Ashley Madison Review - Best For Men Seeking A Discreet Relationship.
Let's get this out of the way, Ashley Madison delivers, but (and this is important), it's an expensive proposition. I test many dating apps, and Ashley Madison is by far the most expensive app I've encountered. That doesn't mean the app is bad, far from it.
If you're over 35, seeking a "discreet" relationship with a woman who is probably married, are patient, and don't mind spending cash, Ashley Madison is for you.
On the flip side, if you're looking for a casual fling, want something fast, don't want to spend a lot of money, and want a relationship with a woman who has loads of free time, this is not for you.
Below is a complete Ashley Madison review - what's good and what's bad. I break down the features, costs, and much more.
What is Ashley Madison?
Ashley Madison is not a traditional data app; it's for people who are looking for "discreet relationships." Let's get this straight, this is not a hookup app. The women are looking for something outside their current relationship but not looking to sleep around.
Some women are single and want something of a casual nature. Also, there are couples looking for a third or another couple. The reality of the app is the majority of women are in relationships are married and seeking an affair.
The majority of women on Ashley Madison are married, seeking an affair.
If you're seeking hookups, there are better options. Visit my other blog posts for an overview of these types of apps:
- AdultFriendFinder Review – The Best Hookup Site For Men
- Pure Dating App Review – Is Pure A Good Way To Meet Women?
- Casualx Dating App Review – Is It A Good Alternative To Craigslist?
- Wild Hookup App Review – How Good Is The App For Meeting Women?
- Down App Review – Potential For Greatness But Fails To Deliver
How to register on Ashley Madison.
Joining Ashley Madison is similar to other dating apps. You enter your location, your email address, and go through setting up a profile.
It doesn't take long to join the app. I was able to register in a few minutes. Quick and easy, just the way I like it.
Is Ashley Madison free?
It's free to sign up and browse profiles. You can wink at women for free as well, but messaging women costs money... a lot of money.
There is no fixed membership cost for Ashley Madison. The pricing stature is based on credits. As you see below, the credits are pricey.
Ashley Madison uses credits to use its features.
Once you have credits, you can spend them for sending messages to women. Sending a basic message to a woman costs 9 credits. You can upgrade your messages to a "priority message" at an added cost of 5 credits.
So, sending a priority message costs you 14 credits. You can see how this quickly adds up. If you purchase 100 credits, you can only message a handful of women. Thus, Ashley Madison becomes very expensive.
Women can send you a "collect" message. You need to spend credits to read them, however. And if you choose to respond, you'll need to spend the basic 9 credits to send a message back - plan on spending a lot of money here.
Women can send you "collect messages" that require credits to read.
Ashley Madison has an app and a desktop version.
There are a desktop and app version for Ashley Madison. Both are simple and easy to use. There's not a lot of "fluff" or bells and whistles, making it an easy, non-confusing experience.
The interface is intuitive and won't take long to figure out for people who don't know their way around dating apps. Both the dating app and desktop version are fast and simple.
There is a menu on the top right that allows you to jump to your profile to edit it. You can also buy more credits, visit your inbox, and search women's profiles.
An issue I have is the settings are on the top left corner of the screen on both the app and desktop. I can't think of any dating apps that have settings on the top left and not right. It's not a huge issue, but it is odd.
How to set up your profile on Ashley Madison.
Setting up your profile on Ashley Madison is very similar to other apps. If you're new to setting up profiles, it's not that difficult. You don't have to write a bio nor add photos allowing you to remain anonymous.
Here are a few things you can do:
- Username - Create a unique username that women see when viewing your profile.
- Greeting - This is a headline which women see at the top of your bio. If you don't use photos, it will appear when women search profiles.
- Photo gallery - Add photos that are public (everyone can see) or private (require a key to view).
- Self-summary - The written section of your bio.
- Vitals - Profile traits (age, relationship status, body type, etc.).
The app also allows you to choose from preselected "interests" to connect with women. These include basic interests like traveling and wine and sexual ones such as "sex toys" and "kinky fun."
Ashley Madison offers "private photos," which enables you to be discreet. You don't have to show your photos to everyone, but it's a good idea to have at least one visible profile photo.
When using the private photos feature, women typically request a "private key" to see your photos. Likewise, you can do the same with women, requesting her key to see her hidden photos.
Women can ask for permission to see your private (hidden) photos.
Are there women on Ashley Madison?
The good news is there are a lot of women on this app. The majority of women on this app are over 35 years old. If you're looking for 25-year-old women, this isn't the place.
Since many women are not single, they may not respond as quickly as you would find on a traditional dating app. The main reason is they're involved already and take time to connect, so don't expect women to respond to your message instantly.
There are a lot of women on Ashley Madison - the majority seeking an affair.
There is a wide range of women on the app - some are women whose partners have no idea they are on the app. Also, some women are in an open relationship and have permission from their partner. And there are single women as well, although not as many as women in relationships.
Never hesitate to ask women what they're looking for.
How to message women on Ashley Madison.
As mentioned above, you need to spend money to contact women. And it adds up quickly. Messaging women is simple. The site provides a message section on a woman's profile.
You should be selective when messaging women; otherwise, you will run out of credits quickly. After you match with a woman, the rest of your messages are free.
It costs 9 credits to send a basic first message to a woman. You can spend an extra 5 credits for your message to have a "priority message." So, it can cost 14 credits to send a message. Ouch!
If there's one thing I want you to take away from this review, don't message every woman on the app. You'll break the bank doing that. Be selective.
The default message setting on Ashley Madison is the most costly choice.
Turn off the "Priority Message" setting.
Ashley Madison defaults to the "priority message" option on both the app and desktop versions when you send a message. This means it costs 14 credits to send a message - all messages (not just your icebreakers).
You can change the default to a regular message. I advise you to do so otherwise, every message, not just your icebreakers, default to the more expensive option.
To turn off the priority message default, just go to your settings. It's at the bottom of the screen.
You can turn off the priority message option in your settings.
There is another way to reach out to women.
You can connect with women by sending a wink. This is a good way to save credits.
Winks are an efficient way to show interest in women, but they don't always work. Women are bombarded with winks, so it's a good idea to wink whomever you want, but send messages to the ones you really want to contact.
Messages are always better than winks, yet there's a cost. Again, be selective in who you message.
What are the features of Ashley Madison?
There's not a lot of bells and whistles on Ashley Madison. I like that you won't get lost in useless added on features.
It's pretty basic on Ashley Madison. You can do the following:
- Send a message to a woman. You can send a basic message (9 credits) or upgrade it to a priority message (14 credits).
- Create a personalized favorite list of women.
- Send winks to women - these are free.
- Request a key to see a woman's hidden photos.
- Grant women a key to see your hidden photos.
- You can see which women view your profile.
Features above (left to right): 1) Adding woman to your favorites. 2) Send a wink. 3) Request (or send) key to see hidden photos.
Ashley Madison Review - Final Thoughts
Ashley Madison delivers on what it sets out to do. It's an app for guys over 35 years old seeking "discreet" relationships with women who are also over 35.
Make no mistake, you don't join Ashley Madison seeking a soulmate. Nor should you join if you're looking for instant hookups. The women on this app are typically seeking one guy to fill a void missing in their life.
There are a lot of women on this app. Most are married or in a relationship. Sure, some are single, but their numbers are small.
If you're comfortable seeing women who are married or in a relationship, then this is for you. Joining is free, so you can explore the app and see how many women are active in your area.
Keep in mind, this is a very expensive app. You're spending at least $60 for 100 credits. Take it from me, 100 credits doesn't go very far. Expect to spend at least $100 starting out.
Ashley Madison Final Rating - 7 out of 10
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