Best 8 Free Hookup Sites and Apps with Craigslist Personals Alternatives 

Key Takeaway: We found the top hookup sites and apps with the best free versions that will come in handy when you’re on a tight budget. 

1. Best Free Hookup App for Comprehensiveness: Pure – Pure offers a straightforward ad method to find quick hookups and has the comprehensive features on a free ticket. 
2. Best Free Hookup Site for Options: Facebook Dating– Although not specifically catered for hookups, it’s free and gives you more relevant matches based on your Facebook data. 
3. Best Free Hookup App for Verified Profiles: Hud– With its Bedroom features and one free premium filter option to find verified profiles, Hud is a safer and fun way to find matches!
4. Best Free Sex Hookup App for BDSM: Whiplr- You’ll feel welcomed here for your kinks and their communities are equally enticing. 
5. Best Free Hookup App for Chanced Encounters: Happn– Missed a chance to approach someone at a bar? They may be on Happn so you get the opportunity to chat with them. 
6. Best Free Hookup App for Attractive Hookups: Tinder– With 57 million people on it, Tinder has an extensive selection of matches to choose from. 
7. Best Free Sex Hookup Site for an Online Forum: Dirtyr4r– With the wonders of Reddit, Dirtyr4r is a subreddit page for horny redditors to search one another. 
8. Best Free Hookup App for Free Messaging: Meetly– Message anyone you like before even matching each other on this app. 

Table of Contents:

1. Pure: Best Comprehensive Free Version

2. Facebook Dating: Best Free Hookup Site for Options

3. Hud: Best Free Hookup App for Verified Profiles

4. Whiplr: Best Free Sex Hookup App for BDSM

5. Happn: Best Free Hookup App for Chanced Encounters

6. Tinder: Best Free Hookup App for Attractive Hookups

7. Dirtyr4r: Best Free Sex Hookup Site for an Online Forum

8. Meetly: Best Free Hookup App for Free Messaging

Online dating and hookups are like searching for a needle in a haystack. 

While dating and hookup apps are great to find potential partners, they can also be challenging when you see the price tags attached to them for premium versions. 

And you simply need the premiums to unlock features to make your searches faster and efficient. 

Some may want to explore new apps to find which to throw their money on, the free version is great to test the water before making the big leap.

However, there are also free hookup sites and apps that have sufficient free versions to give you what you want. 

So if you’ve been searching for hookup sites that are free, you’ve come to the right place to end your painful search. 

We’ve tried and tested different apps and have compiled the best free hookup apps or best free hookup sites for you to download to land a hot hookup partner. 

1. Pure: Best Comprehensive Free Version

Source: Pure/Apple

Availability: iOS and Android

Free version: Yes

Pure is purely hookups but also incredibly 100% free if you don’t want to buy their in-app purchases. 

This app has not failed us and we hope the experience will be the same on your end. 

Pure gives off modern vibes of old ads in the newspapers’ section where we used to find people in the classified sections. 

Signing up is a breeze and all you have to do is come up with hookup ads of what you’re looking for and what you’re interested in. 

If you’re looking for sexting, straight up hookups or FWBs, say it. 

The way to win attention and in turn, messages, is to be real creative (but not sleazy) in your ads. 

Think along the lines of “There’s one thing I prefer more than pizza in bed”. 

Those who come up with better lines tend to get better rates of responses here. 

The ads are arranged according to the distances unless someone purchases a “King of the Hill” spot where they get the absolute top spot of the feed for a certain amount of time. 

You can message anyone here for free so don’t hold back if you find any ads that pique your curiosity.

Since the profiles don’t necessarily use real photos, you should definitely try utilising their in-app video calls to verify their identity especially if you want to meet up IRL. 

You don’t want to turn up at the person’s place and be disappointed with the person behind the door. 

Those who don’t have patience waiting around to match and look for a partner, should definitely try this as Pure is one of the top choices for completely free hookup sites. 

Plus, no payment and no money are required unless you want to get some in-app purchases, but the free version is more than sufficient to get some good catches here. 

It’ll be your shortcut to hookup heaven.  

2. Facebook Dating: Best Free Hookup Site for Options

Source: Facebook Dating/Website

Availability: Website, can be found on Facebook app on iOS and Android. 

Free version: Yes

Facebook is no stranger to us. 

The famous Facebook launched its Facebook dating feature and its members are mainly from the US and countries such as the UK, Canada, Netherlands and Sweden. 

While Mark Zuckerberg’s intention is for people to use it for long-term relationships and not just hookups, you could make it work for you as any dating app could be used to find hookups. 

What you need to know is that just because you’ve a FB account that you won’t be automatically signed up for the dating site. 

To create a dating account, you must sign up a separate account on FB Dating. 

Your FB friends won’t know that you register for the account as it won’t appear on your newsfeed. 

The thing that sets this apart is that the algorithm matches you with people based on data they already have on you such as your interest and hobbies.

You can use filters to narrow down your matches based on location, religion or age. 

There’s a daily limit to liking people in here. 

Instead of using a swiping motion to show interest or skip someone, you would need to tap “Interested” or Not Interested”. 

If you’re a seasoned app user and sick of the one-liner “Hi”, then you would like what Facebook Dating offers. 

You would need to pick a question or ask the other person about a photo of theirs. 

Once that message has been sent, you won’t be able to find that person’s profile until the person responds. 

For the LGBT community, they’ll be glad to know that they do offer non-binary genders and sexual orientations. 

You’ll also get questions to answer for your personality to come through. 

The site is totally free of charge to use. 

Although not specifically made for hookups, you can definitely still use this to find interested people here. 

3. Hud: Best Free Hookup App for Verified Profiles

Source: Hud/Apple

Availability: iOS and Android

Free version: Yes

1 week premium: USD 14.99

3 month premium: USD 59.99

6 month subscription: USD 119.99

If you like to know people’s taste in the bedroom before matching with anyone, Hud is the “commitment-free dating” app you’ve been searching for. 

Their Bedroom feature is what makes this app stand out from the rest. 

You get to see if they like Biting, Blindfolding, Butt Stuff, BDSM, Pegging, Voyeurism and other kinks before you need to heart or match with them. 

No more second-guessing what they’re comfortable with and the same goes with them before getting together for a romp. 

To ensure the safety of their members, Hud has included a video chat feature for you to talk to them before taking things any further. 

The image is auto-blurred until both of you are comfortable and agree to unblur it. 

If the call takes a dip with them being scammers or catfishes, you can report them during the call. 

Determined to stand out from the swiping apps category, they use a scrolling motion to get a preview of each profile. 

You’ll also like that they have plenty of fresh faces so even if you’ve been a Tinder user, you would find plenty of new choices here. 

You can also find verified profiles by using their one free premium filter option, so it’s great for those who have been looking for an app that has no or minimal scams (they tend to find a way to worm through) and catfishes. 

This makes you feel safer navigating through the app. 

On a free account, there are enough perks for you to get some nice matches here and with the one free premium option, it really helps save a lot of time. 

This app does take some time to work its magic but worth it if you like to know what you’re getting into before meeting anyone. 

4. Whiplr: Best Free Sex Hookup App for BDSM

Source: Whiplr/Apple

Availability: iOS and Android

Free version: Yes

Lifetime premium: USD 9.95

Whiplr is a badass, not just in the free hookup app or site genre, but also in the BDSM world. 

This is where you’ll feel right at home if you’ve specific kinks and BDSM fetishes as nobody is shy about what they want here. 

If you’re looking for one of the free sex hookup apps, Whiplr is great for all kinds of users including newbies, experienced, straight, gay, bisexual or transgenders. 

Their list of kinks will leave you wondering why you never knew about them. 

They have restraints, boots, leather, piercings, candle play, ice cubes and practically anything you can cook up here. 

Profiles are in grids so the ease of scrolling through is a relief. 

Their names and distance from you will be highlighted so you don’t have to worry about finding people who are 300km away from you. 

Not only that.

On a free account, you actually get a specific filtering tool where you can filter age, height, weight, relationship status, distance, sexual orientation, proffered kinks and weight range. 

You can also also narrow down according to specific kinks, their experience level and roles they’re into. 

If you ever felt that Tinder and Hud are too vanilla for your taste, then Whiplr would be a better choice for you. 

It is one of the best totally free hookup apps out there, waiting to be explored. 

5. Happn: Best Free Hookup App for Chanced Encounters

Source: Happn/Apple

Availability: iOS and Android

Free version: Yes

1 month Premium: USD 14.99

3 months Premium: USD 12.00 per month

6 months Premium: USD 9.00 per month

Although it isn’t marketed to cater for hookups but most hookups happen from chanced encounters at parties or bars. 

Happn tracks your whereabouts (but not sharing your exact locations for privacy reasons) and re-trace all your chance encounters that you missed wherever you are. 

You could be getting groceries and missed that hottie in Aisle 8 or you crossed with a cutie while browsing between through choices of cereals, but the moment was too fleeting. 

Happn will help you rewind the moment if they’re on the app as well!

Registration is fast and a breeze.

Before you know it, you’ll have loads of options to scroll through. 

Hit a Crush if you like them and “X” if you want to skip. 

The only pain of this app is you can only chat if the like is mutual so this is not an app for spontaneous hookups within the next hour or two, on a free account. 

It is, however, interesting compared to other apps as you never know who you’ve crossed paths with and leave you wondering how you did not notice them. 

It definitely helps to rekindle lost opportunities. 

If you want to fast forward and skip the mutual likes to chat, you can purchase Flash Notes to chat before having a Crush and you can send up to 10 flash notes per day for USD14.99 per month. 

Otherwise, just be patient and let the app work its magic to find potential hookup partners for you. 

6. Tinder: Best Free Hookup App for Attractive Hookups

Source: Tinder/Apple

Availability: iOS and Android

Free version: Yes

Tinder Gold: USD 29.99 per month

It’s pretty much impossible to not include this list due to its popularity and the amount of mentions it gets when it comes to local hookups, whether in reviews or within our circle of friends. 

Whenever the question on the best hookup app pops up during a gathering of friends, Tinder is 99% mentioned by them.

Its popularity is also due to its huge herd of users of 57 mil people, amounting to a huge pool of options to everyone. 

The art of swiping here also skyrocketed its usage, due to its ease to go through potential matches quickly. 

Members of the LGBT community are also welcomed now. 

The con here is that swiping usually encourages people to just swipe right to many profiles to try their luck and in the end, some may not return your messages. 

So, don’t get discouraged with ghosting here as it’s part and parcel of all dating apps and focus on those who are ready to engage with you. 

Make it known from the beginning that you’re not looking for anything serious so that everyone is on the same page and there’s no misunderstandings during any meet-ups. 

If you feel your Tinder profile is not getting many hits, spend time on it. 

Spruce up your photos with more lively photos showing your activities, travels and in flattering lighting.

Do avoid over filtering as people are getting more turned off by that and rely on natural lighting and your best pose to highlight your personality.

While the profile section doesn’t give much room for you to express yourself, you can keep it light, simple and inject a little wit. 

Remember to keep your profile positive as people tend to skip those who have negative things to say in their profiles. 

Even though you’re only looking for hookups here, photos takes up majority of the space on your Tinder screen so it’s the best way to attract more people to like your profile and in turn, start chatting with you. 

7. Dirtyr4r: Best Free Sex Hookup Site for an Online Forum

Source: Dirtyr4r/Reddit

Availability: Website

Free version: Completely free

Reddit is filled with hookup subreddits that will make your day in being one of the totally free hookup sites. 

Dirtyr4r subreddit is a great page to be on if you prefer a free hookup forum. 

Even though it’s a 100% free hookup site, it’s great because they’re moderated. 

Dirtyr4r is no exception in this regard as they have rules on how frequently a user can post in the group and even have tips on how to spot catfishes and spammers, so you don’t get caught with your pants down. 

The subreddit has 472,398 subscribers and you’ll find at least 800 people or more online per time. 

Quite a number of their users are from the US and UK and the posts will tell you age, location and kinks in here. 

If you’ve been a frustrated male user in dating apps, you may be relieved to know there are quite a number of females posting here. 

The posts highlighted in pink are by females, blue are from males, green are from trans and yellow for couples. 

Despite its name, you don’t get a flood of explicit photos here. 

A hot tip for you is to use the search bar to find people in your location such as Ireland, New Jersey, Germany, London, California, Texas and Virginia. 

If this is the first time you’re using Reddit to find a hookup, you may be on your way to find your first Reddit sex hookup here!

8. Meetly: Best Free Hookup App for Free Messaging

Source: Meetly/Google Play

Availability: Android

Free version: Yes

1 month premium: USD11.99

6 month premium: USD 7.99 per month

12 month premium: USD 5.99 per month

Meetly is a great alternative to Tinder as it’s a swiping app that is meant for friendship and dating. 

Although not specifically intended for hookups, you can definitely use it for that. 

Their bio space is really short and gives great emphasis to pictures, making it ideal for hookups. 

Even hookup site reviews on this shows that this is where people look for spontaneous hookups. 

They do have an interesting feature, which is the Call Hot Meets section. 

Once you hit the Call Hot Meets button there, the algorithm will filter those who you interacted with and matched you with whom appeals to you more. 

Unfortunately, you would need to buy Coins in the app in order to use this feature. 

Also, there are no profile verification yet so be cautious and always do your due diligence before meeting with anyone there. 

The huge advantage to this app is you can message anyone for free without paying. 

So no waiting around to be matched in order to even connect!

And you may make a great friend or a few buddies here along the way. 

3 Free Hookup Sites like Craigslist

Craigslist Personals was popular to be used as a great hookup site until it was taken down. 

Some are still looking for alternatives that would help them find hookups and turns out, there are similar sites out there. 

Some may even find these work better for them, compared to free hookup dating sites out there. 

These sites are still some of the best sex hookup sites to use for free and functions pretty much the same as Craigslist Personals while adding some of their personal flair to them.

A word of caution though. 

Most of them don’t post up their photos and there is no photo verification, so be on alert and take the necessary precautions before meeting up with anyone. 

Remember that they’re strangers and you must always protect yourself first. 

Here are our findings for Craigslist Personals alternatives to find your own Craigslist hookup. 

1. ClassifiedAds.com

ClassifiedAds.com is a free classified ads website where you can post about almost anything ranging from cars, jobs, real estate and many in between. 

This rather ordinary looking website may not strike you as a place to find hookups, but it has a personals section, catering for only casual dating. 

It has filters that allows you to search for MSW, MSM, WSM and WSW for your ease in search. 

The drawback of this free site is that it is almost anonymous, with barely any photos for you to verify how the person looks like. 

The pro is you can post an ad here for free that you could set to expire between one week to 6 months. 

You can also post with no sign up (meaning no email required unless you want to), requiring very little effort. 

So, do always take precautions when using this and make sure to insist on a video call at least to make sure you’re not being scammed. 

2. Oodle

Oodle is an online marketplace to buy, sell and trade various categories of products and services. 

Their Personals section features various ad listings, pulled from meetup4fun.com of people looking for hookups, friends and other types of relationships. 

You can easily narrow down their intentions using the Search bar using words like “hookup” or “friends”. 

You can narrow it further using their filters featuring location, Men Seek Women, Women Seek Men and Age. 

On each profile, you can choose to click on the chat now, video or meet up icon. 

These profiles usually have at least one photo included but always verify personally. 

You must sign up to view some profiles so create a profile to easily navigate through. 

3. Lacanto 

Similar to Craigslist, Lacanto is an online classifieds site for various categories including personals. 

It’s the best in terms of design and features compared to Craigslist and other alternatives so far, making it way more inviting the others. 

What makes a huge difference to this is the search filters where you can narrow it down easily to Long Term Relationships and Casual Encounters.

You can also go one step further by looking for Women Looking for Men, Women Looking for Women, Men Looking for Men, Fetish Encounters, Virtual Adventures and Couples Seeking Couples. 

Then the ads can be filtered according to US locations, so you can easily find people in your area. 

You will probably find prostitutes here, so be prepared for that. 

Another feature that may interest you especially if you don’t plan to login often, is to set a search alert.

Lacanto will send new ads related to your search whenever they’re posted and you can set them according to “instant”, daily or weekly updates. 

The site also provides general safety tips  that could be helpful to you. 

How to Remain Safe When Using Hookup Apps and Craigslist Personal Alternatives 

While it is exciting and fun to look for hookups on dating apps or Craigslist Personal Alternatives, it is also important to remember to be cautious.

Some people may not appear as they seem from their profiles or even after a video chat. 

Here are some of the ways to look for hookups on any of these online apps or sites, while remaining safe while on your lookout for hookups. 

1. Always Remember You’re Meeting a Stranger

No matter how many times you spoke to the person online or on video calls, the person is still a stranger. 

Don’t let your guard down just because you spent time virtually. 

2. Keep Private Information Private

This is for security purposes and that includes your address. 

If you’re posting an ad on any of the Craigslist Personals, don’t include your full name, address, phone number or even address. 

An email there is sufficient if the ad space doesn’t allow exchange of messages there or if you prefer to get a prompt reply in your inbox. 

But we would definitely recommend setting up an email address for this purpose only and definitely do not give out your work email. 

3. Pre-agree on a Location 

If you do decide to meet your online crush, don’t go with the flow on the location. 

Pick a location that is comfortable and familiar to you and don’t go to any place that you have no idea about. 

If anything goes wrong, you know your way around and don’t end up flustered, not knowing where to go. 

Meet somewhere public before deciding to go to anyone’s place or hotel to spend the night. 

It is always good to take the necessary precautions rather than regretting it later. 

4. Leave Whenever You’re Uncomfortable 

Just because you agreed to meet someone or agree to go back to their place, you’re not obligated to stay any longer and can leave whenever you feel threatened or uncomfortable. 

Run if you need to or in some situations, you could excuse yourself to the toilet and leave through an alternative exit if possible. 

5. Follow Your Gut

If the person is charming and saying the right things but you’ve this nagging sense something is wrong, always follow your gut. 

If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to stay and definitely don’t need to take things further to find out what happens next. 

Trust your gut as it’s never wrong! 

-end-

(Last Updated: 22 April 2021)

About the Author

Kelvin Kevin is the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Content Editor of the World-Renowned HappyMatches.com Dating App and Dating Site. An avid writer since young, he is an Expert Dating and Relationships Coach for Casual Dating, Serious Dating and General Dating. You can follow him on Twitter (@HowToDateBetter), and also check out his personal Dating Blog, for the latest Dating Advice and Dating Tips to help Straight, Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Singles and Couples find and enjoy Fulfilling and Intimate Dating Relationships.

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