Active Audience | 67% |
Quality Matches | 70% |
Popular Age | 23-30 |
Profiles | 48 000 |
Reply Rate | 80% |
Ease of Use | 8 |
Popularity | 7 |
Fraud | Very Rarely |
Rating |
9.3
|
Registration | Free |
The Pernals dating app is one of the best alternative platforms for Craigslist Personals. After its controversial blacklisting, following the footsteps of several others, Pernals came into being. The specialty of the app is that it is not designed like your typical dating site. So while we will discuss its design later, the real question is its effectiveness. Has it been able to replace Craigslist Personals and provide what it is meant for? In this Pernals dating app review, we will find out all about it.
Craigslist Personals is one of those names in the industry that needs no introduction. You could credit its fame to popularity, reputation, or even controversy. However, for the ones who do not know or need a reminder, it was a platform for adult classified ads. The ads included people looking for partners, be it love, hookups, no strings attached relationships, threesomes, kinky practices, and more. Being an old site, it was the go-to platform for all singles. Pernals app, or then known as Cragly, was the first one to create such a website that wanted to replace Craigslist Personals.
Launched in 2015 by Alesandra Madison, the Pernals dating app is good with local searches. However, the quality of searches greatly differs with changes in location because of its varying popularity. It is fairly new in the industry and hasn’t gained as big popularity as its inspiration. It is rather still in the growing stage.
But 80% of the audience base on the app is from the US, which makes a sweeping one-sided majority. The other 20% are mostly from Canada. However, since the website is a local search base, you will only see the listed ads of people sharing the same location. Besides, the user base generally shows diversity to a great extent despite the restrictions with the area reach. For example, you will easily find people aged between 18 and 50 looking for partners with different sexuality and varied reasons. So the variety is based not only on physical attributes but also on purpose and likes.
So if you meet the basic age eligibility requirements that are 18+, you can enter because what you then see is better than any dating site. Also, it meets the requirements of the US government and follows the rules of FOSTA. It means you are safe from people asking for money in exchange for sex. Photos of children are also not allowed, and any ad failing to abide by the rules can be reported and immediately banned.
The Pernals dating app does not have a website version. The website only shows the links to app download pages, blogs, terms & conditions, etc. It means that you cannot access the site from your browser. It can be a problem to many because several people prefer browser versions over app downloads for privacy. Furthermore, while the web page shows designated space for downloading the iOS app from App Store and the Android app from the Google PlayStore, there is no Android app yet.
So despite the space, the Android app is yet to be made and hence not available. The whole design thus looks misleading. It means that the Pernals app comes down to being an iOS app which is not very convenient for those on other OC. The problem persists even in the case of app bugs or glitches, which cause compatibility issues.
So, we cannot give a good score for the design in our Pernals app review. However, there are other aspects of the design and interface. The interface gives an old-school newspaper vibe with the classified ad. The list creates a perfect theme for the app. Besides, the navigation is easy, and the interface looks clean with the perfect white balance on the platform. Additionally, the Pernals app has an updated SSL certification that ensures data safety on the platform.
So, our final word on the design and usability of the Pernals app is that it is user-friendly and safe but lacks reach because of compatibility issues.
The user experience on all dating sites becomes unique because of their features. They act as supporting tools to help you find a partner or a date fast. Let us take a look at all the special features you get on the Pernals dating app to help you find your date effectively:
Since Pernals is an alternative site for Craigslist Personals, it follows the same classified format. It means you need to create an advertisement with a requirement, your bio, and a photo for the member base to start responding for fulfilling the requirement.
If you are browsing through the ads on Pernals dating app, you can like the ones that seem interesting. You may also directly message them by going to their profile to start a conversation yourself.
There is another section that shows the list of nearby members. Each member is shown in a rectangular box which comes with their small profile photo and bio of the user. Besides, it also comes with two other options, one to like and the second to send a message.
Messaging is an important feature needed for setting up a date. However, the feature on the Pernals dating app comes with conditions. Only people who like each other’s ads or member profiles can converse. Alternatively, you will need to purchase a premium plan to upgrade your account to VIP for complete access to the messenger.
One great quality about the Pernals app is that it does not ask for too much private information. Even the name required for the profile can be your nickname. Since most people used Craigslist Personals for temporary partners, they did not share their real identities. And Pernals allows you to do the same. However, you need to use your original photo if you plan to meet anyone from the platform. If your face doesn’t match the photo you provide, the person may consider you as a cheater. And besides denying spending time, they can also report your profile as fake on Pernals.
Your online dating journey on Pernals begins by downloading the app from the App Store. The step is quickly followed by compulsory registration and then profile setup. While both the steps take very little time for completion, you will find the details of each in the next sections.
Once the basic setup is done, it’s time to create an ad post to invite potential matches for a date. An ad post on the Pernals app is like a classified ad of your requirement. It has three parts: the ad’s subject or heading, the ad’s body, and then your photo.
The subject or the requirement involves writing about what kind of a relationship you are looking for. So, for example, if you want a middle-aged MILF for a hookup, it becomes your subject. Then, in the body of the advertisement, you can add all the points that make you a good partner and your plans regarding the hookup. About you + requirement in the shortest number of words is the essence of classified ads.
Besides posting your own ad, you can browse through other ads and like them. Similar to the Tinder concept, the message box for text-based conversation opens when it’s a mutual like or a match. However, the owner of the Pernals dating app Alesandra Madison is strictly against the Tinder format. Since the fast dating app encourages superficial dating, the ads on Pernals are designed in such a way that you cannot make decisions that are first based on looks. Instead, you have to read through the ad first, tap to see the user’s photo, and then find the like button at the end of the ad.
You may also browse through the members and like or message the ones you find interesting. However, direct messaging requires a VIP account that requires you to pay for a premium plan on Pernals. Also, since the dating site is not known for finding love, you can’t expect users to make many conversations. Instead, they would set up a date to meet.
If you are interested in joining the Pernals dating community, first and foremost, you will need to download the iOS app from the App Store. Once the installation is complete, you will see the screen will ask you to either sign up or log in. Since log-in is for the users who already have a registered account with the Pernals app, you will need to sign up as a new user. Then, it will open up a page for registration with a form that asks for a few details like gender, preference, age, location, email, and password. It takes less than two minutes to complete and get started with Pernals.
You will need to complete the profile setup post-registration, even though it is nothing like other dating sites. While online dating apps ask for a detailed profile, Pernals ask for your preferred username, a bio, and a profile picture. Since other information like gender and sexual preferences are mentioned at the registration, Pernals fetches it from there for your profile. And that’s how your profile setup gets completed quickly. It means now you can start your online dating journey on the Pernals app with an ad posting.
There is no doubt that the Pernals app is different from popular dating sites. Since the structure and design are very different, the language you use on the site becomes important. It would be best to remember that you have a limitation; hence you cannot waste characters in flowery language. The shorter the bio and add, the better it works. But, you should also not eat up important information. An ad should always have information about your looks and expectations from your partner. Concentrate on using simple language, little words, and a self-explanatory heading to attract the right partners. For example – Woman Needed For Movie Date & Threesome Sex.
Pernals are used for dating and mostly casuals and hookups, so you can use any dating site popular for temporary dating and has a cool audience as an alternative. If you are looking for a serious relationship, you can choose sites that only attract an audience looking for serious relationships. The more niche platforms you find and try, the better quality of profiles and responses you get. Saying that, here is a list of a few options you may try as an alternative:
Despite being an alternative to the Craigslist Personals, Pernals does not meet one of the most basic requirements for being one. The original offered a free platform for the US citizens to place an ad which is what made it popular in the first place. However, the Pernals app requires you to pay for a membership plan to post an ad or send a message. The founder Alesandra Madison defends that keeping the platform restricted to free users keeps it free from scammers and sex traffickers.
Here is the list of free and paid features, and under it, you will find the available plans you can purchase on the Pernals app for membership.
Premium Features:
Pernals Premium Membership Plans:
To sum up up Pernals dating review, we can say that this platform has both good and bad sides. It is a mix and does not bend towards any particular side. The good thing is the feel of Craigslist Personals, with the addition of safety and in accordance with the Fight Online Trafficking Act. So it looks like the better version of the Craigslist Personals, a perfect solution for its previous users. However, it also brings with several other factors that were not present with the original.
App glitches, absence of a website, premium membership, and lack of advanced features are some of those factors. Also, they are why we feel Pernals is still suffering from slow growth compared to the expectations. Since it is a paid platform, it cannot be that basic and charge such an amount for nothing. Saying that people who miss the Backpage and adult classified ads must try the Pernals app for a month. If you are one of those, the app may take you down the road of nostalgia.
What’s truly unique about Pernals is its possibilities. The reason for Craigslist’s popularity was not the hookup ads but the variety of requirements. So is the case with the Pernals dating site. It is not limited to finding hookups; you can find ads of requirements as varied as friends with benefits, maid with benefits, caretaker, movie partner, and a lot more. Just because it is on Pernals doesn’t mean that every ad posted on the app is somehow related to sex or relationship. The relationship can even be platonic in the case of several requirements. The community being local is pretty helpful for everything. Hence, it’s a must-try!
Unlike the Craigslist Backpage, the Pernals app is a legit platform for online dating and finding real people for different purposes.
While Pernals allow the use of a few features for free, some of them require a paid membership. The membership and pricing section in the review above shows the details.
After the controversy, when a former user of Craigslist, Alesandra Madison founded Cragly ( now Pernals), safety was the first priority. The app, hence, was built in accordance with FOSTA. So while you can place ads for your sexual needs, Pernals does not aids in sex trafficking. Being a paid platform, it filters out most of the law breakers. Additionally, there is a support team constantly working behind the scenes to moderate and maintain the quality and look into the complaints. Besides, the iOS app has an updated SSL certification to ensure maximum data protection.
You can find the delete my Pernals account option from the account settings.
No. Signing up or registration is compulsory on the Pernals app. You cannot skip it to enter the site.
You can reach out to the team by writing to them at [email protected]. The team assures a reply within one business day, which is really fast.