Top 6 Best Dating Sites like Backpage

Why do people choose to date online? How safe is online dating? Can you trust who you are planning to meet? When considering online dating, we think of popular online dating sites like Tinder and OkCupid. These popular websites do have safeguards in place to keep us safe while we are searching for our soulmate online. To get the most out of these sites, you usually have a payable monthly fee. Where with Backpage dating or escort sites, you are not generally looking for a long term commitment.

In this article, we look at the best dating sites like Backpage.

Dating Sites like Backpage

At a quick glance, here are our recommendations:

With the demise of Backpage people looking for casual encounters, hookups, and even dates are forced to look elsewhere to advertise themselves as a potential date. I will continue to outline 6 of the best replacement Backpage Dating sites on the internet.

Switter Review

Switter

Switter is a site in which sex workers have the opportunity to freely and openly chat with their clients, as the name suggests it operates in a similar way to twitter: S(ex)+T(witter) = Switter. It includes its listing system where escorts can offer both incall and outcall services, sell access to their, or custom video clips.

Popularity

On their website, they boast that they are the number one replacement to Backpage personals, and have more than 200,000 active users made up of either sex workers, their clients, and their allies. Despite the government regulations, we find that more and more people are signing up for this service every day.

Demographics

According to Alexa.com, most of the traffic to the Switter site comes from the United States, over 66%, and another 22% comes from Japan. It is a site for sex workers and clients to find each other and connect; no longer do they have t0o search on Twitter or other kinds of social media. They now have their very own place to see each other and other different services to each other.

Scam Potential

So how safe is Switter.at? How can you be assured you are getting the real deal with a site like this? As always it comes down to the user making sure that who is going to meet is the real deal, but we still want to know: is the site doing anything to keep us safe from the scammers out there?

Switter does require users to agree to a code of conduct, and any breach of that conduct will mean the loss of their profile. They have also implemented a two-step verification process in which users have a choice of implementing, making it harder for intruders to access their information.

Harlothub Review

HarlotHub

At HarlotHub the users, mainly sex workers, can post ads after purchasing credits to do so. They can create profiles that include: their name, age, personal biography, phone numbers, their preferred sexuality, and other additional contact information. It allows the users to search for escorts based on the location by state, but unlike Backpage, it doesn’t have the extensive listings, but it is quickly building that up.

Popularity

Harlothub.com’s users primarily originate from the United States and Canada. Unlike other similar sites, it does not have an international reputation. You will also find that there are not as many profiles on this site, but it is quickly increasing.

Demographics

Like most of the websites, HarlotHub consists of sex workers and escorts looking for clients. Each profile consists of a detailed biography with contact information for clients to contact the escorts individually.

Scam Potential

Being relatively new on the scene HarlotHub does not have much information on how scam-free it is, but they do claim that each profile with pictures is verified as real. So, they are doing their part in lessening the chance of scammers taking advantages of the users.

Tryst.link Review

Tryst.Link

Tryst.link was created to give users an alternative to Backpage sites and to keep things fair for the escorts that use their site. Users of this site can search for escorts by location worldwide, but they only have just over 450 escorts currently on their website.

Escorts are required to pay one of the different types of memberships – Basic, Standard, or Premium – to have their profile included on the site. Which also means that the standard rate for using the girls on this site is not cheap, and you will not find free hookups with girls if that is what you are truly after.

Popularity

It comes from the same founders as Switter.at, and as it is the new kid on the block, it doesn’t boast as many users, but it is continuing to grow in membership every day. One thing that many users like about Tryst is that it is easy to connect to the escorts that offer the type of service they desire.

Demographics

The site itself is for sex workers and escorts to connect with their clientele. So, if you are looking for free casual encounters or hookups, then this is probably not what you are after. Tryst escorts seem to have a presence in 35 different countries, so compared to Switter it is by far more international, but most of the visitors to this site seem to originate from the United States and Canada.

Scam Potential

Scams and fake profiles are nearly non-existent on Tryst, as they do their best to verify that all the escorts profiles are real. You can quickly check the information of each user as their profile consists of a biography, the services they offer, their rate, and contact information. As with every website, the user does need to take care of who they meet from the online world, but Tryst does their part in making the experience meeting new people as safe as they can.

Escort Directory Review

EscortDirectory

As the name suggests, it is a directory of escorts and escort agencies from around the world. You can search for escorts filtered by your location. However, you will be wise to note not every city or country will have escorts available, but if you are in the United States, there will be lots of girls, guys, and shemales available to you.

The profiles that are on this directory will include a biography and information on various preferences, about me, details, review, and comments from previous clients.

Popularity

Most of the visitors to this site are from the United States, around 40%; followed by Italy at 10%. They are a more accessible site and boast having more girls than other backpage style sites. Reviews from the clients remain mostly positive on this website, and users rate the site with five thumbs up.

Demographics

The site has profiles of girls from around the world and offers a variety of services to their clients. All the girls are providing erotic services for money; there are very few girls looking for a relationship here.

Scam Potential

Escort Directory takes the next step to making sure all pictures and profiles are verified to assure users they are meeting with a real person and not a scammer. They ensure this through heavy moderation and checking of each profile that is created. When you become a member, you have access to verified contact information, so you contact your chosen escort directly.

EROS Review

Eros.com

It is a classifieds ads service that allows users to search for a variety of sex workers from transgender to escorts to erotic dancers, whatever the user desires. They do offer the free classifieds, but unlike HarlotHub, they offer VIP and Eros Verified services. They allow the sex workers to create profiles that include gender, age, who they are available too, and whether they provide incall or outcall services.

Popularity

Most of the users of Eros.com come from the United States and Canada, and they make up 90% of the users that visit this site looking for escorts or hookups.

Demographics

Eros.com has a large number of escorts that have a verified profile on the site.

Scam Potential

Eros.com does do their part to verify the photos of their users, but it is always up to the user of the website to make sure that what the girls say is accurate, and with the reviews of each girl on the site, you can quickly check if the escorts they are contacting are the real deal.

Slixa Review

Slixa

It is a clean, intuitive site where you can search for and hire a range of high-class female and transgender escorts that can be found in major cities of Europe and the United States. They offer listings in various categories from an escort, to dancer, to BDSM, to a porn star. There may not be a large number of girls on Slixa, but you can be guaranteed that they are all high quality, but with this service, you will generally pay from $500 to $1000 per hour.

Popularity

Slixa does claim to be a power player in the casual sex industry, with 1 million visitors to the site and 14,000 twitter users that connect their accounts to slixa. These claims seem to be accurate and the fact that users can be found around the globe.

Demographics

You can find personals from sex workers and escorts from around the world; they come to you from the UK, Asia, Europe, and the United States. Even with this worldwide presence, most of the traffic comes from the United States and Canada making up more than 80% of the visitors.

Scam Potential

Slixa.com does implement a robust photo verification process to ensure that only real people are advertising their services on their site. There are also reviews on each of the escorts from previous clients so you can check if the person you want to contact is who they say they are.


What is Backpage Dating?

backpage dating

First of all, what is Backpage? Backpage is a typical classified advertising site where the user posts ads for anything they want to buy and sell for free. It was launched back in 2004 and soon become the second most popular classified in the whole of the United States.

It was just like the classified ads in any newspaper and even included a personals section, which included more adult-oriented personal ads, up until January 9, 2017. This section included different subcategories that related to various types of sex work such as, casual encounters, hookup, erotic massage, to name a few.

Issues with Safety

After a string of cases involving Backpage and incidents of sex with minors, the FBI was forced to investigate and close down the site in April 2018. The closure of BackPage led to people having to find another place to buy and sell goods and services.

And with the free online dating, people were forced to find sites that offered a similar service, but other classified services like Craigslist the following suit and taking down the personal section so they too will not be forced to close their entire site.


Why is Backpage Popular?

Why all this news about Backpage being shut down? Why not just quietly find another classified site to advertise on? The simple answer is that Backpage was a unique type of website, and no other website was offering something similar to them. You will find that users can buy and sell without a third party. For Escorts and Sex workers, this meant they could be genuine freelancers, and not have to worry about being used by a third-party.


Chances of Being Scammed.

Chances of Being Scammed, backpage dating

When on any classified site it is best to follow the adage that says “Buyers Beware” this is no different for any dating site, let alone a backpage dating site. There is a higher chance of being scammed on these type of dating sites because users create their ads, and the verification of ads and profiles is unlike the large dating sites such as Tinder.

It is on the user to verify they are talking to a real person, and not a scammer when using most of these backstage style dating sites. But as you will see, some of these sites are trying to create a system that is similar.


What Issues Do Backpage Sites Have Over Dating Sites?

When looking at Backpage Sites vs. Dating sites, we need to consider the following issues. When using a Backpage site, there is always a chance of scammers using fake ads to attract attention, whereas dating websites are more heavily regulated than the other sites.

Another thing to consider is the purpose of these different sites. Most Backpage sites are for Escorts and Escort Agencies to connect with their clients, where Dating sites are for individuals looking for love. After considering these issues if you are looking for casual sex that you pay for these Backpage sites are relatively safe, but they are not the place to find FREE hookups or dates.


Conclusion

When choosing a replacement Backpage dating page you need to look for one that fits your particular need. There aren’t sites that include a similar service, and there are others that make the whole casual hookup safer and more convenient.

If you are looking for a system that offers you a safe and comfortable service, then I would choose Slixa.com as you will have an extensive database of clients and all profiles are verified through photo verification.

If you are truly looking for the real package experience, then you should take a close look at Switter.at. All this being said, each site has both its advantages and disadvantages. So happy honing for the casual dating experience and as you hook up, be careful.

Users need to be aware that these sites may be free to browse, but the dates are sex workers and they need to be paid for providing you with a service. So as the old saying goes “Buyers Beware!”

Check out the recommendations:



chelsea king - chief editor of romancescams
Written by Chelsea King

Chelsea has been a direct victim of romance scams herself losing over $35,000 in a span of a year in 2015. She joined and took over operations of RomanceScams.org in 2015. She brings first-hand experience in studying romance scams, and also experience in vetting dating sites for legitimacy. Read more of Chelsea's articles.

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