Backpage.com used to be the place to go if you were looking for escorts, hookers, and similar erotic services. You could find an escort, discover how much they charge, and organize a relatively safe encounter with a professional. However, in 2018, [Backpage was shut down by US authorities] (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-backpage-justice/sex-ads-website-backpage-shut-down-by-u-s-authorities-idUSKCN1HD2QP) for reasons we’ll cover near the end of this article.
So, what replaced backpage? Where did all the Backpage girls go? Here we’re going to suggest 11 websites similar to Backpage that you can use for escort services and sex ads.
Best Dating App & Free Sex Sites
- AdultFriendFinder (Free Hookup Site)
- AshleyMadison ( Married Dating Site for Affair)
- Passion.com
- NoStringAttached
- SexFinder
- Cams (Free Chatting Online)
Best Backpage Alternatives
No Backpage, now what? Luckily, there are many escorts sites and new Backpage alternatives on the internet which are yet to step on the toes of the FBI and get themselves shut down. Some of these sites are designed for escorts whereas some have casual sex in mind. Whatever you’re looking for after the demise of Backpage, you’re bound to find it on one of these websites.
Tryst
Tryst is nicely laid out – once you select your city/region, you are presented with a grid of images of escorts which you can filter down according to your preferences. You are instantly greeted with a ton of legal information when you first visit the site, so it seems like the recent occurrences with Backpage has made all of these escorts sites rather cautious.
There is a lot of diversity when it comes to genders, appearances, and races on this site, which is nice. One of my favorite things is the transparent way that it displays information. Just by glancing at an escort’s thumbnail in the search results, you can get an idea of what they look like, find out where they are, find out what they charge by the hour, and get a little summary of what they’re offering.
Tryst as a noun: a private romantic rendezvous between lovers.
Tryst as a verb: keep a private, romantic rendezvous with a lover.
Switter
No, that isn’t a typo. There is a website called Switter which is essentially designed to be a social media network for sex workers and their clients. They are actually linked to the Tryst service, offering escorts and customers a place to openly talk without fear of being judged.
Switter allows you to potentially find escorts you love while also talking openly about your sexual desires. The system has over 37,000 active users and offers a safe haven for people wanting to talk about sex work and related topics. However, over the whole world, 37,000 people are spread quite thin.
EscortDirectory.com
EscortDirectory, as you might imagine, is a directory website for escorts in your area. There are options for many different types of escort services, including BDSM escorts and massage escorts, leaving you with plenty of options to choose from.
There’s a new mix of men and women sex workers on the website, and there are even sections where former clients can leave reviews about their service. As an alternative to Backpage, this site seems to be very safe and display relevant information clearly.
The only downside to this site is that the number of escorts it currently hosts is limited. For example, the BDSM section of their site is severely lacking in male escorts, but that could also be a trend in BDSM sex work in general.
Adultlook
If you’re looking for younger female escorts, you’ll find quite a lot of them on Adultlook. Those searching for sites like Backpage and Craigslist personals will love Adultlook, as it kind of feels like a combination of the two, but with a better thumbnail image layout.
However, the downside with Adultlook is that it’s kind of spammy. For example, as soon as you open the site, you’re assaulted with cheap-feeling ads across the top advertising things like “Fuck MILFs”, “Generic Viagra for sale”, and “REAL VERIFIED SLUTS”. It just feels a bit tacky and dated.
Slixa
First of all, I have no idea what “Slixa” means, and I think it’s a terrible name which doesn’t evoke sexiness at all. Second, as far as I can tell, this site caters exclusively to female escorts, so you’ll have to take your cash elsewhere if you want male or trans escorts.
Complaints aside, Slixa does give you many options when it comes to female escorts, providing you with categories like “Fetish/Kinky”, “BDSM”, “Body Rub”, “Dancer” and more. In the search results, you only get a name, a picture, and a location to glance at, so you might need to do some deeper digging to find what you want when compared to better-designed Backpage substitutes.
Big_Quote: The look of the directory is slick and sophisticated, but they allow escorts to have either landscape or portrait profile pictures, so the picture results are skewed and uneven-looking. As someone with mild OCD, I can’t deal with that shit.
One Backpage
Why look for sites like Backpage and Craigslist personals when you could use One Backpage? Although it is not affiliated with the Backpage website that got shut down, the owners of One Backpage have very clearly been influenced by the old-internet style of these escort sites.
One Backpage is a little bit spammy and tacky feeling, with many ads filled to the brim with typos and emojis. If you like to hire an escort through an informal internet forum, then this is an ideal place to do it. However, if you prefer something with an air of class and dignity to it, I would look elsewhere.
Doublelist
Doubelist is more of a casual sex and dating site than an escorts directory, so just bear that in mind. Of course, it’s still possible to find escorts on there, but you’re more likely to find paid sex workers in other corners of the internet.
You can browse the Doublelist classifieds, but you can’t click on any ads to find out more information/see pictures unless you sign up first. If you don’t like creating 500 website accounts just to browse the local tail in your area, then you might get frustrated.
Info_Snippet: Doublelist was recently [used in a police sting operation to lure a pedophile] (https://www.hudsonstarobserver.com/news/crime-and-courts/4587924-crackdown-child-porn-leads-authorities-room-full-sex-toys-complaint), so bear in mind that underage children can still be found on many classifieds websites despite the sites’ best intentions to avoid it.
Bedpage
In their meta title that shows up on Google, Bedpage describe themselves as a “Backpage replacement” and “site similar to Backpage”, presumably trying to rake in that precious SEO. The thing I don’t understand is why they go to the trouble of having largely empty sections of their site dedicated to things like “Childcare” and “Vehicles for Sale” which clearly no one is using.
Still, if you’re looking for a Backpage alternative with a similar style and feel, Bedpage is sure worth a shot. Its layout is familiar and standard of the Craigslist-style sex forums, and it does feature sections for male and female escorts to advertise their services to Johns. The main problem it suffers from is a lack of activity – unless you live in a really big city, you’re not going to find too many local escorts on here.
Even if you say you’re looking for escorts in a certain city, Bedpage seems to advertise escorts to you in other countries, let alone cities. I have no idea why.
Secret Benefits
Secret Benefits is not an escort directory as such, but somewhere in the middle of being a dating website and a hookup website. The implication is that you innocently chat to ladies in your area, leading to a “friends with benefits” kind of scenario over time.
The good thing about this site is that it displays girls to you in a similar vein to Grindr – you get to see pictures and basic age/location information at a glance, and girls who are currently online and close to your location are displayed first. This way, you can strike up a conversation with a girl who is definitely online and see if you click – you don’t have to wait.
Ashley Madison
If you’re looking to have sex with an escort through sites similar to Backpage, then chances are you’re looking to be discreet and detached. Luckily, Ashley Madison can offer you discretion and detachment in spades.
You see, Ashley Madison’s MO is to provide a website where married men and women can cheat on their partners with people who know the score from the get-go. You can sign up either as a single person or a married person, looking for other people who want to have an affair.
Now I’m not saying that cheating on your partner is right, but if you are going to do it with an escort anyway, then you might as well do it with another married person who is going to keep things secret in order to protect their own relationship as well as yours.
Ashely Madison recently announced that they’re going to be [offering dating coaches] (https://www.insider.com/ashley-madison-offers-dating-coaches-married-people-cheat-2019-6) for married men and women who need advice for cheating on their partners discreetly via the internet. Ashley Madison are really doubling down on their controversial status as an affair website!
Adult Friend Finder (A Top Substitute)
Why pay for sex when you could simply find people willing to fuck you for free? Adult Friend Finder is a great replacement for Backpage if you’re simply interested in finding people who want to have sex with you. The website is popular among couples, singles, and people looking to organize threesomes, so chances are they have something to cater to your sexual interests.
The only downside is that AFF tends to cater towards middle-aged men and women, in particular swingers and polyamorous older couples looking for fun. Of course, there are still plenty of younger people on there, but it’s just something to bear in mind if you’re looking for fun with younger men and women.
What happened to Backpage? Why was Backpage taken down?
Due to problems with bad posters advertising child sex workers and trafficking “escorts” via the Backpage website, [Backpage was charged with 93 counts and taken down by the FBI] (https://www.newsweek.com/sex-ads-website-backpagecom-co-founder-charged-after-fbi-raid-876333) with a sealed indictment. Michael Lacey, one of the co-founders of the site, had been a controversial figure for a while up to this point, so it’s not too surprising that he eventually ended up in court.
It’s thought that the heads of Backpage knew about the child sex exploitation which was occurring on their site and chose to do nothing about it, hinting at professional negligence on their part. Although they thought that their website was covered under the First Amendment, the FBI and co. didn’t see it that way.
Now that Backpage has been shut down, professional escorts and sex workers have been [forced to look to alternative websites to conduct their business] (https://eu.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-investigations/2018/04/12/sex-workers-seeking-alternatives-other-websites-after-backpage-closure/507900002/), with some even ending up back on the dangerous streets of their local city.
Like it or not, Backpage provided a relatively safe place for sex workers to organize their business – it was much safer than turning tricks on street corners for strangers.
Cum-Clusion
So, where did all the Backpage girls go? Probably to some of the sites on this list. I’m personally really sad to see Backpage go, though I wish its owners had put some more time and effort into preventing the child exploitation ads that caused it to get shut down in the first place. This website had so much potential that it sadly squandered.
Still, with websites like Adult Friend Finder and Ashley Madison standing buy, I’m sure you’ll be able to find that special man or woman to help you get your rocks off, whether you’re paying or getting it free of charge. Stay safe, be sensible, and have fun!