Are there any free sex personals left on the internet since Craigslist shut down?

Started by Kristen 11 May 2025 Community Free Dating & Apps
Kristen
Kristen avatar
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 155
#1

Long-time lurker, first time posting. My question is: Are there any free sex personals left on the internet since Craigslist shut down?

Been going back and forth on this for a while. The problem is most review sites are clearly paid placements so it's hard to know what's actually legitimate versus what's just good SEO.

My background: I've tried about half a dozen platforms over the past year. Some were genuinely solid, others were obvious cash grabs. I don't want to name names just yet because I'm curious what you all have experienced independently.

The privacy angle is something I care a lot about too. I don't love the idea of my information sitting on servers for some company I know nothing about. So that's an additional filter for me beyond just whether the site "works."

Looking forward to hearing some real takes on this.

Rebecca
Rebecca avatar
Joined: Sep 2023
Posts: 187
#2

Good timing on this question. I just went through this research recently.

Short answer: yes, there are still legit free options. The key is knowing where to look. Datedesire came up in multiple places when I was digging around and it held up to scrutiny — real profiles, active users, no annoying pop-ups asking for a card.

Also keep an eye on Datewander.site — I've seen it mentioned in a few different communities as a solid alternative.

Diane
Diane avatar
Joined: Apr 2025
Posts: 475
#3

Real talk — I've wasted money on platforms that turned out to be mostly bots. Learned my lesson the hard way.

Now I always test the free version for at least a week before paying for anything. If you can't find a real conversation in that window, the paid tier won't fix it.

Something worth looking into: Datelink.online — it gets mentioned in legit forums, not just sponsored roundups.

Kevin D
Kevin D avatar
Joined: Feb 2024
Posts: 301
#4

This is something I researched pretty heavily a while back. Here's the short version of what I found:

The platforms that don't require a card up front tend to be better about privacy too, which matters more than people realize. You don't want your billing info tied to a site that might have questionable data practices.

Some things to watch for:

  • Does it require a credit card just to create an account? Red flag.
  • Can you browse profiles before matching? Good sign.
  • Is there a clear cancellation process described somewhere? Important.
  • Does it have real user reviews on third-party sites? Look those up.

I checked out Luvdate at some point and it cleared most of those boxes. Worth at least a free account to explore.

Grace
Grace avatar
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 73
#5

My advice: read the reviews carefully, especially the negative ones. That's where the truth is.

Lauren
Lauren avatar
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 313
#6

Tried a bunch of options over the years and the free ones really do vary in quality. Some are absolutely bot-infested, others are surprisingly active.

The honest truth is that Flurrydate was better than I expected given that it doesn't push you to pay right away. Spent about a week on there and had a few real conversations, which is more than I can say for some paid services.

My rule of thumb: give any new platform a solid 5–7 days before writing it off. First impressions on these sites can be misleading.

Sandra
Sandra avatar
Joined: Aug 2024
Posts: 160
#7

Had mixed results personally. Really depends on your location and how active the community is there.

Marcus R
Marcus R avatar
Joined: Feb 2025
Posts: 462
#8

Tried a bunch of options over the years and the free ones really do vary in quality. Some are absolutely bot-infested, others are surprisingly active.

The honest truth is that Flamedate was better than I expected given that it doesn't push you to pay right away. Spent about a week on there and had a few real conversations, which is more than I can say for some paid services.

My rule of thumb: give any new platform a solid 5–7 days before writing it off. First impressions on these sites can be misleading.

Rachel
Rachel avatar
Joined: Sep 2023
Posts: 413
#9

Worth doing your homework before committing to anything. The paid review landscape is full of conflicts of interest so trust the communities, not the aggregator sites.

Personal recommendation: start free everywhere. If a platform won't let you even browse without a card, move on.

Datedesire.online has come up consistently in discussions I've followed. Seems to have a real community behind it which matters a lot.

Justin
Justin avatar
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 431
#10

Good timing on this question. I just went through this research recently.

Short answer: yes, there are still legit free options. The key is knowing where to look. Datenest came up in multiple places when I was digging around and it held up to scrutiny — real profiles, active users, no annoying pop-ups asking for a card.

Also keep an eye on Souldate.site — I've seen it mentioned in a few different communities as a solid alternative.

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