As a gay man, dating can be difficult. For straight people, dating is a little more — for a lack of better words — straightforward. Straight folk can walk up to one another and assume that the other is most likely straight. For gay men, hitting on a guy in public isn’t always as easy. Unintentionally hitting on a straight dude isn’t the most comfortable of situations, and quite honestly, it sometimes can get a little dangerous. This is why the best gay dating apps are an effortless, safe way to find love for LGBTQ+ folk.
Sure, gay bars are typically a surefire way to meet other gay men in the flesh — and let’s not forget about your straight besties using the classic saying, “I have a gay friend! You guys should meet!” But, sometimes both circumstances can lead to extra awkward encounters. For example, maybe the guy you met at the gay bar is looking for a quick bathroom hookup, or the dude you’re set up with on a blind date isn’t really your type. The best gay dating apps let you choose who you would like to chat with through matching and messaging, allowing you to find guys that are your type quickly and easily.
Scruff takes the basic dating app experience, and tailors it to gay guys looking for burly, furry men, also known as bears, polar bears, cubs and otters. You know this name: Grindr brands itself as the world's largest dating app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people, but it's particularly the ideal gay paradise for men who are tired of Tinder.
The best gay dating apps are easy to download on both Apple and Android devices. We’re not going to lie to you, some of the best gay dating apps also make for some of the best hookup apps, but if that’s not your gig, you’re just going to have to skim through the “right now” types and find yourself someone that’s looking to date. From gay dating apps you might already have downloaded on your phone to ones you’ve never even heard of before, read on and discover where you should search for your newest boo thang.
1. eHarmony
BEST FOR LONG-TERM
It might not have been your first thought, but eHarmony makes for one of the best gay dating apps you can use in 2021. You’ve likely been hearing about eHarmony since before you came out, thinking to yourself “I’d never use eHarmony.” But, trust us, eHarmony has been helping LGBTQ+ folk find love for years. It’s considered the world’s number one trusted dating app and claims that people find love on the app every 14 minutes. Unlike a lot of the best gay dating apps, it prioritizes long-term love and commitment, so you’ll weed out all of the “looking?” and “right now” types simply by joining.
© Provided by SPY Best Gay Dating App eHarmony2. Hinge
RUNNER UP
If you’ve ever downloaded Tinder before, there’s a solid chance you’ve also had Hinge. Hinge calls itself the app that’s “designed to be deleted”. They want users to find love so they can get off dating apps once and for all. Like eHarmony, this app isn’t only for LGBTQ+ folk, but they really have an excellent way of making people in the LGBTQ+ community feel included and accepted. Hinge allows you to create a profile that includes photos and prompts to get other users to want to like you. It places your profile amongst a slew of others in hopes you find your match. When searching, you can respond directly to potential match’s photos or prompts for a better chance of matching.
© Provided by SPY Best Gay Dating App Hinge3. Grindr
MOST UNEXPECTED
Before you turn away, hear us out. Yes, finding love on Grindr is possible. Sure, you’re absolutely going to have to weed out all of the dudes looking for non-serious endeavors, but there are a ton of great guys on Grindr open to finding something serious. For those of you who’ve never had a Grindr account, the app shows a grid of people in closest proximity to your profile, with the first person on the grid before geographically the closest to your location. This typically makes it easy to find quick fun with someone in your area but is also great for finding handsome men date-ready for the weekend. With the free version, you can find your type by singling out people in specific age ranges, tribes and even by what they’re looking for. So, if you’re looking for something serious, we suggest searching by the “relationship” option.
© Provided by SPY Grindr Best Gay Dating App4. Hornet
BIGGEST SPECTRUM
There are over 30 million users on Hornet, making it one of the most popular gay dating apps in the entire world. Hornet allows for any kind of LGBTQ+ connection, from relationships to hookups to friendships to networking to simple chats. Hornet considers your profile a “portrait of you” by displaying short moments of your life, from videos to pictures to all of your best-loved interests. It allows folks from any spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community to connect on a level unlike any other. Find your next best friend, follow your buddies, meet a lover, even explore what’s going on in the world of LGBTQ+ folks around the globe through Hornet’s feed. It really is the gay app.
© Provided by SPY Hornet5. Taimi
FIRST OF ITS KIND
Find your one and only with Taimi, the first fully inclusive LGBTQ+ dating app, hosting over 10 million users worldwide. Swipe and match with folks covering all colors of the rainbow and find people you’re interested in both romantically and friendly. Unlike a lot of the best gay dating apps, Taimi offers video and call messages so you can chat with your match before meeting in person, making this one of the safest gay dating apps available. Create posts and stories the way you would on Instagram and make your profile as lively as you are. With so many incredible people worldwide using Taimi, we’re sure you’ll find a connection.
© Provided by SPY Taimi6. SURGE
NO ADS
If there’s anything we know about the best gay dating apps, it’s that the majority come with ads upon ads. For real. Download Grindr right now and try messaging at least one guy without stopping for an ad about Pokemon Go. It’s overwhelming. Thankfully, SURGE prioritizes an ad-free space to chat with other LGBTQ+ men in your area. The app works a lot like Tinder and focuses on left and right swipes to find your match with a priority toward the LGBTQ+ community. Once you match, you can see your connection’s secret pictures they’ve upload, too. Create your profile in minutes and get finding the one for you!
© Provided by SPY SURGE7. Adam4Adam
BEST MALE ONLY
A lot of the best gay dating apps have really transformed themselves over the past couple of years to become more LGBTQ+ friendly by allowing non-binary, transgender and queer folk from all over the spectrum to join. While we’re incredibly happy to see these originally gay-only apps have reinvented their identity, some gay men only want to chat with other gay men. If that’s you, your best bet is Adam4Adam. Adam4Adam, otherwise known as A4A, has been around for 15 years and is currently said to be the industry-leading gay social network. No matter what you’re looking for A4A’s got it for you. Browse unlimited profiles in five different grids from your location, check guys out in other cities you’re traveling to, see who has favorited you, select specific filters and more.
© Provided by SPY Adam4Adam Best Gay Dating AppLove what you’re seeing? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and be the first to hear about new product launches, the latest trends and can’t miss deals you won’t find anywhere else.
Are you a single and Gay hoping to find a likeminded individual? You have come to right place. I have put together the top ten Gay Dating Apps in 2017 that actually work. Read on to find your special someone today.Dating was never easy, be you gay or straight, this tricky land mine of a thing has always been one of the hardest parts of finding someone. Specially, if you are gay, it gets harder to meet likeminded people, because well, sexual orientation is not stamped on people’s forehead now is it guys? But, recently there have been pretty successful apps in function that caters to Gay Dating, bringing together a directory full of single people looking to find their partner.Before we dive right in to the bare bones of the list, I would like to just say that we are not affiliated in form with these App companies and receive no form of handouts in cash or kind to promote them. So, feel free to go through our Editor’s Choice of the 10 Best Gay Dating Apps in 2017.Gay Dating AppsPlatformOk CupidAndroid/iOSGrindrAndroid/iOSHornetAndroid/iOSZooskAndroid/iOSScruffAndroid/iOSHER
Android/iOSU2niteAndroid/iOSBumbleAndroid/iOSTinderAndroid/iOSElite Singles
Android/iOS
OK Cupid
This app makes the first on our list, because this is such an all inclusive App that also comes in the form of a website. They have a whooping number of users from all sexual orientations making it not just safe but an authentic place to meet a single gay man or woman of your choice.
New Gay Dating Apps 2020
Being a state of the art app, like most dating apps, a user needs to log in and register through their social media apps like Facebook and Istagram. Even if the app’s user interface can be a little lengthy yet, because of its authentic active users this is one of the safest places for you to find your partner in like.The small thumbnail size picture for a user on the app can be a little weird for a user but you can always click on ‘View in Large’ to get a better look of your potential partner. This App caters so well to so many different people that being Gay and having a hard time to find someone who is on the same boat has gotten easier.This App is available for IOS and Andriod users.
Grindr
If you are queer, bi-curious, gay, and bisexual and happen to be a man, then Gridr is the app that is developed only for you. This main is aimed at gay men and has picked up quite the reputation of being pretty successful.This app has five million active users over 196 countries. Created with a geo-location pattern, this app matches you with single gay men within your location. Like Facebook, they indicate whether a user is online or not and you can just scroll through profiles till you have met your partner or at least found someone interesting.
Hornet
With over 10 million gay members as active users, this app is the second largest site dedicated to gay relationships on the internet. May it be serious or casual, you are sure to find people with similar likes and dislikes in their directory.Over 18 million profile sign ups from cities like Houston, New York, L.A, and this app is catered for gay men looking for a connection. This app is user friendly and easy to connect with, as all you need is a social media account. It is a safe place to find what you are looking for and now it also comes in a desktop version.So it does not matter what device you may be on, this app is for everyone. Available on IOS and Andriod, this is one of those smart apps for Gay dating that actually gets you authentic results.
Also Check Best Hookup Apps for getting laidNew Gay Dating Apps Free
Zoosk
This app has a large database of active users, making it a very friendly option if you are gay, because chances are that you will meet someone with your suit. With 40 Million users this app will ask you to fill in a short survey when you are registering so they can find the right fit for you.
Hookup Apps
What’s really cool is that you can filter your partners through zip codes, meaning this app will help you find a single person in your area as soon as you register. This app is IOS and Android user friendly, and also comes in your desktop, making it impossible for you to ignore.Scruff
If you are gay and you are a man then this app is definitely built to get you results. With 12million and more men’s profiles as active users, this app generated a lot of buzz since 2016.Now here’s what makes this state of the art app stand out from the rest, that this is not an app to just help gay men find each other, but it has elaborated listings of enhanced events listing for gay men with early RSVP options, it also finds you single gay men in your area with their gps match finder and with interactive push messages for you to find your special partner.Here is the best part of this app, it is global which means you can gay travel and meet exotic likeminded people of your sexual orientation from different cultures across the world. Available on IOS and Andriod this is one of the most user interactive apps on our list.HER
Oh com’n! I could never forget the women and their requirements. Too many apps for gay men, well this is one of the best apps for Gay Women looking to have an encounter and find their partner.This is your largest community in one place for gay, queer, bisexual women, so you can make the queer or gay friend you have always wanted. Very much like Scruff, as we covered above this app is catered as a wholesome database of gay women, where they cannot just date and meet someone special, but gets all the LGTBQ news in their app and is updated with all events across the world.This app is available on IOS and Android so go ahead and find your partner, your device really doesn’t matter anymore.Check out Dating Apps for LesbiansThis app again is catered towards gay men and its pretty clear from their promotional pictures. Yet, it has proved to be a very active app for gay men looking to have an encounter with a partner.What makes this app rather unique is their robust privacy settings, you can hide your location if you are insecure or even shy. It’s a good app for gay men who are introverts and having difficulties in approaching people.With is growing data base this is one of those apps that instantly catches your attention with good user interface.Available on both IOS and Android, this app is sure to help you find your sweetheart today.Searching for Best Gay Dating Apps? Here it is!Bumble
Even if this app does not strictly say it’s for queer and gay women but its 90% users are women looking to have a connection with another woman.This is a lot like tinder; you swipe right if you like them, left if you don’t. But the catch is,a chances are you will more gay, queer and bisexual single people here. But these are regulars, what makes this app a safe place for people and especially same sex relationships is that, you have 24 hours to reply to a potential partner. If there is no response, your message shall be deleted. That means no more unwanted notifications and messages.Available on both IOS and Android, this is an app you can play very well with.Tinder
Okay, so we all know Tinder is for everybody, no matter how gay or how straight you may be. You are sure to find someone you like on their very easy app. You swipe left if you don’t like them and right if you do.You have the liberty to un-match yourself if you are matched with someone you are not into. With being one of the most active dating apps, this is a huge place to find your same-sex partners.This is one of the safest apps to be at, with your social media account registration, it secures your proper identity, making it easier for your Gay friends to trust you.Of course, this is available on both IOS and Android.Last but not the least;Elite Singles
Elite Singles is a fantastic place to meet educated and high end LGTBQ people looking to connect. If you are in to snooty education and mature partners, this is the place for you. 90% of its users come with a bachelors and masters degree and are looking to seriously date someone.It’s a very simple interface where you register and you are asked a five point personality questions and the app will match you with people according to your information. You get sort them on distance, education, smoking etc.If you are gay and you want to find serious encounters in dating, this is the right app for you to have.Definitely available on both Android and IOS platforms.So, that was our best picks for your dating services in your palm. Dating is so hard in a time when everyone has their two cents, our needs are becoming more and more compact, but these mentioned apps are sure to get you closer to your ‘special’ someone.But a word of caution from someone who has been on dating apps, never share your bank details with your date on the first meet or even ever for all we care. And, always let someone know where you are, location wise. Being smart goes the distance, and makes you a better candidate for someone’s love interest.