Best sites · Orientation & identity
For gay dating, Grindr has the biggest community of gay and bi men, Hinge is best if you want a relationship, and Tinder’s gay settings open up a huge pool. LGB adults use online dating far more than straight adults.
Biggest community
The most popular app for gay and bi men, with free unlimited messaging.
Visit Grindr| Site | Fit for gay men | Overall | Best for | Free version | Paid from | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grindr | Gay and bi men meeting people nearby | Yes | ≈ $14.99 (US App Store) | Visit | ||
| Hinge | Finding a relationship in your 20s and 30s | Yes | ≈ $16.99 (US App Store) | Visit | ||
| Taimi | LGBTQ+ singles of every identity | Yes | ≈ $5.99/mo (Taimi’s own comparison) | Visit | ||
| SCRUFF | Gay and bi men who want more than a grid | Yes | ≈ $9.99 (US App Store) | Visit | ||
| Tinder | Meeting lots of people fast | Yes | ≈ $9.99 (US App Store) | Visit |
We rank for this audience, so the order follows the fit score. The overall rating reflects the site as a whole. How we score.
Fit for gay men · Overall rating 3.8
Best for: Gay and bi men meeting people nearby
The largest community for gay, bi, trans and queer men, showing people nearby in a grid. Messaging is free and unlimited; paying removes ads and adds filters.
Fit for gay men · Overall rating 4.5
Best for: Finding a relationship in your 20s and 30s
Relationship-focused and popular with gay men in cities. Prompts and dating intentions make it easy to find men who want something serious. Free to match and message.
Fit for gay men · Overall rating 3.9
Best for: LGBTQ+ singles of every identity
An LGBTQ+-first app that mixes dating with a social feed and video calls. A good choice if you want community as well as dates.
Fit for gay men · Overall rating 3.7
Best for: Gay and bi men who want more than a grid
A long-running alternative to Grindr for gay, bi and queer men, with events and travel listings. Handy if you travel often or want a different crowd.
Fit for gay men · Overall rating 4.0
Best for: Meeting lots of people fast
A huge mixed user base where you can set who you want to see. That makes it a solid second app for men who date men, especially in cities.
Gay men dating online want different things, and each of the big apps suits a different goal:
Many gay men use two: Grindr or SCRUFF for meeting people nearby, plus Hinge for something serious.
Very. In Pew Research Center’s 2022 survey, 51% of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults said they had used a dating site or app, compared with 28% of straight adults. Among partnered LGB adults, 24% met their current partner online, compared with 9% of straight adults (Pew Research Center, 2023). In the UK, Grindr was the fourth most-used dating service in May 2024, reaching 913,000 adults, according to Ofcom (Ofcom, 2025).
Every one of these gay dating sites and apps has a free version. Grindr and SCRUFF let you message for free, Tinder lets you match and message for free, and Hinge’s free plan limits likes but not messages. So if you want a gay dating app free of charge, start with Grindr for volume and Hinge for relationships, and pay only if the limits get in the way.
Looking for dating apps for gay women instead? See our ranking of lesbian dating sites, or our LGBTQ+ dating sites if you want a dating app for gay people of every gender.
If you’re a gay man dating for a relationship, say so on your profile and use apps with longer profiles, such as Hinge. A clear first photo and one or two specific details about your life give people something to reply to, which a blank profile never does.
Use the privacy settings each app offers, such as hiding your distance, and keep chats in the app until you trust someone. Video call before meeting; it’s the quickest way to check a match is real.
We ranked sites on match quality, features, value, safety and ease of use, and weighed how well each fits this audience. See how we rate dating sites.
Grindr has the biggest community of gay and bi men and free unlimited messaging, so it’s the best for meeting people nearby. Hinge is the best gay dating app for relationships, thanks to detailed profiles and dating intentions. Many men use both at the same time.
Yes. Tinder, Hinge and Bumble all let you choose who you want to see and add your orientation to your profile if you want to. Their huge user bases mean plenty of gay and bi men in most cities, and matching and messaging are free. They work well alongside Grindr.
Hinge is the strongest choice: prompts and dating intentions make it easy to find men who want something serious, and messaging matches is free. Taimi also works for relationship-minded men who want an LGBTQ+-first community, while eHarmony and Match suit men over 35.
Yes. Grindr and SCRUFF let you message for free, and Tinder, Hinge and Taimi are free to match and message too. Paid plans add extras such as unlimited likes, advanced filters or no ads, but you don’t need them to meet people.
Use the privacy tools each app offers, such as hiding your distance on Grindr. Keep chats on the app at first, video call before meeting, meet in public and never send money or private photos to someone you don’t trust. Check local laws when you travel.