Craigslist for Sex: That Ship Has Sailed, Where to Go Instead

If you're Googling "Craigslist for sex" in 2025, you're about seven years too late to that party. Craigslist shut down their personals section back in 2018, and with it went an entire era of questionable decisions, missed connections, and stories that start with "you're not going to believe this, but..."

But the fact that you're searching for this tells me something: you're looking for casual connections without the commitment of traditional dating apps. You want something straightforward, anonymous-ish, and without the pressure of building a whole dating profile that your coworkers might stumble across. I get it. Let's talk about what actually works now and how to do it.

Craigslist for Sex and Craigslist Dating, Terrible But Weirdly Effective

For those who never experienced the glory days, Craigslist personal ads was basically the Wild West of online hookups. No photos required, minimal information, just people posting meetup ads like "M4W - 35 - looking for fun tonight" with varying degrees of creativity and desperation. It was simultaneously sketchy as hell and oddly effective for people who knew how to navigate it.

The appeal was the anonymity and directness. No swiping, no algorithmic matching, no pretending you're looking for a relationship when you're really just looking for Thursday night entertainment. People stated exactly what they wanted in their personal ads, and other people could respond or not. Simple, straightforward, and absolutely wild in terms of what could go wrong.

But it's gone now, killed by sex trafficking legislation and Craigslist deciding they didn't want the liability. So if you're mourning the loss of Craigslist dating or curious about what replaced it, here's the actual landscape of casual hookups in 2025.

What Replaced Craigslist Dating in 2025?

Reddit personals and subreddit dating communities are probably the closest thing to old Craigslist personal ads that still exists. Different cities have their own r4r subreddits where people post what they're looking for, working as modern dating classifieds. 

It's still relatively anonymous, still text-based, and still requires you to actually communicate. The downside? It's Reddit, so you're dealing with all the usual Reddit nonsense. But for forum dating experiences, it's one of the better options for local connections.

Discord dating servers have become surprisingly popular for area singles looking to connect. Many cities have Discord servers where people can chat, get to know each other, and potentially meet up. It's more interactive than posting ads, but you need to proceed with caution because verification methods are limited and protecting your privacy can be tricky.

Telegram dating channels exist for neighborhood dating and finding people nearby. Some are city-specific, others are interest-based, functioning similarly to the old Craigslist for sex approach. The appeal is the encryption and relative anonymity, though this also means less accountability.

Niche dating sites have exploded in recent years. There are sites for literally every interest, kink, and relationship style imaginable. These work better than general apps because everyone there is already on the same page about what they want.

Feeld is specifically designed for open-minded people looking for everything from threesomes to casual hookups. It's more progressive than Tinder, less sketchy than Craigslist for sex ever was, and one of the better dating site alternatives if you want something more structured than community boards.

Tinder with brutal honesty actually works for nearby dating. Put "looking for casual" right in your bio. You'll find plenty of area singles who appreciate the directness and want the same thing you do.

Safety Tips for Dating Classifieds and Location Based Ads 

Meeting strangers from the internet requires you to be extra careful, especially when using platforms that offer less verification than traditional dating apps. Craigslist dating is gone but the safety concerns are exactly the same.

Identity protection is much more important on anonymous platforms. When you're using community boards or forum dating sites that don't require verification, anyone can be anyone. Protecting your privacy is important, but so is having some way to verify you're talking to a real person who is who they claim to be.

Trust your gut feelings above everything else. If something feels off about someone's messages or the way they're pushing to meet, listen to that feeling. Your instincts exist for a reason. When Craigslist personal ads were still around, the people who stayed safe were the ones who paid attention to red flags.

Use whatever verification methods are available. Video calls before meeting, reverse image searches on photos. These aren't paranoid moves, they're basic safety. If someone refuses to verify their identity in any way before meeting, that's a massive red flag.

Watch out for romance scams and dating scams. The most common patterns are if someone who is too good to be true (because they usually are), people who quickly want to move conversations off the platform, or sob stories that lead to requests for money. 

Recognize manipulation tactics early. Love bombing, creating urgency, or making you feel guilty for having boundaries. Anyone who uses these manipulation tactics is someone you should block immediately.

Safety Tips for Meeting Strangers

Meet in public first, always. Get coffee, sit in a busy place and talk before going anywhere private. This gives you a chance to verify they're who they said they were and assess whether you feel safe. This applies double when you’re meeting people from Reddit personals, Discord dating, or any platform where verification methods are minimal.

Tell someone where you're going. Give a friend the person's username, profile screenshots, and where you're meeting. Set up a check-in time. Yes, it's awkward, but it's a lot less awkward than actually needing them to call the police.

Don't go to their place immediately. People who respect boundaries will understand why you want to meet in public first. Anyone pushy about skipping straight to the bedroom is showing you exactly how much they respect your comfort and safety.

Have your own transportation. Being dependent on your hookup for a ride home puts you in a vulnerable position. Keep your phone charged and maintain enough awareness to leave if you need to.

Protecting your privacy doesn't mean hiding all your information. There's a balance between identity protection and safety. If someone is so obsessed with protecting privacy that they won't tell you their first name or show their face before meeting, that's more concerning than reassuring.

Red Flags

• They're pushy about meeting immediately or refuse to meet in public. 

• They get angry when you set boundaries. 

• They can't or won't verify their identity. 

• Their story keeps changing. 

• They pressure you about condom use. 

• They make you feel uncomfortable, obligated, or guilty for having standards.

• Their profile seems too good to be true, or they quickly want to move conversations to other platforms. 

• They have sob stories that require your help or money. 

Trust your gut feelings. If something feels off, it is off.

How to Not Be Terrible at Casual Hookups

1. Be honest about what you want from the beginning. 

Don't pretend you're looking for a relationship when you’re really just want to hookup. People appreciate directness way more than they appreciate being misled, whether you met them through location based ads or a dating app.

2. Communicate clearly about boundaries and expectations.

It might seem like a mood killer but it’s important to be an adult who respects other people's time and bodies.

3. Actually care about the other person's experience. 

Just because it's casual doesn't mean it should be selfish. Good casual sex involves two people who both have a good time.

4. Use protection every single time. 

Use condoms, get tested regularly, and be honest about your STI status. This should be obvious but apparently needs to be said repeatedly.

The Truth About Modern Hookup Culture

The internet has made casual sex easier to find than ever before, but it hasn't made it less complicated. You still need to communicate, establish boundaries, and care about other people's experiences.

Craigslist for sex might be gone, but the desire for straightforward connections isn't. The platforms have changed, from personal ads to Reddit personals to Discord dating to niche dating sites, but the safety considerations have changed too. 

Romance scams these days are more sophisticated, manipulation tactics are more subtle, and the need to proceed with caution is higher than ever when using platforms with minimal verification methods.

Whether you're using dating app alternatives, forum dating, community boards, or whatever comes next, the key is communication, respect, safety, and honesty. Treat people like people. Use protection. Don't be the person everyone warns their friends about.

The best local connections are possible if both people are honest about what they want, respectful of boundaries, and willing to prioritize safety over convenience. Identity protection matters, but so does basic human decency. And if you find yourself constantly disappointed by casual connections or wishing they were something more, maybe that's information worth paying attention to.

Stay safe, trust your gut feelings, watch for dating scams, and for the love of god, stop trying to negotiate about condom use. It's not negotiable.