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Ashley Madison Review

Ashley Madison Review February 2024

DatingScout.com Author Chris Pleines
From: Chris Pleines
 • Reading Time: 10 minute(s)

Curious about the secret world of extramarital affairs? Explore Ashley Madison, a discreet online platform for those seeking passionate connections outside their relationships. Discover more in our revealing review.

24,000,000 Members
 30 % ♀ 
 70 % ♂ 
Good For:
5 / 5
5 / 5
3 / 5
Success Rate:
8 / 10
68 / 10
63 / 10
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Age Distribution:
18-24
25-34
35-49
50+
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Ashley Madison in 10 seconds

DatingScout.com Author Chris Pleines
Chris Pleines
Founder of Dating Scout and Author of the book "Online Dating for Dummies"
Ashley Madison creates an environment that widely accepts people exploring other options despite being committed to someone. If you are looking for a secret affair, this might just be the platform for you. Sign up now to see for yourself.

Who is Ashley Madison for and not for?

  • People wanting excitement and passion in the bedroom again
  • If you are looking for discreet affairs
  • People looking for open and polygamous relationships
  • Those looking for casual sex and hookups
  • Those who would rather have a serious and long-term relationship than something casual
  • People who are monogamous and aren't into affairs
  • People who want to fall in love
  • For uptight singles who cannot live out their sexuality
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Back to Overview

Ashley Madison Pros & Cons

  • App is easy to use and has a modern user interface
  • Chat disappears to maintain discretion
  • Deploys great security features to protect your identity
  • Premium is free for women and affordable for men
  • Confusing payment system
  • Members report of auto-generated messages from fake profiles to lure you into buying credits so you can reply to them
  • No auto matchmaking feature available
  • Profiles are not detailed and often not filled out

How does Ashley Madison work?

how it works
  • Customize the search filters based on your preference
  • Discover feature shows recommended users
  • Add users you like to your favorites so you can contact them easily
  • Get a list of members who checked your profile
  • Request and send a private key to unlock private photos
  • Messaging features are free for women

Finding a date or hookup partner here is easy, especially if you're a woman. Messaging features are free for female members as long as they are seeking relationships with men whereas male users need to upgrade for them to be able to communicate with other members. Using the search filter, you can customize the results of the users that you can see in the Discover tab. The search filter will let you customize the location and other details. You can even enable private photos so that you will see users who have these. Aside from the basic search filters, you can also use the more advanced search function where you can choose the body type, ethnic background, language, and your limits if you are only looking for something short-term, cyber affair, erotic chat, and others.

All the members you added as favorites will appear in one tab. You can also see a list of people who viewed your profile. If you want to see a user's private photos, you can click "Request private key" or if you want to send access to your private photos, just click " Send private key."

Do you want to connect with more users? You can boost your profile to stand out from the crowd. As an Ashley Madison Priority Man, your profile will be highlighted in search results for 30 days.

How much does Ashley Madison cost?

Can you try Ashley Madison for free?

Is Ashley Madison expensive or cheap?

In comparison to other providers Ashley Madison is average.
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Duration / Credits / CoinsCostsTotal
Basic
?
+100 Bonus Credits
100 Credits0.49 USD / Credit49.00 USD
Classic
?
+500 Bonus Credits
500 Credits0.30 USD / Credit149.00 USD
Elite
?
+1000 Bonus Credits
1,000 Credits0.25 USD / Credit249.00 USD
ashley madison price
Free Features
  • Create an account
  • Like and view other profiles
  • Create a favorites list
  • Advanced search filters
  • Send winks
  • Discreet photo feature
    • Test now for free
Premium Features
  • Send virtual gifts
  • Boost profile
  • Open and collect emails
  • Send personalized messages
  • Initiate chats
  • Travel Man feature

Is Ashley Madison free for women?

Women who are seeking men are free to use all the site's features. For others (women seeking women; men seeking men; men seeking women, etc.), they have to purchase credits to be able to enjoy the site and initiate communication with others. Its premium features are not based on a monthly subscription but on credits that you have to buy per package. The site offers three different packages: Elite = 1,000 Credits, Classic = 500 Credits, and Basic = 100 Credits. 

Ashley Madison Credits

The credits needed for the features are not the same, so there are some that require more credits than the other functions. Opening collect messages, sending priority emails, and initiating emails cost 5 credits. Once you reply to people you have previously contacted, you no longer have to use credits every time you send them emails. Using the chat feature will also cost you credits: 30 credits for 30 minutes and 60 credits for 60 minutes. If you want to send gifts to your match, virtual gifts are available for 20, 30, and 50 credits. Overall, the prices for the credit packages are quite reasonable.

How to pay for Ashley Madison anonymously?

Payments can also be done anonymously by redeeming gift cards from major retailers such as Best Buy, Starbucks, Walmart, and Home Depot as long as the balance is more than 49 USD. However, these payments are nonrefundable even if you cancel your account during the cooling-off period.

How can I delete my Ashley Madison account and cancel my subscription?

Please find more information here

Back to Overview

Who is signed up on Ashley Madison?

Members
24,000,000 from USA
Members activity
20,000 daily logins
Gender Proportion
30 %
70 %
  • Has a large membership pool
  • Millions of users from all over the world
  • Has an active community
  • Like-minded people looking for new affairs
  • Majority are middle-aged

With its unique target audience, you wouldn't be surprised that they have millions of populations all over the world. The majority of its traffic comes from big countries like the USA, UK, Canada, and Brazil. Most of them are men who are middle-aged and above.

Ashley Madison is pretty famous for being an "affair site," where people can find any form of arrangement even when they are married or committed to someone. Thus, if you check out the profiles, most of them are married people looking for discreet relationships.

But it's not just cheaters who are registered. It also has a lot of users who are looking for casual dates and sex relationships.
And some users have just separated/divorced from long relationships/marriages and don't want anything serious.

It has a diverse pool of open-minded users. Looking for a match won't be a problem since you have all the choices you can ask for. And most importantly, it has hundreds and thousands of active people just waiting for you to strike up a conversation.

Females
Males

Ashley Madison Age Range and Age Distribution

  • 18-24
  • 25-34
  • 35-44
  • 45-54
  • 55+

New members at Ashley Madison in February 2024 in comparison

Here you can see how membership figures at Ashley Madison are developing compared to others

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Back to Overview

Ashley Madison: Is Ashley Madison hacked?

ashley madison hack discreet

Affair internet dating is not up in everyone's alley, and some may even consider the idea as taboo. So all hell broke loose when this huge affair dating site got entangled into a database hacking incident.

Its hackers claimed two reasons for exposing the 32 million site members' personal information, like email addresses and account details. First, they claim to be against Ashley Madison's practice of arranging affairs between married individuals. Second, they claim that Ashley Madison's business practices are considered unethical.

To regain the confidence of its members, the site underwent a series of measures, including doing a rebranding of its image. 

Here are some of the measures that Ashley Madison had put in security features for its updated platform:

Updated Security Program

Ashley Madison settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to implement a comprehensive data security program involving a third-party company that will do the assessments. The security program should prevent similar incidents from happening.

Two-Factor Authentication Feature

The site also added another layer of security to the user sign-in process. The two-factor authentication feature was added beyond the username and password. With this protection, the site will be able to tell whether it's really the users who are trying to log into the account. Members are now required to enter a piece of information or answer a security question so that hackers may not be able to bypass easily the sign-in gates.

Bug Bounty Program

Website vulnerabilities do not only happen with Ashley Madison. In fact, this is a problem that most websites face and try to improve on. With this, Ashley Madison implemented its own bug bounty program to help locate these problem areas even before hackers can exploit them. People who can help point out these vulnerabilities are compensated by Ashley Madison. Bug bounty programs are used by huge digital companies like Facebook, Google, and Reddit to name a few, and they have been effective in boosting security.

Following Strict Cybersecurity Standards

Ashley Madison is now aligned with the NIST cybersecurity standards. The NIST implements a cybersecurity framework in response to a US presidential executive order that called for a standardized security framework for critical infrastructure in the United States. In 2017, Ashley Madison also achieved the "Privacy by Design Certification" from Ryerson University.

Ashley Madison's Chief Strategy Officer, Mr. Paul Keable guarantees that there won't be another hack that will compromise the dating site's member data. Aside from having top-tier security, they also have a dedicated privacy team working day and night to protect their members' information. Learn more about the 2015 hack here.

Back to Overview

Ashley Madison: Real Reasons Why Women Sign Up at Ashley Madison

casual-dating-couple
  • Perfect for women looking to feel loved and appreciated
  • Women primarily join to feel sexy again and find excitement
  • Ashley Madison becomes the go-to website for women who recently came out of a long relationship

Curious about what drives women to sign up at Ashley Madison? Here are the real reasons why:

1. There is a lack of love and appreciation in their current relationship. Some women want to feel loved again.

2. Some women want to know if they can still attract a man. They join Ashley Madison to feel sexy again. These women tend to be in their mid-30s through mid-40s.

3. Some women are looking for excitement, mostly when their sex life in their relationship has gone cold. What those women want in their sex life is beyond what the partner is interested in or capable of giving, so they are looking elsewhere for it.

4. There are women who have just gone out of a long relationship and are now looking for something uncomplicated with no strings attached.

5. There are sugarbabes or women who are looking for a sugar daddy. Those women tend to be in their 20s through 30s.

Back to Overview

How to Signup on Ashley Madison

Ashley Madison Dating Site Registration Process
  • Free sign-up
  • Quick and easy registration process
  • Basic information is needed upon signing up
  • Relationship status has to be specified
  • Some information from the application are reflected on the profile page

Ashley Madison has a registration process that anyone can easily understand. It does not require much personal information from you, which is quite understandable given its nature, which is to look for an extramarital relationship. However, it does make you specify your current relationship status and some general information, like your height, ethnicity, limits, etc. The information that you give upon signing up is reflected on your profile page media.

Signing up is convenient and completely free. It will usually only take you less than five minutes to finish. Part of the process is selecting your display picture. Once you have chosen a photo that you want to use, it shall allow you to make simple edits to it. You can either blur out the image or add masks to cover parts of your face. This is a way for Ashley Madison to keep people anonymous and safe.

Making Contact on Ashley Madison

ashley madison contact
  • Send emails to other profiles
  • Send virtual gifts to stand out from the crowd and impress others
  • TravelingMan feature is available for those who are on-the-go
  • Add profiles to favorites
  • Send winks
  • Request for private keys
  • Only women can send free messages

For women seeking relationships with men, making connections and starting conversations on Ashley Madison dating is entirely free. Men, however, have to use and pay for credits to use these features. It has the necessary functions for users to be able to establish communication with one another, including a chat feature that is available. 

Everyone has the privilege to create a list of their favorite profiles for free. Each member can add up to 100 profiles to their list and can manually add or remove someone from it at any given time. You can also send winks to others for free. Do this to show your interest in someone whose profile you might like. When you send winks, you can also opt to attach your private showcase key. The private showcase key allows you to see a member's photo without all the fuzz and the masks. 

It also allows you to send virtual gifts to one another, but this feature is not free. Gifts cost credits, and they may vary according to the type of gift you are going to send. 

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Ashley Madison Profile Quality

profile
  • Special features help you maintain your discretion with photos and other media
  • Uploading discreet photos is encouraged
  • It is free for everyone to visit and view profiles
  • There are reports of fake profiles on the platform
  • The profiles are not very detailed
  • The profile information can be changed later
  • Profile pictures are visible to everyone for free

If you are looking for a detailed profile, you might not be able to find it on Ashley Madison. Because of its nature as a cheating dating internet site, people are quite reserved when it comes to sharing details and media about themselves. It won't ask for your name; instead, it will ask you to provide a unique username as your identification.

Your profile only has the most basic information, like city/location, gender, age, zodiac sign, and some details about what kind of relationship you're looking for and what are the things that excite you. These will appear on your profile and can be updated and edited any time that you want. 

If you happen to find someone interesting, you can freely visit their profiles to see if you are compatible with each other. You can browse and view profiles with no credit required. You can also upload photos and other media and choose to blur out or edit them for security. These blurred and edited photos are what people can see on your profile. If you want to share a clear unedited version of your images, you can give them access to it by sending them your private key.

Ashley Madison has fake profiles, like other online dating sites. To control and avoid them, the website continuously filters and suspends suspicious activities.

Ashley Madison App

app
  • App is available for iOS and Android
  • Does not require a lot of space to download
  • The app has all the features that are on the desktop version
  • Convenient for people who are always on the move
  • App has a good and simple interface that is easy to navigate

The Ashley Madison app is free to download on the App Store and Google Play. It is quite similar to the desktop version, with all the necessary features you'll find on the site. It is a lite app that would not take up much space on your phone memory. 

If you are a person who's often on the app, know that unlike its desktop version, when buying credits, you have to process it through the iTunes or Google Play account. 

The dating app is designed well with an icon that is not suspicious and can easily be hidden. It also offers an easier way to like profiles with its swipe feature. If you're looking for a quick meet-up, the app allows you to find others near you and see who's checking you out.

Special Features

Since Ashley Madison is pretty basic, it doesn't have that many special features that are exclusive to Ashley Madison. Despite that, it continues to provide services that are quite useful in finding a match. The following are its special features:

Favorites List

The site allows you to curate a list of your favorite Ashley Madison profiles. Each user can add up to 100 profiles in their list. It is free for everyone and allows you to remember the people who really caught your eye.

Discreet Photos

If you want to keep your identity private, the site gives every member the privilege to upload a discreet photo. When you upload a picture, you will be given the option to blur the image out or add some face masks and sensors that can help protect your identity. When you meet someone you like, you can give them the key so they can access clear versions of your photos.

Send Wink

Once you send a wink to someone, you are telling them that you are interested. You can find this function on the profile page of the person you are crushing on. Under their profile pictures, you will find a smiley face with a label that says "Send Wink."

TravelingMan

This is a special feature that is useful for those who's always traveling. With a few bucks, you can send messages to at most 30 girls who live in that area and get to know them better days before your arrival.

Priority Man

The Priority Man gives you a profile boost. This is a paid feature that makes your profile stand out in the members' page. With this, your profile may appear different on other people's search pages. 

Message Plus

This feature allows you to message and talk to anyone you have had contact with. You can get this feature as a free trial after buying a credit package. The trial will have a 30-day validity. After that, you will be asked to pay for it if you want to continue using the feature.

Priority Mail

Members can send a message and use the "Priority Mail" feature. This highlights the message and puts it on top of the recipient's mailbox.

Members using the system based on credits can send a message with priority for an additional credit cost. Subscription users can choose to purchase select subscription packages that include priority messaging.

How can I delete my Ashley Madison account and cancel my subscription?

Uninstalling the app will not cancel your subscription.

How can you cancel your Subscription?

  • You can cancel via profile settings
  • You can cancel by sending an email
  • You can cancel with customer support

Will your subscription automatically renew?

  • Yes, your Ashley Madison subscription will automatically renew. The notice period for opting out of automatic renewal is 1 Day.

Is there a money back guarantee and do you get refunded the full amount?

  • Yes, there is money back guarantee but you only get a partial refund

How much time do you have to undo Ashley Madison purchases?

  • You have 14 Days to refund your Ashley Madison purchase if you don't like it.

You can cancel your account and request a refund within 14 days. If you desire a refund on a reimbursable method of payment such as a credit or debit card, you can contact Ashley Madison at support@ashleymadison.com. 

Will your credits expire?

  • No, your credits do not expire.
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Ashley Madison FAQ

Facts

What are the advantages for girls to use Ashley Madison instead of going to a club?

Are there advantages for women to use Ashley Madison? Hell yes, there are!

  1. First of all, Ashley Madison is free for women! In clubs and bars, you need to pay for entrance, plus at least for one drink.
  2. Going out to a club or bar alone as a woman can be intimidating. It takes a lot more guts than it does to create an online dating profile. 
  3. Most girls don't like to go out alone; they need their besties for a night out. But what to do when their besties have no time or desire to go out? Or worse, if you are not allowed to go out at all (e.g. Covid). BUT every woman can register with Ashley Madison all by herself, independent of others!
  4. Unlike men, women do not love the hunt for a hookup, and many women are not looking for one-night stands; instead, they look for someone who's turned on by the same things and with whom they can have a casual relationship. It's kind of impossible to find that exact match in a bar. 
  5. Despite being a woman, it not that easy to find a casual hookup in a bar - unless you have no standards whatsoever. But it is easy to find a casual hookup with Ashley Madison and even have high standards.
  6. The Male - Female ration on Ashley Madison is working against guys, but not against women. Women have plenty of men to choose fromand can be picky.
  7. It's easy for women; they don't have to take the first step. It only takes 5 minutes to receive at least 4-5 instant message conversations. 

Show me those Attractive Men

Back to overview

Is Ashley Madison free?

You can join Ashley Madison for free, but most of the services that they offer are available for premium users only.

What is Ashley Madison?

Ashley Madison is a dating site for people looking for extramarital affairs and other adventurous sexual encounters. It offers like-minded individuals a community that is open to infidelity without any judgment.

Does Ashley Madison work?

Ashley Madison has signed several millions of cheating spouses despite the hacking in 2015. It does work in making affairs possible.

Is Ashley Madison legit?

Ashley Madison is a legitimate online dating site and social networking service. It operates across continents.

How to message on Ashley Madison without paying?

Only women get free messaging features on Ashley Madison. Male users are required to upgrade to premium to continue communicating with other members. 

How does Ashley Madison work?

People who are interested in the site can sign up for free and set up their profiles based on their preferences. They use credit-based services in order to connect and interact with others using its different features.

What did Ashley Madison do to secure its website after the hack? Is Ashley Madison secure now?

After its cyber attack in 2015, many feared about their security in Ashley Madison. However, Ashley Madison website has updated their security program with stricter security measures. Learn more about it here: Ashley Madison Hack.

Is Ashley Madison for Sugar Babies?

Ashley Madison is a discreet dating site for married or attached individuals. It does not brand itself as a sugar daddy - sugar baby dating site, although you may find some looking for that kind of relationship on the Ashley Madison website.

What is the average age of users on Ashley Madison?

The average age of Ashley Madison users is between 34-41 years. You can find more information here

Usability

Do I have control over my Ashley Madison profile?

Yes, you do. You have complete control over your information and personal details you want to disclose to the public. To adjust your profile settings, you can go to your "Manage/Edit Profile" page.

How long does it take to have my profile approved?

Once you finish the registration process, your profile is automatically activated, and you can enjoy Ashley Madison's services right away. 

How to delete my Ashley Madison profile?

This online dating site allows you to either deactivate or fully delete your profile. Deactivating will only remove your profile from the search results and hide your profile from the site. Once your profile is deactivated, you can restore it by contacting customer service. Full deletion, on the other hand, will erase all the data you have on your profile, including photos, messages, gifts, and others.

What is 'Priority Man' for?

The Priority Man in Ashley Madison is that person who paid to have his profile highlighted in the search results. The profiles of those who have availed this feature are placed strategically so that they stand out and become more noticeable.

How do I use the 'TravelingMan' feature on Ashley Madison?

This feature allows you to send a custom priority message to up to 30 women in the city/place you are traveling to. To use this feature, find the "Traveling?" option on the menu bar. Click it and answer the form that appears. 

Is messaging free?

Only women who are seeking men are free to use the messaging features on Ashley Madison. For others, they have to use credits to read, send, or initiate contact. 

What is 'Message Plus' on AshleyMadison?

This allows you to read, reply, and collect messages without using any of your credits. This also allows you to message anyone you have previously contacted even if you no longer have any credits left. This feature is free for the first 30 days after buying a credit package. After the free trial period, if you haven't canceled the subscription, you will be automatically billed.

Costs

How much does Ashley Madison cost?

Using the website and its features is completely free for females who are looking for a male match. But for women who seek women, men who seek women, and men who seek men, they can only register for free, but they have to avail of credit packages to enjoy most of the site's features. Know more about the prices here.

Can you try Ashley Madison for free?

Payment

What are the payment methods available for Ashley Madison?

The site accepts payments through Paypal, credit cards, and other discreet options based on your region. They also redeem gift cards from major retailers, allowing you to pay for credits anonymously.

All payments made via credit or debit cards are encrypted and securely transmitted to the payment processor.

How will my purchase appear on my credit card bill?

Ashley Madison offers a discreet and anonymous billing. To check how it will appear, visit the 'Buy Credits' or 'Subscribe' section. You can also email them at CC@ashleymadison.com.

Security

Is it possible to upload a discreet display photo?

Ashley Madison encourages people to upload a discreet photo. The site even has a feature that allows you to blur out your image or add a mask on your photo for complete anonymity. Adding a discreet photo increases your chance to find a match. 

What is "Automatic Private Key Exchange"?

This function allows Ashley Madison users to share their private photos with anyone they like. Enabling this will allow you to have a clear view of what used to be a hidden/blurred image of a member you choose.

You can have the option to enable or disable this feature anytime you want on the 'Profile Options' page.

How do you know you've been blocked on Ashley Madison?

Ashley Madison does not offer the option to search by username - so you have to be creative :P
Check, if you can find an old message from the person in your inbox. If you cannot access their profile via the message, that's a sign that you may have been blocked.
But keep in mind that it could also be a possibility that the person left Ashley Madison and the profile doesn't exist at all.

What can I do to keep my profile safe?

To ensure your safety when signing up for Ashley Madison, make sure to use a different email. Your email should not have any of your personal info and should only be used for entering sites like Ashley Madison.

Can I use Ashley Madison anonymously?

Yes, Ashley Madison is a site that allows you to browse through profiles anonymously. Its users are registered under a chosen username; it is now up to you if you want to add personal info on the username that you will be using.

How can I create a strong password for Ashley Madison?

If you want to create a strong and secure password, the site has a password meter that can measure the strength of the password that you choose. A strong password has a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.

How to spot female fake accounts?

The rule of thumb is if a woman has her picture up in the public view, she's probably fake unless she is an escort or single.

Does Ashley Madison sell your data?

No, Ashley Madison does not sell your data.

Was Ashley Madison hacked in the past?

Hackers stole data from affair dating site Ashley Madison in 2015. To regain the confidence of its members, the site underwent a series of measures, including doing a rebranding of their image. 

How accurately does Ashley Madison track your location?

Ashley Madison tracks your approximate location.

Do your Ashley Madison profile pictures or profile information appear in Google Search Results?

No, your Ashley Madison photos and personal information will not appear in Google Search Results.

Who can view your pictures on Ashley Madison?

You must allow access to your pictures before Ashley Madison users can see them.

Is your phone number required for signing up at Ashley Madison?

No, you don't need a phone number to sign up on Ashley Madison.

Can you erase your personal data on Ashley Madison?

Yes, Ashley Madison provides an option for users to erase their data.

How can I delete my Ashley Madison account and cancel my subscription?

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Final Results table

Signing Up: 4.0 / 5
Making Contact: 4.0 / 5
Profile Quality: 3.0 / 5
App: 4.0 / 5
Real Life Review: 4.0 / 5

More information on Ashley Madison:

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Contact details

Company:Ruby Life Inc.
Address:PO Box 67027, Toronto, ON M4P 1E4 Canada
Phone-Hotline:(416) 480-2334
Table of Contents
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