Ashley Madison Review (UPDATED in 2023)

Ashley Madison is one of the most non-traditional dating websites you will find on the internet. It has somewhat of an infamous reputation for helping people cheat on their partners. It has come under a lot of criticism from women and men alike, but it is still up and running. In fact, it is extremely popular with hundreds of thousands of active users. Discretion is obviously top priority for this dating site, but there is more to it than meets the eye. This is perhaps the most fascinating date site every conceived, and certainly the most controversial.

Signing Up

You will quickly discover that it doesn’t take very long to sign up and create an account on this dating site. You are not even able to sign up using a public account, which is obviously part of the whole discretion thing. When you sign up you have to submit your marital status, where you live, date of birth and the username and password you want to use. Ashley Madison will recommend that you use an email address that is separate from your primary one for privacy reasons.

Features

There are a number of different features that you have to choose from on Ashley Madison, including:

• Communication tools: There are numerous ways that you can communicate with other people on this website. You can choose to send a message, go into a chat session, send winks and even gifts. There is also a Priority Messaging setting that you can play around with.
• Priority Messaging: When you send someone on this website a priority message, they will get it first. This will make it more likely for you to get the person’s attention.
• Golden status: When you use this feature, you profile will appear number three on the list in the search results for other people who use the site.
• Quick reply: There is a quick reply option that will allow you to contact someone you are interested in with a short message. This is a good option to take advantage of if you are in a hurry for whatever reason.
• Traveling man: This can be another highly useful feature if you find yourself traveling a lot. When you are in an unfamiliar area, it will allow you to easily find people nearby.
• Notifications: You can choose to receive notifications from this website via email and even on your phone (probably not a good idea.) This is completely optional and can be useful. You will be notified whenever you receive any type of communication from another member.

Security

Privacy and security are both extremely important on Ashley Madison for reasons that should be obvious to most people. It goes to some pretty extreme lengths to protect its members’ privacy and personal information. There are certain things that you can do to protect yourself on this site, such as creating a new email just for your Ashley Madison account.

The password analyzer that this website uses when you are signing up will help you create a solid password that is not easy for just anyone to figure out. The more secure your password is, the safer your information and identity will be. It is a good idea to use a password that is different than what you use for any of your other accounts.

All payments on Ashley Madison are completely anonymous transactions that in no way can lead back to you. You can actually make payments using PayPal, but you also have the option of using your Mastercard or Visa card. Your information will be protected no matter what payment method you select.

Pricing

While it might seem a bit sexist, the cost of registering an account on Ashley Madison depends on your gender. Women can join this website for free, while men have to pay. You can purchase credits or an entire subscription package. With a guest membership you will be able to view profiles as well as share photos and send winks. After a certain period of time, you will be offered a subscription or the chance to buy credits.

The various pricing options for this site include:

• Elite: The highest subscription package level on this site costs $249, which translates to $0.25 per credit.
• Classic: The mid-level package costs $149 or $0.30 per credit.
• Basic: The most basic subscription package costs $49 or $0.49 per credit.

Profiles

Each person who creates a user profile on Ashley Madison can make a number of details public, including their age, location and photos. There is an “Activities” section that you can fill out to let others know what some of your favorite activities are. You are allowed 13 photos per profile, which isn’t bad at all. The layout of the profiles is pretty clean and simple though. The “About me” section is just where you will put your basic bio to let others know anything you want them to. The “About my match/friend” section is where you will describe your perfect match. The more detailed you are when filling out these sections, the more likely you will be to find the right person.

Mobile App

There is an Ashley Madison mobile app that Apple and Android users can download on their smartphones. This app has all the basic functionality of the actual website with a few minor exceptions. It has a pretty nice design that makes it simple and easy to use. Your personal information is still protected even when you use the app.

Pros

There are a number of benefits that Ashley Madison offers its users, including a simple and clean layout that is very easy to navigate. You will find that there is an enormous database of profiles for real people and not just bots like so many other dating sites. A lot of people use this website, so there is a good chance that you can find someone in your area.

Cons

While it’s true that you will have a lot of profiles to look at, you won’t be automatically matched with anyone. This means that you will need to look through profiles yourself to find a good match. There are also no chat rooms or forums that you can go into. The payment system is a bit complicated, and there aren’t any traditional monthly membership options. There was also a security breach a few years back, but the website claims that they have beefed up their privacy measures. There isn’t much in the way of customer service, but there is an FAQ section on the website where you can go to get answers to certain questions.

Final Thoughts

Ashley Madison may not be your average dating website, but it does have quite a lot to offer for those who have some untraditional desires. It offers a good layout and numerous features/functions that you can take advantage of. The payment system is a bit tricky to figure out at first, and it would be nice if they offered month-to-month membership options.

Overall, it’s not a bad site if you are looking for extra-marital companionship. It has a pretty big user base, so your chances of finding the perfect match nearby are actually quite good.