Dating app safety review

Is Ashley Madison safe?

ModerateCasual & adult· Checked 28 September 2026

What is Ashley Madison?

Operated by Ruby Life Inc.; markets itself for married/attached people seeking affairs; credit-based system (men pay per interaction, women free); profile photos blurred by default, revealed via a "private key."

Category: Discreet affairs / extramarital dating

Safety rating: Moderate

Moderate

Meaningfully rebuilt security/privacy posture since 2015 (mandatory 2FA, discreet billing, blurred photos by default, a quick-exit panic button, claimed NIST alignment and Privacy by Design certification) — capped at Moderate rather than Strong because of the severity and infamy of its 2015 breach: ~36M users exposed, FTC/state settlement, CEO resignation, documented real-world harms.

Ratings are qualitative (Strong, Moderate or Basic) and based only on safety features we could verify from the app’s own help pages and reputable reporting. How we rate apps.

Ashley Madison safety features

Two-factor verification required at signup
Manual account verification/improved moderation (post-breach)
Photos blurred by default, unmasked only via digital "private key"
Panic/quick-exit button redirecting to a neutral site
Discreet billing descriptor
Claimed NIST-aligned standards + Privacy by Design certification
⚠ Major past incident: 2015 "Impact Team" breach (~36M users), FTC/state settlement 2016
No disclosed AI scam detection, background-check partnership, or named human trust team

A red cross marks a feature that has ended, is missing or could not be confirmed.

Features and pricing

Credit-based (not subscription): ~$69/100 credits up to ~$329/1,000 credits; women message free
Regular message ~9 credits, priority ~14 credits, virtual gifts 20-50 credits, private-photo key ~3 credits
Search/browse matching, not swipe-based

How to report a scammer or harassment on Ashley Madison

Report the profile inside the app first, then use Ashley Madison’s own help and safety pages:

No single Trust & Safety URL independently verified in this research
recommend checking the site's own help/support section directly before publishing a specific link

Screenshot the profile and messages before you block or unmatch, because the conversation may disappear. If you have lost money, contact your bank straight away and report it to the police or national fraud service listed on this page.

Staying safer on Ashley Madison

Use Ashley Madison’s verification and give more weight to verified matches. Verification confirms a face matches the photos; it says nothing about intentions.
Keep the conversation in the app until you have met. Scammers push early for WhatsApp, Telegram or text because the app can no longer see or moderate the chat.
Ask for a live video call before meeting. Repeated excuses, a camera that never works or a face that looks off are all reasons to stop.
Treat any quick push for intimate photos or video with suspicion. Sextortion gangs work fast and target people on casual platforms.
Never send money, crypto, gift cards or a verification code to someone you have only met online, whatever the story.
Meet somewhere busy and public, arrange your own travel and tell a friend where you will be.

Scams to watch for

Young man looking at his phone in the dark

Sextortion and image blackmail

The criminal poses as an attractive person (often a young woman) on a dating app, social media or game, flirts quickly, and persuades the target to exchange nude images or join an intimate video call that is secretly recorded.

Fake ‘safety ID’ verification links

Soon after matching, the scammer moves the chat to an encrypted messenger and says that, for their safety, you must 'verify' on a third-party website before meeting.