Down review
Updated September 28, 2026 · FlingCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Down suits adults who want a casual app with a wide user base and free messaging once matched, but its monthly price from $19.99 sits well above the cheaper listings here. Photo verification is required, so a lower-cost site is worth a look.
Key facts
- Best for
- A free casual dating app with photo verification and a large audience.
- Monthly price from
- $19.99 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- What is free
- Free app; messaging free once matched (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Profile verification
- Photo verification required to swipe (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience focus
- Casual dating aimed at women (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Plans
- Weekly, 1-month and 3-month VIP; profile boost (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Members
- 19M+ users (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Renewal and cancelling
- Auto-renew; cancel in store settings; no refunds (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Privacy and data
- Data not sold; account deleted in 48h (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- App store rating
- App Store (US) 4.3/5 from 128,962 ratings (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Categories
- Casual, Swinger (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Down App, Inc. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2013 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Pricing model
- Free
- Features
- Mobile app
- Official website
- downapp.com
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- App StoreGoogle Play
- Elsewhere
- LinkedInXinstagram.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- The app is free to download and messaging stays free once matched (Free app; messaging free once matched).
- A large user base of 19M+ users gives the swipe pool some depth.
- Photo verification is required to swipe, so profiles carry a photo check (Photo verification required to swipe).
- Paid access is sold on Weekly, 1-month and 3-month VIP; profile boost, with short and longer billing periods and a profile boost.
- The audience focus is explicit: casual dating aimed at women (Casual dating aimed at women).
Cons
- Monthly price from $19.99 is far above the cheaper listings in this group.
- Billing auto-renews, cancellation runs through store settings, and Auto-renew; cancel in store settings; no refunds.
- Support runs on email and help centre only, with no phone or chat line listed.
- The shortest billing period on Weekly, 1-month and 3-month VIP; profile boost runs before anyone has tried the paid tier.
Who it suits
- Adults who want a casual app rather than a website, since the product is an app (app).
- Readers who put verification above price, given photo verification is required to swipe (Photo verification required to swipe).
- Anyone comfortable with a women-focused audience (Casual dating aimed at women).
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers on a tight budget: DKK 2.30 costs far less to start.
- Anyone wanting an open-ended niche, since EroFantasie runs fees of €0.67 to €1.50.
- Readers who want a specific kink community, where BDSM-baari at €0.83 to €2.50 is the closer match.
Members and plans
Down lists 19M+ users on its own pages, which puts it ahead of the smaller pools on most of these pages. The audience focus is stated plainly as Casual dating aimed at women, so the app is built around casual encounters rather than long-term matchmaking, and the niche list includes casual and swinger interest. The paid side runs on Weekly, 1-month and 3-month VIP; profile boost, so both the billing period and a profile boost sit in the paid tier. Photo verification is required before anyone can swipe, a stricter gate than most of the listings here. For readers who want a big pool with a photo check in place, the size and the verification rule are the two details that matter most.
Pricing and free tier
The free side is generous for a paid-first app: Free app; messaging free once matched. VIP access is sold through Weekly, 1-month and 3-month VIP; profile boost, so a short commitment and a longer one are both available. The entry point is $19.99 per month, which sits above the site median of €14 and well above the lower end of the site range at €0.08. Among the cheaper listings here, EroFantasie charges €0.67 to €1.50 and BDSM-baari charges €0.83 to €2.50. Readers who want to browse and message at no cost can stay on the free tier; anyone paying should weigh the shortest billing period against a longer one before confirming.
Who runs it
The operator is listed as Down App, Inc., based in the United States, and the company page dates the service to 2013, so this is a long-running business rather than a recent launch. Support runs on email and help centre: email and a help centre, with no phone line or live chat listed. Account privacy is handled on a simple promise, since the policy states that data is not sold and that an account is deleted in a set period, so readers who delete an account are not left with an open record. Licensing detail is thin, so anyone who wants a regulated, licensed service should weigh that gap.
How Down compares
Place des Celibataires FR
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GayBloom
8.7 vs 8.9
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Senior Fun
8.7 vs 8.6
Sexymeet.tv
Frequently asked questions
How much does Down cost a month?+
Monthly price from $19.99 is the entry point, and paid access is sold through Weekly, 1-month and 3-month VIP; profile boost. That starting figure sits above the site median of €14 and far above the cheapest listings here. The billing period changes the effective rate, so weighing the shortest term against a longer one pays off.
Is there a free version of Down?+
Yes. Free app; messaging free once matched covers the download and the messaging that follows a match. Paid features sit in Weekly, 1-month and 3-month VIP; profile boost, so anyone who only wants to browse and chat with matches can stay on the free tier. A profile boost is the smallest paid add-on listed.
Do I need to verify my profile on Down?+
Verification is required, not optional. The rule is Photo verification required to swipe, which means a photo check is needed before swiping. Compared with listings that leave verification off, this narrows the pool but filters out unverified profiles. Anyone unwilling to add a photo cannot use the swipe feature.
Who runs Down and where are they based?+
The operator is listed as Down App, Inc., registered in the United States. The company page dates the service to 2013, so the brand has been running for a long stretch. Support is handled through email and help centre for anyone who needs to reach the team.
How is billing handled and can I get a refund?+
Billing follows Auto-renew; cancel in store settings; no refunds. Subscriptions renew on their own, cancellation runs through store settings rather than an in-app switch, and refunds are not offered. Readers who want to try VIP should set a reminder for the renewal date, since a cancelled subscription can still be billed inside the notice period.
Which platforms is Down available on?+
The product is built as an app, so it is a phone app rather than a browser site. The app store listing shows App Store (US) 4.3/5 from 128,962 ratings, which is a large sample of public ratings. A profile boost from Weekly, 1-month and 3-month VIP; profile boost is also bought inside the app, so most paid features live there.
Who is Down aimed at?+
The stated focus is Casual dating aimed at women. Down is a casual app with a women-led audience rather than a site built for a specific kink or lifestyle group, though the niche list includes casual and swinger interest. The size of the pool is 19M+ users. Readers who want a different audience or a different niche are better served elsewhere.
What happens to my data if I delete my Down account?+
The privacy policy states that data is not sold and that an account is deleted in a set period after closure. That covers the main two privacy questions, resale and lingering records, though it does not describe licensed certification of any kind. Support questions on deletion go through email and help centre.
Sources
- apps.apple.com/us/app/down-the-casual-dating-app/id601174087 checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features, App store rating
“trackName=DOWN: The Casual Dating App; sellerName=Down App, Inc.”
- apps.apple.com/us/app/down-official/id601174087 checked September 26, 2026
Backs: What is free, Pricing model, Plans, Monthly price from
“The app is free to download and use”
- downapp.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience focus
“The best casual dating app for women to explore desires with no mixed signals”
- downapp.com/about.html checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded, Members
“Year Founded 2013”
- downapp.com/faq.html checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Categories, Support channels, Profile verification
“The group play feature lets you find people who are open to group play, polyamory, or a group arrangement”
- downapp.com/privacy.html checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity, Privacy and data
“Down's data controller is: Down App, Inc. 8 The Green Suite # 12693 Dover, DE 19901”
- downapp.com/terms.html checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Renewal and cancelling
“You may cancel auto-renewal at any time through your platform account settings before the renewal date”
Compiled from 7 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.