15 Best Sex Apps for Casual Hookups (Android and iPhone Hookup Apps)

February 7, 2020/ Tony

Hookup culture is a new casual sex phenomenon that’s sweeping the nation. Men and women everywhere are finally admitting that sometimes they just want to find sex, get laid, and carry on with their day. There’s no shame in that!

In fact, 40% of men and 31% of women said they’d had a Tinder hookup or other form of casual sex in the last year. So, what are the best sex apps? Here I take a look at 16 of the best apps for sex, hookups, flings, and dating.

Top Hookup Apps for Casual Sex

1

HingeBest Free Sex App

Highlights & Features
  • 90% of users are 23-36 and most are college-educated
  • Designed for finding love, but many app users are looking for casual flings too
  • You can change your location for added safety
  • Flirting is more subtle

Hinge is a dating app “designed to be deleted”. In other words, they’re trying to help you find love or long-term relationships. However, only 45% of Hinge users are looking for long-term love, with most looking for something a little more casual. The app is unique because it allows you to “like” on “comment” on user photos without sending them direct messages.

Pros
  • Don’t need to directly message people you like
  • No expiry on messages or matches
  • Built-in safety features
  • Popular with college-educated people
Cons
  • App is generally geared toward dating
  • Free users limited to 10 matches a day and basic filter options
  • Free users are heavily encouraged to purchase full version
Our Rating of Hinge
2

BumbleBest Hookup App for Young Women

Highlights & Features
  • Women initiate contact if both partners “match”
  • Described as a “feminist” app which helps women feel more secure
  • 60% of matches result in a conversation
  • Anti-catfish photo verification features

Bumble was started by Whitney Wolfe, a former Tinder employee who sued Tinder for $1million following a sexual harassment claim. She later invented Bumble, a dating a hookup app where only women can start the conversation (providing that there’s a match). This helps to stop women being flooded with messages by desperate men looking for attention.

Pros
  • 55% of app users are men (nearly equal split)
  • Women are not pestered by dozens of male users
  • 60% of matches lead to conversations
  • Used for both hookups and dating
Cons
  • Bio limited to 300 characters or less
  • Limited filtering options (just age, ethnicity, etc.)
  • Women have 24-hour deadline to start conversation after a match
Our Rating of Bumble
3

Tinder2nd Best Sex App Overall

Highlights & Features
  • 57 million worldwide users
  • Birthplace of the “swipe right” phenomenon
  • Very simple and straight-to-the-point UI
  • Great app for hookups

Although the gay community tends to use Tinder for dating, straight people tend to use Tinder for sex. Tinder allows you to “swipe left” and “swipe right” to indicate whether you’re attracted to users or not, giving you their name, age, a few pictures, and a short bio. It uses your location to find potential matches, so it’s great for local hookups. Tinder Halloween costumes are also a thing that exists for some reason.

Pros
  • Very popular hookup app
  • Register via Facebook for quick signup
  • Location-based so you can see how far away potential matches are
  • Mobile app and website versions
Cons
  • Very superficial
  • Both users need to match in order to talk
  • Catfishing is a major problem is around 20% of profiles are fake
Our Rating of Tinder
4

Adult Friend FinderBest Sex App for Swingers and Threesomes

Highlights & Features
  • 80 million users and 98 million naughty photos
  • Tends to be a slightly older demographic (25-44)
  • Perfect for sex hookups, orgies, threesomes, and local swingers
  • Flirt and attract interest by posting hot photos and videos
  • One of the best sex apps for organizing a hot fuck!

Adult Friend Finder is one of the top hookup apps for swingers and threesomes, as well as singles looking for NSA sex. Many online dating sites see you doing a lot of work and “sussing out” whether someone is looking for sex or love – AFF cuts out all of that bullshit. The people on AFF are looking for quick sex and they aren’t shy about it.

Pros
  • Refreshingly to-the-point if you’re after quick sex
  • Various ways to find members – cross paths with a sexy stranger
  • Very sexual and sex-positive app
  • See a user’s naughty photos/videos and find out exactly what they’re into
Cons
  • Mostly male members
  • Problems with a lot of fake profiles
  • You need to be careful posting sensitive pics (they could be posted elsewhere)
Our Rating of Adult Friend Finder
5

Ashley MadisonBest App for Having an Affair

Highlights & Features
  • Designed for married people looking for an affair
  • Lots of privacy features to help with discretion
  • Skewed toward a middle-aged audience
  • Site is free for female members

When it comes to sex and dating apps, Ashley Madison is always a controversial one. Designed specifically for married people who want to have a discreet affair, the site comes with multiple features to help protect users’ identities. The site is free for female members, which is probably because the demographic is skewed toward middle-aged men, so bear that in mind.

Pros
  • Judgement-free place for having an affair
  • Free for female members
  • Discretion and privacy are strongly emphasized
  • Often used to find sexual encounters and casual hookups
Cons
  • Experienced a major data hack in 2015 (security has improved since then)
  • Many members don’t fill out their profiles properly
  • Most members don’t show their faces in pictures due to privacy concerns
Our Rating of Ashley Madison
6

PureBest Fuck App for No Strings Attached Sex

Highlights & Features
  • App creates a 1-hour temporary profile which self-destructs after 60 mins
  • Local hookups app designed for anonymous sex
  • Location-based matches
  • Above-average data security and privacy features

A cool and unique concept, Pure is one of the best casual sex and dating apps I’ve ever seen. You create a profile with a few pictures and a very basic bio, then you have 1 hour to find other people with temporary profiles who want to hook up. After 1 hour, your profile self-destructs forever, leaving no trace of you. Log in, find sex for 1 hour, then vanish like nothing happened!

Pros
  • 100% free app for female users
  • Unique concept is perfect for NSA sex
  • Many potential matches
  • Temporary profile self-destructs after 1 hour
  • One of the best sex apps for discretion and privacy
Cons
  • 60 minutes is a limited time window to organize hookups
  • Profiles are superficial and minimalistic
  • You feel the need to rush compared to other dating apps
Our Rating of Pure
7

GrindrBest Hookup App For M4M Sex

Highlights & Features
  • Designed primarily for gay men and the LGBTQ+ community
  • Location-based sex app with grid-based UI
  • Find sex with gay men close to you right now
  • Average user spends 54 minutes on Grindr app each day

Definitely one of the best gay hookup apps in existence, Grindr is a staple of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s extremely popular all over the world, with 228 million sexy messages being exchanged every single day. There are different “tribes” for different “types” of gay men, including Twinks, Geeks, Bears, Jocks, Trans, Otters, and Poz (HIV Positive). It’s all very simple and to-the-point, which is nice.

Pros
  • Location-based matches – first users are closest to you
  • “Right Now” setting shows users interested in one-night stands
  • Free version of the app is pretty decent, though limited
  • Very high engagement rates
  • One of the best sex apps for gay men
Cons
  • Limited scrolling for free members
  • Catfishing and ghosting are a major problem
  • Racism on Grindr is an issue
Our Rating of Grindr
8

Be NaughtyBest App with Horny Users

Highlights & Features
  • Used for both dating and casual sex
  • Organize hookups for singles and couples
  • Simple and easy to use
  • Upload photos and videos to your profile

Be Naughty sort-of markets itself halfway between a sex app and an online dating site. I guess you could say it’s “flirty”. It’s very popular with female users, particularly in the 25-34 age range. You can send messages, send photos, and also send videos to potential matches. There are even group chat rooms for flirting and talking dirty. It’s all very cheeky!

Pros
  • Mostly female users looking for a fuck!
  • All search filters are available for free
  • Fun, flirty, and sexy – have a cheeky one-night stand
  • Photo verification features help to prevent catfishing and fake profiles
Cons
  • Most user profiles are limited and missing information
  • Lots of bots on the app
  • Canceling your subscription is difficult
Our Rating of Be Naughty
9

Elite SinglesBest for App for Flings with Sexy, Intelligent Singles

Highlights & Features
  • Aimed at educated professionals with mid-level or high-level jobs
  • Popular with the 30-55 age range
  • 56% of users are women
  • Sends you 3-7 matches each day

Elite Singles has a clear audience in mind – educated professionals looking for other wealthy and aspirational partners. This dating app sends you 3-7 matches a day of people it thinks will be appealing to you, but you frustratingly can’t go searching for other people yourself. Personally, I find the whole concept of “Elite Singles” to be weird and poncey – even the word “Elite” is a bit loaded. Let’s just say it’s very white and middle class.

Pros
  • Appeals to a specific market
  • Popular with the 30-55 age range
  • More women than men on the site
  • You don’t need to spend hours searching through the user base
Cons
  • Free version is very poor (you can’t even see people’s pictures)
  • Paid version is expensive for no apparent reason
  • You can’t independently search for your own matches
  • Finding a one-night stand might be hard
Our Rating of Elite Singles
10

Match.comBest Sex App If You're Over 35

Highlights & Features
  • Popular with middle-aged and 50+ singles
  • Established as a popular online dating site since 1995
  • 8 million premium members across the world
  • More geared toward relationships, but flings are possible

48.6% of Match.com users are 30-49, with 74% of the total user base having a college degree or some form of higher education. This popular online dating site is definitely geared toward older, more sophisticated people (without being all up itself like Elite Singles). Established since 1995, the layout of Match.com’s website and app are a little more old-school, but profiles are detailed and it’s easy to keep track of your likes and messages.

Pros
  • 55-45 male-female split, so genders are fairly even
  • Strong detailed profiles with pictures
  • Extensive search filters for finding suitable matches
  • Free to view profiles and send likes
Cons
  • You can’t send messages with a free profile (what’s the point?)
  • UI feels a bit dated
  • Even the cheapest paid subscription is pretty expensive
Our Rating of Match.com
11

ZooskBest Free Hookup Sex App

Highlights & Features
  • 40 million members worldwide
  • Popular with 25-34-year-olds
  • Close split of men and women on the app
  • Profiles can be verified (less catfishing)

Zoosk is an app for hook ups and dating that is popular with 25-34-year-olds. The sign-up process is quick and painless (especially on the app) and the majority of profiles seem to be active. Zoosk has some unique quirks like the “Zoosk coins” feature where you can buy “digital gifts” for someone to show your appreciation/interest in them. It’s a bit of a waste of money in my opinion, but you do you.

Pros
  • Popular with millennials
  • “Zoosk coins” and digital gifting features
  • Used for dates and hooking up
  • App is very well-designed
Cons
  • Only paid members message their matches
  • Zoosk coins feel a bit scammy and micro-transaction-ey
  • Paid version is quite pricey
Our Rating of Zoosk
12

OkCupidTop Sex App Alternative

Highlights & Features
  • Fun, vibrant design
  • Progressive and LGTBQ+ friendly
  • Great for finding love and/or sex
  • Very detailed questionnaires about your beliefs, values, and personality traits

One of the few dating and hookup sites that lets you use its core features free of charge, OkCupid is a force to be reckoned with in the internet dating arena. Popular with millennials, this website has a lengthy sign-up and profile creation process, but it means that people’s profiles are usually very detailed. It’s not the most intuitive UI in the world, but it’s pretty easy to get used to.

Pros
  • Progressive, popular with LGBTQ+ community
  • Good for finding long-term relationships
  • Most profiles are real and active
  • Core features are completely free to use
  • Paid subscription is cheap compared to other dating and hookup sites
Cons
  • App is a little bit too simple
  • Layout of the website can be a little confusing
  • Very long questionnaire is draining to answer
Our Rating of OkCupid
13

HerBest Hookup App for Lesbians

Highlights & Features
  • 4 million queer women – largest dating app for queer women
  • Dedicated social media feed where users can post and comment on things
  • Free and unlimited messaging
  • One of the best apps for sex, dating, making friends, and networking

HER is the world’s biggest lesbian dating app, and it’s easy to see why. Using a location-based swiping system à la Tinder, HER allows its user base to send unlimited messages to each other free of charge. You can only sign up via your Facebook or Instagram account, so it’s difficult for people to make convincing catfish accounts, and the app even tells you about lesbian events in your area. HER even organizes their own lesbian events too!

Pros
  • Profiles need to be linked to Facebook or Instagram account
  • Free and unlimited messaging
  • Social media feed and events sections
  • Profiles must have pictures
  • Easy to meet people on the app or at events
Cons
  • You NEED Facebook/Instagram to join
  • Matches only based on location and age preferences
  • App can be a bit slow and annoying at times
Our Rating of Her
14

Alt SceneBest for “Alternative” Men and Women

Highlights & Features
  • Meet men and women into alternative aesthetics
  • Great for goths, emos, punks, rockers, skaters, etc.
  • Good for hooking up and dating
  • 100% free

Traditionally, people who fit into the “alternative” scene don’t fare very well on dating sites. As a result, Alt Scene was born. This 100% free dating and hookup site has limited features, but you can search and message anyone you want without having to pay a penny. It’s not the most active dating app in the world, but maybe you’ll strike it lucky!

Pros
  • Ideal for goths, emos, punks, skaters, etc.
  • Clear-cut audience, meet other like-minded people
  • 100% free to do everything
  • Search and message whoever you want
Cons
  • Many dead profiles
  • Skews toward a younger audience
  • Response rates aren’t too high
  • Not designed for one-night stands
Our Rating of Alt Scene
15

eHarmonyBest for Sex With Working Professionals

Highlights & Features
  • Great for finding dates
  • 60 million members across the globe
  • Strong matchmaking algorithm renowned for getting it right
  • Well-designed dating app

If you’re looking for love or you want to go on some flirty dates and see where things go, eHarmony could be just the thing for you. The site is split between 51% women and 49% men, so it’s very even, and the main demographic goes from 26-65. One of the best features is the “Two of You Together” feature which shows you exactly why you and other users were matched based on values like extraversion, religious values, agreeableness and affection.

Pros
  • Even gender split
  • Great matchmaking algorithm
  • Website feels professional
  • App is very well-designed and intuitive
Cons
  • Can’t see everyone on the platform
  • You can’t message people on the free version of the app
  • eHarmony founder is homophobic and generally a bit of a dick
Our Rating of eHarmony
16

ShipBest for Hooking Your Friends Up!

Highlights & Features
  • Your friends browse people they think would suit you
  • Users create a “crew” with a group chat where they discuss potential matches for friends
  • Private messaging between 2 matched parties in the app
  • Popular app with Millennials and younger people

Who knows you better than your friends? Whether you’re looking for dates or DTF matches, Ship is the hookup app that lets your friends decide who you should meet. You can browse unlimited profiles on the location-based app, and the detailed profiles help your mates decide who you’ve got stuff in common with so they can “ship” you.

Pros
  • Your friends can act as digital wingmen (or women)
  • Location-based matches show you the closest users first
  • Create a group chat with the “crew” to discuss matches for your friend
  • Can be used for dating or hookups
  • Unlimited profiles
Cons
  • Mainly younger users
  • Relinquishing all control to your friends is worrying
  • Not a massive user base
Our Rating of Ship

How to Stay Safe on Dating Apps

Whether you’re a man, a woman, or anything in between, dating and casual sex can be dangerous. Even if you’re using one of the best sex apps, meeting a stranger from the internet needs to be approached with caution, especially if you’re planning on having sex straight away without going on a date.

Here are some basic safety tips for using sex apps!

1. Tell someone where you’re going

It sounds like common sense, but a surprising amount of people don’t do this. If you plan to meet someone for sex or a date, tell 1 or 2 trusted friends/family members where you’re meeting the person and give them any additional information such as the person’s name, address, contact information etc. Location-sharing apps might be a good idea. There’s also a location-sharing feature in WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and a few other messaging apps too.

2. Have an escape plan

If things aren’t going well or the person you’re hooking up with is NOT the person you were sold on a hookup app, try to have an escape plan in place. If possible, drive to the location and prepare an excuse to leave if necessary. Don’t leave yourself stranded with a stranger and drink too much booze if you might need to drive far, far away.

3. Be wary of sending nude pictures/videos on hookup apps

Once something is on the internet, it stays there forever. If you send out a nude image to ANYONE, you need to assume that the image could be posted online without your approval. Revenge porn is a huge problem is our current technological climate, so consider covering up your face and any identifying marks/scars/tattoos if you share nudes of yourself.

4. Meet in public

Whether you’re meeting for a date or some no strings attached sex, it’s common knowledge that you should always meet in a public place. Meeting in a stranger’s house is just a bad idea on many, many levels.

5. Do some research (don’t just trust their dating app profile)

If your match has links to their social media profiles or they state their full name, get googling them and researching their online presence. Do their social media feeds seem like they’re real? Are the photos and posts consistent with things you’ve talked about on dating apps? Try to get a sense of who you’re dealing with and if they’re genuine!

6. Video chat

Before meeting your date or hookup partner, ask to video call with them. It’s the easiest way to tell whether you’re being catfished, and you can get a sense of what they’re like to speak to IRL. If they refuse to video call with you, it should be a huge red flag.

Many of the people you meet on a hookup app are people you’d never cross paths with in real life, so remember to be sensible, be suspicious, and always have a backup plan in place. Have fun and stay safe!





Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a hardcore porn watcher spending 12-hour days surfing xxx adult websites for 20 years. He has witnessed the drastic change of internet porn over the years and is your guide to the past present and future of the adult industry.
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