Ashley Madison: My Experience Using the Affair Site (Full Review) - Updated for 2024

I bought an Ashley Madison membership for $149 dollars, and here is what I found….

But first, what is Ashley Madison?

Ashley Madison is a popular adultery dating site that helps millions of single and attached people find casual fun. Want to know if the casual adult dating site Ashley Madison is worth it? Here’s an in-depth look at Ashley Madison including how to sign up, key features, and more. Let’s get started!


Before I get into some of the more detailed findings, let me list some of the pros and cons of this website.

Ashley Madison Pros and Cons

Pros
• Site has a good reputation
• Interface is modern and easy to use
• Many members ready to chat
• Chat disappears so spouse won’t see
• Has a Panic Button
• Full of attractive individuals
• Protects your info with great security features
• Free for women
• Effective communication tools
• Anonymous payment options

Cons
• Not for people looking for serious relationships
• Lack of auto matching
• Payment system is a little confusing

Ashley Madison Review Summary

Since the site’s beginning in 2001, Ashley Madison has been regarded as one of the best hookup apps around, a dating site for people who are in unhappy marriages and/or unsatisfying serious relationships, Ashley Madision is discreet, trustworthy, and extremely popular. so I thought okay, I’ll start a free trial membership and give this a shot.

AM’s slogan is "Life's short. Have an affair." Well, they make it incredibly easy to cheat on your partner. With features like a Panic Button and disappearing chat, the site is incredibly ideal for discreet in-person and online sexual encounters.

I found that Ashley Madison is not just a typical dating site for cheaters. It has a very broad userbase and includes people looking for open and polygamous relationships. So, while it’s not officially considered to be a swinger site, Ashley Madison can help people find multiple partners for fun



With users all over the world, AM is becoming increasingly popular. In 2019, they added over 15,000 members daily. And in the past year, Ashley Madison boasts a whopping 17,000 new members every day. That’s a big, broad audience.

More importantly, users find the site to be very liberating as it allows them to find others who are non-judgemental about the cheating lifestyle. Users understand that others are in long-term relationships and marriages that they aren’t happy in. Ashley Madison provides them with an outlet, full of others who are looking for the same.

It’s easy to create a profile on Ashley Madison, and the communication tools the site offers are the best. You can message, wink, chat, and send gifts to other members to get their attention and find matches. While you can join for free to browse for potential matches, men have to pay every month to connect with someone and get to know other women through their profiles.

Ashley Madison site features include an affair guarantee, free guest membership for men, the ability to send virtual gifts, and virtual fantasy dates.

Signing Up for Ashley Madison

It only takes just a few minutes to sign up on Ashley Madison. In order to browse for potential matches, you have to sign up with an account. You select your sexual identity and what you’re looking for first. After choosing a username and password, you put in your location, height, weight, body type, and a short bio if you want. While a photo is not required, it’s a good idea to upload one if you’re serious about meeting someone on the site.

Of course, just like with any dating site, you need to verify your email. No big deal, right? The entire signup process takes less than a minute, so it’s really worth it before you begin browsing for a match. And you don’t have to answer every single question right away — you can just do the basics and fill out the rest of your profile later.

And there you have it! Of course, women signing up will get all the site’s features for free right off the bat. However, if you’re a guy on Ashley Madison and you’re looking for a steamy online or in-person affair, you’ve got to get some credits in order to communicate with potential dates. I decided to buy 500 credits because you get the best value.

Messaging Members on Ashley Madison

For women, starting conversations on Ashley Madison is completely free. They can use the site features without paying, which is good news for both men and women. Think about it: women can take the initiative and reach out to a man on the site they are interested in. How cool is that? Everyone wins in that scenario.

However, men need to pay for credits to send messages and make connections on the site. This is pretty much the norm for any dating site. Ashley Madison makes it easy for paying members to send messages or gifts, call other members, or chat with users. Members also have the chance to customize their profiles. Additionally, your profile will display feedback


Plus, once you run out of credits, you can get 100 discounted credits super easy.

Members can search for others using filters like age, lost login, distance, and more. You can also create a list of your favorite profiles (this is a free feature, too). Members have the ability to add up to 100 profiles to their list. You can see who has viewed your profile, which is handy if you want to connect with those who may be interested in you.

You can send winks on the site for free. This is a great way to show someone interest before paying for features. When you send winks, attaching your private showcase key is an option. This way, the receiver can see your profile in its entirety. After purchasing credits, members can send virtual gifts to show others they are interested in hooking up. The cost of these gifts depends on the type of gift you send.

Ashley Madison Key Features

• The Ashley Madison App is free to download on the AppStore and Google Play. There’s also a desktop version. (Know that in order to buy credits on the desktop AM version, the transactions process through your iTunes or Google Play account.)

• The app has an inconspicuous icon, which is handy in case a spouse is snooping through your phone!

• There are no distracting ads on the site. This means that you can spend more time having fun on Ashley Madison instead of wasting time clicking through endless ads.

• There’s a very handy travel feature on the app. This allows members to share their travel plans with up to 30 women in the area they’re traveling to. What a great feature for married men who want to have a fling on their next business trip!

• The feedback section on a member’s profile is an original feature that allows others to rank members in nine areas.

• The Discreet Photos feature allows members to upload and alter photos so that they can't be easily identified. You can add masks to your face and even blur distinct aspects of your body.

• The Priority Mail feature allows you to send a message with Priority Status. This means that it will be flagged to the top of the receiving member’s inbox and a confirmation receipt is generated when the message is read, saving time.

• The customer service team is very responsive if you ever have issues with the site, whether or not you’re a paid member.

• When creating their profile, members can take advantage of profile fields that specify what they’re looking for. For example, some of the fields include Hopeless Romantic, Seeking a Sugar Baby, and What Turns Me On.

Ashley Madison Safety & Security

Ashley Madison had a security mishap back in 2015, which you may have heard about. The site's database was hacked, and personal details were released to the public. While this was unfortunate, it gave the company a chance to address security issues. They made substantial improvements, and rebuilt their reputation over the last few years. This is a good sign that a company actually cares about security concerns.

The site uses firewalls, encrypted transmission via SSL (Secure Socket Layer), and strong data encryption of sensitive personal and/or financial information when it is stored to a disk. Users don’t have to worry about their confidentiality being compromised. Full details of the Ashley Madison Privacy Policy are available online.

Main Competitors of Ashley Madison

• AdultFriendFinder
• seeking.com
• Heated Affairs

Ashley Madison Pricing

Ashley Madison’s credit system is pretty unique, and helps you make the most out of your account.There are 3 packages to choose from:

• Elite - 25 cents per credit. You buy 1,000 credits for $249.00

• Classic - 30 cents per credit. Purchase 500 credits for $149.00

• Basic - 49 cents per credit. Get 100 credits for $49.00

Final Thoughts on Ashley Madison