Hidden costs are the bane of everyone's life. It seems that every app these days which markets itself as free has some feature which can only be unlocked by paying.
And it's particularly bad in the online dating game.
You've probably fallen victim to this on a few occasions. You've exchanged a few messages with a hot woman, only for the app to tell you that you need to upgrade before you can continue your conversation. It sucks, and it's a little scammy.
But believe it or not, there are plenty of dating apps out there which are 100% free. No hidden costs, no in-app purchases. Just free browsing, messaging and matching. Put your credit card away. Here's our guide to the best free hookup apps available right now.
You'd have to search far and wide to find someone who hasn't heard of Tinder. This nifty little hookup site changed the online dating game considerably back in 2012, and ever since then it's gone from strength to strength.
Tinder is now the number one dating app in the world, with an estimated 50 million users using the site to find love, hookups and everything in between.
If you've ever used the match-making system on any dating site, then you have Tinder to thank for this little feature. Almost every other dating site has copied this for their own platforms and it's now become synonymous with online dating apps as a whole. You know how it works, scroll through photos and swipe left if you like them, right if you don't.
With popularity comes big numbers, and with so many members on here, it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll match with a ton of people pretty quickly.
So how does Tinder fair as a free hookup site? Well, although there are some premium features available, such as profile boosts, finding casual encounters and one night stands is completely free. You don't need to spend a cent for anything. It's probably the best and most convenient way to meet other singles in the wild.
We can't talk about the best free dating sites without mentioning one of the oldest sites on the scene - OKCupid.
OKCupid is your classic online dating site. While it does include a match-making system for your convenience, members are free to browse people as they see fit without having to rely on matches. And with an estimated 2 million singles using the site, you can spend an awfully long time scrolling through the men and women on here.
But be wary, because a hook site this ain't. OKCupid offers a nice balance of people searching for different things. You'll find just as many members looking for long term relationships as you will casual dates, one night stands and no strings sex.
But this isn't a bad thing. Far from it. It's nice to have variety becaue it attracts all sorts of different people. You'll find men and women from all walks of life, allowing you to find that perfect someone who ticks all of your boxes.
Once again, there are some fun features which require a premium membership to utilize, but on a whole, everything on this dating app is totally free. You can exchange messages and photos with each other singles, use the chat rooms and make the most of the matches system all without spending a dime.
Bumble is very similar to Tinder in that it uses the swipe match-making system, but the app comes with a few noticable differences.
How many women have you subjected to the classic 'inbox rot' on Tinder? If you're not familiar with this phenomenon, it's when you match with a girl but you never strike up a chat. Then, by the time you get round to striking up chat, it's just awkward, despite your best intentions.
We've all been there. But Bumble incorporates a fancy system which bypasses this little pitfall. On this quirky new dating app, you only have one hour to chat with your matches. If you don't, your free hookup opportunity goes right out the window.
Sure, the system is unforgiving but it absolutely works. In fact, Bumble reports better hookup success than Tinder on a convo by convo basis. You just need to extract the girl's phone number and take your chat over to text message so you don't have to worry about running out of time.
And best of all is that Bumble is free in every way. As far as successful dating sites go, Bumble is right near the top without question. If you're looking for an app that incentivizes you to get chatting straight away, there's nowhere better.
If it's a pure hookup site you want, there's nowhere better than Sex Hookup App. This site is the serial shagger's secret weapon.
You won't find any women on here looking for marriage, that's for sure. SHA is full to the brim of sexy singles looking for something fun and nothing more. It's a casual sex paradise frequented by your horny neighbors, your best friend's cheating wife and that flirty slut from the grocery store.
Setting up your profile on SHA is very simple. Put in your local age, local cities and relationship status and you're ready to get going. No photo verification or phone number necessary. You'll then be thrust head first into a world of naughty singles all looking for casual encounters and no strings attached sex. If that doesn't sound like pure bliss then we don't know what does.
What makes SHA so appealing? Well, whenever members login, they're asked if they're willing to hookup within the next 2 hours. Once they click yes, they're allowed onto the profiles page. This means that all of the users browsing through SHA all have the intentions of getting down and dirty that same night. A surefire recipe for success no matter who or where you are.
With thousands of members in cities all over the world, SHA is one of the most convenient ways to find a free hookup right now. No matter what you're looking for, simply make your intentions clear and you'll find it within the hour. hookup sites don't come any better than this.
Of every hookup site out there, none have created more couples than eHarmony.
Why? Well, Los Angeles based e-Harmony has a reputation for being a more mature dating app, aimed at people who want something a little more substantial than brisk sexual encounters. Sites aimed at a more refined user base are nothing new, but e-Harmony seems to have found that magic balance of sleekness and marketability.
But despite the site's focus on more serious matters, it doesn't mean that hookups are out of the question on here. You'll still find plenty of opportunities for easy NSA sex, since although there are 10 million members, there are undoubtely a few looking for an easy hookup. Casual sex is part of the getting-to-know-you process anyway, something which a lot of men seem to forget.
Once again, e-Harmony is totally free and operates like a classic online dating app. No swiping or matches or anything like that. Just fill out your profile, go through the photo verification process and start browsing millions of photos of sexy singles.
A little like Match and e-Harmony, Zoosk boasts a more mature approach than other dating apps. It's not a place to find sex, it's a place to chat with new people.
But despite Zoosk's identity as an online dating hub for relationship-seeking people, Zoosk does indeed offer a match-making system similar to hookup sites like Tinder and Bumble. Matches are thrown at you on every login, blaring endless photos of hot singles to entice you to swipe along.
In addition to the usual messages system, there's also a few chat rooms to get talking with other members too. This provides a nice little touch to connect with a potential fuck-partner without having to rely on photos or profile info.
Will you find dates on here? Absolutely. Will you make matches on here? Without a doubt. But the members looking for serious dating far outweigh the casual users, so keep this in mind when sending messages. You'll need to provide a few photos for photo verification too as it helps ensure all users are legit.
It was only a matter of time before Facebook stuck its nose into the online dating world. Enter Facebook Dating, the newest venture from Zuckerberg and co.
Facebook Dating works exactly like regular Facebook, except all of the users are there for everything from hookups to serious dating. You're free to scroll through people at will, being able to browse their profiles in full. This provides a great advantage over other dating sites since you can see their whole timeline, their friends, and whether or not they post Minion memes.
If you land on someone who takes your fancy, you can strike up a chat with them through the FB Dating system. Don't send them a friend request though because you might come across as too forward.
One great advantage of Facebook Dating is that you're able to see who else on your friends list is on there. So, all of those female friends from school you still perv on, here's your chance to have some fun with them. The site allows you to search profiles by cities, body type, relationship preferences and much more.
Everything about Facebook Dating is free, because Facebook already has all of the money in the world anyway. It's definitely a unique dating app, and it's as good as any other hookup sites to help you find a one night stand.
Wild is a new app on the online dating scene and it's currently making some serious waves.
From Los Angeles-based developers, Wild is an app for casual chat, free hookups and sexting. Nothing serious here. In fact, Wild takes every opportunity to remind its many members that its a hub for casual dating and nothing more.
Answer a few profile questions, go through phone number and photo verification and you'll find yourself on the Wild homepage. Wild uses a matches system to link you with people, but you can also opt to see a list of potential matches in case you don't have time to swipe on a hundred different photos.
Like all other dating sites on this list, Wild is as free as it gets. You can upgrade your Wild account for additional features (more photos, more match suggestions) but it won't affect your dating potentials.
The only downside to Wild is that it's currently only available in New York, Florida and Los Angeles. However, if you're a resident in any of these places, there's no way Wild won't get you laid.
For a free dating app out of the ordinary, Feeld is the way to go.
Sick of vanilla dates? Good, because you won't find any of that on Feeld. This free sites is catered towards the fetish crowd; kinksters, BDSMers, swingers and so forth.
Sites which cater to the kinky crowd is nothing new, but Feeld is one of the few that's free. And with 2 million plus users, Feeld is definitely doing something right.
Fetishists are take privacy quite seriously so you'll need to upload some photos for photo verification. Once that matter is dealt with, you'll be shown the way to a world of kinky heaven. No matching, just free, easy scrolling through thousands of photos. Find the girl who ticks your boxes and get chatting. It's as simple as that.
As one of the new free sites on the scene, Feeld is gaining popularity by the week, so check it out while you can. Sites like this tend to throw in some hidden costs eventually, so make the most of Feeld while it's completely free.