Top 20 Craigslist Alternative Dating Sites (2023) (2023)

You may be aware that Craigslist closed its Contacts section after SESTA Pass in 2018.

Contrary to what lawmakers believed, people were using Craigslist for perfectly legitimate reasons, including meeting with people they were close to, whether for friendship, casual hookups, or dating.

Now that Craigslist Personals is gone, you may be looking for some alternatives in 2023. Look no further as we are about to share twenty of the best Craigslist Personals alternative sites so you can still meet people near you online.

There's a lot to choose from here, so read on to find out which website or app might be the best fit for you. Also, keep in mind that some of these sites may have problems similar to those that plagued Craigslist (and were eventually taken down). Therefore, please note the following disclaimer.

While most of these sites are perfectly legitimate, some may contain scams and/or promote illegal activities. In general, you should always be very careful. Remember to meet in a public place and always trust your gut..

However, many of these sites can be a perfectly safe and easy way to meet people, so let's get down to business!

1.)reddit contacts

You've probably heard of Reddit. Otherwise, it is one of the largest online communities where people can post anything on so-called "subreddits". A popular subreddit that can serve as an alternative to Craigslist is r/r4r. Known as "Reddit Personals," the subtitle is "Activity Partners, Groups, Dating, Hanging Out, Soulmates, FWBs." So you can create your own ad here, tell people about you and your search, and see if you get a response. Since Reddit is free, it's pretty much a lossless option.

2.)Adult Friend Locator

When it comes to Craigslist Personals alternatives for casual dating, Adult Friend Finder is definitely the best option. Self-proclaimed as the “world's largest swinger community and dating site”, this could be true given that they have over 100 million people with accounts. Like Ashley Madison, there is a limited free option as well as paid tiers. A paid membership gives you access to features like Stories, which give you the power to discuss your ideal love life so others can easily see if you're a match based on their goals or overall mood.

Do you want more information about the adult friends finder? Moneyour full review.

3.)Ashley Madison

Chances are you've seen commercials for Ashley Madison at some point, at least if you *um*On the rightWebsites. That's because Ashley Madison is bold in her goal, as evidenced by her motto, "Life is short. Have an affair." Essentially, this is a site for discreetly matching adults looking for casual hookups. For example, if you're a paying subscriber, your credit card statement will simply say "Online Services." To take advantage of all the features offered on the website you may want to log in. There is a useful feature, for example Traveling Man, which allows her to communicate with people in an area she will be visiting before she gets there.

Do you need more information about Ashley Madison before making a decision? Take a look at our full reviewHere.

4.)Locanto

Locanto is very similar to Oodle and many others are similar to Craigslist. For example, you have a category called "Casual Dating" with several subcategories. You can post a personal ad there to let people know exactly what you hope to find. As with Oodle, my area seems to be mostly male posts, with some of the female posts looking pretty dodgy. Make sure you use your common sense and Locanto could end up being a decent option for meeting people.

5.)Combustible

Tinder probably doesn't need much of an introduction, as it has become one of the most popular "dating" apps out there. I put dating in quotes because, let's face it, almost everyone knows Tinder's reputation as a casual app rather than a serious dating app. Not that that can't happen, of course. Very popular with Millennials and Gen Z, Tinder is a pretty straightforward app. You'll see profiles of people near you and swipe right if you're interested or left if you're not. Then you'll find people you've swiped directly from and who have also swiped directly from you. From there you can start messaging and see what happens. There is a basic free version, as well as a paid tier called Tinder Gold that gives you additional features and unlimited swiping.

6.)casual(former Yumi)

Formerly known as Yumi, Kasual is a good alternative to Craigslist and the other sites mentioned here because it has a pretty unique premise. Instead of being matched with other people via swiping or algorithms, Kasual randomly matches you with other people, and you can immediately start chatting to see if you're a good match. The application is available for iOS (iPhone) and Android and has a free and very complete version. Of course, you can always go for the premium subscription if you want to unlock more features. All in all, Kasual is a great alternative to Tinder and other dating sites as it mainly focuses on casual hookups (hence the rebranding) and casual couples.

7.) a lot of fish

POF, or Plenty of Fish, is a nod to the classic idea that there are "plenty of fish in the sea." meet. POF works like a website or an app, which is nice since some of them are only available as one or the other. As a dating site, it is quite common for you to be matched based on a common interest. You can also use a video meeting feature, which is a great way to get acquainted with someone before diving into an in-person meeting.

8.)pernals

This is a great replacement for Craigslist as it deals with personal contacts. Pernals offers you the opportunity to create your own personal ad for free. This means that you can place exactly what you are looking for, be it a serious relationship,casual encounter, even a friend, &c. Pernals advertises itself as a Craigslist alternative, which is relatively unusual among many of the alternatives discussed here. Like Craigslist, it has the same types of categories: women seek women, women seek men, men seek women, etc. At the moment it is only available as an application and you can download it for iOS or Android.

9.)bed side

Bedpage, as you can guess from the name, is anotherback alternative. However, it also has the same types of categories as Craigslist Personals: women seeking women, men seeking women, etc. For casual dating, you should look at the "Dating" and "Adult" categories. Just be careful because a quick search in my area revealed that there were some people posting that are definitely scammers.

10.)duplicate list

Doublelist is quite similar to Craigslist. One thing that is a bit frustrating is that you have to register to navigate the site. Their motto is "connecting with straight, gay, bisexual and curious people", so it's not too hard to figure out what the majority of users on this site are looking for. However, with over three million users in the US, there is a high chance that you will find someone who is a good fit for you. As always, beware of scammers.

11.)lots

Oodle is very close to the old Craigslist personals site in many ways, with the usual categories like men seeking men, men seeking women, and so on. You can use some helpful filters on this site to easily narrow down your options below. At least in my area there don't seem to be many people using Oodle, so it might not be the best option. Depending on what you're into, more men than women have posted, so it may or may not be worth your time.

12.)Ebackpage

Once again, Ebackpage is a clear copy of Backpage/Craigslist. You can post and search personal ads, with all the usual categories in "dating" and "adult" for people interested in casual dating. The site doesn't seem to have a large number of active users, so this might not be your best option. As with Bedpage and some of these other websites, you should be careful as there are some posts that look like scams.

13.)classified

Classifieds is exactly what it sounds like. This is a solid Craigslist alternative because it is so similar. Just select “People” on the home page and you will see the classic categories: “Men Seeking Women”, “Missing Contacts”, etc. You may or may not find some options near you.

14.)grind

Grindr is basically Tinder, but specifically for gay men. In other words, the focus is mostly on connections, but that doesn't mean it's the only way. If you're a gay man after a casual date, this might be the only app or website you need. However, if you're not gay, Grindr won't do you much good.

15.)healthy dating

Like Ashley Madison, HealthyFling values ​​discretion. As you can see on her website, her motto is Discreet Hookups. As with many of these sites, you have the option to post a personal ad so you can spread the word and see if other people are responding. You can also browse and see if anyone suits you. Unfortunately, you must be logged in to browse or post an ad. All in all, this is a decent option and it has some positive reviews online.

sixteen.)ok cupid

OkCupid has been around for a long time and has survived to this day, so it must be doing something right. You can download it for iOS or Android, which is always good. Another solid aspect of OkCupid is that it doesn't require a paid membership to find matches or message people. However, like most dating sites these days, you may be tempted to pay to unlock certain features. Another advantage is that OkCupid tries to be as comprehensive as possible, which means there is something for everyone.

17.)FetLife Classifieds

With over 10 million members, FetLife is possibly the biggest social network for eccentric people. This is a good draw as many people may feel insecure or left out due to their quirks. Well, you can count on finding at least one other person who shares your interests on FetLife, which also doubles as a solid Craigslist ad if you're looking to find your queer soulmate.

18.)The village

If you're in Canada, you're probably already familiar with Kijiji. It is a platform where you can find almost anything, from pets and cars to services and vacation rentals. However, it also works as a Craigslist alternative if you go to the "Community" section. There you can browse categories like "Friendship & Networking" and "Missed Connections" to post an ad or see if there are any there. However, these categories don't seem to be as active as the others, so it might not be the best option.

19.)alt.com

Alt.com is similar to FetLife in that it is a site specifically for people who are into BDSM and fetishes. Their website has a bit of an old-school vibe to it though, and not in a good way. It looks pretty thick and the kind of thing you would see on a porn site instead of the classier looking FetLife. It also seems like they take random fake profiles and put your city name below it on the home page to lure you in (the same way ads for porn sites often do). So while you can explore Alt, if you're looking for people to connect with, I'd look at FetLife first.

20.)Craigliste

wait what Craigslist didn't ban the personal ads section? Yes. However, people are always experts at breaking the rules and finding workarounds. While there isn't a "personals" section per se, you can still find people dating on Craigslist to meet up with. For example, try the Activities section or the Missed Connections section in your area and you might see posts from people looking for hookups.

final thoughts

Fortunately, although Craigslist Personals has been banned, there are many alternatives. However, there is a lot of variety in these options (as you can see if you read all the comments above). So what you end up choosing will depend on what you are looking for, where you are, etc.

If you're in the US, most of the time you'll want to use one of the big dating or hookup apps: Tinder, Adult Friend Finder, AshleyMadison, etc. If you're in Canada, try Kijiji, but it doesn't. You don't necessarily have much to offer as an opportunity side.

The main thing is that you use your common sense and stay safe. Many Craigslist alternatives are full of scammers trying to take advantage of lonely people. It's sad, yes, but it's true. Remember to use common sense and do not send anyone personal information or money until you have met them and verified that everything is legitimate. When in doubt, you should probably acknowledge it and go with your gut!

Finally, there are still many ways that people can meet others online through the social networks and websites mentioned above. As long as you're careful, there's a lot of fun.