Post a listing, wait for a reply, and hook up! Casual dating and casual encounters were made convenient by Craigstlist Personals. The personals platform no longer exists, however. Luckily for the throng of horny folks who used to prowl the hookup listings on Craigslist, the said exodus gave way to a whole slew of Craigslist casual encounter section replacements. Check out the 10 best sites and apps for casual and sexy connections.
Does Craigslist Still Have a Personals Section?
Craigslist shut down its personals section in 2018 in response to a sex trafficking bill — the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act — passed by Congress that same year. The hugely popular personals section used to display listings for friendship, dating, romance, casual encounters, and other types of connections.
Craigslist released this statement to explain their decision: “US Congress recently passed HR 1865, “FOSTA”, seeking to subject websites to criminal and civil liability when third parties (users) misuse online personals unlawfully.
Any tool or service can be misused. We can’t take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we have regretfully taken craigslist personals offline. Hopefully we can bring them back some day.
To the millions of spouses, partners, and couples who met through craigslist, we wish you every happiness!”
Craigslist personals’ massive following eventually found other online spaces that met their needs. And the spread of Craigslist casual encounter section replacements continues to this day.
Did Craigslist Also Remove Casual Encounter Section?
Craigslist casual encounter section was among the most popular categories on the site’s personals platform. Aside from casual encounters, other listings that saw a lot of traffic before the personals section was taken offline included: strictly platonic, women seeking women, women seeking men, men seeking women, men seeking men, misc romance, and missed connections.
Craigslist also used to have a section for “erotic services,” which was later changed to “adult services.” The section met its demise in 2010 following a crime that was linked to it.
10 Craigslist Casual Encounter Section Replacements for 2022
These 10 Craigslist casual encounter section replacements for 2022 have more than just a little something to offer for everybody. Just interested in hooking up? Want to connect with people with similar interests and preferences? Read on!
1. Craigslist Missed Connections: Craigslist Casual Encounter Section Replacement for the Hopeless Romantic
Craigslist Missed Connections used to be a sub-category of the site’s personals section, but it can now be found in the community section. For the hopeless romantic, this remnant of the now extinct personals space may be as good as it gets in terms of a Craigslist casual encounter section replacement. Missed Connections is where people post listings about random and missed connections, in the hopes that they’ll be given a second chance to find “the very pretty girl at Starbucks in Granada Hills” or the “cute guy at Griffith Park trails.” These may sound like a total shot in the dark, but you’d be surprised how many happy endings began with a Missed Connections ad.
An SFGate article about Missed Connections perfectly describes its lasting appeal in this day and age of matchmaking-by-swiping: “In the end, people who previously used the Personals section moved over to Missed Connections, though many of the posts are flagged for removal by the site. With its unchanged, minimal layout and Times New Roman font, Missed Connections feels like a memento of a meet-cute era that only exists in romantic comedies.”
2. Doublelist Classifieds: Craigslist Casual Encounter Section Replacement for Hookups of All Varieties
Craigslist’s minimalist and straight-to-the-point format may seem antiquated when compared to the sophisticated and modern user interface and features of Tinder, OKC, Bumble, and other similar apps, but the simplicity also makes the site quite charming. As a Craigslist casual encounter section replacement, DoubleList Classifieds is one of the rare gems that sticks to the basics while successfully adapting to the changing attitudes towards gender. DoubleList allows you to post personal-style ads, find matches near you, choose your preferred gender identity, and select more than one type of pairing option. The site is definitely worth checking out, and signing up is absolutely free!
3. R/Casualhookups: Craigslist Casual Encounter Section Replacement on Reddit
The Reddit community has become so massive that you’ll find a subreddit for practically anything under the sun. r/CasualHookups, as the name implies, is a space for redditors who are DTF or simply interested to meet up for coffee. Reddit actually has several communities dedicated to dating, relationships, etc., so you may find other Craigslist casual encounter section replacements for whatever sparks your interest at the moment. For example, r/Tinder is a community for discussing the dating app, Tinder; r/sex is a sex-positive space for civil discussions about sexuality and sexual relationships; r/polyamory discusses news, views, and issues around polyamory, polyfidelity, poly people, and related issues; and r/singles is an SFW subreddit for singles, dating, dates, friends, advice, companionship, etc.
4. Nostringsattached: For Discreet Dating and Sex
If you’re looking for a Craigslist casual encounter section replacement that’s dedicated to discreet encounters, then visit NoStringsAttached. The site caters to both single and married people with certain needs that require secret satisfaction. Because the site prioritizes their members’ anonymity, privacy, and security, everything is SSL-encrypted and it has layers upon layers of safety features. You’ll encounter very few scammers and catfishers — if at all — but you’ll have to get a paid membership to fully maximize the sinfully exciting experience it offers. Don’t worry, though; the membership prices are fairly reasonable.
5. Locanto Personals: Craigslist Personals Section Replacement
Locanto Personals is another site that’s almost a mirror image of Craigslist and would be a great option for a Craigslist casual encounter section replacement — especially as the personals section duplicates the defunct Craigslist personals. The site matches people based on location, and has several sub-categories within the personals category, including: long-term relationships; casual encounters (Women Looking for Men, Women Looking for Women, Men Looking for Women, Fetish Encounters, Transgender Adventures, Virtual Adventures, Couples Seeking Couples, etc.); dating; and personals services.
6. Outpersonals: Craigslist Casual Encounter Section Replacement for Gay Men
OutPersonals is a casual dating site for gay men, with members all over the world. As a Craigslist casual encounter section replacement, the site caters to men, gay couples, bi couples, groups, and TS/TV/TG. This is also a good option if you’re just interested in chatting up gay men from other parts of the world.
7. Seeking: Craigslist Casual Encounter Section Replacement for Successful and Attractive Singles
Seeking is a luxury dating site that elevates the dating experience. While the site advertises itself as a “dating website that offers successful and attractive people the ability to pursue honest relationships” by helping members find the perfect match for their lifestyle, it’s also a great place to find casual encounters among the elite — if this is more to your taste.
8. Alt.com: Craigslist Casual Encounter Section Replacement for the Sexually Adventurous
Alt.com is an “alternative bondage community” for people who are interested in more than just a casual hookup, but would also like to explore BDSM, fetishes, and kinks. The site is definitely not for the faint of heart; it has tons of explicit content, so make sure you have complete privacy before browsing and indulging your sinful pleasures. There’s no judgment here; feel free to push the limits of your sexual desires and fantasies.
9. Fetlife: Social Media Platform for the Bdsm, Fetish, and Kinky Community
FetLife is similar to Alt.com, but it’s more than just a dating/hookup site and is definitely an out-of-the-box and tied-up-in-chains Craigslist casual encounter section replacement. On FetLife, you can explore and learn about your kinks and sexuality; find local and virtual events near you; meet new friends, play partners, and even life partners; and more.
10. Adultfriendfinder: Craigslist Casual Encounter Section Replacement With Tons of Features
If you prefer an online dating experience that’s enhanced by smart and advanced dating features, you’ll feel right at home on AdultFriendFinder. The site is dedicated to casual dating and is also a highly inclusive space, with diverse gender identity and dating options. AFF has a huge user base from all over the world, so it’s also great to use if you’re traveling or up for a long-distance, NSA connection with fringe benefits.
Moving on From the Lonely-Hearts-Club Charm of Craigslist Personals and Casual Encounters
Whether you’re looking for nothing more than an online connection, a casual date, a hook up, or a friends-with-benefits arrangement, there are plenty of Craigslist casual encounter section replacements out there to choose from — so many, in fact, that you might feel overwhelmed. A lot of sites have stayed true to the minimalist style of Craigslist personals, while others have taken full advantage of the latest AI technologies to deliver an enhanced dating experience. If you prefer a straightforward and convenient format that also uses location-based matching technology, your best bet is DoubleList Classifieds.
Whatever your gender identity and sexual preferences, you’ll find a match on DoubleList. Interested in guys for women or vice versa, guys for guys, women for women, guys/women for couples or vice versa, couples for couples, gays for straights? There’s something for everybody on this personals platform. DoubleList is available in more than 248 locations in the United States, so have great odds of connecting with someone in your area whose needs and desires match yours.
Signing up is quick and easy; having a DoubleList account is completely free, and you’ll remain anonymous. As soon as you finish creating your profile, you can browse listings near you, post your own, and arrange a hookup asap. Sign up for a free account now!
