Overview
Have fun, meet people and find love. That’s what Friend Finder is here to help you do. Inspired by social media websites, its aim is to connect like-minded singles through a website that’s based on chatting and communication.
Whatever your gender, relationship status or sexual orientation, everyone is welcome and it’s a great community to get involved in. Find our more with our review below.
Friend Finder member structure
You’ll find mostly men on Friend Finder – they pretty much dominate the site. Most people are in their mid 30s to early 40s and are generally looking for something more casual than serious.
Members: Total members aren’t currently known, but the Adult Friend Finder network (which Friend Finder is part of) has over 200 million users worldwide. Over 85,000 Friend Finder members are from the UK. It’s very popular in the United States – 48.2% of all visits come from here.
- Members activity: 33,000 people are active weekly.
- Gender proportion: 32% women and 68% men.
Age ratio
- 18-24: 15%
- 25-34: 29%
- 35-44: 32%
- 45-54: 16%
- 55+: 8%
How does Friend Finder work?
It’s a bit like a social media site – the main aim is to communicate with and get to know as many people as you can. You make friends first, then this will hopefully lead onto something more.
Sing up process
To sign up, you select your gender, the gender you’re looking for and what region you’re from. You then enter your email and select a username (which will be on display) and a password.
After that, you’ll be prompted to reveal a bit more information about yourself, from your race and body type, to sexual orientation and marital status. You can choose ‘prefer not to say’ on all of them.
The next section will require you to add a short introductory sentence and there’s an optional box to add more about yourself. Once this is complete, you’re sent an activation email and voila – you’re in! Strangely, you have to go into your profile manually to add a picture.
Ease of use
The website is a bit clunky and difficult to navigate at first, and you need to make sure your settings aren’t set too specific so you can start to get decent matches. It is really easy to see when you’ve received a message though – you get a big red notification next to the emails tab.
And if you go onto ‘lists’ in the navigation you can see who’s liked, hotlisted, viewed and winked at you in one handy place. This is a plus point.
Chat, messages and notifications
Unless you’re a paying member, you can’t start a conversation with someone. You can send winks or flirts though, and if they’re a fully fledged member they can drop you a message.
There are forums and group chats too, which really cements the community feel and allows you to make friends – even if your conversations don’t turn into romance.
You can also create blogs and leave comments on others to initiate a conversation, which is quite a unique feature.
Profile quality
Profile quality isn’t quite up to scratch on Friend Finder. You’re not asked to add a profile picture during sign up, and as the website is fairly difficult to use it could be a bit tricky for some members to actually add one. You’ll find a fair few profiles without one.
You can also skip most questions during sign up too, so unless someone is serious about being on the site there’s unfortunately a lot of missing information.
Friend Finder app
The app is only available to download on iPhone on the App store. You get access to all the same features as the website but it’s easy to use and works on a mobile-friendly design, so it’s great for dating on the go.
Real life reviews
[su_quote]Friend Finder is one of my most used sites. Even though it’s a dating site, I personally prefer this over some of the other social media networking sites that I have. I just feel like Friend Finder has got it all for me and I love the fact that I get to meet new people from all parts of the world every day.
I enjoy its features that allow me to talk and connect with its members. And the honesty of its community is something to look forward to, especially if you’re looking for a friend with benefits. In fact, I have met a lot of girls and boys on this site that are very open to trying out new things (in bed).
What I don’t like though, is how bad the website’s layout is. Friend Finder should definitely step up their game. It’s the 21st century! They should at least try to keep up with modern designs!”[/su_quote]From datingscout.co.uk, 2019
Key features on FriendFinder
- Instant messaging. Does what it says on the tin; this allows you to chat in real-time.
- Video. You can upload a video or take one on your webcam as an introduction to other members on the site.
- Update your status. Like a social media website, you can let everyone know what you’re up to by updating your status.
Special features
- Magazines. Here, you can interact with each other by writing and posting stories that everyone can comment on.
- Blog. You can write and share blog posts which people can comment and interact with.
- Hot or not. You can decide if other members are hot or not by judging them from their photo. This is a swipe feature that works a lot like Tinder.
Is Friend Finder safe?
Friend Finder states clearly on their website that they don’t conduct criminal background screening of its members. However, they do have a few simple tips on keeping yourself safe online – these are a bit basic though.
To keep your personal information a secret, you can use a username on the site instead of your real name. Other than that, your safety is your own responsibility.
How much does membership cost?
There are two subscription packages available to sign up to: gold and silver. Gold gives you full, unlimited access to the site while silver does have a few limitations.
Gold subscription on Friend Finder:
Silver subscription on Friend Finder:
Discounts, offers and promo codes
Immediately after signing up, we were taken to the subscription page, where Friend Finder was offering an extra month free on their 3-month gold package.
They also guaranteed to renew your membership at the rate you would originally pay for both the 1-month gold and silver options, so there are definitely discounts available on the site.
Is Friend Finder free to use?
Anyone can be a free member and browse the site, but you’re not able to make contact with other members, watch full-length profile videos, and get profile highlights without becoming a member.
Pros and Cons
✓ Pros of Friend Finder
- Being able to create, read and comment on other people’s blogs is a great feature, and very unique to other dating websites.
- It’s a very interactive site, with plenty of opportunity for communication with other members.
- Video is a good feature that adds another dimension to the standard profile.
X Cons of Friend Finder
- Very clunky, old-fashioned website.
- Serious relationships are hard to find.
Our Recommendation
As websites go, Friend Finder really isn’t the best. It feels too old-fashion and ancient; it’s not pleasant at all to use their outdated website.
However, over the years Friend Finder have created a very welcoming community for everyone, regardless or their age, gender or sexual orientation.
It’s a place where people can chat and meet in peace, and that’s something to be commended. Serious dating is probably difficult to find, but if you’re happy for something more casual then Friend Finder could be a good match. 2.4/5
FAQ
Who can sign up for an account in Friend Finder?
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The site is open to those 18 and over. It’s a diverse bunch of people, open to people of all genders, ages and sexual preferences.
What are the points and how do they work?
Friend Finder gives you points as you use the site and certain activities will give you a certain amount of points. For example, if you upload a photo then you get 20 points. Clicking on the ‘You have xx points’ link will show you a list of actions with their corresponding points. These points can then been redeemed for a certain item or you can use them to unlock a feature without membership.
What is the difference between entering the site as a guest and entering as a member?
Friend Finder has a membership system which allows the site to keep track of their users’ profile information. If you enter as a guest, the site will allow you to browse through the list of members. If you want to enjoy the site’s features then you will need to sign up and register an account.
How do I update my profile in Friend Finder?
Go to your “My Account” link and you will find links that allow you to edit and updateyour profile. You will find the following sections on that page that you can edit:
- Basic profile – with basic information like age, birthday, location
- Personal information – details about your occupation, education and marital status
- Physical information – your physical appearance such as hair colour, height and body type
What should I do if my profile status is pending?
If your Friend Finder account is still pending, this means it needs to be approved and you can speed up the process by contacting the site’s customer service department.
What does it mean to be a ‘Featured Member’?
Featured members are members found at the very top left of the page and are separate from the normal member search results. If you want to become a featured member, redeem points by clicking on your points page or click the link found in the Feature Members box.
