Has it been a while since you’ve mingled, socialized, or dated?

Well, with lockdown and all, it’s possible you haven’t even left your house in quite some time. Now that things are easing up, spare yourself the awkwardness of going to your local bar, and try using 2021’s best hookup sites and apps so far!

Dating smarter is the best way to maximize your time and costs, and of course, getting action could be more convenient, too. That’s why we put together a list of the 11 best hookup sites and apps most likely to bring you what you want.

Who Are We?

We’re a team of dating industry experts who also peruse dating sites and dating apps for fun.

To research our list, we reviewed some of the most active dating sites discussed on Reddit, and then signed up for our own experience. We based our selection of the best dating sites and apps on criteria such as:

• Website and mobile app navigation
• User reviews and complaints
• Active social community
• Verification options
• Extra perks for premium members
• Personal stories from mainstream articles & social media

Let’s jump in!

Best Hookup Sites and Apps

1. AdultFriendFinder – Best Hookup Site and App Overall

AdultFriendFinder is the best casual flings hookup website you can find, whether you’re looking for local hookups, cam girls or guys, or of course, specific forums where you can meet other people that are into that freaky thing that gets you going.

The FriendFinder network has been around since the internet dark ages of 1996, and to this day, AFF counts upwards of 100 million, sometimes 200 million users, though we’re not quite sure that many are active on a Sunday!

Still, when it comes to apps for hooking up, the best thing to do is to join a successful site that everyone knows and start chatting with real people. And that’s where AFF’s key strength lies: its size and popularity.

Pros

• Local singles who want hookups
• Swingers, threesomes & more complicated relationships
• Nice perks like trophies

Cons

• One of the more expensive apps for hooking up

2. Ashley Madison – Best for Easy Hookups

Ashley Madison is almost more notorious than AdultFriendFinder, namely because it primarily offers discretion, privacy, and anonymity.

This hookup app gives you the option to lock and blur photos, log out automatically even if you forget to, and take down profiles from the public view at any time.

For a casual hookup where discretion is everything, Ashley Madison sticks to its promise.

Pros

• Ideal for staying discreet
• Photo locking & blurring
• See who viewed your profile for free

Cons

• Men still outnumber women

3. Seeking – Most Attractive Members

Seeking is like the steroids of online dating, and just as controversial.

However, Seeking doesn’t encourage anything illegal, just old-fashioned rich men offering to pamper young beautiful women. They pay for dates, hotel stays, and offer gifts and allowances.

The men love it, and the women get benefits by being beautiful, interesting, and a great date, with no hooking up required.

Seeking is not for all tastes, or income levels, but for those who dig it, there’s no substitute.

Pros

• 4:1 female to male ratio
• Offers straight & gay relationships
• As casual or serious as you want it

Cons

• Expensive premium account

4. Bumble – Great Hookup Dating App for Women

This is the best hookup app for women, on account that it’s created by women to be female-friendly, and filter out the low-quality guys immediately.

The app requires women to make the first move after a mutual match, which means guys have to work harder on their profiles.

Bumble also has a career and friendship mode, just in case you want to casually talk, and not feel so much pressure to date.

Pros

• Women message guys first
• Higher female to male ratio
• Choose friendship, career, or dating search

Cons

• No forum or community perks

5. Tinder – Best (Mostly) Free App for Hookups

Tinder may have stolen AFF’s thunder as the world’s most popular hookup app, though Tinder only works on mobile or tablet. It’s very simple to use, and if you’re persistent and willing to play the “roulette wheel” until you finally find a mutual like, you may find it useful.

Best of all, it’s free.

Tinder does charge you for additional perks, like undoing swipe mistakes, or searching outside your local area. But many are willing to stick to the daily limits for a free service.

Pros

• Local hookups search within distance
• Paid members can search for out-of-state buddies
• Take down profile easily whenever you’re unavailable

Cons

• Not the best place to meet “quality” matches

6. DirtyR4R – Best Free Hookup Site

DirtyR4R is basically the new Craigslist, given its high member count, active postings, and number of…well, successful one night hookups that have happened.

It’s completely free, and you can customize the kind of date you want, where you want it, and what you’re bringing to the table.

The site is not as locally-friendly as other sites, however, and you may be waiting a while to see your city highlighted.

Pros

• Completely free to use
• Easy chat system
• Trolls & creeps removed by moderators

Cons

• No verification process
• No perks besides personal ads

7. OkCupid – Best Hookup App for Millennials

OKCupid is the most millennial-friendly hookup app in the industry, on account of its very flexible LGBTQ+ hookup options, as well as its fun questionnaire at signup.

The questionnaire helps you find a highly compatible partner, even if it’s short-term.

Meanwhile, its hookup filters will bring you much more interesting hookup profiles than most other old-fashioned dating sites.

Pros

• Find someone with ease
• Best dating option for LGBTQ+ dating
• Looks good on desktop or app

Cons

• Limited free preview

8. Grindr – Best Gay Hookup App

Grindr has a pretty grand reputation as the go-to place to meet random gay men for sex. But its options are far beyond just gay, and include bisexual, trans, queer, and a number of other flexible options.

This app also offers more desktop-friendly features than Tinder, such as a “who viewed me” notice, invisible mode, typing status, and un-send options, just in case you drunk-type. Oops!

Pros

• • Advanced search filters for LGBTQ+ users
  • Invisible mode, vanishing mode & other perks
  • Auto-translate unfamiliar languages

Cons

• Requires a paid subscription for most features

9. Swapfinder – Best Site for Swingers

If you’re into the swinging, sharing, or watching a scene, Swapfinder knows what’s on your mind. The site caters to couples, swingers, unicorns, bulls, and any other kinkster looking to liven up the bedroom.

Swapfinder offers a two-way webcam option for swingers chat, photos and videos, messaging, and an international community to befriend.

Pros

• Advanced search to find the right type of couple
• Trans-friendly
• Find threesomes, swaps, or groups

Cons

• Pricey, and limited free preview

10. Alt.com – Best for Fetish or Kink Hookups

Alt.com goes one step beyond swinging, and welcomes all the unusual sexual preferences that people might not always be willing to talk about in public.

The site offers no-strings-attached flings, or long-term play with multiple partners. It’s a good hookup site featuring a vibrant community of non-vanilla kinksters.

Pros

• High membership and community approach
• No sexual ads, unlike other dating sites
• Extended profile questionnaire to find better matches

Cons

• Requires premium membership for most features

11. Pure – Best Anonymous App for a Hookup

Pure is not the best app for a serious relationship.

Where it does score high, however, is that the whole site is in vanishing mode. Simply upload a profile and a very short introduction, and see who’s in the area.

It works better in big cities, but if you’re willing to travel, Pure is a discreet hookup finder you can use without second-guessing privacy leaks.

Pros

• Vanishing profiles and photos in 24 hours
• Great for traveling out of state
• Good for specific fantasy fulfillment

Cons

• Very limited free preview

Hookup Dating Sites and Apps FAQs

If you haven’t been “out there” for a while, it’s about time you brush up on some online and in-person dating etiquette. You could say that following the “rules” is even more important if you want an easy hookup, as opposed to a serious relationship.

Don’t scare your date away…try to be respectful, interesting, and make him or her feel safe, so that your date will trust you enough to return for more. If more is what you’re after, anyway.

What Are Some Free Hookup Date Sites?

If you don’t have the budget to speed-date and find the right kind of partner, then try a free dating site like Reddit Dirty R4R.

You could also try a limited free dating site or app like Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, or many others.

Which Hookup Sites Are Worth a Premium Membership?

Overall, Adult Friend Finder is the most practical site that’s worth a premium membership, boasting a large sex-positive community that’s very open minded and up for new experiences.

Still, the truth is everyone has their own cup of tea. The best way to find your favorite hookup dating app is to sample the free memberships available.

Look around the site, browse some of the online members, and if possible, try to post a message on the forum or send a private message, if the system lets you.

Even AdultFriendFinder occasionally lets free members send a message or two just to test the waters.

Are There Pointers On How to Get Hookups Using a Dating App?

Well, since you asked nicely…try to act a little less like “yourself” and more like your partner’s ideal fantasy.

Let’s be honest. You’re not looking to fall in love. You may never see this person again. So, are you trying to emotionally connect? That might be time wasted.

Instead, try to accentuate your most attractive qualities, both in personality and in looks. If you’re naturally funny, keep doing that until you learn your partner’s sense of humor. If you’re naturally quiet, but come alive when you talk about your favorite hobby, then do more of that.

If you have killer confidence, then maintain eye contact and keep that lovely smile going. Don’t be shy with tension between you two. Test that attraction naturally as the evening and conversation progresses.

If your date is nervous about meeting new people, then take things a little slower. Chatting longer before meeting may also help to build rapport with your date.

How Do You End a One Night Stand?

Be nice, make sure your partner is cool, and then leave whenever it feels appropriate.

Try to avoid discussing anything about the future. It’s polite to leave a text later on, letting them know the date went well and you had fun.

If the two of you want to continue, you can always reconnect online.

How Can I Avoid Nightmare Dating Scenarios I Hear About Online?

Kudos for having above-average survival instincts. There is no significant risk in meeting hookup partners online if you follow these common sense tips:

• Always tell a friend or relative where you’re going
• Don’t share any identifying information in public or private messages with strangers
• Insist that you meet in a public place for the first meeting
• Insist that you’ll drive yourself to and from
• If anything seems “off” take those instincts seriously
• Always make sure you have your partner’s consent before/during hooking up
• Always use protection in the bedroom

2021’s Best Hookup Apps and Sites So Far – The Bottom Line

When it comes to finding the best dating sites and apps for hooking up, our research found that AdultFriendFinder offers the best of every world, from cam fun to swinging, to group chats, and good old-fashioned, male-looking-for-female personal ads.

AFF has earned a reputation over the years, starting in 1996, and has only improved upon its model. The newest features include a multi-cam session (a smaller version of Zoom), as well as the ability to unlock achievements, and start your own kink group.

Adult Friend Finder is #1 on our list because it’s the most fun and versatile hookup app in the world, not to mention the one with the world’s largest user database.

Have fun and stay safe this season!