AFF vs ALT
AFF (7.9/10) just edges ALT (7.6/10) overall, mainly on the biggest, busiest crowd. Go AFF if you want the biggest, busiest crowd; pick ALT if value for money matters more to you.
AFF
7.9/ 10
Safety
7.2
Value
7.8
Crowd
9.3
Ease
7.6
Still one of our top picks for casual after all these years, 7.9/10. Not the prettiest, and not the place for maximum discretion, but for sheer odds of actually meeting someone tonight, the crowd is hard to beat. Join free, judge the local activity yourself, then go Gold if it’s buzzing.
- +One of the biggest crowds in casual dating, active at every hour, across pretty much every kink and city
- +Free to join and browse, so you can confirm it’s busy near you before paying a cent
- +Loaded once you’re in: live streams, groups, blogs, a genuine community vibe
ALT
7.6/ 10
Safety
7.0
Value
7.8
Crowd
8.8
Ease
7.2
Still the top pick for BDSM, fetish and kink dating, 7.6/10. It’s not pretty, and the FriendFinder breach legacy means discretion is on you, but no other site in the niche brings this many people who already know exactly what they’re into. Join free, work those fetish filters, and go Gold once you’ve found a local scene worth playing in.
- +The kink leader, 2M+ members and 50+ fetish categories, the biggest dedicated BDSM/fetish crowd online since 1996
- +Brilliant fetish filtering: a full kink checklist you mark curious / interested / experienced / hard limit, so matches are genuinely on your wavelength
- +Free to join and browse, use the filters to scope out your local scene before you spend a cent
Side-by-side comparison
| AFF | ALT | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 7.9✓ | 7.6 |
| Safety | 7.2✓ | 7.0 |
| Value | 7.8 | 7.8 |
| Crowd | 9.3✓ | 8.8 |
| Ease | 7.6✓ | 7.2 |
| Free to join | Yes | Yes |
| Online since | 1996 | 1996 |
| Best for | Casual hookups, kink & swingers | BDSM, fetish & kink dating |
Which should you pick?
AFF
Pick AFF if the biggest, busiest crowd is your priority.
ALT
Pick ALT if value for money matters more to you.
AFF vs ALT, common questions
Is AFF better than ALT?
Overall, AFF comes out ahead (7.9 vs 7.6). But "better" depends on what you want, the table above breaks it down dimension by dimension.
Which is safer and more discreet?
AFF, scoring 7.2 on safety versus 7.0.
Which is better value for money?
Value is very close between the two.
Which has the bigger crowd?
AFF, scoring 9.3 on crowd size and activity versus 8.8.
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