The Best STD Dating Sites

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 5 people in the United States has a sexually transmitted disease (STD). The CDC’s Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report reveals:

• Around 18.6 million Americans have HSV-2, the cause of genital herpes.
• 984,000 people have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
• 42.5 million people have been diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV).

If you’re someone who has been diagnosed with an STD, you’re far from alone. However, dating and finding love while living with an STD can still be challenging. Having an STD carries an unfortunate stigma, and people face discrimination because of misinformation or stereotypes.

Luckily, there are online spaces – like STD dating sites – meant to help correct this issue. These sites cater to adults living with STDs and help them match with other singles living with the same diagnosis. This removes some stigma and reduces the risk of potentially infecting a partner.

But, do these sites work? Can you really find romance? How do these sites stack up against each other? What’s the cost? This guide will answer all of those questions and more, helping you find the best network for your needs. Read on for all the details, but here are our top recommendations for those in a hurry.

Our 2023 recommendations for best STD dating sites

• Best overall: PositiveSingles
• Best for private chat and calls: Meet Positives
• Best for HIV news and networking: POZ Personals
• Best for herpes community support: H-Werks

Over the past two decades, we have helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions about staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles.

Like all health-related content on this website, this guide is thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Review Board for accuracy. Additionally, we extensively test and analyze each health-related service we review. We evaluate the entire customer experience from signing up to using the product or service and then offer unbiased analysis free of marketing jargon so you can choose what’s best for you.

There are so many obvious and subtle differences between STD dating sites that it can be difficult to judge which site might be your best option. Here are the criteria we’ve considered when evaluating and recommending the sites in this guide.

Cost

Most STD dating sites allow you to try out the service for free or at a low cost. But, to take advantage of the site's full functionality, you must pay a membership fee. These range in price from $5-$50 per month, depending on the site you choose. We considered the membership cost compared to the site's features to determine our recommendations. Our top picks give you your money’s worth.

Privacy

Your STD status is your business. You should decide who to share that information with. Because of this, STD dating sites keep your privacy a top priority. Some use encryption services and other measures to protect your personal information. Many offer discreet billing and secure payments. To keep the community safe, many sites also allow you to report or block members you suspect are not living with an STD.

Dating pool

The more members a site has, the better your chances of making a match. Many sites offer location-based searching, so you can find out how many people in your area are available to meet. In this guide, we prioritized sites with the most members, particularly sites where members are active and success stories abound.

Site features

STD dating sites have standard features that you find on any other dating site, like matching, searching, and messaging. Some also have additional features that help you hone your searches, organize your matches, and personalize your profile. Some even feature video calls and live chat to help you further connect with potential mates.

Community

In addition to dating, many of these sites prioritize community building. They offer resources like chatrooms, forums, blog posts, news articles, and other informational materials to educate and care for those living with STDs. Many sites emphasize friendship, advice, and health in addition to romance and provide the resources needed to facilitate that growth.

There are many benefits and drawbacks to using an STD dating site. But, this is true of using almost any dating site – you have to take the good with the bad. It’s up to you to create a beneficial experience, but you can also keep these issues in mind:

STD type

Some STD dating sites target people with specific STDs. For example, you may encounter a dating site for people living with herpes or people living with HIV. Other STD dating sites are inclusive of all STDs, and you select the STD you’re living with from a list when you create your account.

Signing up

Most STD dating sites ask the same questions when you sign up for the service. You’ll need to provide personal information like your name, email address, and mobile number. This info will not be shared with other users – you create a unique username that appears on your dating profile. You’ll also be asked your age, gender, location, STD status, and other basic info.

Creating a profile

Your profile is yours to customize, and different sites offer different features. Generally, you’ll upload a profile picture, which will be the first pic other users see when viewing your profile. Many dating sites also allow you to upload a public and a private album, so you can decide who sees your pictures. You’ll also give more in-depth info in your profile, like your occupation, lifestyle, height, ethnicity, interests, and anything else you want others to know.

Searching profiles

These features vary the most from site to site. Some STD dating sites allow you to do only basic searches until you pay for a subscription, while others enable advanced searches for free. You can set your search preferences — like age, gender, location, etc. — and browse profiles matching your criteria.

Matching

Like popular dating apps, some STD dating sites provide the option to “swipe left” and “swipe right” on profiles to indicate your interest. Others allow you to “add a friend” or add a user's profile to a “hotlist.” There are a variety of ways to express your interest.

Chatting with a match

Some sites allow you to send a “wink” or a “flirt” to another profile, which is an alert that lets them know you’re interested. Others allow you to send a full message, similar to an email or a text. Some STD dating apps also include voice chatting and private calling.

Resources

Because STD dating sites are for those living with STDs, many also provide community resources for members. This may include user blogs, forums, news articles, dating coaches, or support groups. Overall, STD dating sites are welcoming communities intended to help members find romance and make sure they have the resources they need to thrive.

Best overall

PositiveSingles is the most robust STD dating site and has been around since 2001. They have over 60,000 member-written success stories with more than 2.5 million member conversations each month. With over 2 million registered users, the site offers many amenities in addition to matching with a potential partner, including:

• Live support – for help with technical issues
• Live dating advisor – get advice about matching and meeting up
• Successful dating advice – user-produced suggestions for first dates and more
• Treatment stories – where users share info on STD treatments
• Care locations – a user-generated listing of STD-friendly clinics and doctors around the country
• STD Q&A – members ask STD-related questions, and the community responds
• Blogs – each user receives their own blog space to self-publish and view over 20,000 monthly blog posts from other members

Unlike some dating sites that cater to a specific STD, PositiveSingles allows you to choose which STD you live with from a list. This information appears on user profiles and is searchable when matching with potential mates. The list of STDs includes:

• Herpes (HSV-1 cold sore & genital, HSV-2 cold sore & genital, unsure which type)
• HPV
• HIV
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• Chlamydia
• Thrush
• Syphilis
• Gonorrhea
• Other STD

PositiveSingles also runs Poz Match, a dating site for those with HIV, and H Date, a dating site for people living with herpes, HIV, or HPV. Meeting People with Herpes (MPWH) is another herpes dating site run by PositiveSingles’ parent company, Successful Match.

Standard vs. premium accounts

You can try out the service for free, but a free account has some limitations. You can:

• Create a profile
• Add public and private photos
• Search for partners by country or state
• Create a list of favorite profiles
• Send unlimited winks – a quick way to let someone know you’re interested that doesn’t include a personalized message
• See if users favorite you, wink at you, or send you a message
• Respond to messages from premium (paid) members

This may sound like a lot of functionality for a standard account, but it does limit your ability to search for partners via preferences like age, location, gender, STD, relationship status, and many others. You also can’t respond to a message unless it’s from a premium member, so you might get some messages that sit in your inbox until you pay for premium:

• 1 month: $29.95 (automatically renews each month)
• 3 months: $59.95
• 6 months: $95.95

Once you become a premium member, you’re able to participate in the full functionality of the site, including:

• Initiating and responding to all messages
• Using the 24-hour chatroom
• Enabling photo and profile security and privacy options
• Viewing reverse matches – members who match your preferences
• Seeing when a member last logged in
• Using enhanced search features

Setting up an account

If you’ve used other dating apps like Tinder or Hinge, setting up a profile on PositiveSingles will be familiar. It only requires a few simple steps to set up, and you can edit your profile later.

1. Select your gender, age, height, ethnicity, relationship status, country, state, STD, and the gender of your potential matches. Enter your email address.
2. Create a profile headline. This short sentence or phrase sums up your profile or intentions on the site.
3. Write the About Me and About My Match sections. These are longer, paragraph-length sections that require at least 50 characters. Here, you tell potential matches about yourself and what you’re looking for in a mate.
4. Upload a profile photo. This is the picture that potential matches will see first.
5. Verify mobile number and email address. The site texts and emails you a code. Enter both into the site to move forward.

Account features

Once you’ve created your account, you can begin exploring its many features. Your main profile page includes:

• Quick search – select gender, age, country, and state of a potential match
• Latest activities – a timeline of other members’ activities like status updates, new photos, etc.
• List of other new members and people you might like

The navigation menu includes these features:

• Discover
• My lists
• Community
• Messages
• Edit profile
• Privacy settings

Each of these sections includes various features that help you update your profile, communicate with other members, and protect your privacy.

Discover

Search members using preferences and filters like:

• STD
• Height
• Relationship status
• Education
• Number of children

These search preferences are unlocked with a premium account.

My Lists

These lists organize potential matches and those who have visited your profile. The lists include:

• Viewed me
• Winked at me
• Favorites
• Likes
• Photo requests
• Liked my photo
• Private album requests
• Private album access
• Answered my question

Community

This section includes several features that connect you with other members:

• Spark – similar to Tinder, where you can “swipe left” or “swipe right” on potential matches
• Member blogs with your own blog space
• First date ideas message board
• Help Center where members can post questions and get help from the community

Messages

The message center includes an email-style inbox to read and respond to messages from members and a chatroom to live chat with other members.

Edit profile

The Edit Profile section allows you to fully customize your profile and change the info you included when first setting up your account. You can:

• Add more pictures (up to 26 public and 26 private photos)
• Edit the headline, About Me, or About My Match sections
• Post questions for your match to answer
• Provide help you’d like from the community
• Give your COVID-19 vaccine status

There is also a section to give more basic details about yourself, including age, gender, location, appearance, background, lifestyle, music, and other interests. You can also detail these same preferences in potential matches.

The More About Me section allows you to go into even more detail by providing info about:

• How long you’ve been positive
• First date ideas
• Dislikes
• Favorite jokes
• Fun questions – answer some creative multiple-choice questions to help other members get to know you better

You can also upload a video introduction so potential matches can see how you look and sound.

Privacy settings

Your profile privacy settings let you personalize your privacy so that you feel comfortable. You can choose to show or hide your profile from certain members. Premium members can browse profiles anonymously and hide online status from other members. In this section, you can also view and edit your subscription and notifications.

Other special features

Also linked in your profile page is access to other community spaces on PositiveSingles, including:

• Live support for questions about the site, membership, etc.
• A dating advisor via chat or email to answer questions about dating
• Dating advice from other members
• 900+ user-submitted care locations that help people with STDs
• An STD Q&A where you can ask a question and community members respond

Privacy and security

Because your STD status is private and can still carry a stigma, PositiveSingles takes many extra steps to ensure that your information is secure. They use a privacy safeguarder that protects users from litigation if disputes arise. PositiveSingles doesn’t provide, sell, or rent personal information to any third-party organization. All information you provide is kept confidential.

PositiveSingles allows members to report any profile they suspect is violating community terms of use and encourages all members to verify their identities within 48 hours of creating a profile. A member can confirm their identity by uploading a copy of a photo ID. Other members can see if a profile is verified, leading to higher credibility on the site and more matches.

Purchases using a debit or credit card will show on your statement as SuccessfulMatch.

The PositiveSingles app

PositiveSingles also offers an app for iOS. It is highly rated and includes most of the same features as the website, with some differences. The app does not include the STD Q&A, live dating advisor, or list of STD care locations – you’ll need to consult the website for those.

However, the app does have a few features that are absent from the website:

• Voice chat – like a chatroom but using voice instead of text
• Video calls – a private video chat between two members
• Drift bottle – a place to send and receive anonymous messages

A premium membership on the PositiveSingles app also costs more than on the website. You can download and try the app for free with limited functionality. But, to upgrade to a premium membership, you’ll pay:

• 1 month: $33.99
• 3 months: $69.99
• 6 months: $109.99

All three subscriptions auto-renew unless you turn them off in your Account Settings.

Best for private chat and calls

Meet Positives is similar to PositiveSingles in many ways, but it doesn’t quite measure up to PositiveSingles with community resources and dating guidance. However, it does offer some unique features – live private chat, text, and call – and more functionality before paying for a membership.

Like PositiveSingles, Meet Positives caters to daters with various STDs. When creating an account, choose from the following list of conditions:

• Herpes (HSV-1 cold sore & genital, HSV-2 cold sore & genital, unsure which type)
• HPV
• HIV
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• Chlamydia
• Thrush
• Syphilis
• Gonorrhea
• Other STD

Meet Positives comprises a dating pool that is 51% male and 49% female. The algorithm matches you with potential mates by STD, location, and the match preferences you set. It’s free to sign up and create a profile.

Meet Positives is committed to making sure members never have to have “the talk” again. This means that someone with an STD can match with someone who has the same STD, eliminating the need to disclose as much information about STD status.

Members can enjoy private number calling, text messages, and video calls using their mobile phones. The site uses Safe Connect to provide you with an anonymous phone number you can use to discreetly connect with other members. This means that you can communicate with matches via video, phone, or text, and your real contact info is kept confidential until you choose to share it.

The site states that it includes member blog posts, a community forum for insights about living with an STD, and STD dating and long-term relationship advice written by members and experts. However, our testers could not locate any of this information after setting up an account. The community forum page was empty. And while they could access the page to create their own blog post, there was no link to access other members' blog posts. Some of this information is available on the Meet Positives homepage, but the resources are limited.

Although Meet Positives references the functionality of its app on its website, the app is still under construction. If you click the link to download the app, you’ll find a page that says, “coming soon.”

Free account vs. paid account

A free account allows you to request friendship, wink, ask a question, add to favorites, and request a meeting. But if you want to text, chat, or video message with a member, you have to pay for a subscription. Meet Positives offers two subscription tiers with different features.

The Basic Connect plan allows you to message other members, see who viewed your profile, and do local searches. It costs:

• 1 month: $29.95
• 3 months: $59.85
• 6 months: $89.70
• 12 months: $131.40

The Safe Connect Plus plan includes all of the features of the Basic Connect plan plus video chat, private call, and private text. It costs:

• 1 month: $45.95
• 3 months: $83.85
• 12 months: $215.40
• 24 months: $262.80

Signing up

To sign up, provide some basic information and then create an account. Provide:

• Your gender
• The gender of your preferred matches (men, women, or couples)
• Your first name, which won’t be revealed in your profile
• Username
• Email address
• Password
• Birthdate
• STD status
• Location
• Mobile number – the site will text you a verification code

Create your profile by filling out the following five sections:

1. My Intent: Profile picture, the type of relationship you’re looking for (friendship, long term, dating, marriage, or casual), about my match (which kinds of STDs you’ll accept in a mate – you can choose more than 1)
2. My Appearance: Eye color, hair color, and body type
3. Who I Am: Ethnicity, religion, and politics
4. My Lifestyle: Occupation, income, pets, children, and drinking and smoking habits
5. About Me: Your opportunity to tell your matches more about yourself. You must enter something here when you create your profile, and you can return to edit later.

Account features

Once you’ve completed your profile, you can begin exploring the site and other members’ profiles. From your profile homepage, you can:

• Quick search to find a match based on your gender, their gender, age range, location, and whether or not their profile includes a photo.
• Advanced search with preferences including height, relationship status, ethnicity, body type, religion, education, and keyword.
• Perform a “living with” search to find a match based solely on STD status.
• Search by location to find matches nearby or in any location you prefer.

Your profile homepage also shows a list of other members who have viewed your profile and a listing of your blog posts. You can “add friends” on Meet Positives – similar to Facebook – so your homepage also shows a listing of your friends.

The Meet Me function is similar to the PositiveSingles Spark application. It shows one member profile at a time with brief information about them (profile picture, username, age, STD status), and you can choose to “like” to “skip” each member. Think of this as similar to Tinder’s swipe left or swipe right setup.

One feature that you’ll see at the bottom of every page you visit is a quick exit button. This is an important element of Meet Positives because it allows users to protect their privacy. If you’re on the site and need to hide it quickly, click this button, which takes you to a Google search page.

Sidebar options

Your profile sidebar is an organized listing of your profile's other features and areas. It includes six sections:

1. Search people: This menu organizes your interactions with other members. Perform a search and also see a list of your matches, reverse matches, profile views, favorites, and friends. See which users you’ve blocked from viewing your profile.
2. Communication: This section shows the many different ways you can interact with member profiles and keeps a listing of members you’ve messaged. This includes questions, winks, kisses, and a mailbox for written text. Access your blog and the community forum here.
3. Activities: This menu includes a member gallery, polls, events, and groups. Unfortunately, our testers found that most pages were blank or sparsely filled. There is also an option to use a feature called LikeMe, similar to the Meet Me function on the homepage but with less functionality.
4. Gift store: This includes the main page and a My Orders section. Our testers found the store empty.
5. Settings & Account: In this section, update your email address and password and set privacy and notification settings. Manage your membership and alter your blocked list and message settings.
6. Tickets: Instead of revealing a ticketing system, this link takes you to a Contact Us page.

Privacy considerations

Meet Positives takes several precautions to ensure your information is kept private and confidential. Firstly, they don’t sell or rent your personal info to third parties or affiliate sites. They may use anonymized information for data aggregation, meaning that only information that doesn’t identify you may be used for these purposes.

In the Accounts & Settings tab of your profile, change your personal information at any time, including your email address and password, or permanently delete your account.

Meet Positives encrypts any personal information they collect from you. It is hidden from search engines and can only be seen by members logged in to the site. They use Stripe to collect online payments, a well-regarded payment service used by companies like Google and Amazon.

Best for HIV news and networking

POZ Personals is part of POZ, a website and print magazine dedicated to providing resources for those living with HIV and AIDS. The publication has been around since 1994, and it provides blogs, news, videos, and other community-building resources that reach close to 70% of all people in the US who know they have HIV or AIDS.

The site includes access to the current issue of POZ magazine, news stories about scientific discoveries and HIV advocacy, blog posts about hot topics, and testimonials from those living with HIV. POZ also includes a well-connected social network that users can join.

POZ Personals is one facet of the publication and currently has over 150,000 members. It offers a way for HIV-positive people to connect for friendships, community, and romance.

Basic vs. premium account

POZ Personals offers both a basic membership that is free to use and a premium membership that is inexpensive compared to other similar sites. Basic members can:

• Create an account
• Add up to five photos
• Search for and message other members
• Create lists of members they’re interested in

With a premium account, members can:

• Save search results and preferences
• Receive alerts when new members join
• See each member that has visited their profile
• Use search blocker to control if your profile appears in search results
• Send unlimited messages and flirts
• Upload an unlimited number of both public and private photos

If you choose a premium account, you have several options for the duration of your subscription. Each option is set to auto-renew until you cancel your membership.

• 1 month $9.99
• 3 months $19.99
• 6 months $29.99
• 12 months $49.99

Signing up

To set up an account, provide some basic information about yourself:

• Username and password
• Ad title – this is similar to your profile headline that other members read when they first see your profile
• Your gender and the gender of potential matches
• Relationship type
• Sexual orientation
• How long you've been positive
• Location
• About me – up to 600 characters that give members further insight into who you are and what you’re looking for
• Two security questions with answers
• Notification preferences

Account features

Your profile homepage is called your dashboard, and it provides you with important info about other users as well as an opportunity to improve your profile and explore member profiles. When you log in, you see this info:

• How many times your profile has been viewed
• How many members are currently online
• How many members have logged on in the last few hours

When our testers logged in, 14 members were currently online, and 469 members had logged in recently.

You can perform a quick search using gender, age, sexual orientation, location, and distance preferences. You can also opt to see only profiles with photos or only those online recently.

Advanced searches add criteria like HIV status, relationship type, ethnicity, religion, body art, astrological sign, and interests, among others. Only premium members can save search results and preferences.

The list menu on your dashboard provides several ways to group members you’ve interacted with.

• Hotlist – a list of member profiles you like and want to contact again
• Block list – a list of member profiles you’ve blocked from viewing your profile
• Private photos list – which members you’ve shared your private photos with
• Footprints – who has viewed your profile and whose profiles you’ve viewed

From your dashboard, you can also manage your profile by adding information. The more robust your profile, the more likely you will find sufficient matches. This includes:

• Basic information – update the information you provided when setting up your profile
• Photos – upload both public and private photos
• Personal details – provide even further info about yourself, including appearance, work, lifestyle, and more
• Profile preview – check out how your profile looks to other users
• Account settings – update username, password, security questions, notifications, and other settings
• Search blocker – block members from seeing you in search; only available for premium accounts
• Upgrade premium – choose a subscription to receive full site functionality

At the bottom of your dashboard, a General section includes the site’s FAQ, tips for using the site, and a site contact form.

Privacy

POZ takes privacy considerations seriously and takes many steps to protect you. Your personal information is not shared with third parties without your consent. The company may provide aggregated data to third parties, but it will not include any personally identifiable information.

When you make a payment to POZ, you are protected by Authorize.Net and PayPal. Both companies provide safe and secure online payments.

Best for herpes community support

Started in 2007, HWerks is a dating site for those living with herpes or HPV. But, HWerks goes beyond focusing on just dating and offers positive people a community feel with various amenities:

• Chatrooms
• Forums
• Secret Facebook groups
• Local support groups

HWerks emphasizes that romance is just one facet of living with herpes and HPV, and their goal is to provide care beyond dating.

Membership

To preserve member privacy, HWerks does not allow people to join without paying for a membership. They offer a lifetime membership for a one-time fee of $56. The site states that this weeds out people who aren’t serious about taking advantage of their services and protects members from “lurkers.” The upfront membership also limits the number of inactive profiles on the site.

Signing up

To sign up for an account, provide personal info like your name, email address, and birthdate. The site will prompt you to create a username and password. It will also ask you to provide your:

• Gender
• Relationship status
• Type of relationship you’re interested in
• Age
• Location
• Smoking status
• Relocation ability
• H type (HSV-1, HSV-2, HPV, not sure)
• Sexual orientation
• Kids status

You’ll also fill out a Describe Yourself box where you can provide other details you’d like potential matches to know. Next, you’ll pay the one-time membership fee to continue to your profile.

Site features

In addition to searching member profiles and finding potential mates, HWerks offers a variety of features that members use for friendship, networking, and advice.

• The member chatroom includes discussions and Q&A sessions. HWerks organizes a weekly, members-only meet and greet.
• On the forums, members can ask questions and share stories. This is especially helpful for people with a new diagnosis.
• HWerks operates a secret Facebook group that is open to all members. Because it’s a secret group, other Facebook users can’t see that you belong to it.
• The site includes a list of local groups in the US and Canada. Select your state or province to see any herpes or HPV support groups or secret Facebook groups in your area.
• Informational sections like the Herpes FAQ, list of national events, and the HWerks newsletter help inform and connect site visitors.

Privacy

HWerks does not share your personal information with third parties and uses reasonable methods to keep your info safe. Your payment is collected using PayPal or Stripe, two well-known, secure companies for online transactions.

When you purchase a membership, it shows on your statement as HW Erks & Co for discretion. No one who views your statement will know what the payment is for.

In addition to our top picks, many other STD dating sites are available. These options did not make our recommendation list because they didn’t compete with the top choices across our fundamental criteria (cost, size of the dating pool, site features, privacy, and community). But, they do have their own unique features that may appeal to some daters. We want you to have the full picture of what’s available to you in the landscape of STD dating.

There is still debate over the term sexually transmitted disease (STD) versus sexually transmitted infection (STI). These terms are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings.

Generally, having an STI can cause an STD. Something is considered a “disease” when it presents symptoms, which not all STIs do. And the word “disease” has negative connotations that contribute to stigma. For these reasons, some people prefer the term STI. We use the term STD in this guide because many sites we review also use that term.