If you’re looking for an LGBTQ+ relationship online, you aren’t alone. A recent study found approximately 65% of same-sex couples said they met through an online dating site or app. The rise of online dating has sparked an exciting new world where queer and questioning singles can find themselves and find a potential partner at the same time.
We have combed through the online dating market to identify the top dating sites and apps dedicated to helping gay singles chat, flirt, and date on their terms.
Match.com
- Relationships: Fun Dates, Serious Relationships
- Match System: Browse by location, age, interest, and more
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About the App:
Available via the App Store and Google Play, Match is a fantastic app for dates and relationships. With a user base of 30 million singles, Match is where you’ll have a high chance of success. It’s free to download, create a profile, search for date prospects, and receive compatible matches based on personalized preferences. Free members can also chat with select members and send unlimited likes.
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Since 1995, Match has absolutely dominated the online dating scene. Yes, it started as a straight people dating site, but now it’s just as useful as a gay dating app. Over the years, Match has paired up more couples than any other online dating service, so love is definitely in the air here.
A new Match member can identify as a man interested in men or a woman interested in women when setting up an online dating profile. Bisexual singles must choose one gender or the other, but they can send Match a request to change their gender preference if they want to switch things up.
Match calculates member compatibility based on shared interests, values, and backgrounds. If you score off the charts with another person, your profiles will appear on each other’s Top Picks list and can chat for free. No paid subscription required!
OurTime.com
- Relationships: Dating and Relationships
- Match System: Search by age as well as zip, gender, more
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About the App:
Made just for single seniors, OurTime is one of the most well-known niche dating apps. It’s a fun and straightforward app with simple swiping features. Once two people swipe right on each other, they can communicate. For more match options, visit the ConnectMe and I’m Interested pages.
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This one’s for the silver foxes and sugar daddies in the LGBT community. OurTime caters to singles over 50 and commands respect for its mature dating atmosphere.
OurTime is a senior dating site where gay men can start a new chapter in their life. The platform has search filters based on age, gender, location, and appearance, so finding a compatible date is a snap. What happens after that is up to you. OurTime provides some free communication features to help new romances blossom, but only premium members can chat with anyone they want anytime they want.
MenNation
- Relationships: Strictly Hookups
- Match System: Search by location, interest, more
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About the App:
MenNation is a casual sex brand that’s been around since 1996, and more than 79 million turned-on singles and couples have joined ever since — making it one of the world’s largest gay dating and hookup apps. Its free app only adds to its authority. Android and iOS compatible, MenNation doesn’t charge anything to add the app to your phone, upload your information and photos, view profiles, and flirt.
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MenNation is a sultry, sexy, and downright skanky place to meet a hot guy. The hookup app is technically not an app at all — it’s an adult dating website with mobile-friendly features.
Gay men don’t have to pay a premium fee or download anything on their phones to become active members on MenNation. The gay dating service offers free registration and browsing, and all it takes is a valid email address to get started. Over the last 25 years, MenNation has been a wingman to millions of gay singles and couples seeking stimulating conversations and sexual encounters on the down low.
- Relationships: Dates, Relationships
- Match System: Browse by city, hobbies, age, etc.
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About the App:
Since it was founded in 2002, BlackPeopleMeet has established the largest online dating community for black and biracial singles of all orientations. Every month over 1.4 million daters use this simple and safe platform to connect with African-American singles in their area. You can download the app and create a profile for free to find new friends, hot dates, and love interests online.
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BlackPeopleMeet is a popular app among Black singles, biracial singles, and single people of color. Its richly diverse atmosphere can broaden a single person’s horizons and help them build relationships with people outside their typical social circle.
The BPM app can unite singles who are part of the Black community and the LGBTQ community. Its matchmaking tools encourage romantic connections based on shared values and experiences, and free members are under no obligation to upgrade to a paid account.
AFF.com
- Relationships: Hookups Only
- Match System: Filter by distance, gender, encounter
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About the App:
With 77 million members, Adult Friend Finder is one of the most popular apps for the sex community. It doesn’t matter if you’re single or part of a couple — you’re welcome to search for sex buddies, threesomes, and other casual encounters. And you won’t have to pay to do that as well as download the app, fill out a profile, and chat.
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If you want to spice up your love life, Adult Friend Finder can help by opening a world of romantic possibilities. This sexually charged dating service has listed over 104 million personal ads since 1996, and it has opened the floodgates for LGBT hookups.
The AFF community is different from other online dating sites because it doesn’t censor nude photos or graphic content. In fact, the adult forum encourages X-rated chats and videos. Free members can view erotic blogs and profiles that arouse their interest, but they can only get down and dirty in private messages if they upgrade to a Gold Membership. You can learn more about AFF’s pricing options in our full review.
NaughtyCharm
- Relationships: Casual Encounters
- Match System: Sort profiles by ZIP code, appearance, more
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About the App:
On NaughtyCharm, everyone is interested in finding sexual encounters with no strings attached. Within a couple of minutes, you can get a profile up for $0. Free membership includes unlimited photos, browsing, and reading chats. NaughtyCharm also has an anti-fraud system to ensure your personal information stays private while you flirt online.
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NaughtyCharm is a casual dating service geared toward sexy singles who identify as straight, gay, lesbian, or bi-curious. Members can play it fast and loose on NaughtyCharm by browsing under a nickname and keeping their face out of their profile picture.
Queer folks should be aware that NaughtyCharm has different payment policies based on the user’s gender identity. All female users can chat for free on the platform, while male users have more limited free communication options. This can create an imbalance in the LGBT community where lesbian women have a ball, and gay men struggle to connect.
- Relationships: One-Night Stands, Threesomes, Affairs
- Match System: Search on your own, plus receive matches
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About the App:
FriendFinder-X is “where good girls do bad things,” so if you’re looking for adult fun, you’ve come to the right place. Not to mention, the site has millions of guys doing bad things as well. Once you get the app (free for iOS and Android), you can fill out a profile, complete with your specific sexual desires, search, have compatible profiles sent to your inbox, and communicate.
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FriendFinder-X can empower LGBTQ singles to explore the local dating pool and pursue sexual adventures on their terms. The hookup app streamlines the search for attractive dates by focusing on the kinks that matter most to singles.
It costs $0 to take FriendFinder-X for a test spin, but the site has some pay-to-play sections where it turns up the heat for premium members. You have to pay for the privilege of mingling in the sex chat rooms and watching live video shows on FriendFinder-X. A free membership entitles you to search for matches, view personal ads, and flip through the sexy photo gallery, but it costs extra to go further than that.
- Relationships: Hookups, Casual Dates, Affairs
- Match System: Search by age, location, appearance, and more
- Our Experts Say: With its massive user base and advanced privacy features, Ashley Madison is the #1 site for discreet hookups, dates, or relationships. Our Review »
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Ashley Madison is a casual dating site and app for people who are turned on by the idea of having an affair. The platform has millions of active users who are single, separated, married, and everything in between.
According to its internal stats, Ashley Madison has over 80 million members and inspires nearly 40,000 affairs per day.
Despite their relationship status, Ashley Madison members share a common desire to sext with a stranger and see where the conversation leads. These illicit flirtations and affairs can bring clarity to a person who is sexually frustrated, confused, or conflicted. Ashley Madison is an anonymous space where LGBT people won’t be judged for questioning their sexuality or exploring their options outside of monogamy.
9. HER
Since its launch in 2013, HER has become one of the most popular lesbian dating apps made by queer women for queer women. This all-womxn community boasts over 10 million members worldwide, and it continues to grow in popularity year after year.
The HER network supports women of all ages and backgrounds. The app’s newsfeed, event calendar, and free chat features help local lesbians and queer women create new friendships and relationships.
HER verifies its members through Facebook to make sure a woman is who she says she is. The moderators are quick to remove straight people, male users, couples, and anyone who breaks the community guidelines.
10. Grindr
Of course, we had to include Grindr on our list of the best LGBT dating apps. It’s the original gangster in the gay dating scene. The Grindr app launched in 2009 as one of the first apps to cater solely to men seeking men, and it quickly went viral. Today, Grindr has over 27 million members in 192 countries.
What makes Grindr so popular? Let me count the ways! It’s completely free to download, it prioritizes local matches, and it allows shirtless photos. Basically, it’s a flirtatious free-for-all where gay, bisexual, and queer men can take their pick of hotties.
Grindr started as a local gay dating app based in California, but it has since expanded to embrace long-distance connections and international dating opportunities. Members can upgrade to Grindr Xtra to unlock the Explore Mode. This premium feature allows individuals to swipe on gay dating profiles in different cities, states, and countries.
11. SCRUFF
SCRUFF is a versatile gay app that can be used for dating, socializing, or networking in the LGBTQ community. The app has more than 20 million members, all of whom have been verified as real men, not fake profiles or spambots.
The SCRUFF app features matchmaking games and events calendars that allow men to cover a lot of virtual ground in the search for a potential partner.
SCRUFF can also serve as a gay travel companion to a gay man on the go. Thanks to the Venture feature, the app can take a travel itinerary and use it to create promising matches in foreign destinations. That way, a man can visit another country and have local dates lined up to show him around.
12. OkCupid
Four Harvard math majors created OkCupid in 2004 because they wanted to find the formula for love. This online dating site and app asks a mishmash of serious and silly questions, including “Do you like the taste of beer?” and “Would you date a transgender person?” — to get to the heart of who a single person is.
LGBTQ+ singles can go beyond binary definitions when expressing themselves in their OkCupid dating profile. OkCupid has 22 gender identity options and 12 orientation options.
Gay singles, lesbian singles, and queer singles have flocked OkCupid because it offers an open-ended and user-driven dating space where they can make a smart match based on their personal preferences and desires.
13. Tinder
Obviously, Tinder is a tremendous force to be reckoned with in the online dating world. The dating app has been downloaded over 630 million times, and it arranges around 1.5 million dates per week.
When it launched in 2012, Tinder was the first dating app to use swipe-based matching. It has created more than 97 billion matches since then.
Some queer folks think Tinder is just another dating app for straight people. But that’s not the case. Tinder has become more gay-friendly in recent years by expanding its services and profile settings. The app now offers nine sexual orientation options and has facilitated over 80 million same-sex or nonbinary matches.
A gay person can log into Tinder and find a match the same way a straight person would — the only difference is perhaps the number of ab pics and rainbow flags they’ll see as they swipe.
14. Bumble
Since 2014, Bumble has taken an unapologetically progressive stance in the online dating industry. The dating app made a name for itself as a feminist champion by putting women first in all conversations with men, but that’s not all it has to offer.
Bumble can provide LGBT singles with highly valuable dating, friendship, and networking opportunities. The dating app’s mutual matching system keeps users engaged and allows them to be the gatekeepers of their inbox.
The Bumble dating app has won the trust of many serious daters. Bumble’s quality-driven swiping particularly appeals to singles who don’t have enough opportunities to find a compatible match in real life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bumble saw a spike in online activity and surpassed 100 million users.
15. Plenty of Fish
Plenty of Fish is a completely free dating app where singles can let their freak flags fly. The service doesn’t have any mutual matching requirements, trial periods, or hidden subscription costs to worry about. All communication is forever free with no strings attached. The only limit is a single person can only send 55 initial messages per day.
LGBT singles can save money and pick up hot dates thanks to POF’s free features. It has a robust user base like a mainstream dating app, but its quirky setup and free chat options have attracted a slew of queer folk.
The POF community has over 150 million members who run the gamut in terms of age, gender, and sexual orientation. Over the years, POF has expanded its dating profiles to reflect the rainbow of diversity in its membership base.
As of 2020, Plenty of Fish has several gender identity options that are inclusive of transgender and nonbinary people. Members can choose to make their gender identity public on their dating profile or keep it hidden until they’re ready to come out as a queer, trans, or gay person.
16. Hinge
By prioritizing quality over quantity, Hinge has successfully positioned itself as one of the best dating apps for relationships. The app has lengthened the traditional dating profile to include six photos, three prompts, and a lot of basic demographic details. This helps online daters get to know each other on a deeper level right away.
Plus, Hinge requires users to like or comment on something specific on the dating profile, and it solicits post-date feedback to assess the efficacy of its match algorithm.
Hinge recently earned street cred in the gay dating pool when Mayor Pete Buttigieg revealed he met his husband by swiping on the app. Gay signups for Hinge spiked after this revelation, and the app has been growing steadily ever since.
Queer folk should know that Hinge has now added a nonbinary gender option, so not only is it the best LGBT app but also the best queer dating app for finding relationships of all types.
What Does LGBTQIA+ Stand For?
Our language is still adapting to encompass nonbinary folks of all stripes, so you’ve probably noticed that some LGBT groups have started adding letters or even a plus sign. The term LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and more.
The plus sign is meant to acknowledge that even if you don’t fit perfectly in a letter, you can be part of the LGBTQIA+ community. It can include people who are questioning, genderfluid, or allies. It’s an enormous rainbow umbrella.
How Do I Go About Choosing the Best LGBT Dating App?
A successful online dating experience begins with knowing what you want. Carefully consider your values, dealbreakers, and goals, and then choose the dating app that aligns most closely with you. LGBT dating apps come in all shapes and sizes, so modern singles don’t have to settle for a second-rate date.
Of course, money is an important factor to consider when choosing an online dating site or app. Dating sites like OkCupid allow virtually unlimited free communication, which suits young singles on a budget. However, more mature daters may find it’s worth escaping the noisy and overcrowded free-to-chat scene in favor of more premium spaces like EliteSingles.
The online dating scene is always changing, so it’s a good idea to ask your friends if they know of any new dating sites or apps rising in popularity in your area.
How Do the Best LGBT Dating Apps Actually Work?
LGBT dating apps start by asking basic personal questions about a new member’s age, location, gender identity, sexual orientation, and background. Serious dating apps tend to require details about a person’s education, religion, occupation, and hobbies, while hookup apps focus more on appearance (height, weight, hair color, etc.) and may not even require a photo or first name.
Once the registration process is complete, online daters can start swiping or searching for local dates based on their stated preferences. Online daters can send likes, winks, match requests, private messages, or even video date invites to spark a connection from there.
Every dating application has a slightly different approach to matchmaking and chatting. For example, Coffee Meets Bagel is a relationship-driven app that limits the number of matches and chats a single person can make in a day. That may be helpful for a straight person feeling overwhelmed by all their potential date options, but it’s bound to frustrate LGBTQ people who already tend to have fewer date options.
Is It Safe to Use LGBT Dating Apps?
Yes, it is safe to use dating sites and apps to meet new people — as long as you are careful. Don’t give your trust and your heart away to the first anonymous person to pay you a compliment. Remember, you never know if a person is the real deal until you meet face to face on a first date or a video date.
Most legit dating platforms are proactive about identifying and removing fake profiles, but some bad apples can still slip through the cracks. Online daters have to know the warning signs of fake profiles to keep themselves from being an easy target. Romance scammers and catfishers often try to move quickly and ask for small favors from their new one true love (aka scam victim).
Don’t let your feelings get ahead of your common sense in the online dating world. If something seems sketchy or too good to be true, then it’s best to hit the block or report button just in case.
Can You Search By Gender and Sexual Orientation on Mainstream Dating Apps?
Typically, online daters do not need to search an app by gender or sexual orientation because they are automatically placed in a dating pool with the types of men or women they desire. That’s one of the first questions a dating platform will ask during the registration process.
The match algorithm saves time by segmenting the online dating population by gender. For instance, it’d be a waste to show female profiles to straight women or gay men. Some bisexual dating apps give singles the ability to change their gender or sexual orientation preferences as they swipe. But, more often than not, the gender options are set in stone upon signup.
Is eharmony a Good Gay Dating App?
If you’re familiar with the big names in the online dating industry, then you may have noticed that we left eharmony off this list of LGBT dating apps. We didn’t do this by accident. The fact is that eharmony has not always supported same-sex couples, and it does not have a lot of options for a queer person seeking a rainbow love.
Although eharmony has grown and evolved a lot in this area, it’s starting at a deficit where the LGBT community is concerned.
- Relationships: Casual Dates, Deep Relationships
- Match System: Personality test suggests matches
- Our Experts Say: Accounting for 2% of U.S. marriages, eharmony's compatibility-based system and commitment-minded user base are ideal for those seeking a serious relationship. Our Review »
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The founding mission of eharmony was to strengthen heteronormative marriage. It was created in 2000 by a Christian theologian and psychologist (who is now in his 80s and retired) and stuck to conservative values for many years. In 2008, LGBTQ+ advocates sued eharmony to force the company to open its matchmaking to the gay community.
As of today, eharmony has gotten more in step with the times and shifted its policies where LGBT people are concerned. The dating app currently has same-sex matchmaking options available, and it welcomes queer and nonbinary daters as well. But eharmony is not ranked among the most popular gay dating apps around.
LGBT Dating Apps Celebrate the Queer Community
The online dating industry has been particularly progressive and proactive when it comes to embracing the LGBTQ+ community. A person can go online to come out of their rainbow shell and explore a plethora of gay-friendly date options on popular sites and apps.
We’ve ranked the best LGBT dating apps in terms of audience size and success rate. Some of them cater exclusively to men seeking men or women seeking women, while others support a broader network of gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual, and queer singles.
Although they may serve different niches or take different approaches to online dating, the one thing all these apps have in common is the shared purpose to build and strengthen connections between people in the LGBT community. And that’s a beautiful thing.
