AFF vs Plenty of Fish
AFF (7.9/10) comes out ahead of Plenty of Fish (7.3/10) overall, mainly on the biggest, busiest crowd. Go AFF if you want the biggest, busiest crowd; pick Plenty of Fish if value for money matters more to you.
Our pick 
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
Plenty of Fish
7.3/ 10
Safety
6.2
Value
7.8
Crowd
8.2
Ease
7.4
The generous old-timer, 7.3/10 (safety 6.2, value 7.8, members 8.2, ease 7.4; weighted safety 30%, value 30%, members 20%, ease 20%). POF wins on the one thing that matters most to a lot of people: a huge pool you can actually message for free, no paywall, no match required. It loses points for a dated, ad-heavy experience and a real bot-and-scam problem you have to filter yourself. We earn no commission on this one, it's listed purely on merit. Ride the free tier, vet everyone hard, watch for anyone pushing you to WhatsApp, and you've got serious dating value for nothing.
- +Genuinely free messaging, you can write to anyone with no match and no paywall, which almost no rival allows
- +One of the biggest pools in dating after 20+ years, skewing older and more everyday than the swipe apps
- +Free tier is properly usable end-to-end; many users land dates without ever paying
Side-by-side comparison
| AFF | Plenty of Fish | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 7.9✓ | 7.3 |
| Safety | 7.2✓ | 6.2 |
| Value | 7.8 | 7.8 |
| Crowd | 9.3✓ | 8.2 |
| Ease | 7.6✓ | 7.4 |
| Free to join | Yes | Yes |
| Online since | 1996 | 2003 |
| Best for | Casual hookups, kink & swingers | Free messaging, big pool, casual + dating |
Which should you pick?
AFF
Pick AFF if the biggest, busiest crowd is your priority.
Plenty of Fish
Pick Plenty of Fish if value for money matters more to you.
AFF vs Plenty of Fish, common questions
Is AFF better than Plenty of Fish?
Overall, AFF comes out ahead (7.9 vs 7.3). 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 6.2.
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 8.2.
Affiliate links, placement is never for sale.