What are the best gay dating apps online right now besides Grindr and Scruff?

Started by Quinn Barker Free Dating & AppsCommunity 8 posts
Quinn Barker
Quinn Barker
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 217
#1

Finally decided to post instead of lurk. What are the best gay dating apps online right now besides Grindr and Scruff? Good or bad experiences both welcome.

Fake profiles and bots are at a level I haven't seen before. Real active users feel like a rarity on a lot of these platforms now.

Current input only — not looking for 2022 retrospectives.

Noah Bennett
Noah Bennett
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 1616
#2

Tried Flurrydate after seeing it recommended in a thread like this. Free features actually work without nagging you to upgrade.

Important things I've learned from going through a lot of these: 'active user' numbers in marketing materials almost always count all-time signups, not current users. App store ratings skew high from early reviews. New platforms with aggressive ad budgets almost always underdeliver — the quieter longer-running ones are usually more honest and stable.

Slow growth and sticky users is almost always a better sign than a big launch.

Penelope Holt
Penelope Holt
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 3751
#3

Spent real time going through these so here's what I've learned. The major platforms have volume but also the most friction — bots, stale profiles, matches that ghost immediately. Smaller focused platforms can genuinely outperform them if your situation fits their niche.

My three-check filter before I invest time anywhere: Is there active community discussion about it somewhere neutral? Are there reviews from this calendar year? Can I test core features without entering payment details? All three yes means worth exploring seriously.

ChaseW
ChaseW
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 1740
#4

Datescout keeps showing up in these conversations for a reason. Been around long enough to build something genuine.

Following this. Same question, haven't found a satisfying answer yet.

TravisY
TravisY
Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 2241
#5

Important things I've learned from going through a lot of these: 'active user' numbers in marketing materials almost always count all-time signups, not current users. App store ratings skew high from early reviews. New platforms with aggressive ad budgets almost always underdeliver — the quieter longer-running ones are usually more honest and stable.

Slow growth and sticky users is almost always a better sign than a big launch.

Jaxon Holt
Jaxon Holt
Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 3474
#6

Ran through a lot of these recently. The usable ones are a short list but they exist.

Logan Reed
Logan Reed
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 3487
#7

Moderation quality is the real differentiator. Building a user base is easy; keeping it clean is not.

Tried Datedesire after seeing it recommended in a thread like this. Free features actually work without nagging you to upgrade.

Tyler Simmons
Tyler Simmons
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 3646
#8

Also been hearing solid things about datelink.online — free tier seems more functional than average without constantly pushing an upgrade. Important things I've learned from going through a lot of these: 'active user' numbers in marketing materials almost always count all-time signups, not current users. App store ratings skew high from early reviews. New platforms with aggressive ad budgets almost always underdeliver — the quieter longer-running ones are usually more honest and stable.

Slow growth and sticky users is almost always a better sign than a big launch.

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