We recently put FWB to the test. You can read what we discovered about FWB in our full review. If you are in the mood for a casual fling or “friendship,” check out our review and determine for yourself if FWB will work for you.

— Pros and Cons —

Pros

• Familiar feature set
• Geared toward casual relationships

Cons

• Basic and generic features
• Lack of advanced matchmaking algorithm
• Android version could not be installed
• Majority of the user base is inactive
• Functionality requires a paid subscription

— In-Depth FWB App Review —

Are you coming out of a failed long-term relationship? Do you dread getting back into the dating scene?

The old saying, “when you fall off your horse you have to get back on,” doesn’t necessarily apply when it comes to the world of dating and romance. Maybe you want to have some time to yourself — enjoy your freedom. At the same time, you still want to have fun and enjoy the company of other people. If so, joining a traditional dating site will not get you very far.

FWB is a dating app that helps singles who are looking for something a bit more casual. In other words, FWB purports to help you find what its name stands for, “friends with benefits.”

— Availability and Installation Issues —

FWB is available only as a mobile app. It is supposed to be available for both Android and iOS devices. However, during our tests, we were only able to successfully download and install the iOS version through the App Store.

Attempts to locate the app on Google Play were unsuccessful. We conducted direct searches on Google Play from different Android phones using multiple versions of Android — from 5.0 through 8.0. This was done to discard the possibility of version compatibility being at the heart of the problem. We also attempted to follow the links provided on FWB’s informational website to lead us directly to its Google Play download page.

All of those efforts, unfortunately, were also unsuccessful. There is an app on Google Play named “FWB,” but it has nothing to do with the app in question.

After discarding the possibility that a technical glitch on our side was provoking the problem, we decided to do a little research. We could not find any reports from the developers of FWB regarding the absence of the app on Google Play. The best that we can deduce is that the app was pulled from Google Play without any comments on the part of the developer. Whether this was initiated by the developers or Google play, we do not know.

Obviously, this raised huge concerns on our side even before we started reviewing the iOS version of the app. In terms of performance, the iOS app functioned normally. We did not encounter any technical issues during the download or installation process. Whenever our testers used the app, the navigation was smooth and no issues regarding operability were present.

— User Experience —

After we installed the iOS version of FWB we were not impressed by what we found. The features on the app were not only generic, but they also failed to provide our testers with any significant results in terms of people discovery and matchmaking.

FWB consists of a basic search engine that only cross-matches basic information from user profiles. This means that there isn’t any powerful matchmaking algorithm that helps you find compatible partners. Also, its primary discovery feature is based on swiping. You know the drill, swipe right if you like a suggested match or swipe left if you don’t. When there’s a mutual match both users can chat. As we said, none of this is original. These are features and mechanisms that are found in countless other dating apps.

— The Problem With FWB —

Out of a combined 150 attempts at engaging an FWB member in conversation, our testers were only successful a total of four times. That’s a success rate of approximately two percent.

What’s worse, of those four contacts, none seemed inclined or serious about having a real-world encounter. They seemed to be on the platform more out of curiosity than purpose.

The user profiles on FWB do not display the signs commonly found with fake profiles. We believe that most of the member profiles are real, just abandoned.

After a few hours on FWB, we were able to ascertain why the user base is so inactive. It all comes down to cost and the lack of a decent value proposition offered by FWB.

— FWB’s Poor Value Proposition —

FWB offers new users very little information upfront about how it structures its monetization model. The majority of new users of FWB join it believing that it is going to be a free service in perpetuity. The reality is that it is not. In order to use any of the app’s limited features, you have to pay for a subscription.

When new users initially register on FWB, they may be given a free trial period. This can range from three days up to a full month, depending on when you join. After the trial period is over, however, functionality will require a subscription.

A one-month subscription costs $14.99, three months will cost you $29.99, and six months $47.99.

In our opinion, the main reason why there are so many inactive profiles on FWB is that it does a pathetic job at being upfront about its subscription-based model. That means that most of its users register expecting to have a free service at their disposal and the moment that they are surprised that it requires payment they simply abandon the platform.