Free hookup apps: where the paywall sits on seven apps

Tinder's Google Play listing says it helps you "find a date, a serious relationship, or meet new friends", and neither store listing calls it a hookup app or rules the idea out. It makes a free hookup list on reach (500M+ downloads on Android, and Tinder.com as a web version) and on the free tier: free accounts send Likes, match and chat, so free messaging is confirmed.

What costs money is the shortcut. Compliments before a match are a subscription item, which leaves a free account waiting for a mutual Like before it can talk. Unlimited Likes, weekly Super Likes, Rewinds and Boosts are the other subscription items, and the pages give no number for the free Likes. Google Play names Incognito Mode without a plan. Tiers and rows are on Tinder's price page.

Grindr's audience is gay, bi, trans and queer adults. Its core is a grid of nearby profiles that you open and message directly, and the listing describes no swiping or mutual matching. The App Store lists it as "Free, In-App Purchases". A free account shows nearby users, chat, private photos and albums, tags and basic filters, favorites, and block and report, with third-party ads. Free messaging is confirmed, and message limits for free accounts are not stated.

The paid part is scale and cover. XTRA shows up to 600 profiles at once, Unlimited shows unlimited profiles, and both remove the ads. Incognito mode ("browse profiles without being seen") is listed under Unlimited, the top paid tier, along with unsending messages and photos. The App Store also sells a Boost and an Unlimited Day Pass. How many profiles a free grid shows is not stated, and the terms say "We do not verify users." Subscription rows are on Grindr's subscription rows, and the audience is covered in Queer dating apps.

Feeld's Majestic page states the free line in its own words: the app is "completely free to download and use", and you can "connect with others, explore profiles, and send messages without paying a dime". Free messaging is confirmed. Two people who Like each other make a Connection that opens chat, and a Ping lets you message someone before matching.

Majestic Membership is the one paid tier. It adds who-likes-you, Unlimited Likes, one free Ping a day, Incognito, private photos and filters by Desires and Last Seen. The daily Ping accrues to a maximum of two, and Pings and Uplift are also listed as separate App Store purchases. What a free account gets in Pings is not stated, and Ping limits may apply to messaging before a match. Private photos are free on Grindr and paid here. The homepage says "Always ad-free". Majestic rows are in the Feeld price breakdown.

Pure is the only pick without a free tier. The terms say: "To access and use all PURE features, you must activate a subscription." Pure "may, at its sole discretion, make limited features or functionalities available to selected users without an active subscription", and the store text puts it more bluntly: "you have to subscribe to get inside". The App Store describes the subscription as what lets you "go online and interact via chats with other users during the chosen subscription period". Free messaging: no. Occasional free trials are the main exception.

Inside, you post a personal ad about the experience you want, and other members' ads stay hidden until you publish your own. Chats expire after 24 hours unless both people turn the timer off, and self-destructing photos and videos are a switch you can turn off. Incognito mode runs in 24-hour "hats" managed from Purchases. Pure Queen, a premium subscription for women ("Ladies only"), includes free weekly hats, and compliments and King of the Hill are separate purchases. The listed rows are on Pure's price page.

AdultFriendFinder is a long-running adult personals website, and an iPhone or Android app is not confirmed. The homepage buttons say "Join for Free Now!" and "Register for free now!", and section 14 of the terms says "Certain Services are subject to subscription fees", with some services running on credits, tokens or pay per view. What a free account can do is not published on the pages checked, and neither is whether free members can send or read messages.

Messaging comes in several forms: a message center, an instant messenger called Adult Chat, live chat, and video calls on a phone or tablet. Live Models shows are paid with tokens or points. The terms also describe AI-powered chats as "a fictional simulation powered by artificial intelligence", not a real-time communication from a specific human being, which makes it worth confirming what kind of chat a button opens before paying for it. Tier names are not published, and the App Store has no row for it; the terms of use describe renewing subscriptions plus tokens and points. Prices are covered on the AdultFriendFinder pricing page.

OkCupid does not call itself a hookup app in its store listings or help center. Google Play names casual dating beside a serious relationship, which is as close as its wording gets. On messaging the answer is yes: the help center says interacting with users and matches needs no payment, and matched members can message.

The subscription list adds seeing everyone who liked you and sent an Intro, unlimited Likes and Dealbreakers. Incognito Mode is a separate paid upgrade, so hiding your profile costs money here. The listing shows ads, a cap on free Likes is implied without a size, and Photo Verification is a video selfie with a Liveness Check. The help center also describes access through the web. Rows are in the OkCupid price breakdown.

DOWN asks for intent on every profile: swipe down for something casual, up for something more. The App Store says the app is "free to download and use", with an optional subscription package called DOWN Private Membership, while the FAQ calls the paid plan a VIP membership. The sources do not say whether those are one product.

A free account can swipe, filter by gender, location and dating preferences, and see the profiles it has liked. The FAQ answers "Can I see who's swiped UP or DOWN on me?" with "Yes, with a VIP membership." Whether free matches can message each other is not stated in the FAQ, the terms or the store listings, and a full list of free and paid limits is not published. Every member is photo-verified before they can swipe, per the FAQ, and one-off Profile Boosts are sold on iOS. VIP rows are in the DOWN price breakdown.