I want to give an honest assessment of Couchsurfing in 2025 because the platform has changed significantly since its peak and most coverage is either nostalgic or dismissive.

The current state: Couchsurfing went through a disastrous monetization move in 2020 (mandatory verification fee during COVID when nobody was traveling) that destroyed user trust and drove mass departures. The platform lost a large portion of its active hosting community. It still functions but the density of reliable hosts per city is lower than it was in 2015-2018.

Where it still works well: smaller cities and less-visited destinations where the hosts who stayed are genuinely committed to the concept. Asking for a couch in Kraków, Tbilisi, or Medellín is more likely to succeed than asking in Paris or Barcelona where hosts burned out from the volume.

The meetup function: many cities still have active Couchsurfing meetup groups that operate independently of the accommodation function. These are free social events (usually at a bar) organized by local members. The meetups are worth attending even if you're not surfing — they're a mix of locals who like meeting travelers and travelers who have just arrived.

The Trustroots alternative: a newer nonprofit platform (free, no fees, open-source) that has attracted many of the hosts who left Couchsurfing. Smaller database but higher concentration of motivated hosts. Worth checking alongside Couchsurfing for any destination.