Adult cam sites are all the rage. There has never been a better time to interact with a live cam girl. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that we all feel so isolated, and connecting with a live model is more satisfying than watching prerecorded videos.

These days, most adult actresses and models offer their services via virtual camming platforms. There are quite literally hundreds of thousands of cam girls you can video chat with, so how in the world do you choose? These cam sites deliver the goods in terms of adventurous women, seamless camming experiences, and sexual gratification. But each site is unique in its own special way. From private shows to free options and special performers, there is a lot to digest.

We’ve taken the time to break down which cam sites are best and why. Stick to this guide and you’ll certainly have the best cam experience possible.

The Best Adult Cam Sites of 2022

RankBrandBest For1.JerkmateBest modern cam website2.ChaturbateBest overall cam site3.LiveJasminMost gorgeous models4.MyFreeCamsBest free option5.ImLiveGreat for watching couples6.CamSodaGreat for specific fetishes7.Cams.comTeledildonic features8.Flirt4FreeProfessional cam models9.XcamsMost diverse cam models10.StreamateThousands of streams at any given time11.Lucky CrushRandom one-on-one cam shows12.StripchatBeautiful live stripteases13.BongacamsEasiest cam site to navigate14.BabestationBiggest UK cam site

1.  Jerkmate: Popular new cam site

Jerkmate is a really unique cam site because it allows its users to filter the models they search for by personal preference. You can specify your preference in gender, kink, and even body type. It’s a matching system between viewers and cam girls, which makes it feel pretty special. Once you match with someone, you have the option of also becoming a cam model. You can stream a video of yourself watching the cam girl, which is pretty nice. Think of it as if Chatroulette, Tinder, and Chaturbate had a love child. Most people enjoy watching private cam shows because they are longing for a connection, sexual or otherwise. Jerkmate delivers that in spades.

Jerkmate also hires actual pornstars and professional cam girls to stream live. Going one-on-one with one of the pros is unlikely and really expensive. However, if you prefer your cam girl to be an actual pornstar, you can view their live shows with other users on the site. These women will expect you to give them tons of tokens if you want them to do anything specific, but this is pretty normal for camming websites.

Beyond the two unique and exciting options that Jerkmate provides, it’s also very easy to use. It’s got a modern feel to it and selecting a show to watch could not be easier. If you don’t love who you’ve been matched with, you can also browse the expansive list of categories that Jerkmate has to offer. Those categories range from BDSM to Sex Toys and everything in between. As far as pricing goes, it’s up to the model. Expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $100 per hour watching one of the Jerkmate shows.

Pros:

Models can see you if you wantIntuitive search functionAdvanced personalized features

Cons:

This is a pricey option

2.  Chaturbate:Number one cam site in the world

There’s a good chance you’ve heard of Chaturbate. Not only is the name genius for a camgirl site, but Chaturbate has managed to stand the test of time. We can’t believe it’s been ten years since it was created back in 2011! It’s hailed as the best cam site available by millions of users because it has the most diverse and explicit portfolio of models who use the platform to stream.

When you get to the Chaturbate home page, you’ll be greeted with various thumbnails of women or scenes. That’s your sneak peek for what is to come when you actually click on one of these images. Immediately you’ll be launched into a wonderfully raunchy cam show completely free of charge. At first blush, it looks like most of these cam girls are doing solo shows, but once you take a deeper dive, you’ll find couples, threesomes, and other unique and interesting live shows to choose from. You can also search for shows by filtering by the huge list of categories or tags. Though busy looking, Chaturbate is very easy to navigate and explore with so many live feeds to watch for free.

You’re probably wondering if Chaturbate is completely free. The answer to that is both yes and no. While you can enter any live show for free, you are really walking into a teaser of sorts. The women on Chaturbate are trying to get you to eventually pay for a private show, which is what most people want anyway. We will admit though that the teasers are often very explicit and can usually get the job done before you even grab your wallet.

You likely will reach for your credit card though, because Chaturbate is famous for delivering satisfying one-on-one shows. They operate on a token system. As you spend more time watching the show, your tokens will begin to dwindle.

Pros:

AffordableBest cam site availableGreat one-on-one performancesYou get a lot out of a free account

Cons:

Most models need to reach a certain token amount before they fully perform

Check out our complete Chaturbate review if you’re looking for more info.

3.  LiveJasmin: Known for having stunning models

The most noteworthy thing to say about LiveJasmin is that the women on this site are drop dead gorgeous. They are diverse, in shape, stunning, manicured, and all around perfect cam girls. You will notice this the minute you hop onto the home page. It looks extremely put together, modern, and professional.

These women don’t seem to be filming themselves from dimly lit bedrooms. Instead, it feels like a whole studio operation with professional porn stars. This is a pro for most, but some viewers enjoy that amateurish feel. If you are into the amateur stuff, then steer clear of LiveJasmin because it’s all top notch here. LiveJasmin is full of very recognizable and famous cam girl faces. That’s what makes it one of the best cam sites around.

Other than the beautiful stars and modern interface, there’s not much about LiveJasmin that makes it stand out (except for the fact that they have a nice mobile option, but who wants to watch a cam girl on their cell phone?). It’s set up like many other cam sites and takes you through the same process and the features are the same. A nice perk though is the fact that LiveJasmin caters to every type of gender and sexuality, giving it a distinctly diverse library of models and streams to choose from.

Pros:

Beautiful recognizable modelsMobile optionRange of genders, sexualities, and kinks

Cons:

No amateur option

4.  MyFreeCams: Actual free shows

For those of you shopping for cam sites on a budget, there’s no better site for you than MyFreeCams, also known as Jerk N’ Cum. Yes, the shows on this site are actually free. This is obviously the biggest perk that MyFreeCams has to offer.

Because it’s free and the models don’t charge you to watch their shows, you might be skeptical of the quality but you truly have nothing to worry about. The women on MyFreeCams are as skilled as they are gorgeous. They are also down to get into some very kinky activity, which is why you’re watching cam girls in the first place!

The one thing that you can’t really access on this site is private chat or one-on-one video sessions. But what can you really expect from a cam site that doesn’t cost you a dime? You can of course purchase tokens on MyFreeCams and try your luck asking one of the models for a private show, but it’s not very likely to happen. These models are used to the dynamic of the site and aren’t normally willing to make an exception for anyone. These models also aren’t the most responsive to requests in their chat box. That’s potentially because it’s oversaturated with guys like you asking them to do a million different things. If you’re OK with just being a voyeur for free, MyFreeCams is a fantastic budget-friendly option for you.

If you decide that you’d like to pay for MyFreeCams because you can afford to or you’ve got extra cash lying around, you will be given the keys to their entire library of cam girl archives. You can check out their old videos. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but there are folks out there who
love it.

Pros:

Genuinely freeFantastic performances

Cons:

Can’t view private shows

5.  ImLive: Old-school cam site featuring couples

ImLive is the granddaddy of cam sites. It’s been around for almost 20 years and has managed to continue to captivate viewers with the changing times. ImLive is a streaming site where models and couples perform sex shows for their audiences. There’s not much more to it. However, not all sex cam sites offer couples shows, so if you like watching two people get it on then ImLive is your best bet.

The pay structure at ImLive gives you options, which is a definite plus. You can either pay by the minute or send models tips. There are also plenty of models and shows to choose from, so you’ll never have a dull moment on this popular cam site.

Yes, ImLive dubs itself a free cam site, but we know what that really means. You can watch archived shows for free, but the live goods are going to cost you. The shows are usually worth it, but don’t expect a ton of interaction from the models. They tend to fall short in their personal relationships with viewers and fans; however, the shows themselves are a treat to watch.

Pros:

Great for watching couplesDifferent payment optionsFree archived shows

Cons:

The models aren’t very interactive

6.  CamSoda: Cam girls with the best personalities

CamSoda operates like most cam sites do. There are free rooms that you can enter to view live adult cam shows, but if you want the women to do anything specific during the show, you will need to spend. However, CamSoda is really affordable. This is because the models don’t charge you per minute. It’s based solely on your donations.

The one drawback to CamSoda is their pricing structure. Most cam sites will allow you to enter free cam shows, but not before informing you of what you should tip the model or what each naughty activity costs. Getting a girl to perform a desired sexual act is going to require linking up with the other guys in the chat and pooling that money until the model’s “goal” is reached. Each model comes up with a different money goal per show and tries to seduce the viewers into paying up. You can’t blame them; camming is their job.

Private shows aren’t really a thing on CamSoda. However, the models on this cam site are very interactive. They actually pay a lot of attention to the chat as their show is live and they make you feel like you are actually in the room with them while they are performing. People have complained before that some models on CamSoda talk too much or spend too much time replying to their fans.

Pros:

Interactive models with personalityCaters to a variety of fetishes

Cons:

The models don’t list their prices per naughty activity

7.  Cams.com: Cam site with a teledildonics option

Cams.com is one of the more unique and advanced cam sites on this list. You might not know it by just visiting their website because initially, it looks like your average cam site. There are free shows that you can enter and you have the ability to filter by model, body type, and gender. This is one of the few sex cam sites that contains female shows in addition to male shows, trans shows, and nonbinary shows. We find that to be a huge plus as it caters to a much wider audience of viewers.

Cams.com is not only ahead of the game in terms of their diversity, but they are also very technologically advanced. If you are someone who watches a lot of VR porn, you are familiar with the term teledildonics. In VR, teledildonics are bluetooth sex toys that synch up to what you are watching. For the purposes of cams, it allows you to control the sex toy that the performer is using, which is insanely cool and futuristic! It brings an entirely new level to cam shows and makes you feel like you are intimately interacting with a model right there in the room with them.

This cam site is one where you have to pay by the minute, which can get really pricey if you plan on spending a lot of time on the site. Yes, there are free shows, but they aren’t all that good. It’s worth checking out the paid ones though because of all the unique features.

Pros:

Teledildonics!Advanced search functionDiverse models

Cons:

If you aren’t in it for the teledildonics, there are better options

8.  Flirt4Free: Intuitive search function available

When you visit Flirt4Free you might be inclined to believe that it’s a site like Chaturbate where tons of amateur models can stream their sexual activities. However, Flirt4Free is for the pros. These are seasoned pornstars who deliver gratifying shows to a very hungry audience. And Flirt4Free knows how to give the viewers what they want because it’s been around for so long.

Flirt4Free is certainly one of the most intuitive sex cam sites available because you are able to filter the models on this site by kink and fetish, like BDSM or couples. If you find a model that you particularly love, you can also take a look at their schedule so that you never miss a show.

Flirt4Free might reel in newcomers with the “F” word (free), but cam site enthusiasts know that you’ll end up paying at some point. To their credit though, Flirt4Free allows you to watch public streams and get information about the performers. Private shows will drive you to pay for tokens so that you can direct the lovely cam girl who you’ve chosen to watch. Performers decide their own price-per-minute, so keep an eye out for that before you end up breaking the bank.

Pros:

Free public showsTons of filtering optionsProfessional, pornstar-quality models

Cons:

Models operate on an expensive price-per-minute structure

9.  XCams: Diverse Euro models

XCams is a special cam site for folks who have eyes for European cam models. They flourish on XCams, though it’s a lesser-known site than the rest. It’s surprising that it flies under the radar because there are always so many models available at any given time for anyone to watch.

Diversity is the name of the game over at XCams. While they feature tons of Europeans, these models are really diverse in their backgrounds, performance styles, and kinks that they love to get into. It’s fun to browse through the thumbnails of videos on the XCams homepage because you get a peek at all the unique shows they have to offer.

Each model decides what you’ll pay for a show. Before you commit, you’ll be shown a preview, told where the model is from, and told how many credits you’ll need to pay for your time. You will get 25 free credits just for signing up, which will give you about five minutes on average.

Pros:

Beautiful diverse cam girlsVery kinkyGreat previews for private shows

Cons:

Models operate on an expensive price-per-minute structureSmall amount of free credits when you sign up

10.  Streamate: Most options

If you’re after quantity, Streammate is a good option. There are literally thousands of models online at any given time when you head over to the site. It doesn’t matter if it’s during your 12 PM lunch break or after midnight, this site is always busy. It’s the cam site that never sleeps.

The Streamate performers also love to please. Truthfully, it’s because they want to be tipped well, but you can rest assured that any model you watch on Streamate will work very hard to earn your affection. They are very engaging, personable, and (of course) sexy.

Streamate is a no-frills site that takes you straight to the action. It doesn’t need all the bells and whistles because it provides a large amount of really great shows. You can use their simple and intuitive search function to filter your options, making Streamate one of the easiest sex cam sites to navigate. And their filtering options get really specific, so you can find exactly what turns you on. There is also a “Newcomer” section for the viewers who love to watch fresh talent or want to discover new models.

Pros:

Thousands of models to choose fromAmateurs and professionals available

Cons:

This site has a lot of annoying adsOutdated web design

11.  LuckyCrush: A combo of a cam site and Chatroulette

LuckyCrush is a cam girl site that randomly matches you with flirty ladies. It’s newer, but it has managed to attract millions of users on a monthly basis. People like to say that LuckyCrush is a healthy mix of a cam site and a random chat site like Chatroulette. It’s probably what you wished Chatroulette could be when you were too young to know about cam sites. Men and women are randomly paired for an erotic video chat.

LuckyCrush is confident in its unique model, which is why it offers first-time male visitors a brief free trial. After that, you will need to purchase credits to enjoy the site. Women come to LuckyCrush hoping to make money, so stocking up a little bit will do you some good.

Because LuckyCrush is totally random, you might be paired up with a hottie who is on the other side of the world. Don’t worry if you don’t speak her language. LuckyCrush has a built-in translation feature that makes it easy to communicate with models from all over the world. It’s an exciting approach to cam shows.

Pros:

Personally meet models from all over the worldExclusively private shows

Cons:

You can’t filter or searchNot for everyone

12.  StripChat: Interactive stripteases

StripChat is a cam site with some special perks. On the surface, it’s a way to view beautiful live stripteases performed by stunning models. Some of them just like to strip and others take it up a notch by displaying naughty activities. In that regard, it’s a little different from your average sex cam site. You can check out the videos for free and tip the models, like you normally would. These tips are given in the form of tokens, which you will need to purchase beforehand.

The women on StripChat are not amateurs. They are women who seem to fit right into the porn industry. They really know what they are doing and they are fantastic at putting on a show for an audience. This is also a site that sadly caters exclusively to the male gaze. In other words, there isn’t any real gender diversity unless you head over to their couples section. However, everything, including the lesbian scenes, seems to be shot exclusively for purely heterosexual males.

What separates StripChat from the crowd is their VR feature. Now, if you don’t have a pair of VR goggles, you are going to want to stop reading because this next part is going to make you really jealous. StripChat’s VR function allows you to throw on a headset and opt in for a private show from one of their pretty performers. It takes live interaction to new heights and is a deeply satisfying cam experience. The videos are in HD, so you won’t miss a thing!

Pros:

HD stripteasesVR featuresProfessional cam girls

Cons:

Sometimes, you only get a striptease

13.  BongaCams: Affordable, transparent

On the surface, BongaCams likes to pretend that it’s a free cam site full of women, couples, and trans people. If you’ve made it this far in reading cam reviews, you won’t be surprised to learn that every site is going to squeeze some coin out of you at some point. That’s just how these things work. But BongaCams isn’t going to suck you dry by charging per minute. Their models make a living based on their tips, and you are going to eventually want to tip them through the token payment structure.

The good thing about the BongaCams pricing setup is that there are really no surprises. When you enter a free live show, you are shown a list of the models prices per a given activity. For instance, erotic play between two beautiful lesbian models might cost you 100 tokens. You’ll be informed of everything up front, which helps you figure out which shows are worth watching based on your personal preference and what you can afford. You can also try your luck at jumping into a show and mooching off the other viewers who will send tips, but it might test your patience.

BongaCams delivers incredible shows but doesn’t provide many private show options. In the end, BongaCams is a pretty predictable cam site with a token system and great performers. You’ll find a lot of new girls on this site too, because it’s very welcoming to girls who want to get into camming for the first time.

Pros:

Very transparent about priceGreat site design

Cons:

Not great for private shows

14.  BabeStation: Huge UK cam site

BabeStation has been around for nearly two decades and is the biggest cam site for UK models. Of all the cam sites, BabeStation is not one that you want to breeze past because it has a lot to offer.

Most sites that have been around for as long as BabeStation have pretty much nailed the cam girl experience. This will become clear to you immediately upon visiting the site. Rather than staring at a bunch of thumbnails, you’ll be plopped into a live show right away. You can of course exit and search for a show that’s a bit more your flavor, but it’s nice to know that you can freely view HD cam shows from the jump.

One thing that BabeStation is missing is an easy way for new visitors to browse and filter. Most of the models are great, but this site isn’t designed to cater to unique fetishes because it’s hard to navigate. Some of the performers are also a little dry. They will sometimes just keep their camera on while they go about mundane tasks, which is more of a voyeuristic experience than an interactive cam show.

BabeStation does offer a ton of promotions at any given time, making it feel very affordable when you decide that you do want to tip a model.

Pros:

Biggest UK cam siteCan actually watch shows for free

Cons:

Not an easy site to navigateSome performers lack engagement or personality

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The Gene Siskel Film Center’s monthlong celebration of Chicago native Haskell Wexler’s centennial concludes May 31. You can still catch Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation and Hal Ashby’s Bound for Glory. Also screening before the month is out is Matewan (1987), Wexler’s first collaboration with director John Sayles, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and was the recipient of an Independent Spirit Award.

Based on a true story, Matewan chronicles the violent 1920 confrontation between striking West Virginia coal miners and the mining company and its goons. Sayles learned about the incident while hitchhiking through Kentucky and was compelled to make the film following then-President Ronald Reagan’s move to bust the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization following their strike. 

New York Times film critic Vincent Canby called Matewan a film “with the sweetness and simplicity of an Appalachian ballad . . . Haskell Wexler’s photography doesn’t go overboard in finding poetry in the images.”

Wexler, who died in 2015 at the age of 93, was a pioneering cinematographer, director, documentarian, and social activist. He won Academy Awards for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Bound for Glory. His directorial debut, Medium Cool, is an iconic Chicago film made amidst the 1968 Democratic Convention. 

Following Matewan, Sayles and Wexler made three more films together: The Secret of Roan Inish (1994), Limbo (1999), and Silver City (2004). The Reader spoke to Sayles about their initial collaboration, which began with an unrelated phone call: Wexler sought Sayles’s advice and guidance concerning distributors he was considering for his own film, Latino.

Sayles recalls later leaving a message on Wexler’s answering machine: “We have this movie, Matewan. Would you be interested in shooting it?” The response arrived when Sayles was in West Virginia. “A woman at the desk said she had received a call from this character named Hacksaw who called from his car and he said, ‘Whatever these people want, tell them the answer is yes.’ He liked the script and came loaded for bear.”

Donald Liebenson: Before we get to Matewan and working with Haskell, you got your start writing scripts for Roger Corman. Did he mentor you in ways that would be helpful when you became a director?

John Sayles: Unlike writing for studios, there wasn’t a room of six to 12 people giving you notes and you wondering who you should actually listen to. So, as a writer for Roger, it was really just him and Francis Dole, his right-hand person and story editor. What I learned there was how to write a more cost-effective script. Directors would say, “This scene is set at night instead of day, and that costs more.” Or they’d ask if I could give a line to a different actor to avoid carrying another actor as a weekly player even though they were scheduled for two days’ work. All those little tricks of the trade I learned working for Roger and the people who directed for him.

That must have come in handy for Matewan.

We had three-point-something million, which was a lot of money in those days. We had a union crew; there was more experience below the line. One thing Haskell talked me into that he had worked with and which was relatively new to me was the video assist. Before that, I had to wait until dailies [to see the footage]. I had to ask the camera operator, who actually had his eye to the lens, how the scene looked, and take their word for it. There was one point where Haskell noticed the extras were looking in the camera. What we were able to figure out was a lot of them were walleyed; no matter how you shot them, it looked like they were looking at the camera. With video assist, you can see when someone stares into the camera and ruins the shot. You don’t like to discover that three days later.

Haskell’s Oscar-winning reputation surely preceded him. What films of his made an impression on you and made you think of him for this project? You two seem like political kindred spirits, so I’m guessing Bound for Glory is one.

Bound for Glory and In the Heat of the Night. I saw Medium Cool in a theater in Washington, D.C. The weekend it opened, there was a protest march against expanding the Vietnam War into Cambodia. Instead of going to get arrested, I decided to go see this movie I’d heard of. The tear gas from the streets of D.C. drifted into the theater.

That sounds like a William Castle gimmick! Matewan is a period piece. How did you two work together in determining how you wanted it to look?

Film had gotten very fast, so it was sharper. I didn’t want Matewan to look very Disney or old-fashioned MGM, where the colors pop. We didn’t want to pre-fog anything, which was a way of taking the edge off. The film is set 25 years before World War II, and very few color pictures exist even of WWII. What you can tell from early color pictures is there weren’t as many colors in those days. We made the decision to limit the amount of red you see in the movie. Haskell would use diffusion in front of the lens. We were careful to have everything in the town and what the people were wearing look weathered and worn. This was a place where everything would have been covered in coal dust so everything that went in front of the camera was very faded. 

Matewan
May 28, 7 PM, Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State.
$12 general admission, $6 Film Center members
www.siskelfilmcenter.org/matewan

Matewan has a gritty, documentary feel.

Haskell made a lot of documentaries. He would always say, “Let’s fuck up the frame.” That meant an image looked a little too planned or choreographed. Even when it’s choreographed, you feel that in Robert Altman’s films, someone is likely to wander onto the screen that doesn’t feel like they belong there. You’re discovering a story inside this crowded frame. 

Can you give an example of how your collaboration worked in capturing a specific image? I’m thinking of the scene that introduces David Strathairn’s sheriff. 

Usually what I do is I give the cinematographer a list of every scene with a word or phrase, such as mysterious, exhilarating, tense. In that scene, David is walking at night parallel on a raised sidewalk to James Earl Jones’s character. I said I want him to appear like a nightmare to the Black man who knows he’s behind enemy lines, and at some point we need to see he’s wearing a badge to establish that he’s the law here. What Haskell did was make me some pools of light so David goes in and out of the light and there’s enough of a kicker so that you also see light bouncing off his shiny badge.

Were there ways in which his expertise helped you be more cost-effective?

The great thing about Haskell was we would scout locations and he would be able to say, “We should get here by nine because by noon we can’t shoot there anymore because there will be shadows.” So, we could plan our day where we felt we weren’t always racing the sun. Basically, I would say to Haskell, “We have 20 minutes to do this scene. Do the best you can.” He would do it and it would look good. That kind of experience and knowledge saves you so much wear and tear and so much wasted time where people are waiting who don’t have to wait.

On the Criterion Collection release of Matewan, Haskell says during your joint commentary that he was glad he was on this film with you. I imagine you feel the same way.

I’m the only fiction director who worked with Haskell four times. We worked out our way of working with each other. I always said to Haskell, “You’re probably going to bat below the Mendoza Line with only two out of ten suggestions you give me being ones I can or want to do. But I need you to keep telling me them; don’t get frustrated. We’re only getting what we need, and not what would be nice right now, but I need to keep hearing your ideas ’cause there’s going to be something I never would have thought of that’s going to be great to use.”

Was he OK with that?

He was fine with that, especially after he saw the movie. He was so relieved. He would often say, “I feel like we’re shooting the schedule, not the movie.” And I would say, “We’re doing both, Haskell. If we don’t shoot the schedule, we run out of money.” Then he saw the movie and he said, “Shit, it worked out.”

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Sugar daddy sites have risen in popularity over the last several years as society becomes more comfortable with unconventional relationships. As more and more people seek either companionship or financial security, sugar arrangements have become very attractive.

Unfortunately, the popularity of sugar relationships has caused an influx of sugaring sites to pop up. Some sites do their part in vetting the members, but others invite scammers, leeches, flakes, and fakes.

We’ve done the leg work for you and have found the best sugar daddy sites where a sugar daddy can meet a sugar baby and vice versa. These sites strike the delicate balance between safety and fun. We review what’s best about a site for daddies and what’s best for babies.

These are our brand new rankings for 2022.

The Best Sugar Daddy Sites and Apps in 2022

RankSiteBest For1.SugarDaddy.comOne of the oldest and more reliable sites2.Seeking ArrangementBest reputation3.Secret BenefitsBest mix of daddies and babies4.SugarDaddyMeetVerified income feature5.SugarDaddyForMeQuickest way to find an arrangement6.Ashley MadisonJudgement free sugar dating site7.What’s Your PriceBest for women to set their own price8.Sugar SearchBest database of local sugar daddies9.R/SugarBabyFree way to find sugar babies10.Elite SinglesMeet intellectual sugar babies and daddies11.Established MenBest for daddies seeking a long term arrangement12.RichMeetBeautifulMost secure and discreet site13.Miss TravelBest for sugar babies who like to travel14.Wealthy MenMost straightforward sugar dating site15.AgeMatchFind younger women16.SudyBest sugar dating app17.SugarBookBest sugar app for babies

1. SugarDaddy.com – Best overall site

Sugardaddy.com is one of the most reliable sugar daddy sites around and has been around for quite some time. The site is hailed as one of the greats because it verifies all of its members (daddies and babies) and there are almost 10 million members and counting. At any given time, the site is active with several thousands of users and nearly 2/3rds are babies looking for someone to take care of them.

Free members can actually enjoy tons of features (like sending kisses, using the advanced search feature, and responding to paying members), but a membership is well worth it and pretty affordable compared to its competitors. It’s a credit-based system and costs around a quarter per credit. Privacy is a top priority on Sugardaddy.com, making it easy to discreetly enter into relationships.

What it’s like for daddies:

70% of the users on sugardaddy.com are babies looking to be spoiled. With millions of users, this makes being a daddy on the site extremely easy and entertaining. Credits can be used to get in touch with the babies and they won’t cost you much. Because privacy is taken so seriously on this website, there’s no need to fear your identity being revealed. Furthermore, daddies can rest easy knowing they won’t be scammed by any members given that they are all verified.

What it’s like for babies:

Sugar babies tend to love the ease of this site and how slick it is. Other sugar baby sites tend to look shady or seedy, but sugardaddy.com is slick and modern. It makes it easy to layout exactly what you’re looking for in a daddy. One drawback is the fact that most of the users are babies, so there’s some stiff competition out there. But with millions of daddies online searching, finding the right one shouldn’t be too difficult.

2.  Seeking Arrangement – Most popular sugar daddy app

Seeking Arrangement is the largest, most successful, and most referenced sugar daddy site available. There’s a large possibility that you’ve heard of it. If you aren’t already signed up and are wondering if it works, the answer is yes. Seeking Arrangement boasts over 10 million users in over 130 countries. The website itself is very discreet and the Seeking team works tirelessly to protect its members from anything that might jeopardize physical or financial safety. Read our full review here.

What it’s like for daddies:

Seeking has one of the best female-to-male ratios for sugar daddies. There’s also an understanding on the site that relationships are no-strings-attached, and women are both very sexual and extremely beautiful. Maintain anonymity by putting revealing photos or face pictures into private galleries that you grant access to. This is not a free sugar daddy site for the daddies, but it is for the babies.

What it’s like for babies:

Seeking Arrangement makes it easy for young women to sign up. There’s a way to check out each daddy’s net worth, so you can be better informed of what type of arrangement they’d be able to handle. The site is also 100 percent free for babies!

3.  Secret Benefits – Best gender ratio

SecretBenefits.com is one of the most popular and stylish sugar daddy dating websites. It has a modern and fresh look along with an easy-to-use interface which has encouraged millions of attractive and wealthy individuals to join and search for a positive sugar dating experience on the site. Due to its popularity and stellar reputation among the site’s members, there is a constant flow of new hopeful sugar daddies and sugar babies as well as a very active member base.

Anyone can signup, create a profile, and search for free. Sugar babies can enjoy the site and its features for free. If a sugar daddy finds a sugar baby of interest, they need to purchase credits to open a chat with them. There should be no lack of potential candidates among the millions of members as the gender ratio is about 50/50.

What it’s like for daddies:

Signing up as a sugar daddy is very fast and painless. You can also choose to start a very basic profile to search for potential sugar babies in your area before committing too much time or money. Another great feature if you’re looking for a discreet relationship is you can hide your profile at any time as well as go invisible for 24 hours and browse profiles in secret. These features help maintain your privacy while discreetly allowing you to find your perfect sugar baby.

What it’s like for babies:

Sugar babies love using Secret Benefits not only because it’s free, but also because the site’s outstanding support team keeps the riffraff out which provides a safe platform full of serious and active sugar daddies that are not looking to waste anyone’s time. Getting your profile verified via a short intro video also encourages daddies to reach out once they see that you are the real deal. The success rates for legit, happy, and ongoing sugar daddy relationships are extremely high on SecretBenefits.com, so it’s really just about getting signed up and putting yourself out there to find exactly the type of daddy you’re looking for.

4.  SugarDaddyMeet – For rich men who can spoil

SugarDaddyMeet, one of the original sugar dating sites, doesn’t sugarcoat its true intentions. According to the site, it’s only available to men who live in the 20 richest countries in the world. By attracting affluent men, it also attracts beautiful young women. Verifying income and wealth are two major features on SugarDaddyMeet, making it one of the best sugar dating sites for the ladies.

What it’s like for daddies:

For one, you’ll need to actually be rich to get approved for SugarDaddyMeet. Those who meet the requirements are introduced to a world of beautiful females. The platform itself feels like other social media sites that you may already be familiar with. It’s very casual and generally a breeze finding a mutually beneficial arrangement.

What it’s like for the babies:

This site has plenty of features that make women feel safe using it. You can verify income and let the site know what you’re looking for in a sugar daddy. Using a handy algorithm, it’ll match you up based on your preferences. A free membership is all you’ll need!

5.  SugarDaddyForMe – Speedy matching process

This chic site is slick in design and even better in matching capabilities. It doesn’t hide the fact that it’s a tried and true sugar daddy site designed for arrangements. This is made clear for both the women and the men who join SugarDaddyForMe.

What it’s like for daddies:

You should know first that the payment structure is unique. The membership tiers are based on how much time you want to buy rather than what you have access to. SugarDaddyForMe will want to verify your income, but there’s not much to it after that. You’re essentially brought into the SugarDaddyForMe world within minutes, making this platform one of the fastest ways to find a date.

What it’s like for babies:

This is a free sugar daddy site for you! Signing up takes only minutes and you’ll be glad to know that SugarDaddyForMe will want to know what your ideal arrangement would be. This can all be altered later if you change your mind.

6.  Ashley Madison – Find a casual companion

Ashley Madison is the site that people hate admitting they love. Sure, it’s received some shady press over the years, but it works marvelously. Though linked to affairs, it’s a perfect site for those in open-relationships to find fun arrangements with other folks. It’s a completely open-minded and judgment-free space for people to explore sensual relationships.

What it’s like for daddies:

Ashley Madison can be used as a sugar site. It follows a credit-based payment structure that allows men to communicate with women. There’s nothing on Ashley Madison to weed out the sugar babies from the rest of them, so you’ll need to use the age preference feature to find the ladies and chat to see if they are interested. Women are free to join, making it a great breeding ground for relationships with younger college-age women.

What it’s like for babies:

Men on Ashley Madison are usually looking for excitement, and sugar babies know how to have fun. There are a lot of wealthy men looking for younger women on the site, so if you specify that you are looking to set up an arrangement, you’ll have no problem finding a handsome catch.

Want even more about Ashley Madison? Check out our full review.

7.  What’s Your Price – Bid on dates

On many sugar sites, the idea of an arrangement is implied but not always enforced. In other words, SDs don’t feel like spending or SBs ask for too much. On What’s Your Price, the intention is clear. It’s about an agreement or arrangement that works for both parties. What’s Your Price will set everyone up with their ideal situation so that the minutiae of finances don’t cloud the fun! And it was created by the established folks behind Seeking, so you know it’s legit.

What it’s like for daddies:

You will feel like you are shopping for gorgeous women through an online marketplace. We hate to boil it down to an online shopping experience, but that’s kind of how it works! You will be shown tons of ladies who have a price in mind. Then, you can bid on anyone you find attractive or worth your time. You can also send virtual gifts and make bids as low as $10. You don’t have to be “wealthy” to join.

What it’s like for the babies:

What’s Your Price puts you in total control, which is a nice alternative to the chaotic free-for-all approach that other sites have. The only negative to What’s Your Price is that there is a lot of competition. There are 3 million members and counting, which means that your ad is going to have to be competitive.

8.  Sugar Search – Check out “Members Currently Online” before chatting to avoid flakes

It’s just as it sounds. Sugar Search is an easy to use search engine to find a local sugar daddy.

Sugar Search only operates in a few cities. Sorry babies and daddies, if you’re not in NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, or Philadelphia, this isn’t the site for you.

Sugar Search goes to admirable lengths to ensure all the accounts are legit. Some slip through the cracks, but the moderation team is pretty on top of it.

Best of all, the site has great customer service and makes it easy to cancel a membership if you’re over it.

What it’s like for daddies:

It’s a super simple sign up process for daddies. Fill in a few fields, verify some personal info, and you’re set. Sugar Search has a great daddy to baby ratio, so it shouldn’t be too hard to meet a baby. The chat feature is slick and easy to use. If you want your profile to appear toward the top of search results, opt for the Diamond Membership. It really does increase the amount and quality of matches.

What it’s like for the babies:

Babies, you won’t be disappointed. Sugar Search is the ultimate sugar daddy search tool if you’re in one of their cities. Sugar Search requires daddies to verify their personal information, so you won’t encounter too many fraudulent accounts. Do your own due diligence by chatting with a prospective daddy first. The sheer volume of options means you’ll likely connect with someone shortly after you sign up.

9.  Reddit (r/SugarBaby) – Top sugar forum

Reddit is a site that gets a ton of volume. As a general forum for a huge range of topics, people come to Reddit to get information about virtually anything you can think of. It works for sugaring, too, on the subreddits that are related to the subject. If you don’t already know, a subreddit is a specific message board. For the best sugar daddy action, visit the /r/SugarBaby board. We should also warn you that sexy photos flood the page!

What it’s like for daddies:

This subreddit has over 80K users, making it more intimate than most but still giving you a ton of options. The best part is that it’s one of the only free sugar daddy sites on this list. Men aren’t allowed to post, but you can browse through the photos and proposals of the women on the page.

What it’s like for the babies:

You can post on this forum photos and a description of your ideal relationship. If a guy sees you on the page and is interested in pursuing you, he will direct message you through the platform! To post, you will need to go through a verification process, but it’s not complicated.

10.  Elite Singles – Dating site for educated daddies and babies

Elite Singles was not designed specifically for sugaring. It’s a premium dating site that caters toward educated and successful individuals looking for someone who is like-minded. As a baby, you should be seeking something serious when you join Elite Singles. This site is made for real relationships, not a one-time hookup. A majority of the people on this site are college-educated, regardless of age, so that’s another thing to keep in mind.

What it’s like for daddies:

Elite Singles is ideal for the man (or woman) who is interested in meeting an intelligent, independent person to shower with affection or anything else. One of the best things about Elite Singles is that nobody is flakey. People are genuinely searching for their other half and they aren’t greedy for cash because they are successful themselves.

What it’s like for the babies:

This is an app best suited for the baby who isn’t just in this for the money. You don’t need to be wildly successful to get on Elite Singles, but you should have a semblance of independence and perhaps a college degree (or working towards one). This isn’t the quickest way to find a sugar daddy, but it is a place where you’ll meet successful people.

11.  Established Men – Great for long-term sugar dating

If you couldn’t gather from the name, Established Men is a dating site created for successful men looking for a relationship. Men who are established and wealthy often don’t find much time to date around. This site makes finding a partner very simple. It’s not a hookup site but rather a place that caters directly to wealthy guys who want a relationship. Though not exclusively for sugar relationships, women aren’t charged for a membership, making it feel like a free sugar daddy site for them.

What it’s like for daddies:

Established Men is not a free sugar dating site for men, but that shouldn’t be a problem if you are, in fact, established. Through the platform, you are able to send gifts and interact with the beautiful ladies that this website attracts. There are new members daily, so you’ll never run out of options!

What it’s like for babies:

Step into the world of Established Men. These are individuals who know their worth, so they might be tough to please. What’s nice about the site is that these guys aren’t expecting you to come to them with a set arrangement. They just want to spoil someone special with bags, shoes, and more.

12.  RichMeetBeautiful – Encrypted sugar daddy site

Contrary to popular belief, RichMeetBeautiful is not just for rich men. Anyone who is reasonably well off can still engage with beautiful men and women through the platform. It’s also one of the most secure sugar dating sites because it uses encryption security.

What it’s like for daddies:

RichMeetBeautiful claims to be rich in several ways: experience, romance, passion, style, and so on. It also explicitly says “no sugar dating” on the homepage. You’re probably asking yourself why it even made the list. It’s a site for successful individuals to meet one another through a scientific matchmaking algorithm. If you want to find a younger woman to spoil, you will absolutely be able to.

What it’s like for babies:

RichMeetsBeautiful is not explicitly for sugar dating. It is a site where you can converse with men who enjoy spoiling their significant others. It’s built for long-lasting relationships, so be prepared to meet people who want to find real love.

13.  Miss Travel – Best for the adventurous

Miss Travel puts an exciting spin on sugar dating. Rather than finding a companion locally, this site encourages people to find partners from places they’d love to travel to! It adds a whole new element to the fun of sugar dating, and women can join this site for free.

What it’s like for daddies:

SDs in open relationships or looking for fun outside of a relationship love to use this site while they travel for business. However, it’s also convenient for men who want foreign women to come to them. There are a ton of beautiful women who use Miss Travel because they are looking for an adventure with a well-to-do man.

What it’s like for babies:

Ever wanted to travel the world? This is one of the best ways to make that happen. The daddy you find will likely pay for the entire trip. There’s also an exciting “Create a Trip” feature that allows you to plan a wonderful vacation right there on the site.

14.  Wealthy Men – A no-frills approach to sugaring

Wealthy Men is the most straightforward sugar daddy website available to users, and it’s very reliable too. It promises young women that they will meet the wealthy man of their dreams. And, it has a guarantee for its paid members that they’ll find someone in three months. Members can rest assured that Wealthy Men will absolutely work for them.

What it’s like for daddies:

We’ll be honest: Wealthy Men does not make it that easy on the guys initially. You will have to prove that you make at least 85K by providing documentation stating so and comment on how much you’re willing to spend on a baby. While this is annoying, it maintains the integrity of the site.

What it’s like for babies:

This is one of the best sugar daddy sites out there. The financial aspect works in your favor. But you’ll want to pay for it, as the free version doesn’t allow for messaging.

15.  AgeMatch – Best for relationships with significant age gaps

AgeMatch doesn’t market itself as a sugar website. Instead of sugar daddies and young models, it pins itself as a dating platform for people with a very large age gap between them. This works for arrangements because most of the companionships on this site are between successful older men and stunning younger women.

What it’s like for daddies:

Some men don’t want arrangements and prefer the idea of spoiling someone who enjoys their company. For those types, AgeMatch is perfect. You will feel like you are on a real dating site and not a shady or seedy arrangement site, which is a nice alternative to the normal setup.

What it’s like for babies:

The expected age gap works in your favor, but the fact that sugaring is more implied than explicit does not. You won’t be asked about your preferred arrangement. However, there are plenty of wonderful successful older men at your disposal and you are welcome to present them with your terms.

16.  Sudy – A sugaring mobile app

Sudy is a fantastic app in terms of usability. It functions really well and is set up in such a way that makes it easy to meet someone new. There are some things about Sudy that aren’t perfect, which is why it’s at the bottom of our list, but it’s certainly a great option for someone who would rather use their phone than a desktop to find a date.

What it’s like for the daddies:

To join, you’ll need to make over 200K. Once you verify this, you will be introduced to the world of beautiful ladies (there’s a 4:1 male to female ratio). Gorgeous women like to know that you make enough to entertain them, so the verification works in your favor. Sources report having trouble deleting their profiles though, so that might be a turn-off for you.

What it’s like for babies:

There are more women than men, which means it’s competitive. But at the same time, Sudy is also very safe. The Sudy staff work tirelessly to moderate the platform and remove suspicious or fake profiles.

17.  SugarBook – Great for alternative arrangements

Sometimes arrangements aren’t all money-based. There are ambitious women (or guys) out there who desire connections, advice, opportunities, and financial help. Sources say that SugarBook is ideal for that type of relationship with a sugar mama or sugar daddy because each interaction begins by laying out expectations for one another.

What it’s like for daddies:

You will need to verify your income before getting accepted to SugarBook. This is technically a free sugar daddy site for men, but the premium option will show you many more profiles. We’ll admit that it’s limited on the free side.

What it’s like for babies:

You can join for free or pay for more features, that’s totally up to you. Try the free version first, though, because the features just include access to more daddies and a more specific search. You might find what you’re looking for on the free version alone. You’ll have a chance to create a profile where you can explain what you’re interested in.

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A good play, suggests Tony Kushner in his 1995 anthology Thinking About the Longstanding Problems of Virtue, “should be overstuffed.” Memorably comparing well-constructed theater to lasagna, he writes that a work of theater “should have barely been rescued from the mess it might just as easily have been” and, at its best, “has a bursting omnipotence up its sleeve, or rather, under its noodles.” That’s an apt description for this tender, searing, funny, and thoroughly moving new piece by Terry Guest, which packs more humanity in its 95 minutes than many projects do over multiple acts. 

The Magnolia Ballet
Through 6/11: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM; Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee, 773-697-3830, aboutfacetheatre.com, $5-$35.

For queer Black teen Z (Guest), it doesn’t take many rounds of begetting to connect himself to his enslaved Georgia ancestors—a lineage in which softness and vulnerability was, and in many ways still is, at odds with survival. Much of Guest’s story centers on its protagonist’s relationship with Black masculinity and the challenges of navigating his father Ezekiel’s (Wardell Julius Clark) emotional rigidity, but The Magnolia Ballet itself is pointedly not rigid. Rather, it gracefully bends. It bends in its narrative structure, in its gravity, in its timeline, and in its foggy, macramé fishing-net-draped set by designer Steven Abbott and lighting designer Eric Watkins. Blurring soliloquies, music and movement interludes, fantasy sequences, and realism, Guest creates a layered and fully realized pastiche of one queer kid’s journey to find his place in American society, his family, and his own body.

In many new plays, an ethereal, collage-like approach to storytelling can often feel scattered or indulgent, but in director Mikael Burke’s production for About Face Theatre, each seemingly incongruous piece fits together with all the contradictions fully intact. Part of that, I suspect, is the production’s superb use of music (eclectic sound design by Brian Grimm) and movement (choreography by Jenn Freeman), which viscerally convey elements of Z’s experience more directly than words alone could. In a compelling abstract movement sequence, for instance, we see a music-set pantomime of Ezekiel giving his son a haircut. It’s a gentle and warm bit of physical affection from father to son, man to man, never spoken of or alluded to overtly, that conveys everything audiences need to know about the father’s inner understanding of and desire for gentleness, inaccessible to him as it may be.

Similarly stunted in his ability to recognize and accept his own feelings (albeit for very different reasons) is Z’s white stoner classmate, Danny (Ben Sulzberger), with whom Z has built a friendship over video games and surreptitious blow jobs. While Z is crystal clear in his sexuality, it’s entirely possible that Danny is bi and more than likely will never need to come out. In a fraught and bleakly funny scene, the two wrestle and tickle homoerotically while Danny wears a family heirloom Confederate uniform, demanding to be called “Sir,” before Z turns to the audience with a deadpan understatement: “Being a kid was confusing.” Less confusing, he tells us, was his boyhood sexual awakening while watching D’Angelo’s early-aughts “Untitled” music video, perhaps the most influential gay coming-of-age artifact for millennials outside of Abercrombie shopping bags. “When you’re a child,” Z says, “you haven’t learned the parts of yourself you’re supposed to hide.”

For Z’s father Ezekiel, though, hiding has become so secondhand that he can’t seem to break out of it, even when it’s what he wants. In multiple moments, we witness Ezekiel wishing to reach out and establish a connection with his only son, but—frustratingly—he can’t quite soften himself for fear he’ll break. Across the board, The Magnolia Ballet is buoyed by a quartet of excellent and nuanced performances, and it’s a credit to Clark’s portrayal that a character capable of spewing homophobic venom toward his son is also capable of heartache and compassion (as well as biting humor and menace, doubling as Danny’s virulently racist white cop dad). 

As the Mitchell family bloodline made manifest, Sheldon D. Brown lends a vocal resonance and physical authority to the “ghost” element of Guest’s southern gothic ghost story. It’s a subtle, often literally backgrounded performance, but it’s integral to what works so well about the show, including Brown’s affectionate and emotionally available depiction of Z’s late mother and, just as interestingly, her thawing influence on Z’s dad. And as Z, Guest creates a rich, complicated character who is coming to terms with the prospect of leaving his Georgia home—a realization that feels less like freedom than coming untethered.   

Much of the often-produced theatrical queer canon can feel stuck in time, stuck in New York,  and stuck in a recurring handful of themes. One of the enduring successes of About Face Theatre, I’ve found, is the company’s consistency in bucking that trend by producing work that feels current and raw and relevant across the broad spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community. The Magnolia Ballet is another step forward in that tradition, one that had me thoroughly enchanted by its spell. 

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It’s never been easier to meet someone online. There are more singles than ever in the dating pool. Most are in search of a meaningful connection that could lead to a long-term commitment. Landing a real catch in a traditional setting feels like fishing in the Dead Sea: impossible. But dating apps and websites have softened the blow and made it possible to scope out your options from the safety and comfort of your own home. With life online becoming an omnipresent reality, it’s one of the best ways to date. The best part? They actually work.

Now, this isn’t true of all dating sites, and there are plenty to comb through. While it’s nice to have options, digging around for the top dating sites can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Additionally, veteran daters know that modern dating culture has become murky at best.

Which apps will introduce you to singles who are serious about commitment and not just another hookup? Tinder might be the big dog of swipe-based dating apps, but you likely won’t find anything beyond a hot make-out session or a one-night stand. While most dating sites attract a mix of serious and casual daters, some options generate more success for long-term relationships.

Here’s an overview of the best dating sites that will give you the best chance at finding a real partner. When it comes to love, these apps do their best to find you the perfect match. Whether it’s a particularly advanced matching algorithm, personality analysis, or select group of users, these apps do more for you than your average hookup app ever could.

14 Best Dating Sites To Meet Someone Online For A Real Relationship in 2022

RankSiteBest ForRating1.eHarmonyMeaningful connections5/52.MatchLasting relationships5/53.ZooskThose who love travel5/54.FriendFinderMix of casual and serious5/55.BumbleBest for women5/56.HingeBest for quick, serious matches5/57.OkCupidBest for progressive dating5/58.The LeagueBest for educated singles4.5/59.HappnBest for meeting someone in your social circle4.5/510.HERBest for femmes4.5/511.Silver SinglesBest for older daters4/512.Coffee Meets BagelBest for dating site newbies4/513.AdultFriendFinderBest for open-minded daters4/514.Plenty of FishBest for rural daters4/5

1.) eHarmony 

Ok, so eHarmony puts some cheesy ads out there that might deter you from trying it out, but if you’re tired of dating around, looking for a real connection and maybe just want to put a ring on it, you’re going to want to give it a second chance. Why? Well, eHarmony is allegedly responsible for around 4 percent of all marriages in the U.S. today. Wild, right?

So what gives eHarmony its secret sauce? We guess it has to do with the revamp of their model. Back in the day, eHarmony would put you through the wringer with a lengthy sign-up process and lame alienating questions. Today, the questionnaire is around 30 questions long and very practical. It’ll ask you how you feel about moving in with someone or how you feel about arguments.

It should be noted though that eHarmony hasn’t always been the most welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community and some users believe that it’s truly a place for the heteronormative. They’ve been working on fixing this major issue, but it seems that it hasn’t yet been totally resolved.

Tip for using eHarmony to find a long-term relationship: Use eHarmony if you are genuinely ready for commitment. Don’t be afraid to set up dates quickly and emotionally open up earlier than you normally would.

2.) Match

Match.com is a dating site that was launched in 1995, and it has been helping daters find long-term relationships ever since. Match is comforting to a lot of people because it’s so familiar and has pretty much provided the blueprint for other dating sites. Not to mention, it has worked hard to perfect its strategy over the years. There’s even a guarantee that you’ll be dating someone within six months, and if you’re not, they’ll give you six months free of charge! That’s how confident they are.

There are two factors that make Match best for long-term partnerships.

Number one is their matching algorithm. When you sign up, you will be put through a rigorous personality quiz. While it can feel a little cumbersome, know that Match is only doing its job. You’ll be asked about your basic preferences along with some gushy romantic stuff (which is important in a relationship).

Number two is that, though it’s technically a free dating site, most users end up paying $20 per month. Yeah, it’s a lot. But love is an investment you should be making for yourself, right?

Tip for using Match to find a long-term relationship: Match is known for their intense matching algorithm, so take your time with the questionnaire and try to make your profile as detailed as possible.

3.) Zoosk

For some, travel is one of the most important aspects of a relationship. Zoosk takes the concept of online dating and allows users to connect internationally. But this isn’t one of those “fly me out to hookup” sites. Zoosk utilizes behavioral matching to facilitate genuine connections between folks who may live thousands of miles apart. If you want your first date to involve a plane, this app is for you.

Rather than dragging you through a tedious questionnaire, Zoosk synchs up your social media profiles to analyze your behavior. It’s a unique way to determine personality, but arguably more accurate given that it takes your actions into account.

Zoosk is a crowd favorite because it doesn’t try to distract you with any bells and whistles. It’s got a smooth, modern interface that makes international dating feel like a breeze.

Tip for using Zoosk to find a long-term relationship: Clean up your social media profile. Zoosk uses it to determine your matches. Your matches will likely be able to find your socials as well. If you come across as a player, you won’t land a serious relationship.

4.) Friend Finder

Friend Finder is one of the biggest dating communities on the Internet. It has the feel and ease of a social media platform but ultimately aims to set up romantic connections between singles. There’s a wide range of connections to be made on Friend Finder, from the flings to the wedding bells. You are more likely to meet someone who doesn’t want to commit right off the bat, but knows they want to meet someone special. Friend Finder also caters to all genders and sexualities, giving it a really warm and welcoming feel.

The users on Friend Finder tend to be in their 40s, but anyone who is 18+ is welcome to give it a shot. They also take your safety very seriously and run a tight ship as far as regulating profiles and banning fakes, catfish, and bots. You do feel like you’ve got a matchmaker on your side when you use Friend Finder to find a mate.

Because Friend Finder is more of a community than strictly a dating site, there are various ways to meet people and other ways to enjoy the site. For instance, you can take a look at their interest groups and forum pages to learn how users in the community are feeling about Friend Finder and dating in general.

Tip for using Friend Finder to find a long-term relationship: Treat this community like a social media platform rather than strictly a dating app. It will open up the possibilities for you by introducing you to more people!

5.) Bumble

There’s a lot we don’t love about Tinder. The platform allows ghosters and players to run rampant. That’s why Bumble is the perfect alternative for women seeking a serious relationship with a man.

Bumble is swipe-dating with a twist. It’s a free dating app that requires women to break the ice first. If the man doesn’t respond to the initial message within 24 hours, the match goes away. It’s one of the first dating apps to really hold daters accountable for their ability to follow through. Flakiness doesn’t survive on Bumble.

The women-message-first concept also combats those incessant creepy messages that ladies on dating apps are used to getting. While the profiles are limited and there’s no major questionnaire, the rules laid out by Bumble make it a great environment to start a long-term relationship. Oh, and there’s also an Astrology filter for the horoscope buffs.

Tip for using Bumble to find a long-term relationship: If you are a woman, reach out to all the men that you match with. Remember, they can’t get in touch with you. You need to make the first move before those matches disappear. You swiped right for a reason, right?

6.) Hinge

Many daters cite Hinge as their absolute favorite dating app. While Hinge has introduced a ton of successful couples to each other, the draw to Hinge has more to do with the fact that using the app is fun! The app was originally supposed to match you based on mutual friends you had through social media platforms. But it has evolved since then to be the ultimate icebreaker dating app.

Setting up a Hinge profile takes some time, but it’s entertaining. Once you pick your photos and basic preferences, you can choose through dozens of hilarious or serious prompts to add to the profile. One reads, “A life goal of mine is. . .” while another reads, “We’re the same type of weird if. . .” Hinge users can “heart” someone’s photo or their prompt answer. They can also comment on it, which makes initiating a conversation so much more interesting than on other dating apps.

With engaging profiles and an in-depth matching algorithm, Hinge is the cocktail party that sets the scene for long-term potential. The crowd is generally young, cool, and interested in dating. Its slogan is, “designed to be deleted,” which is kind of awesome!

Tip for using Hinge to find a long-term relationship: Add some humor to your profile by picking funny prompts. This will give your potential matches an icebreaker when they reach out to you.

7.) OKCupid

OKCupid is the woke dating app geared towards socially conscious millennials. It’s been around for a while, but in 2017, OKCupid saw a massive redesign both in aesthetics and operations. Now, it’s incredibly modern and perfect for the liberal-minded dater who is seeking a likeminded partner. With 12 gender identities and 20 sexual orientations to choose from, it’s not hard to see why.

The questionnaire helps to weed out folks who you wouldn’t get along with by asking questions like, “Is contraception morally wrong?” They also get into your sexual preferences and dealbreakers. That’s when the algorithm takes over. At first, it feels a bit like Tinder. That would make sense as the two are owned by the same company, but it takes the more in-depth serious approach that goes beyond swiping based on appearances.

One critique that OKCupid gets is the feature that allows you to message someone who you haven’t matched with yet. They won’t see that message unless you match. While it keeps creepy messages at bay, it also lends itself to a bunch of unanswered messages and a strange feeling of rejection.

Tip for using OKCupid to find a long-term relationship: Don’t bother using this application if you are ultra-conservative. You likely won’t find anyone who meshes with your views. Also, show more than you tell. In other words, pick profile photos that communicate who you are as a person.

8.) The League

If all the apps were personified, The League would be the most narcissistic. To get on the app in the first place, you must apply by submitting your LinkedIn profile, current job status, and what university you attended. So yeah, it’s a little full of itself. However, for people who think that education and job status is a dealbreaker, it’s a nice change of pace from the randomness that apps like Tinder supply.

The League allows you to be very picky with your preferences, even allowing you to select which races you prefer to see. That makes our stomachs turn a little. If you’re willing to ignore the cringeworthy-ness, The League is a pretty decent dating app. It has a high success rate, so we think it deserves a review.

Members span all age groups but tend to be on the younger side. There’s also no way for catfish to get onto this app. You must link both your Facebook and LinkedIn for approval. Unless a catfish is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to land someone, they aren’t going to slip through the cracks on these dating apps.

Tip for using The League to find a long-term relationship: The League tends to be a tough crowd and the app comes across as a little judgmental. You can ease the tension by sending a message to someone who you have something in common with. Perhaps you’ve been to their university, hometown, or have insight about their career choice.

9.) Happn

Some people believe in fate and others believe in the “Proximity Effect.” There’s a strong correlation between proximity and attraction, which Happn takes into account. Rather than setting you up with people who live in a five-mile radius from you, Happn actually matches you with someone you’ve crossed paths with in the past. It’s a neat concept in that it shows you and your match have similar habits and interests. It’s also the most convenient way to date.

We’ll be honest though, there aren’t a ton of people who use Happn, so there might be slim pickings. There have also been reports that the daters you’ve apparently “crossed paths with” are hogwash. This is coming from users who never stepped foot outside of their homes and were told they had a handful of missed connections. However, there are also folks who say the exact opposite.

Regardless of whether or not the proximity feature is a placebo, it sure makes for a nice icebreaker when you finally do go on that first date!

Tip for using Happn to find a long-term relationship: Don’t rely too heavily on the proximity feature. Try to get to know the people who you match with and then decide if you want to meet up with them!

10.) HER

Nearly all dating sites claim to be inclusive of all sexualities and genders; however, many people in the queer community don’t completely agree. Some sites just don’t feel all that welcoming or provide enough options, especially to queer women. Grindr was there for queer men, but what about the ladies? That’s where the app HER comes in. It’s a tailored dating site and community for women in the LGBTQ+ community.

According to their members (currently 4 million and counting), HER is a really fun space. Profiles can get quite detailed with the ability to put your diet preferences (like vegan) on your profile, along with your astrological sign and pronouns. There’s also an entire element of HER that doesn’t really have to do with dating but rather operates as a social media platform and shows you what queer events are going on in your area.

HER is great, but it’s not perfect. In the past, users have reported some glitches that make the user experience a bit frustrating and annoying. However, they are actively working to evolve their functionality in a positive way.

Tip for using HER to find a long-term relationship: HER is all about empowering women and LGBTQ+ dating. Mimic that energy by always shining a positive light while you are chatting with new friends or matches.

11.) Silver Singles

Dating over 50 can be quite a challenge. Many of these online dating apps focus so much energy on catering to millennials that they don’t take time to consider the older daters. Silver Singles is a dating app that’s exclusively for daters who are age 50 and above. Knowing that you’re in the company of others who are your age and looking for love can be really comforting.

Silver Singles takes matching seriously and uses a personality test to break users up into the Big Five personality traits, and then matches you accordingly. There’s an expectation on Silver Singles that the dating is taken seriously, so it’s not for the person looking for something casual. The users who are old enough to be completely over dating games that tend to be consumed by them see this as a benefit.

Tip for using Silver Singles to find a long-term relationship: Make it clear that you are seeking a long-term relationship. You can do this by posting it in your profile or by opening each chat by explaining what you want out of the app. The mature daters will appreciate the transparency.

12.) Coffee Meets Bagel

The concept behind this dating app was to set up a casual online dating experience. It’s likened to grabbing a cup of coffee with someone, but online. The vibe is meant to feel low-key, so that pressure doesn’t get in the way of your dating experience. A Reddit review actually noted that “Coffee Meets Bagel helped me find someone, which I never thought would happen because I am cripplingly introverted.” So, we know it works!

Other dating sites will throw a bunch of options at you, leaving you swiping through tons of photos or scrolling through an indefinite amount of prospects. While this can be nice, it also can deter you from really investing in one person and might make you feel overwhelmed. It’s not exactly the easiest way to make a real connection. That’s why CMB sends you seven options a day that are carefully selected based on their matching algorithm. These matches are called “bagels,” which frankly is a little strange. But hey, we’re not here to judge CMB on anything but their success rate as a dating app. To encourage followthrough, the bagels only last for a week. If you really like someone, you need to reach out.

Another reason why CMB works so well is that the algorithm takes your previous swipes into account when curating the next batch of fresh bagels for you. It learns your trends and preferences based on actual activity rather than just a questionnaire.

Tip for using Coffee Meets Bagel to find a long-term relationship: Give each “bagel” a chance. You might be used to apps that give you tons of options; however, there’s a reason why these bagels were suggested to you. Don’t be afraid to do a deep dive into each of their profiles!

13.) AdultFriendFinder

Ok, so AdultFriendFinder isn’t exactly great for finding your soulmate, but nothing is impossible! The reason it makes the list is that some people like to approach dating in a casual way before getting into anything super serious. Physical intimacy is an essential part of any relationship, and AdultFriendFinder has no problems in that department.

While millennials rely on Tinder to help them find friends-with-benefits, AdultFriendFinder caters to an online dating crowd that’s a tiny bit older. It’s sort of the Tinder for Gen X. Given that there are so many users on AdultFriendFinder, it’s nearly impossible to not find someone interested in talking to you. But be warned—AdultFriendFinder is not for the faint of heart. There’s no telling how raunchy your inbox will get.

AdultFriendFinder is an adult site, so that means explicit photos are welcome and encouraged. You won’t find that on other dating websites. In a time where isolation is more familiar than physical touch, it’s a nice change of pace.

Tip for using AdultFriendFinder to find a long-term relationship: Keep an open mind, sexually. AdultFriendFinder has a lot of raunchy undertones. By going in without judgment, you open yourself up to a world of dating potentials on this site.

14.) Plenty Of Fish

Plenty Of Fish is a popular free dating site, but they’ve been known to have just as many bots as they do genuine users, so that’s why it sits at the bottom. This doesn’t mean that POF doesn’t work. It has been known to foster a ton of successful relationships. There are even some celebs who have found love on POF. It simply might get annoying attempting to dodge the folks who aren’t real.

One of the best aspects of POF is the volume of users. They have so many. Bots aside, even if you live in a small town or rural area, you will find plenty of prospects. Most apps function best in urban cities, but POF does the job well anywhere. Another thing we love is that POF, and all features like unlimited messaging, is totally free.

Because there are so many daters on POF looking for all sorts of relationships, POF has implemented a pretty advanced search feature that allows you to whittle down the crowd. The quality of daters doesn’t seem to be as top-notch as some other apps on this list, but there are definitely some catches who make their way onto the site.

Tip for using Plenty Of Fish to find a long-term relationship: POF is known for having a ton of users. With that in mind, be selective with who you decide to reach out to. Too many options won’t help you land that soulmate you’re after.

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A good play, suggests Tony Kushner in his 1995 anthology Thinking About the Longstanding Problems of Virtue, “should be overstuffed.” Memorably comparing well-constructed theater to lasagna, he writes that a work of theater “should have barely been rescued from the mess it might just as easily have been” and, at its best, “has a bursting omnipotence up its sleeve, or rather, under its noodles.” That’s an apt description for this tender, searing, funny, and thoroughly moving new piece by Terry Guest, which packs more humanity in its 95 minutes than many projects do over multiple acts. 

The Magnolia Ballet
Through 6/11: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM; Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee, 773-697-3830, aboutfacetheatre.com, $5-$35.

For queer Black teen Z (Guest), it doesn’t take many rounds of begetting to connect himself to his enslaved Georgia ancestors—a lineage in which softness and vulnerability was, and in many ways still is, at odds with survival. Much of Guest’s story centers on its protagonist’s relationship with Black masculinity and the challenges of navigating his father Ezekiel’s (Wardell Julius Clark) emotional rigidity, but The Magnolia Ballet itself is pointedly not rigid. Rather, it gracefully bends. It bends in its narrative structure, in its gravity, in its timeline, and in its foggy, macramé fishing-net-draped set by designer Steven Abbott and lighting designer Eric Watkins. Blurring soliloquies, music and movement interludes, fantasy sequences, and realism, Guest creates a layered and fully realized pastiche of one queer kid’s journey to find his place in American society, his family, and his own body.

In many new plays, an ethereal, collage-like approach to storytelling can often feel scattered or indulgent, but in director Mikael Burke’s production for About Face Theatre, each seemingly incongruous piece fits together with all the contradictions fully intact. Part of that, I suspect, is the production’s superb use of music (eclectic sound design by Brian Grimm) and movement (choreography by Jenn Freeman), which viscerally convey elements of Z’s experience more directly than words alone could. In a compelling abstract movement sequence, for instance, we see a music-set pantomime of Ezekiel giving his son a haircut. It’s a gentle and warm bit of physical affection from father to son, man to man, never spoken of or alluded to overtly, that conveys everything audiences need to know about the father’s inner understanding of and desire for gentleness, inaccessible to him as it may be.

Similarly stunted in his ability to recognize and accept his own feelings (albeit for very different reasons) is Z’s white stoner classmate, Danny (Ben Sulzberger), with whom Z has built a friendship over video games and surreptitious blow jobs. While Z is crystal clear in his sexuality, it’s entirely possible that Danny is bi and more than likely will never need to come out. In a fraught and bleakly funny scene, the two wrestle and tickle homoerotically while Danny wears a family heirloom Confederate uniform, demanding to be called “Sir,” before Z turns to the audience with a deadpan understatement: “Being a kid was confusing.” Less confusing, he tells us, was his boyhood sexual awakening while watching D’Angelo’s early-aughts “Untitled” music video, perhaps the most influential gay coming-of-age artifact for millennials outside of Abercrombie shopping bags. “When you’re a child,” Z says, “you haven’t learned the parts of yourself you’re supposed to hide.”

For Z’s father Ezekiel, though, hiding has become so secondhand that he can’t seem to break out of it, even when it’s what he wants. In multiple moments, we witness Ezekiel wishing to reach out and establish a connection with his only son, but—frustratingly—he can’t quite soften himself for fear he’ll break. Across the board, The Magnolia Ballet is buoyed by a quartet of excellent and nuanced performances, and it’s a credit to Clark’s portrayal that a character capable of spewing homophobic venom toward his son is also capable of heartache and compassion (as well as biting humor and menace, doubling as Danny’s virulently racist white cop dad). 

As the Mitchell family bloodline made manifest, Sheldon D. Brown lends a vocal resonance and physical authority to the “ghost” element of Guest’s southern gothic ghost story. It’s a subtle, often literally backgrounded performance, but it’s integral to what works so well about the show, including Brown’s affectionate and emotionally available depiction of Z’s late mother and, just as interestingly, her thawing influence on Z’s dad. And as Z, Guest creates a rich, complicated character who is coming to terms with the prospect of leaving his Georgia home—a realization that feels less like freedom than coming untethered.   

Much of the often-produced theatrical queer canon can feel stuck in time, stuck in New York,  and stuck in a recurring handful of themes. One of the enduring successes of About Face Theatre, I’ve found, is the company’s consistency in bucking that trend by producing work that feels current and raw and relevant across the broad spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community. The Magnolia Ballet is another step forward in that tradition, one that had me thoroughly enchanted by its spell. 

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It’s never been easier to meet someone online. There are more singles than ever in the dating pool. Most are in search of a meaningful connection that could lead to a long-term commitment. Landing a real catch in a traditional setting feels like fishing in the Dead Sea: impossible. But dating apps and websites have softened the blow and made it possible to scope out your options from the safety and comfort of your own home. With life online becoming an omnipresent reality, it’s one of the best ways to date. The best part? They actually work.

Now, this isn’t true of all dating sites, and there are plenty to comb through. While it’s nice to have options, digging around for the top dating sites can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Additionally, veteran daters know that modern dating culture has become murky at best.

Which apps will introduce you to singles who are serious about commitment and not just another hookup? Tinder might be the big dog of swipe-based dating apps, but you likely won’t find anything beyond a hot make-out session or a one-night stand. While most dating sites attract a mix of serious and casual daters, some options generate more success for long-term relationships.

Here’s an overview of the best dating sites that will give you the best chance at finding a real partner. When it comes to love, these apps do their best to find you the perfect match. Whether it’s a particularly advanced matching algorithm, personality analysis, or select group of users, these apps do more for you than your average hookup app ever could.

14 Best Dating Sites To Meet Someone Online For A Real Relationship in 2022

RankSiteBest ForRating1.eHarmonyMeaningful connections5/52.MatchLasting relationships5/53.ZooskThose who love travel5/54.FriendFinderMix of casual and serious5/55.BumbleBest for women5/56.HingeBest for quick, serious matches5/57.OkCupidBest for progressive dating5/58.The LeagueBest for educated singles4.5/59.HappnBest for meeting someone in your social circle4.5/510.HERBest for femmes4.5/511.Silver SinglesBest for older daters4/512.Coffee Meets BagelBest for dating site newbies4/513.AdultFriendFinderBest for open-minded daters4/514.Plenty of FishBest for rural daters4/5

1.) eHarmony 

Ok, so eHarmony puts some cheesy ads out there that might deter you from trying it out, but if you’re tired of dating around, looking for a real connection and maybe just want to put a ring on it, you’re going to want to give it a second chance. Why? Well, eHarmony is allegedly responsible for around 4 percent of all marriages in the U.S. today. Wild, right?

So what gives eHarmony its secret sauce? We guess it has to do with the revamp of their model. Back in the day, eHarmony would put you through the wringer with a lengthy sign-up process and lame alienating questions. Today, the questionnaire is around 30 questions long and very practical. It’ll ask you how you feel about moving in with someone or how you feel about arguments.

It should be noted though that eHarmony hasn’t always been the most welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community and some users believe that it’s truly a place for the heteronormative. They’ve been working on fixing this major issue, but it seems that it hasn’t yet been totally resolved.

Tip for using eHarmony to find a long-term relationship: Use eHarmony if you are genuinely ready for commitment. Don’t be afraid to set up dates quickly and emotionally open up earlier than you normally would.

2.) Match

Match.com is a dating site that was launched in 1995, and it has been helping daters find long-term relationships ever since. Match is comforting to a lot of people because it’s so familiar and has pretty much provided the blueprint for other dating sites. Not to mention, it has worked hard to perfect its strategy over the years. There’s even a guarantee that you’ll be dating someone within six months, and if you’re not, they’ll give you six months free of charge! That’s how confident they are.

There are two factors that make Match best for long-term partnerships.

Number one is their matching algorithm. When you sign up, you will be put through a rigorous personality quiz. While it can feel a little cumbersome, know that Match is only doing its job. You’ll be asked about your basic preferences along with some gushy romantic stuff (which is important in a relationship).

Number two is that, though it’s technically a free dating site, most users end up paying $20 per month. Yeah, it’s a lot. But love is an investment you should be making for yourself, right?

Tip for using Match to find a long-term relationship: Match is known for their intense matching algorithm, so take your time with the questionnaire and try to make your profile as detailed as possible.

3.) Zoosk

For some, travel is one of the most important aspects of a relationship. Zoosk takes the concept of online dating and allows users to connect internationally. But this isn’t one of those “fly me out to hookup” sites. Zoosk utilizes behavioral matching to facilitate genuine connections between folks who may live thousands of miles apart. If you want your first date to involve a plane, this app is for you.

Rather than dragging you through a tedious questionnaire, Zoosk synchs up your social media profiles to analyze your behavior. It’s a unique way to determine personality, but arguably more accurate given that it takes your actions into account.

Zoosk is a crowd favorite because it doesn’t try to distract you with any bells and whistles. It’s got a smooth, modern interface that makes international dating feel like a breeze.

Tip for using Zoosk to find a long-term relationship: Clean up your social media profile. Zoosk uses it to determine your matches. Your matches will likely be able to find your socials as well. If you come across as a player, you won’t land a serious relationship.

4.) Friend Finder

Friend Finder is one of the biggest dating communities on the Internet. It has the feel and ease of a social media platform but ultimately aims to set up romantic connections between singles. There’s a wide range of connections to be made on Friend Finder, from the flings to the wedding bells. You are more likely to meet someone who doesn’t want to commit right off the bat, but knows they want to meet someone special. Friend Finder also caters to all genders and sexualities, giving it a really warm and welcoming feel.

The users on Friend Finder tend to be in their 40s, but anyone who is 18+ is welcome to give it a shot. They also take your safety very seriously and run a tight ship as far as regulating profiles and banning fakes, catfish, and bots. You do feel like you’ve got a matchmaker on your side when you use Friend Finder to find a mate.

Because Friend Finder is more of a community than strictly a dating site, there are various ways to meet people and other ways to enjoy the site. For instance, you can take a look at their interest groups and forum pages to learn how users in the community are feeling about Friend Finder and dating in general.

Tip for using Friend Finder to find a long-term relationship: Treat this community like a social media platform rather than strictly a dating app. It will open up the possibilities for you by introducing you to more people!

5.) Bumble

There’s a lot we don’t love about Tinder. The platform allows ghosters and players to run rampant. That’s why Bumble is the perfect alternative for women seeking a serious relationship with a man.

Bumble is swipe-dating with a twist. It’s a free dating app that requires women to break the ice first. If the man doesn’t respond to the initial message within 24 hours, the match goes away. It’s one of the first dating apps to really hold daters accountable for their ability to follow through. Flakiness doesn’t survive on Bumble.

The women-message-first concept also combats those incessant creepy messages that ladies on dating apps are used to getting. While the profiles are limited and there’s no major questionnaire, the rules laid out by Bumble make it a great environment to start a long-term relationship. Oh, and there’s also an Astrology filter for the horoscope buffs.

Tip for using Bumble to find a long-term relationship: If you are a woman, reach out to all the men that you match with. Remember, they can’t get in touch with you. You need to make the first move before those matches disappear. You swiped right for a reason, right?

6.) Hinge

Many daters cite Hinge as their absolute favorite dating app. While Hinge has introduced a ton of successful couples to each other, the draw to Hinge has more to do with the fact that using the app is fun! The app was originally supposed to match you based on mutual friends you had through social media platforms. But it has evolved since then to be the ultimate icebreaker dating app.

Setting up a Hinge profile takes some time, but it’s entertaining. Once you pick your photos and basic preferences, you can choose through dozens of hilarious or serious prompts to add to the profile. One reads, “A life goal of mine is. . .” while another reads, “We’re the same type of weird if. . .” Hinge users can “heart” someone’s photo or their prompt answer. They can also comment on it, which makes initiating a conversation so much more interesting than on other dating apps.

With engaging profiles and an in-depth matching algorithm, Hinge is the cocktail party that sets the scene for long-term potential. The crowd is generally young, cool, and interested in dating. Its slogan is, “designed to be deleted,” which is kind of awesome!

Tip for using Hinge to find a long-term relationship: Add some humor to your profile by picking funny prompts. This will give your potential matches an icebreaker when they reach out to you.

7.) OKCupid

OKCupid is the woke dating app geared towards socially conscious millennials. It’s been around for a while, but in 2017, OKCupid saw a massive redesign both in aesthetics and operations. Now, it’s incredibly modern and perfect for the liberal-minded dater who is seeking a likeminded partner. With 12 gender identities and 20 sexual orientations to choose from, it’s not hard to see why.

The questionnaire helps to weed out folks who you wouldn’t get along with by asking questions like, “Is contraception morally wrong?” They also get into your sexual preferences and dealbreakers. That’s when the algorithm takes over. At first, it feels a bit like Tinder. That would make sense as the two are owned by the same company, but it takes the more in-depth serious approach that goes beyond swiping based on appearances.

One critique that OKCupid gets is the feature that allows you to message someone who you haven’t matched with yet. They won’t see that message unless you match. While it keeps creepy messages at bay, it also lends itself to a bunch of unanswered messages and a strange feeling of rejection.

Tip for using OKCupid to find a long-term relationship: Don’t bother using this application if you are ultra-conservative. You likely won’t find anyone who meshes with your views. Also, show more than you tell. In other words, pick profile photos that communicate who you are as a person.

8.) The League

If all the apps were personified, The League would be the most narcissistic. To get on the app in the first place, you must apply by submitting your LinkedIn profile, current job status, and what university you attended. So yeah, it’s a little full of itself. However, for people who think that education and job status is a dealbreaker, it’s a nice change of pace from the randomness that apps like Tinder supply.

The League allows you to be very picky with your preferences, even allowing you to select which races you prefer to see. That makes our stomachs turn a little. If you’re willing to ignore the cringeworthy-ness, The League is a pretty decent dating app. It has a high success rate, so we think it deserves a review.

Members span all age groups but tend to be on the younger side. There’s also no way for catfish to get onto this app. You must link both your Facebook and LinkedIn for approval. Unless a catfish is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to land someone, they aren’t going to slip through the cracks on these dating apps.

Tip for using The League to find a long-term relationship: The League tends to be a tough crowd and the app comes across as a little judgmental. You can ease the tension by sending a message to someone who you have something in common with. Perhaps you’ve been to their university, hometown, or have insight about their career choice.

9.) Happn

Some people believe in fate and others believe in the “Proximity Effect.” There’s a strong correlation between proximity and attraction, which Happn takes into account. Rather than setting you up with people who live in a five-mile radius from you, Happn actually matches you with someone you’ve crossed paths with in the past. It’s a neat concept in that it shows you and your match have similar habits and interests. It’s also the most convenient way to date.

We’ll be honest though, there aren’t a ton of people who use Happn, so there might be slim pickings. There have also been reports that the daters you’ve apparently “crossed paths with” are hogwash. This is coming from users who never stepped foot outside of their homes and were told they had a handful of missed connections. However, there are also folks who say the exact opposite.

Regardless of whether or not the proximity feature is a placebo, it sure makes for a nice icebreaker when you finally do go on that first date!

Tip for using Happn to find a long-term relationship: Don’t rely too heavily on the proximity feature. Try to get to know the people who you match with and then decide if you want to meet up with them!

10.) HER

Nearly all dating sites claim to be inclusive of all sexualities and genders; however, many people in the queer community don’t completely agree. Some sites just don’t feel all that welcoming or provide enough options, especially to queer women. Grindr was there for queer men, but what about the ladies? That’s where the app HER comes in. It’s a tailored dating site and community for women in the LGBTQ+ community.

According to their members (currently 4 million and counting), HER is a really fun space. Profiles can get quite detailed with the ability to put your diet preferences (like vegan) on your profile, along with your astrological sign and pronouns. There’s also an entire element of HER that doesn’t really have to do with dating but rather operates as a social media platform and shows you what queer events are going on in your area.

HER is great, but it’s not perfect. In the past, users have reported some glitches that make the user experience a bit frustrating and annoying. However, they are actively working to evolve their functionality in a positive way.

Tip for using HER to find a long-term relationship: HER is all about empowering women and LGBTQ+ dating. Mimic that energy by always shining a positive light while you are chatting with new friends or matches.

11.) Silver Singles

Dating over 50 can be quite a challenge. Many of these online dating apps focus so much energy on catering to millennials that they don’t take time to consider the older daters. Silver Singles is a dating app that’s exclusively for daters who are age 50 and above. Knowing that you’re in the company of others who are your age and looking for love can be really comforting.

Silver Singles takes matching seriously and uses a personality test to break users up into the Big Five personality traits, and then matches you accordingly. There’s an expectation on Silver Singles that the dating is taken seriously, so it’s not for the person looking for something casual. The users who are old enough to be completely over dating games that tend to be consumed by them see this as a benefit.

Tip for using Silver Singles to find a long-term relationship: Make it clear that you are seeking a long-term relationship. You can do this by posting it in your profile or by opening each chat by explaining what you want out of the app. The mature daters will appreciate the transparency.

12.) Coffee Meets Bagel

The concept behind this dating app was to set up a casual online dating experience. It’s likened to grabbing a cup of coffee with someone, but online. The vibe is meant to feel low-key, so that pressure doesn’t get in the way of your dating experience. A Reddit review actually noted that “Coffee Meets Bagel helped me find someone, which I never thought would happen because I am cripplingly introverted.” So, we know it works!

Other dating sites will throw a bunch of options at you, leaving you swiping through tons of photos or scrolling through an indefinite amount of prospects. While this can be nice, it also can deter you from really investing in one person and might make you feel overwhelmed. It’s not exactly the easiest way to make a real connection. That’s why CMB sends you seven options a day that are carefully selected based on their matching algorithm. These matches are called “bagels,” which frankly is a little strange. But hey, we’re not here to judge CMB on anything but their success rate as a dating app. To encourage followthrough, the bagels only last for a week. If you really like someone, you need to reach out.

Another reason why CMB works so well is that the algorithm takes your previous swipes into account when curating the next batch of fresh bagels for you. It learns your trends and preferences based on actual activity rather than just a questionnaire.

Tip for using Coffee Meets Bagel to find a long-term relationship: Give each “bagel” a chance. You might be used to apps that give you tons of options; however, there’s a reason why these bagels were suggested to you. Don’t be afraid to do a deep dive into each of their profiles!

13.) AdultFriendFinder

Ok, so AdultFriendFinder isn’t exactly great for finding your soulmate, but nothing is impossible! The reason it makes the list is that some people like to approach dating in a casual way before getting into anything super serious. Physical intimacy is an essential part of any relationship, and AdultFriendFinder has no problems in that department.

While millennials rely on Tinder to help them find friends-with-benefits, AdultFriendFinder caters to an online dating crowd that’s a tiny bit older. It’s sort of the Tinder for Gen X. Given that there are so many users on AdultFriendFinder, it’s nearly impossible to not find someone interested in talking to you. But be warned—AdultFriendFinder is not for the faint of heart. There’s no telling how raunchy your inbox will get.

AdultFriendFinder is an adult site, so that means explicit photos are welcome and encouraged. You won’t find that on other dating websites. In a time where isolation is more familiar than physical touch, it’s a nice change of pace.

Tip for using AdultFriendFinder to find a long-term relationship: Keep an open mind, sexually. AdultFriendFinder has a lot of raunchy undertones. By going in without judgment, you open yourself up to a world of dating potentials on this site.

14.) Plenty Of Fish

Plenty Of Fish is a popular free dating site, but they’ve been known to have just as many bots as they do genuine users, so that’s why it sits at the bottom. This doesn’t mean that POF doesn’t work. It has been known to foster a ton of successful relationships. There are even some celebs who have found love on POF. It simply might get annoying attempting to dodge the folks who aren’t real.

One of the best aspects of POF is the volume of users. They have so many. Bots aside, even if you live in a small town or rural area, you will find plenty of prospects. Most apps function best in urban cities, but POF does the job well anywhere. Another thing we love is that POF, and all features like unlimited messaging, is totally free.

Because there are so many daters on POF looking for all sorts of relationships, POF has implemented a pretty advanced search feature that allows you to whittle down the crowd. The quality of daters doesn’t seem to be as top-notch as some other apps on this list, but there are definitely some catches who make their way onto the site.

Tip for using Plenty Of Fish to find a long-term relationship: POF is known for having a ton of users. With that in mind, be selective with who you decide to reach out to. Too many options won’t help you land that soulmate you’re after.

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We’re no longer in the days of dial up modems and slow loading sites. We’re in the age of broadband and virtual reality 3D porn, bringing fantasies to life in ways previously unimagined. But rather than just getting a show, why not earn your pleasure through exciting and immersive gameplay?

We’ve played our fair share of porn games and 3D VR sex simulators, and we can tell you that some outshine others. If you think about it, there are a lot of boxes that need to be checked in order to make a VR porn game one of the best. Not all of them live up to the hype, and it can be frustrating to go through the trouble of spending time or energy on a subpar game.

That’s why we’ve come up with this master list of the 20+ best VR porn games in 2022. These games feature award-winning technology, insanely realistic graphics, immersive plot lines, and wild erotic scenes. Buckle uop.

Best VR Porn Games in 2022

RankGameBest For1.VRPornBest overall VR porn game with the most options2.SinVRTaboo VR porn games3.DezyredChoose-your-own-adventure porn game4.HolodexxxPhotorealistic versions of pornstars to play with5.3DXChatMultiplayer VR porn game community6.Dominatrix SimulatorFantasy dom goddesses tell you what to do7.Let’s Play With NanaiA hentai girlfriend experience8.Citor3Quick games that are under 30 minutes9.XStoryPlayerPlot-heavy immersive game10.VRLoveChoose between Free Mode or Story Mode

Deciding Which Game to PlayWith so many games to choose from, When deciding which game to play, there are some key factors to pay attention to. The games on this list already hit the mark in terms of visuals and technology. To decide which game is right for you, you’ll want to ask yourself a few questions:

1.  What is your kink?Most of these games allow for customizable experiences and take you into different environments. However, some are catered to a more specific niche. For instance, Dominatrix Simulator is a game that’s made for subs who enjoy BDSM. Anyone who isn’t into that kink is not going to enjoy the game and shouldn’t waste their time on it. There are also hentai-specific genres or games that include characters resembling familiar stars in the adult industry.

2.  Do you have time?
There are games that last 20 minutes and others that go on for hours. What are you in the mood for? The sex games that allow you to explore an entire universe could be played for days, while other games, like the ones created at the Citor3 studio, are designed for quickies.

3.  How important is storyline?
Some porn games fall short in the plot department. That’s OK for folks who want total control over their avatar and simply want to enjoy hot sexual experiences. For people who enjoy the element of strategy, they’ll need more than a sex simulator or a multiplayer interactive universe such as 3DXChat. A great example of a game that requires strategy is XStoryPlayer, where you need to please the women to earn your reward.

However, the most important thing is having the right equipment. Make sure your personal VR equipment is compatible with the game before buying it. For instance, Dezyred (a great choose-your-own-adventure porn game) is compatible with Oculus Quest but not Oculus Go. This information is usually readily available to you at the bottom of the website homepage for most of these games.

1.  VRPorn.com – Best VR Porn Games Overall

Ok, so VRPorn.com isn’t technically a game itself. It’s actually a host to a great collection of adult games, all of which are pretty awesome with great visuals, and that’s why VRPorn.com makes the top of our list. Among those games are some of the most popular titles, like Captain Hardcore and Maya’s Library Rendezvous. Side note—why are librarians always so hot?

Your VRPorn.com subscription will grant you more than just games though. If you’re reading this article, chances are that you already love VR porn. This site will have you killing two birds with one stone as it also grants you access to thousands of VR adult scenes that include some of the best adult actresses of our time.

VRPorn.com is also one of the most affordable ways to enjoy VR sex games. With over 20 titles to choose from, you might find yourself spending a little too much time on the site. Better stock up on the lube!

Pros:

Many titles to choose fromBest VR porn display qualityNot expensiveOther VR porn content

Cons:

Some titles outshine others

2.  SinVR – Best Fantasy Porn Game

Do you consider yourself a sinner? Most people who enjoy SinVR definitely do. This adult game plops you into the raunchy world of fantasy, cosplay, and sci-fi. Remember those choose-your-own-adventure books we used to read in grade school? SinVR takes that concept and makes it adult-friendly.

It would be hard to touch on all there is to do at SinVR in one review, but know that there’s a little something for everyone. Whether you enjoy playing with the naughty teacher, or want to travel back to medieval times to entertain a dragon milf, this site has got you covered with some of the most dazzling graphics out there. Plus, they are constantly adding new exciting scenes to choose from.

Some games let you personalize the characters, but SinVR has done the work for you by creating some of the sexiest fantasy girls to play with. You can purchase them separately, but it means that you get to enjoy them for life. No membership required!

Pros:

Great for kinksFun fantasy plotAmazing visualsAll the women are unique

Cons:

No character customizationLacking in facial expressions

3.  Dezyred – Best Live Action Porn Game

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to spend time with your favorite porn star? Dezyred can make your dreams come true! Rather than taking the classic porn game approach and developing an entire storyline, Dezyred allows you to call all the shots in this 360 degree realistic porn game. Created by the geniuses behind VRBangers, Dezyred allows you to pick a star (such as Angela White or Lacy Lennon) to spend some quality time with.

While in the game, you are able to spend some relaxing casual time with these stars. You can do things as simple as making them breakfast, or you can tease them and request a show. You are the star of the show and all control is completely within your grasp.

The game operates on a credit-based system rather than a one-time fee. That can be pretty annoying for some folks, but you will be granted 600 credits when you start the game, which actually goes a long way. Use your credits to make requests throughout the game. Yes, the micro-transactions will eventually add up, so prepare to spend some money. This game is compatible with most headsets including Oculus Quest. Oculus Go compatibility is coming soon.

Pros:

Free (before the micro-transactions)Choose-your-own-adventure game typeCharacters inspired by porn starsPart of VRBangers

Cons:

The micro-transactions add upThe storyline is kind of bland

4. Holodexxx – Most Realistic Porn Game

While porn games are about bringing your ultimate fantasies to life, you still want the sensations and body movements to be as realistic as possible. Holodexx is one of the most futuristic porn games, using advanced technology to bring photo-realistic game versions of your favorite porn stars to life. Using photogrammetry, Holodexxx has scanned some of the most beautiful girls in the biz to turn them into spicy game pieces.

The graphics in this game are absolutely unparalleled and we’re fascinated that the world is technologically advanced enough to do something like this. Stars like Riley Reid and Mia Malkova have been digitally copied so that you can get the full electric experience with them. Imagine trying to explain this technology to the avid porn-watcher in the 80s. It would absolutely blow their mind!

Plus, their scenes are really interesting. Turn yourself into a porn director by propping the girls where you want them and directing them through scenes. Or, you can explore Lady Euphoria’s banging body in your very own customized room.

Pros:

Extremely realisticFantastic texture displayCharacters inspired by real pornstarsTechnologically advanced

Cons:

The plotlines could be betterThe scenes all look the same

5.  3DXChat – Best Multiplayer

Here’s a game for the social butterflies. 3DXChat is a community of fantasy porn lovers who are all interacting with each other, rather than just their computers. You start the game by designing your avatar with options that make them customizable from head to toe. Between hair color, body type, outfit and more, you have access to the technology to create your ultimate dream character. This game provides a uniquely sensual experience that allows you to connect with others across the VR porn world.

It adds a whole new layer to VR porn games by introducing you to real people who are experiencing genuine reactions to your virtual touch. The sounds they make are coming from genuine interest and weren’t manufactured or formulated by a computer. Someone can actually respond to your kinky words with actual thoughts. It’s incredibly riveting to be a part of such an active online sex community.

Given the intense design and unique approach, the price is right. You won’t be breaking the bank to experience this exciting VR porn game.

Pros:

Big VR porn communityExperience genuine reactions from real playersSatisfying experienceAffordable

Cons:

With a multiplayer game, your chance of getting laid depends on how the other players feel about you.

6.  Dominatrix Simulator – Best BDSM Game

If you aren’t into BDSM, then don’t bother reading this review because it’ll be a waste of time. Dominatrix Simulator was created specifically with doms and subs (especially submissives) in mind and isn’t for the faint of heart. If BDSM is your chosen kink, then do read on as this is the best BDSM VR porn game available for you.

The game begins by placing you in the submissive role of a prisoner under the watchful eye of dominating goddesses. They need you to obey their every command, or you risk getting devilishly punished. There are various dominating goddesses to meet as you make your way through this game, each with a unique way of running the temple.

With some of the best voice acting we’ve ever heard in a game, Dominatrix Simulator will have you forgetting where the temple fantasy ends and real life begins. You might find yourself getting lost in the hot sauce, but that’s OK. That is exactly how this game was designed to make players feel.

Pros:

Deep-dive into the BDSM fantasySexy characters punish youSome of the best VR porn visualsConvincing voice acting

Cons:

Only good for submissive types

7.  Let’s Play With Nanai – Best Hentai VR Porn Game

If you don’t already know, hentai is a combination of manga and anime, usually in a sexual and explicit context. Over the last decade, hentai porn has outranked other popular categories in the porn industry, so it makes sense that there’s a VR porn game dedicated specifically to it. If you love hentai or manga, you’ll go nuts for this game which is based around one cute and sexy character: Nanai.

Nanai is your virtual girlfriend who you get to play with! For around $30, you can have access to Nanai whenever you want. And, she really is the perfect little hentai girlfriend who does and says all the right things. Her level of kink and naughtiness is within your control, so she really is perfect for you! With teledildonic technology, Nanai can be synched up to your sex doll, making the experience even more realistic as you play with the bubbly and sweet Nanai.

We’re big fans of this game, but we wish that a little more creativity and money were put towards the graphics. They aren’t up to par with some of the other sites on this list. However, in the world of anime and hentai, flatter cartoonish art is sometimes better and more desirable.

Pros:

One of the best hentai porn gamesGet the girlfriend experienceNanai can be whoever you want her to beHer reactions feel real

Cons:

Visuals are lackingOnly one character

8.  Citor3 – Best Short Games

Citor3 is actually a studio that specializes in short and kinky 3D VR porn games. If you’re in search of a quick fix, Citor3 will surely provide. Each game has its own theme that you’ll love. Whether you’re into BDSM, public sex, or want to get raunchy in an office, Citor3 has you covered. Because the games are shorter, a lot of special attention has been put into making the graphics amazing. You might not be there for a long time, but you’ll definitely have a good time.

A lot of research went into the development of this game with the creator digging into his research of the porn-lover psyche. They want to create a tiny world within each game where every player leaves feeling satisfied and content. They’ve done a great job so far and we’re excited to watch how this studio evolves.

They have over 20 titles for you to browse through with each one providing something unique and tantalizing. Because the games are so short, you can give one a try before diving into the rest of them. On the homepage, you can play a preview of the games to get a taste for what’s to come. You’ll see right then and there what we mean about the incredible graphics.

Pros:

Short games for quickiesPreviews of the gamesMultiple gamesThe creators are always updating the games

Cons:

No option to make the games longerSome games are better than othersVisuals could be better for a handful of the games

9.  XStoryPlayer – Most Captivating

Think about why you love 3D VR porn. Is it for the escape to a new world? If you want to get lost in a beautiful VR porn game for hours (and we mean close to seven hours per game), then you need to play XStoryPlayer. This game is captivating, incredibly immersive, and extremely engaging. It’s one of the only games on this list that requires real psychological strategy.

The characters in XStoryPlayer aren’t going to jump when you tell them to. To get laid playing this game, you need to finesse, coax, and even date them. For instance, in this game you might find yourself on a dating site within the game (talk about meta!) and meeting up with a cutie in town.

While they want you to think there’s no guarantee for getting laid—because that makes the game more fun—you can rest assured that you will get your rocks off playing this! Once you win over a girl, there are no restrictions to what you can do with her within the game. Don’t get too rough though, because the characters will rebuff you if they aren’t into it. You just have to ask yourself, are you charming enough to win her over?

Pros:

Strategy implementationNot every character wants you, making the game more interestingYou have to court the charactersComplex storylineInsanely immersive

Cons:

Not for instant gratificationToo long for some folks (five to seven hours)Visuals could be better

10.  VRLove – Choose Between Free Mode And Story Mode

There’s a lot to love with the VRLove game. This 3D VR porn game puts you in the driver’s seat in terms of who you are able to interact with and get frisky with. This game comes to you from VirtualRealPorn, which is famous in the industry for having the sharpest visuals. This game is no different and feels effortlessly smooth as you navigate through VRLove.

Choose to play in Free Mode or Story Mode. Story Mode will guide you much more and it will feel more game-like. Free Mode will feel a bit like a choose-your-own-adventure game. Picking between the two is really just a matter of preference.

We like Story Mode a bit better because there’s more of a tantalizing increase of tension and a real plot to follow. Who doesn’t love a little foreplay? However, no matter which mode you choose, you will love the way the virtual models interact with you in this game. If you enjoy being dominating, you’ll be pleased to know that these characters were created to obey your every wish and command.

Pros:

Smooth and visually stimulatingSharp imagery and texture visualsStory Mode or Free Mode availableConvincing submissive charactersTeledildonic synchronization

Cons:

Not many, but other games have been more fun in our opinion

Honorable Mentions:

Date Night – A puzzle game like candy crush that rewards you with 3D VR sex. This is a free game, but will tempt you with micro-transactions.

Egirl VR – A realistic girlfriend game where you can talk and play with a virtual girlfriend in different scenes and environments

SexMachineVR – A post-apocalyptic game where players can use toys and machines to engage with the characters

Honey Select – A hentai VR porn game with extremely detailed and advanced customization features

Pornflix And Chill – A simple gaming experience that begins with you watching porn in a room with a girl. As you cozy up to her, you eventually become the show!

La Douche – “Douche” in French means shower. This game takes you on a voyeuristic adventure where you can watch a beautiful avatar go through her routine.

Fallen Doll – Using a sex robot, it’s your job to please the customers in your virtual sex club. Earn virtual money as you play your way up through the game!

Captain Hardcore – This is more of a party than it is a game! Hang out with as many characters as you want while you orchestrate a fantastical orgy.

Virt-A-Mate – Customize your avatar to play this immersive sex-simulation game!

MirageVR – This game didn’t make the list because it’s not ready yet! The game, still in development, is one to watch out for as it has the best graphics we’ve seen thus far in any VR porn game.

VR Porn Games FAQs:

What should I do if I am new to playing VR porn games?The best way to experience VR porn games is to visit VRPorn.com. They are at the top of our list for a reason and a great way to start out. Not only do they provide a variety of games, but they also provide a user-friendly interface and the sexiest visuals in the game. They are, by far, the best option.

Are sex simulators the same as VR porn games?Some of the games on this list don’t take plot largely into account. They place you in a fantasy world where you can essentially get away with whatever you want. This is attractive to players who love control, but it might get boring for someone who wants a bit more gameplay.

Do I need the most expensive VR equipment?This hurts to admit, but the best VR porn gaming is had by those with the best equipment. As this technology advances, the headsets will become cheaper. We do suggest you invest in a decent headset though, and one that’s compatible with most sites and games. Oculus makes great headsets that get the job done.

If quality isn’t all that important to you, you can always get a mediocre headset or try to enjoy the VR sex game on your mobile device. You won’t be getting the most out of the experience, but it’s an affordable way to dip your toes in the water to see if you’d like to eventually invest in better equipment.

Do all “free games” include micro-transactions?A micro-transaction is something that usually occurs in free VR porn games. You’ll begin playing for free, and then you’ll be prompted to pay for the characters to perform for you. It happens a lot when playing free VR porn games. They have to make their money somehow.

Are all VR porn games customizable?Most VR porn games will let you customize your avatar or the character you will be banging. These customizations can sometimes get really specific. Design the woman of your dreams or make yourself well-endowed. The possibilities are endless. There are some games that have created the characters for you already, which can also be nice.

Are VR porn games compatible with teledildonic sex toys?Teledildonic sex toys are toys that are able to be synched to your VR porn viewing or playing. They add a physical element to the already immersive experience, and they’re freaking awesome. While not all games incorporate teledildonics, more studios are beginning to see the value in it. We predict that eventually, most (if not all) games will give you the option to utilize teledildonic technology.

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After Chicago political hardcore powerhouse Racetraitor disbanded in 1999, a fog of legend grew in their wake. Motivated by their frustration at the bilious 2016 presidential campaign cycle and the fury and urgency of the burgeoning Black Lives Matter movement, the band reemerged with a fiery reunion a couple weeks before the election, but they didn’t have plans for it to be an ongoing thing. The members felt they had moved on to other things, and they had mixed feelings about their old project. “Racetraitor is a band we were proud of, but not an easy one to live in,” front man Mani Mostofi told the Reader’s Kevin Warwick. “It was never a popular band, and about half the people that remember it do so because of how much they hated us.”

Six years later, Racetraitor are still going strong. During the Trump years, they gave us two EPs, and 2018’s 2042 (Good Fight) is a brutal, brilliant album that packs a lot of two-fisted wisdom into its short running time. In 2020 they also organized a massive compilation album with almost 50 artists across multiple underground genres (Shut It Down: Benefit for the Movement for Black Lives) and released a self-titled split EP with Neckbeard Deathcamp, Closet Witch, and Haggathorn. Racetraitor present a fascinating example of what can happen when artists revisit the sound of their younger days with decades of extra maturity and experience—whether that experience is in music or in their personal and professional pursuits in areas such as social work, anti-violence, and human rights. The Racetraitor of 2042 is not the Racetraitor of 1998’s Burn the Idol of the White Messiah in so many ways; the passion is undiluted, but it’s newly informed with labor in the trenches offstage as well as on, and its rage is inflected with seasoned knowledge. 

Racetraitor are currently working on a new record. Mostofi tells me by email that it’s a concept album inspired by their lives and travels, and that it will include more diverse instrumentation (including violin, oud, cello, and a Persian lute called a setar) as well as musical and political influences informed by the members’ experiences in various parts of the globe. When the pandemic hit, Racetraitor were nearly done with tracking, and lockdown gave them room to envision the songs in a bigger and more ambitious way. Perhaps they find the band easier to live in now. Racetraitor’s calls to unpack white privilege—one of the things that made them so unpopular in the 90s—are now much more widely accepted and understood in progressive circles (if not always acted upon), and much of their early work seems prescient. Racetraitor are a band with a purpose, and as society’s slide toward open fascism seems to be picking up speed, rather than slowing down, it may be that their time is actually now.

Racetraitor, Si Dios Quiere, Terminal Nation, Midwestlust, Sarin, Fri 5/27, 8 PM, Cobra Lounge, 235 N. Ashland, $15, 17+

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