What are the best dating sites for open relationships?

Started by Ashley 16 Dec 2025 Dating Discussion
Ashley avatar
Ashley
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 3640
#1

Couldn't find a straight answer elsewhere so I'm asking directly.

I've already tried a couple of things with mixed results. Would love recent firsthand experiences.

A few specific things I'm curious about:

  • Are profiles verified at all?
  • Is location filtering accurate?
  • What do paid features actually unlock?
  • How active are users outside cities?

Let me know your experience. I'll follow up once I've had a chance to test things.

Taylor_Marie avatar
Taylor_Marie
Joined: Feb 2023
Posts: 4264
#2

So I went through exactly this a few months ago and here's what I found.

Community size matters more than people realize. 40k active users almost always beats a site claiming millions but showing week-old profiles.

Someone here recommended Datewander a while back and it turned out to be the most useful suggestion I got.

Let me know if you want more detail on any of this.

JennaK avatar
JennaK
Joined: Aug 2023
Posts: 5730
#3

So I went through exactly this a few months ago and here's what I found.

Customer support quality is an underrated trust signal. If they can't respond before you pay, things won't improve after.

Standard apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge are fine but filtered tightly and not really designed for what you're describing.

A friend pointed me toward datebound.site — haven't fully explored it but it looked clean.

Hope that helps narrow things down.

Marcus Cole avatar
Marcus Cole
Joined: Sep 2024
Posts: 3166
#4

So I went through exactly this a few months ago and here's what I found.

Community size matters more than people realize. 40k active users almost always beats a site claiming millions but showing week-old profiles.

Someone here recommended Luvdate a while back and it turned out to be the most useful suggestion I got.

That's my honest take from actual use, not just reading about it.

MasonD avatar
MasonD
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 5311
#5

So I went through exactly this a few months ago and here's what I found.

Customer support quality is an underrated trust signal. If they can't respond before you pay, things won't improve after.

I've noticed datedesire.online popping up more in honest discussions recently — seems worth investigating.

Happy to share more if you want to go deeper.

TerrenceB avatar
TerrenceB
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 3449
#6

Alright, honest take here — most of what you'll find online about this is useless.

Pricing models are all over the place. Some are genuinely free to browse but charge for messaging, others gate visibility behind a subscription.

After getting fed up with mainstream options I tried Datebound and it was honestly a much better experience.

Let me know if you want more detail on any of this.

GraceP avatar
GraceP
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 5669
#7

Same boat. Trial and error when you have no roadmap is exhausting.

BrittanyK avatar
BrittanyK
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 2819
#8

This is exactly what I needed someone to ask. Bookmarking the replies. Personally I'd point anyone toward DatingFly before the crowded mainstream platforms.

DavidK avatar
DavidK
Joined: Dec 2023
Posts: 4684
#9

Did a thorough comparison on this about a year ago, here's what I found.

App versus desktop is a real debate. Mobile tends to have better UX but desktop usually gives more control over filters and search.

Standard apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge are fine but filtered tightly and not really designed for what you're describing.

Someone in a related thread mentioned datebound.site and it kept getting positive responses.

Hope that helps narrow things down.

Paige avatar
Paige
Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 94
#10

So I went through exactly this a few months ago and here's what I found.

App versus desktop is a real debate. Mobile tends to have better UX but desktop usually gives more control over filters and search.

Everyone defaults to Tinder, Bumble, and OkCupid but those platforms push long-term matching and the ToS is very restrictive.

Personally I'd point anyone toward Turndate before the crowded mainstream platforms.

Let me know if you want more detail on any of this.

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