BrittanyThe sudden shock I experienced hit me on that March Friday night of 2018 remains extremely fresh in my memory. I arrived home after drinking with my friends while anticipating my typical evening routine, which involved pouring wine, followed by sitting on the couch while reviewing Craigslist personals. Reading the clever and flirtatious personal ads on Craigslist was what I enjoyed most about the website while I also responded occasionally to intriguing messages. The experience created entertainment while also being exciting and occasionally led to dating attractive individuals.
But when I eagerly clicked on my bookmarked link for the Craigslist personals that night, all I got was a generic “page not found” message. After some frantic Googling, I learned the bad news: Craigslist had abruptly shut down its entire personals section in response to a new federal law aiming to curb sex trafficking and prostitution. While I supported the overall goal, I was bummed to lose my happy hour happy place. Where would I find that unique mix of racy and real ads now? Was this the end of digital dating destiny?
Exploring the New Digital Dating Landscape
Over the next few weeks, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions—disbelief, anger, sadness. I tried finding a Craigslist personals replacement on other sites like Locanto or Oodle with little success. The ads there skewed more towards sketchy than sexy. I started wondering if I was better off relying on traditional swipe-based apps like Tinder, even if their vibe was more impersonal and appearance-focused.
I asked around to see where my other single friends were turning to make connections. One mentioned Reddit, but most subreddits were too niche or anonymous for my tastes. Another suggested personals on Facebook Dating, but that platform was still new and fairly quiet.
I realized if I wanted that unique blend of personal ads that fostered attraction through shared interests, not just looks, I would need to dig deeper into this new post-FOSTA digital dating era. And so my quest to find the best replacement for Craigslist personals began.
Discovering Doublelist—A Diamond in the Rough
In my research down the rabbit hole of Craigslist personal alternatives, one name kept popping up: Doublelist. Launched in 2018 shortly after FOSTA changed the dating app landscape, DoubleList billed itself as the modern heir to the Craigslist casual encounters section.
Intrigued, I created a free account to check it out. The site looked promising—clean interface with different ways to filter through various types of personal ads by location, age, or interests. However, with over 3 million members globally, the sheer volume of ads was overwhelming compared to my cozy community Craigslist corner.
I struggled at first to find ads from intriguing people rather than bots or scammers. But once I got the hang of the platform’s tools and upgraded to a paid subscription, I uncovered the same human, sexy, and delightfully weird connections I’d been missing. Doublelist helped me regain that rush of butterflies upon getting a flirty reply to my post or reading a tempting personal ad that seemed to be written just for me.
Key Features That Won Me Over
So what exactly made Doublelist stand out from the pack and ultimately win my heart as the best replacement for Craigslist personals? A few key features:
Live Posting. Doublelist has a constantly updating feed of personal ads, called Live Posts, organized by newest first, so you always see fresh options. Doublelist has a constantly updating feed of personal ads, called Live Posts, organized by newest first, so you always see fresh options.
Robust Profiles. You can make a detailed profile highlighting your personality, interests, stats, and what you’re looking for to attract compatible matches. You can make a detailed profile highlighting your personality, interests, stats, and what you’re looking for to attract compatible matches.
Private Chat. If you see an intriguing personal ad, you can directly message the user through an anonymous private chat to get the conversation started. If you see an intriguing personal ad, you can directly message the user through an anonymous private chat to get the conversation started.
Location-Based Search. Easily filter personal ads by geographic distance from you so you can find local matches to potentially meet offline. Easily filter personal ads by geographic distance from you so you can find local matches to potentially meet offline.
Category Filters. Looking for something specific, be it a concert buddy or friends with benefits? You can filter by personalized interests to see the most relevant ads. Looking for something specific, be it a concert buddy or friends with benefits? You can filter by personalized interests to see the most relevant ads.
Ad-Free Experience (Paid Accounts). One of my pet peeves on Craigslist was having to sift through spammy ads for my desired content. With Doublelist’s optional paid subscriptions offering an ad-free experience, I could avoid that nuisance altogether.
One of my pet peeves on Craigslist was having to sift through spammy ads for my desired content. With Doublelist’s optional paid subscriptions offering an ad-free experience, I could avoid that nuisance altogether.
Embracing the New Era of Digital Dating
While it took some time to get over my initial heartbreak when Craigslist personals disappeared, I’m ultimately glad it pushed me out of my comfort zone to explore the newer generation of dating platforms. I found my golden ticket in Doublelist to reclaim those exciting butterflies of crafting a personal ad and seeing who responds.
Doublelist captured that perfect balance of sexy and sweet community I loved from the Craigslist days, while evolving the concept into an optimal user experience catered to genuine personal connections in the modern swipe-right era.
Sure, I still have a nostalgic place in my heart for my OG Craigslist community. But platforms come and go; my desire for that spontaneous thrill of flirting with attractive strangers online will never change. Ultimately, if one door closes, another one opens—you just have to boldly step through it to discover exciting new adventures in dating.
