Open relationship dating: on your own terms
By Lottie Williams, Head of Content
Updated
In an open relationship, you and your partner can each see other people, often separately, while staying each other's main person. Done well, it is honest, kind and a lot of fun. Done badly, it is the same mess as anything else. The difference is nearly always communication.
Dating as one half of an open relationship
Unlike swinging, open relationship dating is usually a solo activity. You have your own profile, your own matches and your own dates, inside the agreements you and your partner have made. That makes your profile simpler than a couple's: you are one person, looking for one person, who happens to have a partner at home.
Set your Relationship setup to "Ethically non-monogamous" or "Partner knows". It only shows on your full profile, so the people who look properly will see it, and you are not leading with it on every card.
Be upfront with the people you meet
Say early that you have a partner and that they know. Most people on a casual site are perfectly happy with that; some are not, and they deserve the chance to decide. Mention any rules that affect them, such as no overnight stays or weekends kept for home.
Do not over-share about your partner, and do not use a date as a sounding board for your relationship. They came for you.
Keeping it working at home
Your agreements will change as you go, and that is normal. Check in with your partner regularly, keep the promises you made about telling and not telling, and review the rules when something feels off. Our guide to swinging and open relationships covers agreements and jealousy in more depth, and our guide to friends with benefits is useful if you want someone regular.
How it works on No Strings Dating
Every profile is one person. There are no joint couple profiles, so each partner sets up their own and says in the first line of their own words that they are part of a couple, and what the two of you are looking for.
Pick "Threesome" or "Group fun" in what you are up for, and set your Relationship setup to "Ethically non-monogamous" or "Partner knows". That answer only shows on your full profile, never on cards. The optional Kink and fantasy section adds Joining others, with "Happy to join a couple", "Unicorn", "Bull", "FFM", "MMF", "Group play" and "Hotwife / cuckold scenes", plus "Swingers clubs" under Clubs and events. Use what fits and leave the rest for chat.
Everyone knows, everyone agrees
Everything on these pages rests on one rule: every person involved knows and agrees, including any partner at home. If your partner does not know, this is not the page for you, and our affairs page is more honest about what that involves.
It is also dating, not a marketplace. Nobody here pays or is paid for company or sex, and advertising it breaks our rules. Every member is over 18 and has passed an age check, and whatever happens, happens in private, never anywhere the public could see.
Meeting safely
Meet for a drink somewhere public first, all of you, with nothing promised. Use Safety check-in to tell a friend where you will be, have your own way home, and keep the chat on the site until you trust everyone.
More people means more reason to look after your health: use condoms, agree what protection applies with everyone, and test regularly. Our sexual health guide and the Safety Centre list free, confidential services in every country we serve. Anyone can stop at any point, and you can close any chat with one tap.
Quick answers
Can I use No Strings Dating if I am in an open relationship?
Yes. Set your Relationship setup to "Ethically non-monogamous" or "Partner knows" and say so in your own words. Many members are happy to meet someone who is.
Should I tell a date about my partner?
Yes, early. Being honest lets them decide for themselves, and most people on a casual dating site appreciate it.
What is the difference between an open relationship and swinging?
Swinging is usually something a couple does together. In an open relationship, each partner usually dates others on their own.
Is an open relationship the same as cheating?
No. An open relationship is agreed by both partners. Cheating is breaking an agreement in secret.
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