Casual Dating with an Anonymous Twist
Designed for Hook-ups & Free for Women
66% Male | 33% Female
Some dating sites market themselves as the ultimate matchmakers that guarantee a long-lasting romantic connection – but not all of them. Founded in 2014, Pure is an online dating platform that arose in the early years of Tinder’s popularity but wanted to chart its path for online dating.
While Tinder has always worked to appeal to a mix of hook-up enthusiasts and those looking for a long-term connection, Pure has made its allegiance known. As a dating service that exclusively caters to casual dating and hook-ups, Pure has focused all of its efforts on appealing to anonymity and instant gratification. Leaning into a minimalist design, Pure works to offer its singles a safe and accessible place to meet other like-minded singles.
But despite grand plans, does Pure live up to the excitement it promises? We created a profile to find out! Read our review to see if Pure is the purest place to find your next casual fling.
For fast and anonymous sex
Free for women
Minimalistic, modern design
Not ideal for rural areas
Only one selfie per personal ad
Per month: $29.99
Total: $29.99
Per month: $17.00
Total: $49.99
Per month: $6.00
Total: $69.99
The process of signing up for Pure is relatively easy, though it comes with some unique quirks. To begin, you’ll need to register with your Apple, Google, or Huawei ID. This can be done on Pure’s website or by downloading the Pure app to your mobile device. The download itself is completely free.
Once you have opened the app, you will need to grant it permission to process your data. This includes email, phone number, and payment information. Then you can choose whether to register with your email address or phone number, and a confirmation will be sent to whichever you prefer.
You might notice the lack of a profile creation process. This is because Pure works in a way vastly different from other dating services. Rather than creating a dedicated profile to use on the service, Pure works through “Ads.” These are advertisements of sorts that you create for yourself, sort of like Instagram stories. They are simple advertisements that provide up to three photos of yourself, a short text, and basic information about what or who you are looking for.
On Pure, Ads only exist for 24 hours, so you will find yourself creating a new Ad nearly every time you use the application. While this might sound like a lot of work, this design prioritizes anonymity.
You know that whatever you advertise will be deleted after 24 hours, and since you don’t use your real name, there isn’t much to tie you to the Ad. Pure will only ever ask you to describe your gender identity and sexual identity (though these can be changed in the settings), so very little of your personal information survives beyond the 24 hours.
Pure is primarily a paid service. Female identifying users can use the service for free, but those who identify as male or non-binary will need to pay a fee to use the platform. One benefit to this is that all users have access to the same features, so you won’t be messaging anyone who struggles to respond. It also helps ensure that most users are committed, and profiles are real since payment verification is required.
Membership numbers are perhaps where Pure struggles the most. While it records a high number of downloads monthly, these are widely dispersed across Eastern Europe and North America.
Luckily, the US has the highest concentration of users, but still with only about 8,000. Gender proportions are also unbalanced, with about 33% identifying as female and 66% as male (non-binary members are not reported.)
Of these users, the vast majority are in the 25-34 range, with 18-24 following closely behind. As you might expect, all these members are looking for a short-term hook-up or casual fling.
The matching process on Pure is simple, though it does put some faith in the use of a simple algorithm. Pure will present you with a feed of local Ads from active users. These will be automatically prioritized based on your preferences, but you can also change your filters to find matches that fit your current mood more.
Much like Tinder, a conversation can begin once you and another user have both liked your Ads.
Another option for matching is a unique feature of Pure called “Devil’s Bones.” This feature will randomly match you with another single who matches your preferences. This isn’t just a match, however. When Pure finds another single for you, it will begin a short countdown before an audio chat is opened. This is an exciting way to get you started chatting immediately and helps cut down on the awkward icebreakers. Plus, if you want to switch to video chat, you have that option to explore too.
Pure sees itself as a dating app without borders, so never feel too tied to your geolocation. If you find that matches aren’t entirely your style in the local area, you can switch your location to anywhere in the world to begin searching for the perfect match.
Communicating on Pure is easy, with an expected twist for anonymity. Once a match has happened, the two users can communicate using text, audio, or video. Pure also encourages its users to be straightforward and honest about their interests and encourages the use of consensual sexting and exchanging nudes.
While this may feel a bit risqué when communicating with a stranger, Pure strives to ensure continued privacy through a few unique features. One is the automatic deletion of all messages and pictures after one hour. This is to provide some extra security, even while you chat.
Photos are always a particularly sensitive area, so Pure gives you the option to set photos for immediate deletion after viewing. This way, you know they won’t be available after a glance. Similarly, for those photos sent without automatic deletion, a notification will be sent if a screenshot is taken. Pure also makes it easy to delete/unsend any messages, ensuring you can clean your chat at any time.
Pure is a service made specifically with mobile applications in mind and is available for iOS and Android. However, it also has a desktop option with all of the features available from the app. Whether by a computer or phone, you can expect a smooth experience, tailormade for casual dating.
Pure is a unique dating service that fills a specific niche in the dating world. While other dating applications focus on reaching the widest audience, Pure leans into its unique demographic to play to its strengths.
While it does suffer from a relatively small userbase, its growing popularity and quality of service make it an ideal place to seek out like-minded singles looking for some no-strings-attached fun. If that sounds like something you’re looking for, Pure is a fantastic place to start the search.