Sugarbook is a real, working sugar dating platform, and unlike its biggest competitor it is still open about being one. It is also blocked in Malaysia, the country where it was founded, and its founder was arrested there in February 2021 on suspicion of soliciting for prostitution. He pleaded not guilty, and no outcome has been publicly recorded.
Both of those things are true, and most reviews you will find mention only the first. This page covers what it is, what it costs, what happened, and how to think about it.
What Sugarbook is
A sugar dating site that says so. Its homepage calls it the "#1 Sugar Daddy & Sugar Baby Dating Site" and describes itself as a "globally trusted sugar dating platform built for adults exploring Sugar Daddy and Sugar Baby connections."
Its own definition of what it does, checked 10 September 2026:
"Both partners agree on expectations upfront—typically involving financial support, mentorship, or lifestyle experiences in exchange for companionship."
And it distinguishes sugar dating from ordinary dating because "both parties are transparent about their goals from the start."
That is an honest description, and it happens to match what we would say. The agreement is explicit, both people know what it involves, and the clarity is the point rather than an awkwardness to be managed.
It is worth pausing on how unusual that is now. Seeking, the biggest name in this category, banned sugar dating in 2022 and its rules now prohibit compensated companionship entirely. Sugarbook has not done that. If you want a platform whose terms permit the thing you are actually there for, this one does.
Mechanically it works the way these sites do: free to browse, paid to message, women free, men paying.
What it costs
Checked 10 September 2026, from third-party review sites rather than Sugarbook's own checkout, so treat as close rather than exact.
| Price | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women | Free | Full access without paying |
| Female students | Free premium | With proof of university enrolment |
| Men, 1 month | $71.95/month | |
| Men, 3 months | $55.95/month | $167.85 total |
| Men, 6 months | $39.95/month | $239.70 total |
It is markedly cheaper than Seeking, whose Premium tier is $109.99 a month and whose Diamond tier is $274.99. On price alone Sugarbook wins that comparison comfortably.
The same structural asymmetry applies as everywhere in this category: the side with money pays, the side without it does not.
The part the reviews leave out
Search for Sugarbook reviews and you will find a long list of affiliate sites rating it three-and-a-half stars, listing pros and cons, and linking you to sign up. Almost none of them mentions the following, which is documented by the BBC, VICE, the New York Post and Malaysian outlets including Malay Mail and SoyaCincau.
Sugarbook was founded in Kuala Lumpur in 2016 by Darren Chan, on the model that has since become standard: women free, men paying.
In February 2021 it published a list of ten Malaysian universities with the most students signing up as sugar babies. The publicity around that list is what drew official attention.
On 15 February 2021 the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission blocked the site, saying it violated Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. The block still stands.
The company responded by launching an alternative domain, sucrebook.com, so Malaysian users could get around the block.
On 23 February 2021 Darren Chan was arrested and held for ten days. He was investigated under Section 372(B) of the Malaysian Penal Code, which covers soliciting for prostitution, and under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.
He pleaded not guilty. No final outcome of the case has been publicly recorded, and it would be wrong to assume one. What is on the record is the arrest, the detention and the investigation, not a conviction.
On 1 September 2021 Google removed the Android app from the Play Store. It has not returned. Android users install via the web app or not at all.
The company now operates from Cyprus.
None of that tells you whether Sugarbook will work for you. It is, however, the material fact a person asking "is Sugarbook legit" is actually reaching for, and it is missing from the pages that rank for that question.
Is Sugarbook legit?
Yes, in the sense you probably mean: it is a real company, it takes payment properly, real people use it, and it delivers the service it advertises. It is not a fake site that takes your money and disappears.
The better question is whether you should use it, and that has three parts.
Does it permit what you want? Yes, and that genuinely distinguishes it from Seeking, where the same activity is now against the rules.
Is the company one you want holding your identity documents? That is where the Malaysian record matters. The site is blocked in its country of origin, its founder was arrested there, and it now operates from Cyprus. You may weigh that and proceed anyway. You should get to weigh it.
Will it work? Ordinary dating-site odds. It is smaller than Seeking, with a thinner US presence, and its Android app has been unavailable through the Play Store since 2021.
Is it safe?
The usual answer, with two specifics.
Treat the verification claims carefully. Sugarbook and its reviewers cite a high percentage of verified profiles. There is no way for anyone outside the company to check that figure, so we are not going to repeat it as though it were established. What matters more than a percentage is who runs verification and whether it costs anything.
Reviewers consistently report scam accounts, particularly accounts trying to sell explicit photos. That is not unique to Sugarbook, and it is the same mechanism that runs on every platform in this category: someone wants payment before you have received anything. The full guide to how those work is here: one trick, several disguises, and one rule that catches all of them.
Free accounts cannot message freely, which reviewers note makes it hard to assess anyone before paying. That is the business model rather than a flaw, but it does mean you are deciding on the strength of profiles alone.
The student program
Sugarbook offers free premium membership to female university students who verify with a student email.
The reviews list this as a benefit, and for a student it plainly is one.
The context worth having alongside it: the 2021 Malaysian investigation began after Sugarbook publicised which universities produced the most sugar baby sign-ups. The recruitment of students is the same activity that attracted the regulator's attention in the first place.
Both of those are documented facts and we are going to leave them next to each other without telling you what to make of them.
What to look for in any platform
Four questions that apply to all of these sites, this one included.
Does the platform allow what you are there for? Check the terms, not the reputation. It takes two minutes and it is the mistake most people make.
Is verification free, and does the platform run it? Verification behind a paywall gets skipped by most members, which makes it nearly useless as a signal. Real verification is started by the platform, done in the app, and costs the user nothing.
Who pays, and what does that make you? If one side pays for access to the other, the paying side is the customer. Worth knowing which one you are.
Does the platform touch your money? Almost none of them do, including us. Anywhere claiming to hold, protect or guarantee an allowance is describing something that does not exist.
For the first two: Sugary Match is completely free for sugar babies: no membership, no fees, nothing to pay at any point, and verification is three steps, photo match, ID document and phone number, run by us, in the app, free. We do not accept bots, and we do not handle payments; people arrange money between themselves. That is one option among several, and the questions above are worth asking of all of them.
FAQ
Is Sugarbook legit? Yes. It is a real company delivering a real service. Whether you want to use it is a separate question, and the Malaysian legal history is relevant to answering it.
Is Sugarbook banned? It is blocked in Malaysia, where it was founded, by the communications regulator since February 2021. It operates elsewhere, now from Cyprus.
What happened to the Sugarbook founder? Darren Chan was arrested in February 2021 and held for ten days, investigated over soliciting for prostitution and misuse of network facilities. He pleaded not guilty. No final outcome has been publicly recorded.
How much does Sugarbook cost? Free for women, and free premium for female students with proof of enrolment. Men pay $71.95 a month, $55.95 a month on three months, or $39.95 a month on six. Checked September 2026.
Is Sugarbook on the Play Store? No. Google removed the Android app on 1 September 2021 and it has not returned. Android access is through the web app.
Is Sugarbook better than Seeking? Different problems. Sugarbook is much cheaper and still permits sugar dating; Seeking is larger and more established but banned sugar dating in 2022. Which matters more depends on what you want.
Is Sugarbook safe for sugar babies? As safe as any large platform of this kind. Verification claims are unverifiable from outside, reviewers report scam accounts, and the usual precautions apply.
The honest summary is that Sugarbook tells you what it is, which is rarer in this category than it should be, and it carries a legal history that the sites reviewing it have decided you do not need to know about. Both facts belong in the same paragraph, and now they are.
Sugary Match is completely free for sugar babies: no membership, no fees, nothing to pay at any point. Every account is verified with a photo match, an ID document and a phone number, at no cost to anyone. Have a look, or read how to become a sugar baby first.