Top Craigslist Personal Alternatives

If you’re here, then you’ve been hit hard by Craigslist decision to close its personals category. Something spurred that, but now is not the time to debate the why and how. We’re way passed that. You need to know the quality Craigslist personal alternatives with open doors as well as any noteworthy information about them that’d prove useful.

The good news is that there are alternatives. The bad news is they do not exactly fill up the huge shoes left by Craigslist and Backpage. There are a couple of quirks, ranging from reduced reach (and so fewer ads, views, and replies) to making do with a different (non-classifieds) user interface. However, these foibles aren’t dealbreakers and you can look past them.

Without much ado, let’s go over the best Craigslist personal alternatives currently available:

1. Doublelist

Doublelist is a niche classifieds site that’s all about dating and casual encounters. It’s the potential perfect Craigslist personal replacement, but it is still gaining traction. That implies you shouldn’t expect to find many ads or receive double digit replies hours after posting an ad in some areas. That said, you’d need to have an account to make and reply an ad.

2. Locanto

The Locanto personal section is expansive. All it really needs is for more people to spread the word and it may actually turn out to be bigger and better than the defunct Craigslist personals section. It already boasts decent activity in the major cities. Like Doublelist you’d need an account to post and reply an ad.

3. Classified Ads

It doesn’t quite measure up to Locanto in terms of extensiveness, but it is one of the few classifieds sites with a fairly active personals section and that counts for something. You get the usual sub-sections, and you do not need an account to post or reply an ad. In fact, you can reply an ad directly from the ad page.

4. Oodle

Oodle is the largest classifieds aggregator on the web. A classifieds aggregator pulls classifieds from several listing sites, making it easy for you to find lots of ads without having to check the respective sources. You’d need an account to post or reply an ad on Oodle. You can sign up/login using your Facebook account.

5. Tinder

With Craigslist Personals and Backpage gone, you’d want to swipe more often. Tinder has a very large user base. That and its ease of use are the biggest reasons why you should install the app and be on your merry way to finding a hookup or dating partner. It isn’t a like-for-like Craigslist personal alternative, but it’s worth a shot.

Download links: iTunes, Google Play.

6.    Grindr

Grindr started out in 2009 as a dating app for homosexual and bisexual men. Today, it hasn’t just grown into the largest mobile app community for gay men, it is also a melting pot for virtually everyone in the larger LGBTQ+ community.

Download links: iTunes, Google Play.

7. Her

HER only welcomes lesbians, bisexuals, and other queer women. If you’re male, don’t bother knocking. It isn’t purely a dating app. It also has elements of social media in it; which most find to be a welcome addition. As a result, it is more than just an app to find partners; you can also use it to stay abreast of LGBT issues and events.

Download links: iTunes, Google Play.

8. PlentyOfFish

PlentyOfFish is from a time when dating sites ruled the dating scene and Craigslist (and Backpage) still had adult sections. Today, they’ve adapted and now provide elegant apps in addition to a standard website.

POF offers a bit of both words, the ability to use it for hookups with Tinder-style swiping or to use it to find a serious partner thanks to its chemistry tests that quiz users on what they want from a relationship. Add that to its humongous community of users and POF is a package that’s hard to resist.

Download links: iTunes, Google Play.

9. Happn

Happn is very niche dating app and alerts you when other app users are in the same vicinity. The app chronicles these users, where you met them, and the number of times you crossed paths. With this information on hand, you probably wouldn’t ever need to get on a classifieds personals “missed connections” section to post an ad.

Download links: iTunes, Google Play.

10. Fetlife

In general, classifieds personal sections do not often provide standalone sub-sections for the kinky crowd. Doublelist even goes as far as regulating fetish ads. You may turn to mainstream dating apps to connect with like-minded individuals, but that often turns out to be a hit or miss.

That’s why Fetlife is invaluable for providing a holistic community for fetishists and kinksters. Connect with other users, discuss in boards, and read blog posts. It is a website and doesn’t have apps yet.