Top Alternatives to Craigslist Personals in 2025

Since Craigslist discontinued its personals section in 2018 following the passage of FOSTA-SESTA legislation, millions of users who relied on the platform for casual dating, hookups, and personal ads have been searching for reliable and safe alternatives. As the landscape of online personals has evolved significantly, 2025 offers a variety of websites and apps that fill the void left by Craigslist, catering to diverse preferences, relationship types, and privacy concerns Top Alternatives to Craigslist Personals in 2025.

This article explores the top alternatives to Craigslist personals in 2025, highlighting features, user experience, privacy, and community engagement to help find the right platform for every need.

Why Craigslist Personals Shut Down

Craigslist’s personals shutdown was triggered by the enactment of the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act and Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (FOSTA-SESTA), a federal law intended to curb sex trafficking. The legislation increased website liability for user-generated content involving prostitution and related illegal activity, forcing Craigslist and similar sites to eliminate personals sections altogether to avoid legal repercussions.

This left a significant gap in the personals market, especially for free and classifieds-style platforms.

What to Look for in Craigslist Personals Alternatives

When choosing a personals replacement, key factors to consider include:

• Safety and moderation: Strong verification processes and content monitoring.

• Privacy: Options to remain anonymous without forced social login.

• Inclusivity: Support for various sexual orientations, relationship types, and communities.

• Cost: Whether the platform is free or subscription-based.

• Ease of use: Intuitive design and user-friendly mobile applications.

• Local focus: Strong presence in your geographic area.

Top Craigslist Personals Alternatives in 2025

1. DoubleList

DoubleList stands as the most direct successor to Craigslist personals, offering a classifieds-style platform where users can post personal ads freely. It has robust phone verification and explicit content guidelines to maintain safety and legal compliance. Covering over 250 cities globally with millions of users, DoubleList is particularly praised for inclusivity, catering to LGBTQ+ communities and kink enthusiasts alongside mainstream users.

Pros:

• Free to use with no subscription fees.

• Simple classifieds format familiar to former Craigslist users.

• Strong focus on local connections.

Cons:

• Interface feels dated compared to modern apps.

• Some issues with spam and fake profiles.

2. Adult Friend Finder

Adult Friend Finder is a large adult dating community with over 80 million members. Its combination of personals, forums, live cams, and erotic stories provides a rich environment for those seeking casual encounters and adult connections. It requires membership for some features but is widely regarded as a reliable hookup site.

3. Ashley Madison

Tailored for discreet dating and affairs, Ashley Madison has a strong privacy policy with features like photo blurring and anonymous communication. It caters mostly to married or attached individuals seeking discreet connections, making it unique among personals sites.

4. Locanto Personals

Locanto is a global classifieds marketplace with a personals section offering a free platform to post ads and find local matches. Although not exclusively for dating, Locanto’s personals are popular in many countries, supporting an open and straightforward personals experience.

5. Bedpage

Bedpage is a classifieds website modeled on Craigslist, offering personals alongside job listings and services. It provides a straightforward interface with regional filtering and is growing as a popular personals alternative emphasizing local connections.

6. Reddit R4R (Redditor for Redditor)

This subreddit-based personals alternative offers a decentralized, community-moderated way to connect with others. Users post detailed ads on subreddits like r/r4r, r/dirtyr4r, or region-specific forums. While not specialized for dating, it’s a free and trusted platform with active moderation.

7. Pernals

Pernals is a newer casual personals site designed to recapture the simplicity of Craigslist personals with modern safety measures. It offers easy sign-up without social media required and newly added features like video chat and photo verification.

8. Oodle

Oodle combines marketplace and classifieds services, including a personals section, providing another all-in-one platform for finding local dates and friends. It supports traditional classifieds ease with proximity-based searching.

9. Flirt.com

Flirt.com is a dating site focused on casual dating and hookups that features verified profiles, paid membership options, and easy mobile access. It serves as a more traditional dating site alternative with personals features.

10. Seeking

Seeking is known for ‘sugar dating’ relationships, matching users based on mutual goals in arrangements of companionship or mentorship. While paid, it offers a unique twist on personals within an upscale and more selective framework.

How to Safely Use Craigslist Personals Alternatives

• Verify profiles whenever possible.

• Avoid sharing sensitive personal information early.

• Meet new contacts in public places.

• Report scams or suspicious behavior promptly.

• Use platform tools to block or filter unwanted communication.

Read More: DoubleList Review: Is Craigslist’s Successor Worth Your Time in 2025?

Conclusion

Though Craigslist personals are gone, the vibrant market of personals and casual dating continues to thrive across various specialized platforms in 2025. DoubleList leads as the closest Craigslist alternative, offering free, local, and inclusive personals. Alongside other trusted sites like Adult Friend Finder, Ashley Madison, and Locanto, users have many choices to find connections that suit their lifestyle and preferences.