Joydate vs Ashley Madison
Joydate vs Ashley Madison: simple VIP or discreet credits?
Ashley Madison is built around discretion and runs on credits; Joydate is casual dating with a free profile and one published VIP plan. Checked on both sites.
The verdict
Ashley Madison charges by credits and is built around discretion, while Joydate has a free profile and one VIP plan with published prices. Choose Ashley Madison for the strongest privacy tools and Joydate for simple pricing and a free ID check.
- Ashley Madison is built around discretion, with credits for messaging.
- Joydate has a free profile and a single VIP plan with published prices.
- Ashley Madison has stronger discretion tools; Joydate shows only your town and verifies IDs for free.
- Ashley Madison had a large customer-data leak in 2015.
What is the difference between Joydate and Ashley Madison?
The difference between Joydate and Ashley Madison is focus and pricing: Ashley Madison is built around discretion, with credits for messaging and tools to hide your identity, while Joydate is a casual dating site with a free profile that can send a few messages a day and a simple VIP plan for unlimited messaging. Ashley Madison is run by Ruby Life Inc. in Toronto and describes itself as the place "where desire meets discretion". Joydate publishes its VIP prices on its own pricing page; Ashley Madison sells credits and subscriptions whose prices are not listed on its website.
Joydate and Ashley Madison at a glance
Joydate and Ashley Madison differ most in how you pay and how much they do to keep your activity private. Ashley Madison's facts below come from its own website, help centre and Canadian App Store listing.
| Joydate | Ashley Madison | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Casual dating, flirting and hookups | Discreet dating |
| Free | Profile, browsing, match suggestions, comments on profiles, ID verification | Joining |
| Messaging | A few free messages a day; unlimited with VIP, from C$19.99 a week | Credits, plus a mobile access fee that depends on the region; credits can top up automatically |
| Prices | Published on the pricing page | Not published on the website; packages in the Canadian App Store from C$29.99 |
| Discretion | Username and nearest town only | Photo blur and masks, private photos with keys, a stealth icon on iOS, a discreet card descriptor |
| Payment | Cards and other payment options at checkout | Also Interac e-Transfer in Canada, money orders and prepaid cards |
| Proving you are real | Free ID check with a badge, or a live video check | Selfie and ID verified badges |
| Where it works | Website on any phone or computer | Website plus iOS and Android apps |
What does Ashley Madison do well?
Ashley Madison does discretion better than almost anyone: you can blur or mask your photos, keep private photos behind keys you hand out, hide the app behind a stealth icon on iOS and pay with methods that keep your name off the statement, from prepaid cards to Interac e-Transfer in Canada. It also offers selfie and ID verified badges. If keeping your dating life completely separate is the priority, those tools are its strength.
When is Joydate the better choice?
Joydate is the better choice for anyone who wants clear, predictable pricing and casual dating without the credit system. A free profile lets you browse, get daily suggestions and comment on profiles, and VIP is one plan with its prices published, rather than credits that top up when your balance runs low. Your profile only shows your nearest town, and ID verification is free for everyone. Ashley Madison has a history to weigh up too: a large customer-data leak in 2015 and a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission.
How private is Ashley Madison?
Ashley Madison offers some of the strongest privacy tools of any dating site today, but it is also remembered for the 2015 leak of its customers' data, reported widely by the BBC and others. Whichever site you use, keep identifying details out of your profile, use a username you do not use elsewhere and be careful what you share before you meet.
The bottom line
The bottom line on Joydate vs Ashley Madison: Ashley Madison suits people for whom discretion comes before everything and who do not mind paying with credits; Joydate suits people who want straightforward casual dating, published prices and a free profile to start with.
Joydate vs Ashley Madison: quick answers
How does Ashley Madison pricing work?
Ashley Madison pricing works with credits: joining is free, but messaging uses credits, which can top up automatically, and a mobile access fee applies depending on the region. Its prices are not listed on its website.
Is Ashley Madison discreet?
Ashley Madison is built to be discreet, with photo masks, private photos, a stealth icon on iOS and a discreet card descriptor. It also suffered a large customer-data leak in 2015.
Is Joydate cheaper than Ashley Madison?
Joydate is often easier to budget for than Ashley Madison because VIP is one plan with published prices, from C$19.99 for a week, while Ashley Madison sells credits and packages whose prices you see only at checkout.
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No credits: one VIP plan, with its prices on show.
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