CougarLife Review

As its name clearly suggests, CougarLife is a dating site for cougars and, consequently, cubs who seek them. This stylish and carefully designed platform destigmatizes the notion of mature women dating younger men. Most ladies in its database are in their forties and divorced. While CougarLife is not the only dating platform in this niche, it does have a lot to offer in terms of affordability, navigation, and, most importantly, its active user database. Of course, no dating site out there is without a flaw. Still, CougarLife scores high in its niche. If this type of dating is something you might be interested in, take a look at our detailed review before joining the site.

How does it work?

CougarLife is a niche dating site established in 2008 by a Canadian company Ruby Life Media, which also owns another popular dating site, Ashley Madison. CougarLife provides a platform for older, 35+ women to connect with younger men and pursue friendship, flings, or romance. With a 7+ million user base, this platform is one of the top-rated websites for an older woman to find younger men in a clean and non-judgmental virtual space.

Through a variety of search filters, younger (and not so younger men) and older women have the chance to find each other for serious or casual relationships. The creators of CougarLife wanted to destigmatize the natural pairing of older women and younger men and the sexist impositions of judgment on an older woman–younger man match.

Sign-Up & Login Process

Signing up to CougarLife is simple and super-fast. Users can browse for their six-pack flexing cub in under three minutes. When signing up, users answer a few simple questions:

• Email address
• Hair color
• Eye color
• Username and password

Once you have signed up, you will need to provide a profile photo to become part of other users’ match list. But don’t worry, Ladies, you can start ogling those young studs while you are trying out your perfect duck face selfie.

There is no elaborate personality type questionnaire to cringe your way through. There is no need to verify your user profile through Facebook or Gmail, just fill out the basics, and you are in. You will be presented with matches based on your location, but before you set up a date, you will need to purchase a subscription.

Without a subscription, they limit you to “flirts” and have only three chances to message one of those handsome fellas. So, choose well if you do not intend to pay for a membership.

Profile Interface

Although CougarLife profiles are not the most detailed out there, they have enough space to flesh out your profile information. You have the option to fill out your basic information, such as:

• Tagline
• What are you looking for?
• Preferred age? Between 18 and 65.
• About Me
• Education
• Birth Date
• Height
• Body Type
• Eye Color
• Hair Color
• Ethnicity
• Location

The “About Me” section has a fair amount of space to individualize your profile information, as does the “What are looking for?” tab. Standard members have access to other profile’s photographs but can only access other members’ private photographs on the invitation.

There is no protocol on this site to encourage users to complete all their profile information, so half-filled profiles are common on the CougarLife matches list.

Matches/Communication

There is no algorithm-based matchmaking software to help users find compatible matches. However, a manual type search system allows users a series of optional filters to find their perfect cub/cougar. Unlike a lot of modern niche sites, there is no real matching system besides the manual search filters created by each user.

Your matches are presented to your mobile daily with a list of potential cubs to scroll through while your husband is watching sports.

Beyond the usual basic filters such as age and location, CougarLife provides users with manual search features to further refine their search:

• Has pictures
• Has private pictures
• Is online
• Ready to chat
• New members
• Only strangers
• Wants a date today

There are further search filters to take advantage of, such as looks, their language, and keywords that can be entered into the free text field.

There are several means to get in contact with your chosen cub/cougar on the CougarLife site:

• “Chat with Me” is a fast and effective way to get the attention of your perfect man/boy. It functions similarly to social media platforms and is easily used to connect with a potential date.
• “Message Me” is another simple means to invite contact on CougarLife. This tab limits contact to text messages, though. So, you cannot send graphics or media on this tab.
• “Send a Gift” gives one a chance to impress your cougar by sending her a virtual gift. Users may purchase these gifts with tokens (5-35 credits) and take the form of chocolates to jewelry.
• “Priority Mail” is for those who are afraid of getting caught at the back of the cougar stampede when they spot the cub they want. You can use this tab to prioritize any message you send. It will appear at the top of the cub’s inbox even if other cougars sent messages after you did.
• Send a “Flirt,” and your cougar will receive a standard message without personalization that goes as follows “Hey, have a look at my profile and let me know if it interests you in having contact.” This is a nice way of testing the waters to see if you are the cub she’s been looking for.

You may also invite another user to view your private photo galleries. A lock icon will mark these blurry pics and will only be visible on the invitation. Heaven only knows what might go on in there. When you click on the lock icon, a user receives a notification that he/she wants to take a peep at your private stuff.

If you really are in the mood to get your cougar/cub action on ASAP, you might make use of the “Find a Date Tonight” feature. You have the option of placing the tab on your profile to see who’s on the prowl or tap the “Find a Friend Tonight” icon and see what hotties are up for a date.

Members structure and activities

In the media section of CougarLife, you may access some intriguing information about its cougar users and their demographics. All women users claim to be single, and over half of them are divorcees. Nearly half of the women members are unmarried, and 2% are widows.

An interesting fact is that almost half the cougars on this site have been through a divorce in the twelve months previous to creating her account.

CougarLife boasts over 7 million users, of which 4,9 million hail from the good old USA. There are 150 000 active users a week.

For a niche site made for an older woman in need of a younger male partner, men dominate the percentages on this site by 70 percent to 30 percent. That, of course, sounds perfect for cougars.

Users Age

This site estimates its cougar age at 39 while that of a cub is an average of 29 years old. The largest numbers of female users are in their mid-thirties to mid-forties, and male members are 18 to 34 years of age.

Sexual Preferences

There is no search option for gender-based searches beyond the standard vanilla girl vs. boy. This site does not include any LGBTQ+ functions.

Race and Ethnicity

There is a compulsory ethnicity option on five-question signup, and not only that. There is also an optional search filter for ethnicity onCougarLife. Some users may view this as racism or racist based profiling.

Religious Orientation

There are no religious options in the signup form, nor are there religious options in the site’s search filters.

CougarLife dating website features

The CougarLife website really suits its target demographic to the T. The website is stylish with retro 1940s style images and a watermelon pink border. With so many popular sites out there looking like their design team marked them up in under an hour by prototype, this website really stands out for its stylish design and sleek interface.

This website is user friendly and uncluttered, with a spaciousness that pleases the eye. It presents the matches on the left side of the screen in a single photo scroll type system with easy to peruse details about each user. One-click, and you have a great-looking profile shot that is clear and centralized.

All the features are displayed prominently and are easy to access and use. This website is certainly a success and stands out as an individualized site that someone took care to design and arrange.

CougarLife gives users access to their Blog, which has up to date and engaging articles, from cougar dating tips to how one can best create a killer profile. All articles are informative and are well written, and make a pleasant addition to this site’s features.

Safety & Security

Privacy is especially important to the CougarLife team, and they provide means to protect members on their site from potential harassment by being spotted on-site by colleagues and suchlike. Although the cougar lifestyle is becoming a more mainstream one, there are still people who view this term as predatory and over-sexualized.

So, site developers have provided a “Privacy” section in the user’s profile for their subscribers who wish to remain anonymous while browsing the site. These options include:

• Do not share data with third parties
• Prevent my profile from showing on search results
• An option of sharing your private photos with users that grant you access to theirs

Being one of the oldest niche sites relating to Cougar and cub lifestyle, this site has built up a reputation over the twelve years of its operation.

Still, CougarLife is comparatively lax in its user authentication processes. This makes it easy for someone to create a fake profile. This may need to be addressed as more and more sites upgrade their user verification processes.

This site also uses animators who use fictitious profiles to provide users with entertainment, but these are apparently easy to distinguish from real users.

There are hotlines available for customer contact, but these are limited to the USA, Canada, and Australia and are not operational 24/7. Online contact is efficient but somewhat slow.

That being said, they have provided users with more advanced options regarding the privacy of their profiles and information and easy access to tools that block unwelcome user attention.

Is CougarLife Legit or Scam Service?

With 12 years of proven track record in the niche dating site tradition, CougarLife is a longstanding and reputable platform.

Subscription types and price

CougarLife’s fee structure is quite high compared to other niche dating sites out there. Along with the option of premium memberships, this site offers a credit system to purchase such things as virtual gifts on their site. All subscriptions auto-renew, so members must timeously cancel their paid plans before time is up. Users who wish to cancel their subscription can call the CougarLife hotline at 1-877-740-3176 from 9 AM to 7 PM.

Credit Costs

• 1-month subscription = 100 free credits
• 3-month subscription = 500 free credits
• 12-month subscription = 3,000 credits

Premium Membership

• 1 Month 40.00 USD / Month 40.00 USD
• 3 Months 29.00 USD / Month 87.00 USD
• 12 Months 12.00 USD / Month 144.00 USD

Free Membership

To make full use of this site’s features, users will need to take out a premium subscription on CougarLife. Although one can browse and view profiles, messaging and other features are only accessible with a paid membership. Free memberships include:

• Free user account registration
• Create a profile
• View other user’s profiles, including a profile photo
• Send flirts

Paid Membership

• Send and receive messages
• Send virtual gifts
• Use priority mail
• Have one’s profile boosted on search results

Website design and usability

This retro-themed website, with its watermelon pink trim, really stands out. Its vibrant images and bright colors make it a visual pleasure to navigate.

CougarLife layout is super organized, and the top navigation bar gives easy access to the dashboard, searches, and user profile. The search tabs are arranged intuitively, and your match list is laid out in an uncluttered and easy to view style.

All this site’s features are arranged neatly and in a stylish, clean looking manner. It is refreshing to find such easy navigation with a bit of style on top. This site really is a looker.

Mobile application

CougarLife is available in both Android and iOS versions and free to download. The ease of navigation and funky style translate to the hand-held format. The same stylish and uncluttered feel is translated to the app version without losing much of its appeal.

The watermelon pink borders and retro design work just as well on your handhold, and the smoothness of operation is impressive on both Android and iOS versions.

CougarLife app has a fast loading time and is easy to navigate with one hand. Its location-based services are great to use on the fly, and anyone can access one’s matches from wherever you may roam. Unfortunately, this app is only available in English at the moment, but language options are on the cards.

Contact Information

Company Name: Cougar Life, Inc.

Address: PO Box 67027

Zip Code + City: M4P 1E4 Toronto

Country: Canada

Customer Support Email: support@cougarlife.com

Customer Support Phone: 1-877-740-3176

Conclusion

As various sexual identities are emerging more and more from the cover of darkness, cougar/cub liaisons are also becoming more mainstream. It really isn’t fair that older gents and younger women are given leeway, but when genders are reversed, older women get all the flack.

Far from being the stereotypical “Predatory” women scenario, many young men seek the company of an older woman for various reasons. Mature women are more confident and less demanding than younger ones, and they are also more confident sexually than their younger counterparts.

The social stigma of being an older woman with a younger man is slowly dissolving as people redefine their identities without the oppression of the Boomer generation’s conservative and outdated notions. One can see this in the flourishing niche of different dating genres, which are addressing a very real demand of its users, and this site does just that.

With the divorce rate rising off the charts, many women find themselves single in their prime and unable to find many single men of any worth in their age range. This site provides a stylish avenue to pursue romantic relations with the younger men who seek them. And the young men do, contrary to conservative nay-sayers.

The sheer numbers of users at 7+ million attest that there is a sizable market in this niche, and more and more people are openly seeking older woman-younger man relationships. So, this platform is definitely worth a shot for cougars and cub alike.