Ashley Madison
Introduction & summary
AshleyMadison.com is our test winner in the casual dating category, as it helps users seeking hook-ups and affairs. In fact, AshleyMadison.com was designed for married people who are looking to discreetly date outside their marriage. The platform is open to singles, married people, or couples. Discretion is the site’s main priority.
- Over 60 million users worldwide
- Available internationally
- For hookups, extramarital affairs, and sex dates
- It’s possible to register as a man, woman, or couple
- Free for straight women, affordable for men
- Various privacy alternatives to guarantee discreet dating
- Outstanding features for travelers
- Open-minded and active community
- Free registration
- Excellent cybersecurity features
General information & target group
AshleyMadison.com is a veteran in this industry. It was launched by Canadian company Ruby Life Inc in 2001, so the platform has over two decades of experience. At the time of its creation, there weren’t many options for people in committed relationships looking for an affair. There was a demand for a space where people with these desires wouldn’t be judged, and the creators picked up on it. Since then, AshleyMadison.com has garnered a massive member pool of open-minded users from all over the world.
Exciting members
Anyone may join AshleyMadison.com, regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status. It’s possible to register as a man, woman, or even as a couple. The platform supports all types of relationships free from judgment. This is a safe space for people in open or polyamorous relationships, sexless marriages, lonely wives, sugar dating, cheating kinks, cuckolding, etc. Many of the users are middle-aged.
At the same time, people of all sexual orientations are welcome here. However, users can only sign up as male or female. According to various sources, it appears as though the gender ratio is around 70% males vs. 30% females on this platform. Apparently, the gender gap is much smaller within the younger user groups. However, it’s hard to confirm these figures.
Outstanding usability
The design is crisp and user-friendly. It’s minimalistic, so users of all ages can easily navigate the site. We enjoyed the privacy features, which allow users to present themselves discreetly. Profile pictures can be blurred out, and faces can be easily masked. Furthermore, we can tag certain photos as explicit, so only users with our private key can view them. This is important since many people here are looking for an affair. However, anyone who registers with a free account can see the profile photos and browse through the profiles.
Registration
The registration process on AshleyMadison.com is quite simple, as it doesn’t require a lot of information from the users. In fact, most members choose to have very short profiles. This is quite natural as AshleyMadison.com is a website for casual hook-ups and people looking for affairs. Naturally, most people will avoid giving a lot of information about themselves, and the platform supports and encourages this discretion.
Basic requirements
It’s not mandatory, but the platform encourages users to upload a profile picture. Other than that, signing up only requires an email address. You must also indicate if you’re male or female, whether you’re in a committed relationship or not, as well as your sexual orientation. There’s also a very simple verification step through a confirmation email. The whole process takes just a couple of minutes. Keep in mind that you won’t be allowed to register through a VPN address. If you do that, your account won’t be approved.
It’s completely free to sign up, and once you have created a profile, you are free to explore the website. Remember that once you have registered in a certain country, you can’t change your location except within that country. You can also choose whether you want explicit images to be shown or not, so you can maintain an office-friendly presentation, just in case. Users are also prompted to write a short welcome message for other users who may view their profiles. It may be as short as one word.
User platform & member area
It’s very simple to create a profile on AshleyMadison.com. It only requires a working email address. However, you are asked to provide your current relationship status and gender as well. This is quite understandable, given that the platform was originally created for people looking for affairs. Among the possibilities, you may indicate whether you are a single male, female, or attached. But if you don’t want to provide any details about your current relationship status, you may also pick “male seeking female”, “female seeking male”, “male seeking males” or “female seeking females.”
Exciting risks
You can then choose to add a picture, but it’s encouraged to disguise yourself somehow. A picture will help you attract more matches. Simultaneously, the operator is fully aware that people in committed relationships, in particular, will want to be cautious about sharing their identity.
During the registration process, you also get to choose whether you want to activate the automatic key exchange feature. Be aware that by ticking this box, you’ll automatically share your private pictures with whomever shares theirs with you. This can add to the excitement, since it’s a little risky and out of your control.
Simple and straightforward
Finally, you may add some details about yourself, such as what you’re interested in, a brief welcome message, and a short description about yourself. You could also provide some physical details, such as your height and weight. Regarding your goals on the website, you may not know what you want yet, and that is ok. You have the option to choose “undecided.” Other possibilities are “Cyber affair/erotic chat,” “Anything goes,” “Whatever excites me,” “Something short-term,” or “Something long-term.”
Otherwise, the platform is quite simple. There’s a chat and a section to discover new members, and that’s it. People here go straight to the point. So naturally, building up a juicy photo gallery is fundamental to many users.
Costs
When you create an account with AshleyMadison.com, you become a guest with access to perform searches, view profiles, and edit your profiles and settings. Costs only arise once you decide to interact with others. For this, you need to become a full member of the platform. This means that you need to have a positive credit balance in your account. These credits serve as currency to communicate with other users on the website, allowing you to send personalized messages and priority messages.
There are three different credit packages available for purchase. These include a one-time fee to activate the mobile access feature, which costs less than $10.
- 1000 credit package, with a 1000 credit bonus for $294.00
- 500 credit package, with a 500 credit bonus for $174.00
- 100 credit package, with a 100 credit bonus for $64.00
You can choose to have your credits automatically topped up when you run out. We really like that it’s up to the user to decide this, as opposed to many other similar websites where you can’t opt out at all. Users may cancel their purchase within 14 days, but they won’t get a refund for any portion of services used prior to cancellation. As for payment methods, it’s possible to choose to pay with a credit card or with PayPal.
Success rate & special features
AshleyMadison.com has earned an excellent reputation over the years. However, you can find scammers and ill-intentioned people on any dating website, so it’s always wise to be cautious when meeting someone online. There aren’t specific contact guarantees here, which is actually a good sign. Dodgy websites tend to promise dates, which no site should do in good conscience. Furthermore, the numerous positive reviews and the longevity of the platform speak for themselves. No dubious online dating scam survives for over two decades for no reason. Now, we’ll summarize some of the users’ favorite features on AshleyMadison.com.
- We’re very fond of the Travel Features available on AshleyMadison.com for users on the move. The user is not limited to a geographical area. In fact, you can start chatting ahead of time with the community in the region you’ll be visiting, so you can plan something fun while you’re there.
- We also appreciate the Stealth Mode on the app, which turns the AshleyMadison.com icon into an inconspicuous one on your home screen.
- One of the most interesting features, as basic as it may seem, is the Wink When you wink at someone, they receive a message telling them that if they wink back, you can send them a message. This saves you from wasting money on interacting with someone who is never online or has no interest in you.
- Another fundamental feature of com is the Automatic Private Key Exchange. This adds to the mystery and excitement but also allows you to be discreet. This function allows users to request access to your X-rated pictures. It doesn’t guarantee that they’ll succeed, though. Also, keep in mind that if you get to view someone’s private photos, the other person automatically gets access to your explicit gallery.
- Furthermore, you may interact with others even without credit on your account. It is possible to collect messages and calls. This means that the person receiving the message covers the fee or call.
App
There’s an app available for both Android and Apple users. It’s free to download, and it makes it easier to access the platform on the go. The app has received over a million downloads from the Google Play Store. When it comes to user reviews, there’s some criticism about the prices. However, it seems as though people who are serious about using the platform are very happy with the service, and find it both pleasant, effective, and fairly priced.
After all, you can send winks for free, and if you receive a positive response, you can initiate the conversation. This means that your credits won’t be wasted on someone who doesn’t reciprocate.
Conclusion
AshleyMadison.com is a noteworthy veteran in the casual dating category. It started in 2001 as an alternative for married people who wanted to date but didn’t want to be met with judgment. It has earned a great reputation over two decades and currently hosts a huge member pool, characterized by an open-minded, active, and international community. Nowadays, it offers a solution for both extramarital affairs, hookups, and open relationships.
The platform features convenient functionality for members on the go and an exciting private photo exchange feature. Costs arise once the user wants to interact with other members, but it is free to sign up and explore the platform.
FAQ
Is AshleyMadison.com only for affairs?
At first, AshleyMadison.com started as a dating website for married people. Nowadays, the community welcomes users in different types of relationships, as well as singles. Most importantly, it’s an open-minded community where no one is met with judgment about their desires, as long as they aren’t breaking the law.
How do I choose who gets to see my private photos?
There’s a feature called Automatic Private Key Exchange. If you choose to share this key with someone, they’ll gain access to your private photos, and you’ll have access to theirs. You can choose if you wish to activate this feature when adding new private photos to your gallery.
Why does it take so long to get my profile approved?
Occasionally, AshleyMadison.com takes up to 24-48 hours to verify a profile to ensure that it’s not in violation of their Terms and Conditions.
Are there any free trials available?
At the time of writing this article, no free trials were being offered on AshleyMadison.com. However, a free profile allows you to get a decent idea of the options and how the platform works.
How do I use AshleyMadison.com safely?
Among their recommendations, AshleyMadison.com suggests following the “Pause not once, but twice” rule. This is meant to help you date discreetly as well as stay safe from financial scams. For example, think twice before sending nudes; communicating outside of the platform (after all, once you’ve connected with a user on AshleyMadison.com, you can send as many regular messages as you like for free); sharing your phone number; buying anything or sending money to another member; anything that may make you go, “What was I thinking, sharing my private information with a stranger?”
What is Priority Man?
Priority Man is a feature that increases the visibility of your profile for 30 days. It’s a monthly subscription, and purchasing a credit package is a prerequisite to ordering it.