Finding love can be a challenging prospect, especially when you don’t know where to look. Thankfully, apps like Grindr have made it infinitely more accessible, and there are numerous alternatives to Grindr that can help fulfill that purpose. I found my special someone through one of these apps, so here are fourteen apps like Grindr.
Fourteen apps like Grindr include:
- Taimi
- The League
- Dandy
- Scruff
- Growlr
- Feeld
- Gaydar
- Hinge
- Lex
- Hornet
- Jack’d
- Her
- JSwipe
These apps offer a safe space for LGBTQI potentials and cater to romantic relationships, hookups, and making friends.
You may be reading this with a hint of disbelief and feeling disheartened, but don’t give in to that despair. The list of apps are great picks that do not even require you to leave the comfort of your home, so buckle up, let’s get to it.
1. Taimi
Taimi is a dating and social networking app for LGBTQI+ persons. The network, which operates on iOS and Android, matches internet users based on their tastes and geography.
There are two versions of the smartphone app: a free version and a premium version that requires a subscription. Taimi started as a homosexual men’s internet dating service. However, the firm has already said that it intends to release an LGBTQI+ inclusive version.
Taimi now offers LGBTQ+ persons social networking and dating services such as live streaming, video calling, and chatting. Furthermore, it is available in 45 countries, including the United States, Canada, Italy, Australia, Singapore, and Brazil.
Furthermore, they take their security very seriously. Thus it is a much safer place than Grindr – a space free from harassment and bullying – making it an excellent place to meet members of the LGBTQI community.
Taimi’s basic version is completely free. Premium features, which need a membership, are also available; however, these are entirely optional. The Taimi app does not demand payments, memberships, or fees to enjoy dating, social networking, or live streaming.
2. The League
The League is a dating app for individuals looking for a genuine, loving, and honest relationship. Other applications may be more ambiguous about what a relationship looks or feels like, but The League is for people seeking love.
Even though the app is for everyone, most LGBTQ users are homosexual. The League is unusual in that it provides users with a nightly “Happy Hour” in which the app’s algorithm provides you with anywhere from 3 to 7 matches.
The League’s users are primarily well-educated and career-oriented. They want to find their soul mate—a companion who will compliment them, walk with them in their jobs, and support them.
Users link their LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, then choose their match choices based on gender, age, height, distance, education, religion, and ethnicity. A representative gets appointed to each user who may address app-related queries.
Users can swipe right to indicate an interest in a possible match or swipe left to pass, just as on Tinder. Users are only shown five prospective matches each day by the League. Members can then go ahead and arrange events and form organizations. Women who want to freeze their eggs can use the League’s tool.
3. Dandy
If you’re constantly seeking for new people to meet, Dandy is one of the most innovative, engaging, and effective ways to do so.
Upon installation, the program displays a countdown that indicates when the next virtual party or meeting of other users will occur. When the app becomes live at the end of the countdown, all participants will receive a push notification inviting them to join the party and get to see a photo of another guy or female.
If both users “like” each other within five seconds, they move to a two-minute instant messaging session. After the little talk, if both parties still “like” each other, their phone numbers will be unlocked, allowing future communication. The fact that these live events happen at random and without a clear timetable is part of the app’s appeal.
Unlike other dating apps, Dandy does restrict itself to certain areas. Users must submit an email address from their institution and their Instagram account to utilize the app. Users can chat in a safe and verified circle among fellow USC students because of this added protection.
Dandy allows students to network and meet gorgeous people in a pleasant environment without having to deal with large crowds at a frat party or a really exclusive tiny event, making life easier by connecting you with individuals in your neighborhood in a faster, safer, and more enjoyable way.
4. Scruff
Scruff is an iOS and Android-based international social network for guys looking for men. Users may post profiles and images and search for other members based on their location and related interests. Users may send direct messages to other users or utilize the app’s “Woof” function to demonstrate an interest in another user’s profile.
It has more than 15 million subscribers spread over 180 countries on six continents. Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Chinese, and Arabic are ten languages. Scruff is free to use, but you may upgrade to Scruff Pro for a monthly cost. It allows you to search indefinitely, apply criteria, and arrange your grid of prospective matches.
According to CEO Eric Silverberg, Scruff has a reputation for being primarily a hookup app, but that is not the case. Scruff members have met their partners and wives from all over the world, and they’ve had their fair share of success stories over the years.
Scruff Match is a significant feature that distinguishes Scruff, an app for homosexual, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, from its competitors: single boys seeking dates only get shown to other single guys who are interested in dating or partnerships.
On an app like Scruff, one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd is to use a great face shot. A clear view of your face, which will stand out amid a sea of torsos and fuzzy pictures. It allows you to search indefinitely, apply criteria, and arrange your grid of prospective matches. Scruff is free, but you may upgrade to Scruff Pro for a monthly cost.
5. Growlr
A Bear is a homosexual man that is a part of the LGBT community that is highly accepting. Some are hairy, muscular, and heavy-set, whereas others lack these characteristics. Growlr is free, quick, dependable, and simple to use.
The app claims to have over 200,000 daily users and 10 million subscribers. It has a devoted following thanks to being one of the first geosocial dating applications to enter the market. It is now ranked third in the US market, after Grindr and Scruff.
With GROWLr’s Live Video function, users may live-stream broadcasts and video chat with other users for free, encouraging them to stay at home and practice social distance. One-on-one video will be available and broader broadcasts similar to those found on Instagram.
6. Feeld
Feeld, a dating app for all genders and sexual identities that first launched in 2014, aims to provide an inclusive place where everyone can be honest with themselves while also responsible for others.
Feeld is an iOS and Android location-based online dating software that connects individuals interested in casual sex, polyamory, kink, swinging, and other unusual sexual preferences like having many partners at once. Many users are on the app with a partner, and 45 percent identify as anything other than heterosexual.
The software gives users a choice of more than 20 gender and sexual identity possibilities and the possibility of pairing profiles with a partner for polyamorous couples or couples wishing to explore together. It tries to mainstream non-monogamy and unorthodox relationship patterns.
You may either download the app for free or upgrade to a Majestic Membership to access extra features like seeing who has already liked you. It includes new features such as seeing who has picked you on the app, uploading private photographs that are only viewable to your Connections, and having more privacy choices.
Feeld prides itself on being a place where you may explore your relationships and meet new people, and it considers itself to be one of the world’s largest open-minded communities. They allow you to experience Feeld as a couple by pairing profiles with a partner, a lover, or a curious friend.
7. Gaydar
The Gaydar website’s design serves as a tool to connect gay and bisexual guys worldwide for friendships, hookups, dating, and partnerships, even though its initial start was for desktops only. Users build a personal member’s profile that they may use to connect with and contact other registered users.
Registered users can view online lists of people currently signed into the site and listings of all active profiles. Users can send messages and engage in chat rooms, except for the Australian and Irish chat rooms, only available in English.
Gaydar VIP, which has extra features and privileges, is available to those that subscribe to a premium account. Members may upload more images to an ‘album’ related to their profile, which other members can view.
Members account for almost a third of all users. Other site limits apply to visitors, including a daily limit of 8 messages sent and 25 profiles seen and a limit on the number of chat rooms that are accessible at the same time. Guests can’t visit sent message archives, can’t use the friend’s list, and can’t use all of the search options.
Age, location, physical characteristics, sexual preferences, interests, and pastimes are common aspects of profiles. They also include a free-form description about their owner and what they are looking for in a mate.
Profile owners may upload various images of themselves — one as the primary photo, several as secondary photos,’ and many more as private photos that act as attachments for private messages.
8. Hinge
Hinge sets itself apart from the competition by using personality-revealing questions to help matches know one another better.
Hinge is a firm that seeks to give users a means to form long-term relationships, rendering the app redundant in the process. User surveys and in-person focus groups have revealed that many LGBTQ+ members are frustrated with dating apps since they are used to encouraging hookups rather than forging long-term partnerships.
Hinge functions similarly to most dating apps in that it allows you to like or reject other individuals who appear in your feed. When you join Hinge, you must answer three simple questions about yourself that will display on your profile.
Unlike Tinder and Bumble, Hinge allows you to like particular portions of someone’s profile rather than the entire profile. Hinge is available for download for free on both the iPhone App Store and the Android Play Store, and it is entirely free to use; however, there are paid upgrades available.
When signing up for Hinge, you must provide specific information, including your name, email, date of birth, and location. You’ll also have the option of providing more information about yourself, such as your height, religion, political convictions, and so on.
9. Lex
Lex is a free text-based social and dating app created by and for lesbian, bisexual, queer, trans, and nonbinary people looking to form long-term relationships. Lex supports LGBTQ+ interactions that go beyond swiping on pictures, inspired by old-school newspaper personal advertisements.
In 2017, Kelly Rakowski started @personals, a hugely popular Instagram account that featured user-submitted, text-based personal advertisements from gay, bisexual, transgender, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary persons searching for love similar to those seen in the backs of newspapers and magazines. Consequently, Lex breathed its first.
Like the classic Instagram account, Lex encourages users to focus on what individuals say rather than how they seem. They believe that “Text first, selfies second” is the way to go for lasting relationships, which is why advertising on Lex has a 34-character title, a 300-character body, and the ability to link to an Instagram account.
Lex works similarly to Personals, except it automatically submits posts and allows users to search for prospective matches by region and keyword. Lex also has a zero-tolerance policy for impolite and disrespectful people. As a result, there will be no transphobia, racism, fatphobia, ableism, or hate speech of any type.
10. Hornet
According to the business, Hornet was launched in 2011 as a “better version of Grindr” and has since developed into the world’s largest homosexual app, with 30 million users in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Turkey, and Russia. Their goal is to build a digital home for LGBT guys to feel accepted and encouraged and locate Mr. Right.
Hornet has a “stories” area of their website with LGBTQ+ oriented material, ranging from instructions on how to prevent harming yourself when shaving down there to listings of the finest local bathhouses, in addition to the app, which caters primarily to the B, G, T, and Q letters of the acronym.
Hornet caters more to the social side rather than a dating app to foster lasting relationships. The app is free, but they have a paid edition with more features, like many others.
Hornet is a stage with unusual but provocative material tailored for homosexual and bisexual males, in addition to its web-based dating capabilities. It gives guys the ability to interact in ways other than dating and hookups.
The software is available in various languages, reaching a large audience. Its user base has grown to 25 million people all around the world.
This site has features that make homosexual flirting easier and more exciting. Furthermore, profiles and primary images are available for free, allowing you to get a sense of the kind of people that join the site before paying for a premium.
11. Instagram
Since Instagram isn’t known to be a dating app, bear in mind that not everyone on the platform is single and searching, as is the case with other dating apps. Even so, this is an excellent location to open up a discussion and get a feel of how a possible date perceives the world.
It generally starts with you falling into a wormhole, reading an intriguing comment on a friend’s post, or seeing a photo of someone you know with someone you find attractive. After there, it’s up to you to contact them and see where things go from there!
12. Jack’d
Jack’d referred to itself as “the most diverse digital queer space globally.” According to CEO Eric Silverberg (who also oversees Scruff), the program has a reputation for allowing users to be themselves and make relationships without fear of bigotry and abuse common on similar applications.
It, like Scruff, caters to the acronym’s GBTQ letters. They work hard to make Jack’d a genuinely safe environment where individuals can be sexually and emotionally open. As a result, it’s one of the finest locations for QPOC to meet new people and form new connections.
Users of Jack’d report that the platform is particularly significant because people take the time to complete all of their profile information rather than upload unnecessarily graphical pictures.
Similar to Grindr, Jack’d function as a location-based dating app. Consequently, users can scroll through a selection of potential partners who are nearby. By clicking on specific images, users access comprehensive profiling of potential interests. Furthermore, users can select options to swipe away unwanted interests below their image.
13. Her
HER, originally Dattch, is a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and straight women’s and non-binary people’s geosocial networking app. It’s accessible for iOS and Android, available in 55 different countries. Furthermore, HER boasts up to 17 sexualities and 18 gender identities to join, and users can easily assign more than one pronoun to their profiles.
Users may sign up for the app using their Facebook or email addresses; however, Cisgender guys may not register profiles on this platform.
Those who want to join their network can see their profiles by joining up with Her. When you initially join up, you have the option of uploading up to six photographs. After then, users may alter their profiles and add personal data.
HER needs access to the user’s location to make recommendations about others who are staying nearby. Gender identification, sexual identity, relationship status, height, whether they drink, political opinions, star signs, and other information are all used to find accurate results. Users can also specify their preferences for the relationships they are seeking.
Existing communities within HER enable its users to meet up and create an interactive community. These groups range from queer women of color, trans women and They/Them communities.
Womxn, non-binary, gender fluid, pangender, agender, questioning, gender non-conforming, two-spirit, and other gender identities are among them. The app is exceptionally popular among LGBTQ women, and it is entirely free to use; however, a premium subscription is available for additional features.
14. JSwipe
JSwipe is an online dating service that caters to Jewish individuals. While JSwipe is a Jewish-focused dating app, its design follows a universalist philosophy. JSWipe’s appeal stems from its love-finding concept. It aims to assist the user in finding love, in whatever form it may take or whatever significance it may hold for the user.
Users build profiles by adding personal images and, if desired, writing a brief bio. They select geographic distance, sexual orientation, Jewish observance or religious affiliation, and kashrut food rules as filter choices for possible spouses.
Potential matches display on-screen with whatever bio was input, scrollable photographs, and a Facebook-generated list of shared interests—as well as a list of mutual Facebook friends from previously in the app’s history. Many accounts have little to no information and rely solely on photographs.
You also don’t have to be Jewish to use the app; anybody who appreciates Jewish culture is welcome to use it. You can also declare yourself to be Conservative, Orthodox, Traditional, Reform, Just Jewish, Willing to Convert, or Other.
JSwipe It’s completely free to use; however, it does have a paid premium subscription called First Class that adds additional features and personalization possibilities.
Conclusion
A love worth keeping takes time and effort, even after finding it. Persevere, don’t lose heart, and stay strong – you’ll find your partner soon enough!
References:
Quora: What are some good free alternatives to Grindr?
Wikipedia: Grindr
Oprah Daily: 11 Best LGBTQ+ Dating Apps No Matter What You’re Looking For
AlternativeTo: Grindr Alternatives
Wikipedia: Taimi (app)
Wikipedia: The League (app)
Daily Trojan: Real estate seniors develop live “speed-dating” app
Wikipedia: Scruff (app)
Forbes: How Hornet Built The Largest And One-Of-Its-Kind Global Gay News Room
The Washington Post: What is Jack’d? The gay dating app, explained.
Wikipedia: Her (dating app)
Business Insider: How does Hinge work? A guide to the best features of the dating app that’s ‘designed to be deleted’