Do women have to pay to use Ashley Madison?

Women seeking men on Ashley Madison typically do not have to pay for the core features of the platform. Ashley Madison operates on a business model that encourages female participation by allowing them to initiate conversations and send messages to male users without purchasing credits, which is the system through which Ashley Madison monetizes user interactions. On the contrary, men must purchase credits in order to initiate conversations and follow up on potential matches. The asymmetrical payment structure is designed to balance the male-to-female ratio and to incentivize female engagement, thereby maintaining the site’s usability and appeal for both genders. However, women seeking women, men seeking men, and men seeking women will need to use credits to initiate contact, making the pricing structure highly dependent on the user's intent and preferences.