9 Best LGBT Dating Apps: 100% Free to Try (2024)

LGBT dating apps offer a rainbow of romantic opportunities for gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer, and questioning folks. Adventurous singles and polyamorous couples can use these dating services to find same-sex partners and love interests from all walks of life.

Whether you want to explore your sexuality, get in a long-term relationship, or just have some fun, you can join a popular dating app to make something happen on your terms. We’ve searched the online dating scene to find out which dating apps celebrate diversity and welcome LGBT singles, so you won’t have to look far to find a joyous and accepting community.

Basically, wherever you are on the spectrum, you can find dates on the following free dating apps for LGBT people.

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Singles of any sexual orientation can benefit from the support system offered by an online dating community. It’s no wonder that 20% of online daters identify as LGBTQ. Gay and lesbian singles often long for a place where they can be themselves and be accepted by their peers, and such a life-affirming dating experience is within reach on a free LGBT app.

If you want to get out there and meet people like you, we recommend using the following top-rated dating sites and apps.

Zoosk began in 2007 as one of the first dating sites to integrate social media with the online dating experience. You can link your Facebook profile to your Zoosk account to make the profile creation process easier. Don’t worry, none of your Facebook friends will know you’re on Zoosk.

From its early days as a startup, Zoosk has always been about embracing technology and increasing connectivity, and its progressive dating app has been a game changer for singles of all orientations. The app has been downloaded over 30 million times and is ranked among the most popular dating apps in the App Store.

“Almost eight years ago, I met my wife through Zoosk,” said an anonymous member. “My wife is a beautiful woman — sweet, lovely, adorable.”

Since 1995, Match has become the queen of the dating scene with more success stories to its name than any other dating service. Match.com started as one of the earliest dating sites, and now it has been upgraded to a high-tech dating app available in the App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Apps.

The app is free to download, and the basic membership package includes unlimited profile browsing and likes. However, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium account if you want to send messages to anyone online.

You can identify as a man seeking men or a woman seeking women on Match.com, and the app makes it easy to switch your gender preference at any time. That flexibility is great for bisexuals who love to play the field.

3. OkCupid

OkCupid

has skyrocketed in popularity due to its free chatting features and quirky, personality-driven interface. In 2004, a group of Harvard math majors crunched the numbers on love and designed OkCupid as a romantic solution for singles seeking compatible dates and long-term relationships.

In 2014, OkCupid came out as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community when it unveiled 22 gender options and 13 orientation options on its dating profiles. Your sexual identity is important to the OkCupid app, and it has made a solid effort to give you the space and freedom to express yourself on your terms and in your own words.

While OkCupid has the reputation of a straight dating app, it does have a growing cohort of LGBTQ singles mixing and mingling online. Its free communication system encourages real-time flirting, and many online daters say the information-rich dating profiles and compatibility ratings have helped them narrow a sea of date prospects to the most viable candidates.

“I’ll never be able to thank OkCupid for bringing us together,” said Ryan and Jake in a testimonial. “I’ve met the man I’ve been looking for online, and you brought him to me!”

In 2014, an OkCupid study of its members found that some singles discriminated against certain races when choosing a date. Black women ranked as the least attractive ethnicity for men on the dating site, receiving fewer messages and likes than women of other races. That may seem demoralizing on its face, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Black dating sites appeal to people who believe black is beautiful and want a dark- or copper-skinned lover in their lives. If you’re seeking an LGBT person of color, that’s a slim minority, so check out the following free dating sites to narrow down your search.

If you’re particularly attracted to black singles, you may want to join a niche dating community where people of color are in the majority. BlackPeopleMeet can offer African-American, Haitian, Jamaican, and other black singles the chance to meet people who share similar experiences and perspectives.

It’s a touchy topic, but race is an important part of dating, and many singles say they feel stronger connections to people with particular racial backgrounds. It could be their own, or it could not. BlackPeopleMeet isn’t there to judge — it’s there to diversify the dating scene and give black and biracial singles a community they can call their own.

BlackPeopleMeet allows singles to sign up as a man seeking men or as a woman seeking women, and the dating app will automatically curate match selections based on your stated preferences.

5. Tinder

Tinder

broke records, made headlines, and forever changed the online dating scene when it launched in 2012. The dating app’s swiping and mutual matching system was a game changer for singles who wanted to up the quality of people in their inboxes. Tinder empowered users to single-mindedly go after what they want and ignore those they didn’t want. Thus, #SwipeLife was born.

As a general dating app, Tinder accepts people of all stripes. It welcomes gay singles and black singles — and gay black singles — and offers a tailored dating experience based on their likes and match preferences.

When you like someone on Tinder, the app learns a little bit about what you’re looking for and begins to prioritize profiles similar to those in your like pile. This learning algorithm is part of what makes Tinder so unbelievably successful. In just eight years, Tinder has been responsible for over 43 billion mutual matches. The app also claims to inspire over 1.5 million dates per week.

6. Plenty of Fish

Plenty of Fish

(or POF, as the kids call it) is a free dating site and app with over 150 million registered users around the world. These aren’t all fake profiles, either. The dating site and app see over 4 million daily active users, and over 70,000 people join the community every day.

If you’re gay, black, and single, you couldn’t ask for a better wingman than PlentyOfFish. There are so many prospects here, it’s almost overwhelming.

The biggest upside of POF is that it has completely free communication. You won’t see that on all LGBT dating sites. Free members can send unlimited messages to one another, so there’s no need to hold anything back. Every month, POF members send over 1 billion messages on this free-wheeling app.

Being Christian and LGBT can be challenging, to say the least. Some people see them as opposing ways of life, but that’s not the case for some deeply religious and proudly gay singles.

“I don’t have a problem with religion,” said openly gay presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. “I’m religious, too. I have a problem with religion being used as a justification to harm people and especially in the LGBTQ community.”

According to the Pew Research Center, 48% of gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults identify as Christian. If you count yourself among them, then you should check out the following Christian-friendly dating apps to find singles who see the world the same way you do.

7. Christian Mingle

Christian Mingle is definitely the top name in the Christian dating space. It started in 2001 on a mission to strengthen Christian marriage — and we’d say it has done that and then some.

Christian Mingle welcomes singles of all Christian denominations (Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Orthodox, Pentecostal, etc.), but it also accepts non-believers who are interested in dating and marrying a Christian partner. You don’t have to be devout to join Christian Mingle. You just have to be open to conversations about faith and leading a lifestyle rooted in Christian values.

In 2016, Christian Mingle officially opened its doors to singles seeking same-sex relationships, and it now has tools to help gay and lesbian Christians find companionship. You can create a free account with a valid Facebook profile or email address; so what are you waiting for?

8. Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel

(CMB) is the passion project of three single women who experienced firsthand the challenges of online dating. They put their heads together to bring more quality, compassion, and authenticity to the online dating process. How did they do that? By limiting the number of dating profiles you can see per day.

Every day, promptly at noon, Coffee MeetsBagel unlocks a curated list of potential matches and asks users what they think. If both individuals like each other, they can enter a conversation and see where it takes them.

Coffee Meets Bagel doesn’t offer an endless list of dating profiles, so singles are encouraged to be selective and make each like with care. Other interesting features on the dating app include Activity Reports, Read Receipts, and Icebreakers with bagel stickers.

To date, Coffee Meets Bagel has inspired more than 50 million matches, and its wholesome and fun interface has won over many LGBT Christian singles.

9. Bumble

Bumble

is a feminist dating app with a lot of spunk and integrity. A progressive team started the free dating app in 2014 in hopes of changing how men and women interacted online. They wanted to empower women to make the first move and set the tone for the relationship.

That’s all wonderful for straight couples, but gay couples don’t have to worry about a gender power play on Bumble. They can message or not message their match as they see fit. The conversation will disappear within 24 hours of the match unless one of you sends a greeting or chooses to extend its life for another 24 hours.

Bumble may be famous for its women-message-first system, but that isn’t the only thing worthwhile about this dating app. It has a streamlined interface, safety guidelines, and photo verification to ensure high-caliber daters have a great online dating experience.

“Bumble will function similarly to Tinder specifically for gay men and lesbians,” one Bumble review writes. “I think it is awesome that Bumble’s team recognized the reality that LGBT users would potentially download their app and they did their due diligence to incorporate these adjustments into their app’s design and functionality.”

Seniors can run out of dating options as they grow older, and they may not know how to navigate today’s fast-changing dating scene — particularly when it comes to online dating. Singles over 50 have to learn new flirting skills and dating etiquette in the online world, but they’re slowly getting the hang of it.

A 2016 study found that 12% of seniors (ages 55 to 64) said they have used online dating. Only 6% of seniors said the same in 2013. You can become one of these early adopters and find love thanks to these senior-friendly dating apps for LGBT singles.

OurTime is a premier dating site and app designed to introduce over-50 singles to one another, and it can be helpful to the LGBT community.

The straightforward and easy-to-understand interface immediately puts newcomers at ease, and you don’t have to be very tech-savvy to understand how to search for dates and reply to messages here.

LGBT singles should review OurTime’s safety tips before joining the community to make sure they know what to expect and how to avoid trouble.

11. SilverSingles

SilverSingles entered the online dating scene in 2002, and it has quickly gained traction thanks to its high standards and tight security. Today, the dating platform supports an exclusive community of singles over 50 in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, France, Australia, and other English-speaking countries.

Full-time moderators review every profile on the platform and remove any phonies, scammers, and youngsters trying to pull one over on unsuspecting seniors.

SilverSingles fosters a safe space where LGBT singles can flirt without fear. The app uses a personality test to bring compatible matches together and spark real relationships built on mutual interests.

If you want to learn more about the SilverSingles membership base, pricing, and safety features, you can check out our full review here.

Some singles aren’t messing around in the dating scene. They have a clear vision for what they want, and it’s someone who will stand by their side through life. They want the stability, the intimacy, and the general cutesiness of a relationship. If that sounds appealing to you, then you should look for a quality-driven dating app where people of substance look beyond the surface.

EliteSingles has made a name for itself in the online dating industry by appealing to the cream of the dating crop. The dating site and app cater to the most successful, confident, and desirable singles out there.

Over 85% of EliteSingles members have graduated from college (some have even gone on to get post-grad degrees), and over 90% say on their profiles that they’re looking for a relationship.

The typical EliteSingles members is over 30 and has thrived in the professional world, and now seeks the final missing piece to the puzzle. Over 381,000 new members join each month, so you shouldn’t run out of LGBT singles to chat up here. Download the EliteSingles app for free on Google Play or the App Store.

13. Hinge

Hinge

is a relationship-oriented dating app that was “designed to be deleted,” meaning the goal is for you to stop swiping and chatting because you’ve actually found the right person.

While Hinge uses a familiar swiping system, it adds a bit more personality to the process by requiring users to either like or comment on a specific piece of content on the dating profile. You can ask a question about a travel photo or comment on the person’s interests, career, or opinions to spark a conversation.

Hinge profiles are full of information (you must upload at least six pictures), and singles have the ability to customize it by answering three prompts about themselves — as in “Favorite Disney movie” or “Biggest pet peeves.”

Hinge is a fantastic dating app for relationship-minded singles. It was my go-to app for months until I met my boyfriend there and retired my account, and I’m not the only success story to come out of this platform. Mayor Pete Buttigieg met his husband Chasten on Hinge, and many users say they’ve upped the quality of their dates on Hinge.

“I love this dating adventure,” said one user in a review. “I have met far more quality and sincere people on this app. Hopefully soon I too will be off the dating scene, but, until then, this is my preferred dating application.”

14. HER

HER

is an all-womxn dating app esigned by a lesbian who was fed up with dating sites and apps that claimed to serve lesbians but had no idea how to satisfy lesbians. Hint: It’s not by allowing men seeking threesomes to invade the platform.

You won’t find any dicks at all on HER. The dating app caters solely to lesbian, bisexual, queer, and questioning womxn, and yes, the moderators do check on that. The app uses Facebook to automatically verify identities, but the team also goes through the app’s content to ensure it follows the HER community guidelines.

HER fosters supportive interactions and inclusive experiences in a community that stretches around the world. The HER interface is engaging, allowing womxn to post stories, comment on photos, and RSVP to events that appeal to their sensibilities.

To use the words of the HER team, “We want to encourage love, open minds, and comfort. This is a space for you to explore.”

If you just want to hook up with someone, a general dating site isn’t going to do it for you. Singles have better luck mingling on an adult dating platform where inhibitions are low and the sex drive is high.

Many sex-positive dating apps encourage sexually active singles to pursue their desires without judgment, and such a lively, flirtatious environment can be freeing for LGBTQ singles interested in putting some notches on their bedposts. Check out these hookup apps next time you’re feeling frisky.

BeNaughty tops our list as the best hookup app for LGBTQ singles. The BeNaughty network stretches from the U.S. to Europe to Australia, and thousands of sexy singles log in every day seeking a romantic partner and a naughty encounter.

Something we love about BeNaughty is how it empowers users to customize their own dating experiences. You can set advanced search filters for particular age ranges, locations, orientations, ethnicities, body types, and other demographics. You can also automatically block messages from suspicious or unverified users by adjusting your Safe Mode in My Settings. With Full Safe Mode on, only verified users will be able to show up in your inbox.

If you’re in a hurry to pick up a date, you can go to the Like Gallery where BeNaughty features the hottest dates in your area and asks you to decide “Cute or Not?” Click the heart icon to initiate a match and get the ball rolling.

AdultFriendFinder boasts having the largest online community of singles and swingers with over 96 million profiles in its database. Men, women, and couples of all orientations can flirt freely on AFF.

Whether you identify as gay, lesbian, trans, or something else entirely, you can pursue your desires on AFF and find someone who shares your sexual proclivities and curiosities.

It’s free to join the AFF community and begin searching through adult profiles full of X-rated content. You can enjoy sexting some hottie online, or you can arrange a real-life hookup with a discreet partner. AFF supplies the sexually stimulating options and romantic opportunities and leaves it up to you to decide how, when, and where you like it.

MenNation is a gay hookup site guaranteed to get singles and swingers in the mood to party. This all-male community is perfect for guys who want to hook up quickly and discreetly.

As an anonymous dating platform, MenNation makes men feel comfortable owning their sexuality and exploring their kinks and fetishes. Since 1996, MenNation has supported a nonjudgmental dating scene for men seeking men.

LesbianPersonals is the sister site of MenNation, so it offers a similarly sexually thrilling environment — but geared toward women.

The LesbianPersonals community includes lesbian singles, lesbian couples, straight couples, and groups looking to spice up their sex lives. You can find unicorns, lipstick lesbians, butches, femmes, and all types of lesbians on this mobile-friendly platform.

If you want to hook up with a hot chick, create a dating profile on LesbianPersonals and use the search tools to see who’s out there and get in touch with someone special.

19. Grindr

Last but certainly not least, Grindr is easily one of the most popular gay dating apps for men seeking hookups, dates, and relationships. The app launched in 2009 to change the way single gay men meet one another. Now Grindr actively connects gay, bisexual, and queer men in over 192 countries worldwide.

Over the last decade, Grindr has created a popular dating network for men only. In 2017, Grindr reached 27 million users, and it sees as many as 4 million daily views.

Grindr provides easy access to the city’s hottest guys. The app uses your smartphone’s location settings to highlight profiles who are in your immediate vicinity, so you won’t have to go far to find a first date or no strings attached hookup. You could match with someone sitting a couple tables over at a restaurant or living a few doors down from you in the same apartment complex.

While Grindr doesn’t give anyone’s exact location, it provides a ballpark range to let you know how close you are to romance. If you want to surround yourself with date prospects, this app is a pretty great choice.

Yes, most dating sites offer at least some free features (typically free signup and browsing), but some go a step further and provide unlimited free communication to everyone online. Not just women. Not just paid users. Everyone.

OkCupid has promised to stay forever free until the end of time, and its free chatting system has led to many online and offline romances. In fact, the dating site facilitates over 50,000 dates per week. While there are some paid features on OkCupid (the ability to view your likes, for instance), it’s not at all necessary to upgrade, and you can still meet someone special as a free member.

Free dating apps, like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, also offer free communication to LGBTQ singles who have liked each other on the platform. Many 20-somethings and 30-something favor these apps because they are affordable, easy-to-use, and highly effective online matchmakers.

Android is the most-used mobile operating system in the world with 1.2 billion Android smartphones shipped in 2017. Most popular dating apps are available on Google Play and optimized for Android use, but which is the best?

Well, let’s look at the numbers. Tinder sees over 2 billion views per day, it facilitates 1 million dates per week, and it has facilitated over 30 billion matches in the last seven years.

However, Match grows by 25,000 members every day and has over 9 million paid users. Match also has the distinction of being the longest-running dating service with more success stories to its name than any of its competitors.

Because it’s been around the block a few times and has honed its matchmaking system for decades, we’d say Match is one of the best dating apps available to Android users.

Absolutely! Bumble was made for girls. As we mentioned above, Bumble began as a feminine-focused dating app. It was the intent of Bumble Founder Whitney Wolfe Herd to give women a way to filter their incoming messages and keep the creeps at bay.

This self-starter and Tinder co-founder wasn’t satisfied with how modern dating apps treated women, and she came up with a solution that turned a stereotypical gender norm on its head.

Since its launch in 2014, Bumble has given women the ability to be forward, be choosy, and to make no apologies in the online dating scene, and it most definitely works if you’re the sort of woman who enjoys taking the initiative or the sort of man who enjoys having women come on to you.

As Whitney said, “Four years and many Bumble weddings and babies later, we’re celebrating over 500 million first moves. And we’re just getting started.”

No, messaging is free on Bumble. The dating app does have a paid subscription option — it’s called Bumble Boost — that offers more features and privileges, including the ability to extend your matches by another 24 hours and the ability to rematch with expired connections. Bumble Boost also gives singles access to the Beeline, where they can see who has liked them.

You can subscribe to Bumble Boost for a week, a month, three months, or six months, depending on how committed you are to pursuing potential matches and dates.

Dating as an LGBTQ+ person isn’t always a picnic — sometimes it downright sucks. But a top-rated dating app can help you turn your luck around and meet attractive dates. The top LGBT apps on this list are free to use and can lead to flirtatious conversations, hookups, first dates, love stories, and all kinds of romances.

You can narrow down the dating pool to the most compatible LGBTQ+ people by using a popular dating app, and we recommend trying a few different apps to see which ones fit your dating style and relationship goals. The dating possibilities are endless on a free dating app, so get out there and get swiping!