Ashley Madison vs Illicit Encounters

Ashley Madison (7.5/10) just edges Illicit Encounters (7.4/10) overall, mainly on the biggest, busiest crowd. Illicit Encounters claws back on discretion and safety. Go Ashley Madison if you want the biggest, busiest crowd; pick Illicit Encounters if discretion and safety matters more to you.
Ashley Madison
Ashley Madison
7.5/ 10
Safety
7.0
Value
6.8
Crowd
9.0
Ease
8.0
Still the default name in discreet dating, and it earns it, 7.5/10. It rebranded in 2026 from "married dating" to "discreet dating" with the slogan "Where Desire Meets Discretion," but it's the same go-to for extramarital connections underneath. The 2015 breach permanently dents the safety score and the credit pricing stings for men, but the crowd is unmatched and the privacy tools are the best in the niche. Join free, judge the activity in your city, mask your photos, and only spend once you've found someone worth it.
  • +The biggest, most focused crowd in discreet dating, everyone here is on the same page about wanting something extramarital and low-key, in basically every city
  • +Built around discretion: photo blur and face masks, private-key photo unlocking, and billing that never shows "Ashley Madison" on your statement
  • +Free for women, and free for women to message too, which keeps the female side genuinely active
Visit Ashley Madison → Read the full review →
Illicit Encounters
Safety
8.0
Value
6.6
Crowd
7.4
Ease
7.6
The honest UK pick for affair dating, 7.4/10 (safety 8.0, ease 7.6, members 7.4, value 6.6). Human moderation gives it a far cleaner, lower-fake pool than most affair sites, and it's genuinely active across British cities, which is why safety scores high. Mark it down for steep credit pricing and a membership that all but vanishes outside the UK. If you're an attached person in Britain who'll pay for a real, discreet experience, it's the strongest option in its lane, and we make nothing pointing you to it. Outside the UK or on a tight budget, look elsewhere.
  • +Human moderation of every profile and photo keeps fakes, bots and scammers far lower than on most affair sites
  • +The UK's largest and most established married dating site, running since 2003 with a real reputation behind it
  • +Genuinely active in British cities, with strong, discretion-first privacy tools built in
Visit Illicit Encounters → Read the full review →

Side-by-side comparison

Ashley MadisonIllicit Encounters
Overall score 7.5 7.4
Safety 7.0 8.0
Value 6.8 6.6
Crowd 9.0 7.4
Ease 8.0 7.6
Free to join Yes Yes
Online since 2002 2003
Best for Discreet dating & extramarital connections Discreet affairs for attached people in the UK

Which should you pick?

Ashley Madison

Pick Ashley Madison if the biggest, busiest crowd is your priority.

Illicit Encounters

Pick Illicit Encounters if discretion and safety matters more to you.

Ashley Madison vs Illicit Encounters, common questions

Is Ashley Madison better than Illicit Encounters?

Overall, Ashley Madison comes out ahead (7.5 vs 7.4). But "better" depends on what you want, the table above breaks it down dimension by dimension.

Which is safer and more discreet?

Illicit Encounters, scoring 8.0 on safety versus 7.0.

Which is better value for money?

Ashley Madison, 6.8 on value versus 6.6.

Which has the bigger crowd?

Ashley Madison, scoring 9.0 on crowd size and activity versus 7.4.

Affiliate links, placement is never for sale.