Fling: explicit and upfront, pay to talk.

What is Fling?

Fling is an adult dating and social site for people who want something casual. It has been running for well over a decade, lists a Miami Beach, Florida address, and its apps are published by Dime Systems, LLC.

It’s mainly US-focused but takes members from other countries too. Its terms say member estimates count every account ever created, because inactive accounts aren’t purged, so take the big numbers with a pinch of salt.

How Fling works

You build a profile, browse and search for free, and use Mutual Match to find people with shared interests. Chat supports photos and videos, and the video side includes private cam2cam, public video chat rooms and tipping.

Fling says it rewards members who share photos and videos, so some of the people you chat with may be there partly to earn. You can make your profile discreet, so only your friends list sees your photos, and verify your account with a webcam.

What’s free and what isn’t

Browsing and searching are free. Fling’s terms say you need a paid membership to start or even read a conversation, and the apps sell credits for messaging and other extras.

Prices depend on your plan and where you buy. Memberships renew automatically until you cancel online, by email or by phone, and if a renewal payment fails, the terms allow a fee of a few dollars per attempt, for up to six attempts.

Fling’s red flags

In 2011 Fling was hacked and more than 40 million accounts were exposed, including email addresses, passwords and sexual preferences; the data surfaced publicly in 2016. Its terms also let it show your profile across a network of other sites and use your photos in marketing.

The terms describe automated “While You Were Away” and “Icebreaker” messages, and pop-up introductions to members who may not have paid to reply. Fling says it doesn’t create fake profiles, but app-store reviewers still complain about scam messages and how fast credits run out.