingArrangement is just more up-front about it.
Of course, if you're a guy who doesn't bring home serious cash, don't even waste your time. Women who aren't conventionally attractive may struggle to find a sugar daddy as well.
If you've got the money or the looks, though, SeekingArrangement will make sure you get plenty of bangs for your bucks.
Algorithm does good job pairing you with compatible people
Cons:
Geared towards serious relationships
Limited number of people you can contact
Hinge was actually designed to be the perfect long-term dating app for millennials, but as always happens, many people figured out a way to use it for short-term hookups instead.
Instead of endlessly swiping like you would on Tinder, Hinge suggests a small number of matches for you.
You can even date from home? by having a video chat with prospective matches, letting you get to know them in record time.
While this can no doubt lead to lasting romance, it's also a great way to cut to the chase with people who have a high likelihood of being interested in you. (We assume we don't need to tell you about all the fun you can have with the video chat feature.)
Their algorithm really seems to work, too. Hinge claims that you're eight times more likely to go on a date with one of their top matches for you than any other member. That greatly reduces flaking.
If you're using Hinge just for casual sex, you may end up misleading some potential partners. However, if you can set up a date with someone you're incredibly compatible with, it shouldn't take too much effort to get them in the sack.
Can be hard to find women looking for same thing you are
Women who want to hook up with other women won't have any pesky dudes to deal with on HER. The app is solely designed for the ladies.
It caters to every situation, so regardless of whether you want someone for a night or the rest of your life, there are members in the same boat. You can also use it to find platonic LGBTQ+ friendships.
There are over four million users, so it's not exactly a ghost town. Still, unless you live in a large urban area, it can be a chore to find someone who's looking for the same thing you are.
Like many of the other dating apps on here, HER requires a Facebook account. However, that should also give you reassurance that many of the other members are real.
It's free to use as well, so there's little reason to avoid at least giving it a shot.
Everyone has heard of Tinder. It's the punchline for many a late-night joke, and it seems like every single person under the age of 80 has a Tinder account set up.
There's a good reason for that, though: it's one of the best and easiest ways to find strangers near you.
The massive customer base ensures that there will always be more potential matches out there for you, so you won't have to keep swiping through the same old faces.
That also makes it easy for you to find a little action when you're on the road. Since many people use it for hookups anyway, no one will bat an eye if you say you're just looking for someone for a night or two.
However, there are still quite a few people on there looking for their soulmates, so you may occasionally get more than you bargained for if all you want is one night of fun.
Also, all the users can work against you, too. Sometimes it feels like you're swiping for hours before you get a nibble.
Ultimately, Tinder is the biggest fish in the hookup pond, so regardless of what other hook up apps you sign up for, you should probably have an account here, too.
It's not exactly a well-kept secret ? but that's part of what makes Grindr the best hookup app for gay guys.
It's incredibly easy to find a hookup with Grindr. It uses geotargeting, so you simply log on and it'll tell you who's DTF in your vicinity. The rest is up to you.
You can use it to find love as well, since it allows you to build your profile with social media accounts and the like, but most users are on it for quick hookups.
Signing up and getting started is incredibly easy, but that also makes it a popular target for catfishing. If you're still in the closet, be very careful about who you exchange information with.
You can add as little or as much info to your profile as you like, including your type, preferred sexual position, and HIV status. It's very easy to edit your profile, and knowing more about the guys you're hooking up with makes it more fun for everyone.
Be aware that you could possibly get flooded with messages, though, so it can be cumbersome if you're choosy. If you want to learn about more apps like this check out our gay hookup sites post.
May be harder to find success if you don't have a perfect body
HUD? stands for Hook-Up Dating, so it's a natural fit for this list. It also makes it easier for virtual dating newbies to get their feet wet in the online hookup world.
The interface is clean and easy to use, and all the features seem geared towards short-term flings. You can filter preferences by body type, for instance, so you don't even have to pretend you're interested in someone's mind.
Of course, that can work both ways, so if you're not someone who has a perfect body, you may get eliminated before you ever even had a chance to prove yourself.
Their photo messaging feature is both good and bad, as it's an easy way to share your world (and your looks) with a potential match. Then again, if you're a woman, you know what kind of pictures you're going to get.
HUD is a great way to learn how the modern hookup culture works, but you may want to find something more laser-focused on your particular turn-ons once you get acclimated to it.
There are few things more difficult than finding a unicorn? ? meaning, the perfect partner(s) for a threesome.
Feeld is aiming to change that. Roughly 60% of their members are couples looking to add a third person to their love lives.
It definitely encourages users to get kinky ? but it's also a safe space for people who like to keep their naughtiness behind closed doors. You can't post explicit photos, and they take member privacy extremely seriously.
Despite their focus on privacy, they handle everything through Facebook, so you can't sign up unless you have an account.
Feeld has a lot of fake accounts as well, but when you come across a real person, they tend to be extremely responsive. We assume the lure of a threesome is enough to keep anyone hooked.