Most of us out in this world are looking to share our lives with a partner. For many years big online dating sites only catered to straight monogamous people. Of course there were always places for LGBTQ+ people to meet and date but they were far more niche than the bigger, heterosexually aimed alternative. Now, though, there are so many options for people in the LGBTQ+ community to find a partner and love. Most people have heard of Grindr, but it is far from the only one. There are plenty of good alternatives to Grindr out there and each and every one of them caters specifically to LGBTQ+ people.
At a quick glance, here are our top picks for alternatives:
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What is Grindr?
Grindr is a site that is specifically designed for gay of bisexual male dating. It was certainly one of the first apps or sites that catered specifically to this demographic. Many people have found great partners and relationships from this app. From the beginning it was an incredibly progressive app that many thought would not have a future as they dubbed the gay community too small or insignificant to make the site successful. However, this couldn’t be further than the truth. Since its’ beginning in 2009, it has grown to be accessible in nearly 196 countries! Not only that, it is used by roughly 3.6 million users daily. It rapidly grew in popularity, and now it is a hallmark of current popular culture.
This app has allowed its users something that they hadn’t gotten before it, a space specifically for them. When it was first founded it was a trailblazer and a completely new type of app, thankfully many other sites and apps have stepped up to the plate and created similar environments that cater to gay or bisexual men looking to meet other men.
Grindr offers a lot of different features that both make it like other big dating apps and differentiate it from others. Grindr, without an upgrade is free to use and is supported by ad revenue. Its use is very simple as all you have to do is put in some basic details about yourself and then ad a small bio section about yourself.
While Grindr offers the normal “stats” section, such as height, weight, relationship status, etc. It also adds stats that are specific to the gay community such as their “tribe” like other, bear, twink, jock, etc. And an option to fill out information about their sexual health like their HIV/AIDS status and their last screening for it. Obviously this app wants their users to have the best, and safest time possible, and for this they should be commended.
This app also offers great scam management. Their company is completely safe and the closest thing to a “scam” you might find are profiles that are bots but they’re not going to try to steal your money, they’re just there to fill out your options and are easy to spot as the pictures are too perfect and the profiles are too bare.
Top 3 Best Grindr Alternative Dating Sites
Gay Friend Finder
Among the best website picks is Gay Friend Finder. Like Grindr it is specifically made for the gay community and reflects that in its membership. It tends to have a more middle aged median for demographics. It is incredibly simple to use and you can modify the site to find people based on all sorts of different filters and you can view your results in a simple list or grid formations.
They also have notifications for when someone messages you, like your pictures or videos, or even if they’ve just looked at your profile. This makes finding guys who are interested in you simpler than ever.
To top it all off, it is free! You can use all of these features for free. As for the paid membership you can spring for the silver membership for $22.99 or a gold membership for $34.99.
The company that owns it is very respectable and actually runs many other sites under the “…. friend finder” for all sorts of different communities.
GROWLr
This is a site is not specifically for all gay men, but gay men who are bears and those who love them. Of course it is more of a niche site than Grindr. But do not write it off completely, who doesn’t love a big strong man? Who knows, you could find your next partner in a place you never expected.
Obviously the members for this site are bears and their fans. It also is said to be very similar to Grindr in both set up and features. All the basic features like messaging, searching, and show your interest in other pictures or profiles, but it also has a more socially oriented side.
They go about this in a very unique and original way though! What they offer is, if you upgrade and spring for a paid subscription (which is called Growlr Pro) you can turn your phone, tablet, or computer into a hotspot where other Growlr users can access, so long as they’re within range, and have access to all of your Growlr Pro features regardless of whether or not they’ve actually paid to upgrade. So, if you and a friend of yours a both looking for you perfect, big, burly man, you could technically split a subscription between the two (or more) of you.
Speaking of price, Growlr offers different paid options for its users. Whether you want to use it for a short time or a long time it has a little something for everyone. A one month subscription will cost $9.99, a three month subscription will cost $23.99 (or $8 a month), and a six month subscription will cost $44.99 (or $7.50 a month). It truly is not a dating site that will break the bank.
Finally they, like the others on this list, are a legitimate site. While this doesn’t guarantee that everyone you meet on there will be a good or decent person, it does guarantee that the company itself will not put you in harm’s way on purpose. Of course you must always take into account your personal security but as far as dating sites go, this is as safe as any other on this list.
Surge
Now surge is a newer site, so while it still makes the list because of its features and reviews. Depending on where you are it may be full of singles close to you or it may be a little more bare. Regardless, it is at least worth a shot as it is a good site with fun interactions.
Surge uses the simple swipe style for matching with potential dates. If you’re interested in a guy you can simply swipe to the right, and if you’re just not feeling him you can swipe to the left. If he also swipes right on you then you guys can start messaging and chatting with each other and decide whether or not you would like to take your romance real world.
You can spring for a paid membership for either one, three, or six month pricing starting at only $3.50 a month! Now that is a good deal.
Finally, it is a completely transparent and honest site. They aren’t looking to take you or anyone else for their money. They are also very well reviewed by the users they have. Not only are they happy with the results they seemed to have fun with journey getting there which, as we all know, is half the fun.
Top 3 Best Grindr Alternative Dating Apps
Scruff
This app is not only for gay, bi, or pansexual men seeking men, but also for transgender men seeking men, which is a long forgotten group in the LBGTQ+ dating app scene. Just like Grindr its interface is incredibly simple to use and will be free to use unless you upgrade. You are able to message other members directly or use the sites “woof” feature to express interest in a user (it’s sort of like a “like” button)
If you want to upgrade from a free subscription you can look at paying, in general, $19.99 a month. This could change based on how many times you buy a months subscription and location may change it as well, but in general that’s what a user may be paying a month.
Lastly, most of Scruffs users are happy users. They find the site interesting, fun, and scam free. The company that owns Scruff is legitimate and not a scam. Their goal is to keep their users happy, not to scam them. So paying for a subscription to Scruff could be paying for an exciting experience on a new site and shouldn’t be something to be afraid of.
OkCupid
Alright, so obviously OkCupid is not exclusively for gay or bi men looking for men. However, since they have gay friendly options they attract a huge gay following. The app itself is already very popular and that goes for the gay community as well. This means that you’ll have plenty of potential people to message, meet, and maybe date.
It also is geared towards a younger crowd, not necessarily that all of its users are young just that they have an interface that is hip and fun to use. What makes OkCupid so unique is that it takes bits and pieces from different sites and puts them together as the best possible combination of them all. With its mix of advanced algorithms, non-traditional questions, and extra filters it gives users a deeper look into matches and actually brags about 50,000 dates per week. Clearly people are happy and finding people via the site.
As for price OkCupid does have a free version of the app that anyone can use. If you would like to unlock all of the features that are offered you can pay for a membership and get more of the features than are offered in the free version.
For a paid membership you will pay $19.95 for one month, $14.95 a month for a three month membership, and $9.95 a month for a six month membership. Buying in bulk can really pay off. Finally this is an incredibly safe site. Between its age (it started in 2004), its happy members, and it’s safe company, everything about OkCupid is a green flag.
Tiami
Tiami is a dating site for the LGBTQ+ community that has set its site on becoming one of the biggest and most safe gay online dating communities. That’s a pretty big feat, but they’re actually well on their way to doing it!
Not only are they gaining members in a flash, they’ve also implemented a lot of different things to keep their members safe both online and in real life. Some of those features include two factor authentication for log in, AI to verify users and find fraudulent accounts. They’re certainly going the extra mile for its users.
Since these things tend to resonate more with younger users who are more in touch with their online security the members reflect that. Most users tend to be between 18 and 34, though there are members from every adult age group.
This is a newer app, just developed in 2017, but it is a more pricey one. It does offer a free membership which is perfectly usable, but all the features are unlocked when you buy a membership.
For a 7 day membership with Taimi XL it will cost $14.99, for a one month membership it will cost $41.99, and for a three month membership it will cost $53.99. So while it does cost a little more, if you’re going to buy a one month membership, you might as well buy a three month membership for only $12 more and two months more time.
Need To Know About Gay Online Dating
Gay online dating is growing more and more popular in this day and age. The facts only back that up, in fact roughly 70% of gay couples meet online! Clearly gay online daters have found a good bit of success. Once that success has reached the final stage, marriage, researchers at Cornell University say that marriages founded on online dating are actually stronger.
This isn’t to say it will all be a day at the beach. You’ll have your bad starts, awkward dates, and creepers. The most important thing, above all, is to remember to keep yourself safe both physically and emotionally. Don’t go on dates you think will put you in danger and don’t go out with people who give you a bad feeling. You both need and deserve this respect and care from yourself.
Verdict
The winners are…. Gay Friend Finder and Taimi!
Gay Friend Finder is the winner in the sites because the site is completely usable for free, a fun experience and everyone who uses it leaves nearly nothing but glowing reviews. It could be worth investigating especially if you’re looking for more long term relationships. Taimi may be a newer app, but an app that is trying to give its users the safest experience shouldn’t get any less attention than this. Not only that but its’ users are also incredibly happy. Especially for a new app it has plenty of active users. While it is one of the more pricey options, it may just be the app that is the most deserving of your money for a great experience.
Check out the picks:
