SpankPls BDSM Test: What Do the Results Show After 92,000+ People Took It?

About a year ago, we launched the SpankPls BDSM Test. We had no idea what to expect. We hoped a few thousand people would find it useful. What actually happened caught us completely off guard.

92,352 people have now taken the test. We've collected more data on kink archetypes than we ever anticipated, and we figured it was time to share what we learned. The good, the surprising, and the parts we're still working on.

Grab a coffee. This one is worth reading in full.

What Is the SpankPls BDSM Test?

The SpankPls BDSM Test maps your answers to one of 16 kink archetypes. Things like The Tease, The Sensualist, The Disciplinarian, and so on. These aren't just labels. Each archetype describes how you engage with BDSM, what you're drawn to emotionally, and what kind of dynamic tends to work best for you.

The test takes around 10 minutes and is completely free. Here's the part we genuinely care about: it's 100% anonymous. We don't ask for your email. We don't track your identity. The only data we collect is the final archetype result, which we use to improve the test and the app. That's it. No AI is involved in generating results. Everything is built on research, real community input, and a framework we've refined over time.

The Data: What 92,352 BDSM Test Results Actually Tell Us

Here's the full archetype breakdown across all results:

• The Tease — 13,760 (14.9%)
• The Soft One — 11,778 (12.8%)
• The Sensualist — 10,436 (11.3%)
• The Power Player — 8,135 (8.8%)
• The Service Devotee — 7,478 (8.1%)
• The Disciplinarian — 7,124 (7.7%)
• The Pain Artisan — 4,448 (4.8%)
• The Primal — 4,328 (4.7%)
• The Performer — 3,205 (3.5%)
• The Kink Explorer — 3,005 (3.3%)
• The Fetishist — 2,950 (3.2%)
• The Humiliationist — 2,178 (2.4%)
• The Roleplayer — 2,106 (2.3%)
• The Toy Master — 1,774 (1.9%)
• The Ritualist — 1,377 (1.5%)
• The Edge Runner — 785 (0.9%)

The Most Common BDSM Archetype: The Tease (14.9%)

Nearly 1 in 7 people who take the test come out as The Tease. This makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

The Tease is defined by anticipation, denial, and calculated mischief. It's one of the most psychologically rich archetypes and doesn't require any particular equipment or experience level to explore. It's accessible, endlessly creative, and deeply rooted in power dynamics without being overtly intense. For a lot of people discovering kink for the first time, this archetype feels immediately familiar.

One person who took the test put it simply: they got The Tease, and the examples were spot on.

The Least Common BDSM Archetype: The Edge Runner (0.9%)

Only 785 people out of 92,352 came out as The Edge Runner. The archetype is defined by high-risk activities like knife play, breath control, and other extreme edge play.

Edge play requires significant experience, deep trust, and serious safety knowledge. It's not where most people start, and the data reflects that. The low percentage doesn't mean it's less valid. It just means it's genuinely rare, which tracks with what the BDSM community already knows.

What People Said About the BDSM Test

A few months after launch, Evie Lupine, one of the most respected BDSM educators on YouTube, reviewed the test on her channel and called it the best new BDSM test she'd seen. That meant everything to us. Her audience is exactly the kind of community we built this for. You can watch her full review here.

Beyond that, the feedback we've heard most consistently is some version of: "I didn't know there was a name for this."

One user described it this way: they thought the questions were quite generic, but the test nailed their style and experience perfectly and helped them define things about themselves they'd only recently started understanding, despite being in the lifestyle for years.

Another noted they were initially concerned because Dom and sub positions appeared in the same questions, and they're exclusively a sub. But their concerns didn't hold true, and they felt they could accurately express themselves through the answers.

And our personal favourite response: someone told their boyfriend there was a new BDSM test. His reply? "I think you'll find you'll test positive for BDSM."

The anonymity also came up repeatedly. In a space where people are already vulnerable about their desires, not needing to hand over an email address or create an account makes a real difference. Multiple people told us they wouldn't have taken it otherwise.

What People Pushed Back On

We're not going to pretend the feedback has been universally positive. Here's the honest version.

Dom and sub positions grouped together

This was the most consistent piece of critical feedback. One user explained it clearly: giving up control and taking over control are very different things, and grouping them in the same question creates problems for people with distinct relationships to each side of the dynamic.

They're right. We grouped them early on to keep the test simple, but it's something we're actively revisiting.

Some questions felt vague or leading

Several people flagged that certain questions were worded in ways that made the direction feel obvious, or that the slider labels didn't match the questions well. Others found the early questions vague, particularly around whether they were being asked about what they liked doing versus what they liked having done to them. These are fair points and we've been working on them.

Results didn't always feel accurate

Not everyone got a result that resonated. The 16-archetype framework is deliberately broad enough to be useful for most people, but it doesn't capture everyone perfectly. Especially those who sit between archetypes or have very specific kink profiles.

People wanted more after getting their results

Several people wanted to understand not just what their archetype is, but what to actually do with that information. We've improved the results page since launch and released our Kink Exploration Guides, but there's clearly more we can do here.

What We're Building Next

We're not treating the BDSM Test as a finished product. Here's what's coming:

More neutral question framing to reduce the feeling of leading answers. Separate handling of Dom and sub tendencies within questions, so people who lean exclusively one way can express that more clearly. A deeper results experience that gives real context around what your archetype means in practice. Better visibility of secondary archetype scores, so you can see how your style blends across types. And eventually, the ability to retake the test over time and track how your archetype evolves.

Ready to Find Your Kink Archetype?

The BDSM Test is free, takes about 10 minutes, and doesn't require an email or account of any kind. We built it because we wanted something genuinely useful. Something that gives you clarity, not just a label.

If you've already taken it, we'd love to hear what archetype you got and whether it felt accurate. Drop it in the comments.

Take the SpankPls BDSM Test here: spankpls.com/bdsm-test

We're building this with you, not just for you. 🖤

The SpankPls Team