Ashley Madison Reviews 2025—My Take on AshleyMadison.Com

When it comes to casual hookups, you always want to be discreet.

Discreet, anonymous, and scandalous—that’s what Ashley Madison promises, and in this article, we’re going to consider Ashley Madison reviews, sign instructions, FAQs and how much it costs.

When I heard of the “affair dating site” and how touted it is for discreet and anonymous hookups, I had to try it.

But privacy was key. I don’t need people from work, my neighbors or my aunt all up in my business. Especially not my aunt. Heck, sometimes I don’t even need my friends to know what I’m up to.

Let’s just preface this by reiterating that I am a woman. Usually, I’m not the type to leave reviews.

But I was so alarmed this time, I decided to share my first-hand experience with all willing to read.

Here’s my honest, no-BS Ashley Madison review you should read before joining the hookup site.

Head straight to Ashley Madison here

Ashley Madison Review: First Impressions

The TikTokization of the new generations is a real thing, and we all have the attention span of a goldfish nowadays. So here’s the bottom line on the Ashley Madison app upfront for all of you skim readers out there.

Pros

100 percent free for women
Enjoy the discretion features
No ads on the free version
No auto-renewal payments
Good for couples
Easy-to-use interface

Cons

No free messages for men
Expensive credit system
More men than women

Pricing

100 percent free for women
May pay for messages via credits
100 credits—$49
500 credits—$149
1,000 credits—$249

Promotions and Overall Rating

The Ashley Madison app often offers all kinds of promo codes and coupons you can use to save a buck (or more). Here are some active promotions as of this time of writing:

Free unlimited inbox messaging
50 percent off 1,000 credits
Appear first in search results
20 percent off any purchase

Ranking 4.8/5

Ashley Madison was founded in 2002 as a hookup site for MBA (married but available) relationships (affairs), and it has been going strong ever since. Today, it counts over 80 million members, 32 million of those in the United States alone.

This did sound promising to me, and I was happy to discover that the user base is pretty vibrant and active, too. Now, I am not married, but I do appreciate some discretion when it comes to casual encounters, like many other unmarried people on the Ashley Madison app.

The site does have more men than women, which is a yay for me, but the male readers may not be as happy about it. But, hey, they say that competition builds character.

Another huuuge plus for me is that the site is 100 percent free for women.

Men, on the other hand, aren’t so lucky, and they have to pay for messages and other features through Ashley Madison’s credit system. Depending on how big of a player you are, it can get a bit pricey.

But, there’s a way around it—and a way to use the Ashley Madison app and hook up with gorgeous women for cheaper.

A Detailed AshleyMadison Review—My Experience

All right, let’s waste no time and space and delve into my own experience with AshleyMadison.com.

Signing Up to Ashley Madison.com

Most Ashley Madison reviews agree that signing up for the site is pretty easy and straightforward, and that’s how I found it.

You need to provide the site with your basic information, like your age, marital status, what kind of hookup you’re up for, height, weight and location—all so you can get suggested local matches. You also get to choose your username and password.

The act of signing up for the Ashley Madison app itself is completely free, and you won’t need to insert your credit card information at this point. The site will, however, ask for your email. I used a separate account just so the Ashley Madison messages don’t come to my main one.

Though, Ashley Madison hasn’t spammed me much thus far.

All that was left was to spruce up my profile. I uploaded a body shot and chose to blur it for anonymity (you can do that). But you don’t have to upload a photo at all if you don’t want to.

I also added some stuff to better present myself, like my hobbies and interests.

When you finish completing your profile with how many details you see fit, it’s off to the matches.

Head straight to Ashley Madison here

Ashley Madison Dating Reviews of the Matchmaking System

If you are a woman living in a metropolitan area, you can expect your inbox to be swamped with messages and virtual gifts right off the bat.

Or you can head over to the “see your matches” button, and you’ll be presented with folks who are nearby (if you entered your location). You can also use the search function to find just the kind of matches you like.

I presume guys usually don’t get that many messages and gifts right away (unless they’re super hot or super rich), so as a man, you’d be subject to these devices.

Ashley Madison Filters and Categories

No other hookup app can even come close to Ashley Madison when it comes to available search filters.

Now, some Ashley Madison reviews don’t like the number of categories available, but I would have to disagree. Hey, I like options. I love the fact you can find matches that fit your preferences and tick all your boxes.

It’s not like you have to fill them all out.

Besides the usual age and location, you can search based on potential matches’ stature and build, their ethnicity, marital status and what they’re looking for. Remember all that info you were asked to fill out?

Look how handy it comes in now that people can find you based on it.

Ashley Madison Review of Special Features

Unlimited Browsing

Unlike some other hookup sites, Ashley Madison doesn’t put a cap on how many profiles you can match with daily.

Winks

Winks work kinda like Facebook pokes used to back in the day—a subtle way to let someone know you noticed them. And they’re free for all.

Virtual Gifts

You can send and receive gift cards from pretty much any place. Starbucks, Home Depot, Walmart, Best Buy—almost anything goes.

Video Chat

Surprisingly, many hookup apps lack this entertaining and useful feature. Have some video fun, or use it to make sure the people you’re talking to are who they say they are and not a catfish.

Priority Man

With six women for 10 men, the odds seem stacked against the male members. Paying for the Priority Man feature will significantly boost your profile and chances of getting laid.

Private Photos

Paying members get to make their steamy photos private and can see others’ private photos, too.

Blurred Pics

You can also choose to blur your photo for maximum discretion.

Favorites List

This feature will let you stack up a list of 100 hottest profiles you can always return to when in hunting mode. It is completely free for all members to use.

Disappearing Chat

The disappearing chat feature is a favorite among the attached folks as it clears all your messages.

Inconspicuous App Icon

This is another favorite among the married and taken crowd—the Ashley Madison app on your phone can be disguised as a completely different app, so no one knows you’re on the site.

Travel Feature

Allows you to share your travel plans with up to 30 folks who live in the area you’re visiting. You get to finesse them before you get there. Great for traveling business people.

Panic Button

Last but certainly not least, the panic button allows you to exit the hookup app ASAP when in a pickle.

Ashley Madison Collect Message

Much like a “Collect Call,” Ashley Madison has a feature that allows users to “collect call” a new contact without using any credits.

This feature is specifically designed for users who may lack the credits to initiate a new conversation but may be interested in answering a message from a regular member.

Once someone sends you a Collect Message, Ashley Madison allows you to accept or decline. Once both users agree, the conversation starts without spending opening credits.

Head straight to Ashley Madison here

Ashley Madison Mobile App

You can download the Ashley Madison app on both Apple and Android devices. The mere downloading is free, and then later, you can decide if and how much you want to pay for it.

There are over 43K Ashley Madison reviews on the App Store, and the hookup app holds an impressive 4 out of 5 stars rating. It’s the most popular hookup app on the App Store.

When it comes to Google Play, the situation is slightly different. There are “only” around 15K Ashley Madison reviews, and the overall rating of the app sits at 3 out of 5 stars.

Safety and Security

Many people heard of Ashley Madison’s security breach that happened back in 2015 when members’ data was released online. That was unfortunate, to say the least, especially for the married folks on the site.

Yikes.

But the company soldiered through and fixed the mistake in its security system. So much so that Ashley Madison is now considered one of the safest hookup apps.

More power to them.

As anyone can see on the Ashley Madison Privacy Policy, the site uses firewalls, encrypted transmission through SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and powerful data encryption for all users’ personal and financial data.

What You Get With the Free Version

Ashley Madison is very much a pay-to-play kind of hookup app unless you’re a woman seeking men. We get it all for free.

I know, I know—it’s not fair. But it’s also the reason why you can meet and hook up with real women on Ashley Madison and not send messages to bots.

Men got the shorter stick when it comes to what they can do for free. Basically, they can browse to their hearts’ desires and wink. That’s about it. If men want to interact with other Ashley Madison users, they have to pay through the site’s credit system.

What You Get With the Premium Version

The premium version is where it’s at. For each of Ashley Madison’s features, you would have to pay separately, through the site’s credit system. There’s no option to pay a monthly fee and then get access to all.

Premium users on Ashley Madison get access to the following:

Messages
Video chat
Access to private photos
Ability to blur photos
Boost their profile

Why the Premium Version’s Worth It

Simply put—the premium version is worth it because the free version sucks for men. There, I said it. If you’re not willing to pay for a hookup app, and you’re a man, Ashley Madison is definitely not for you.

But if you are, you will find that the app has tons of attractive women and men who are down for some discreet pleasure. You’ll also find that the app itself is bustling with activity.

Most importantly—it works.

Payment and Billing

The “bad and ugly” part of Ashley Madison is its credit payment system. Now, I am a woman, which means I get all the features for free, just like all other women. That’s great for us.

But chatting can get kind of expensive for men.

For example, one message will set you back nine credits or 14 if you want to skip all other messages in a woman’s inbox and climb to the top. That’s without even knowing if she will respond, much less want to hook up.

The only way around it is to hunt for AM promotions and try to switch the convo to social media when you feel confident enough.

When it comes to billing, there’s not much to worry about, and Ashley Madison gets a huge plus on that one. True to its affairs site reputation, Ashley Madison’s billing is anonymous.

But there’s a catch. The number is traceable in a way. If you type it into Google, you can find forums and support lines for the Ashley Madison app. So, there’s that.