Best Dating Sites
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Gay Dating
Dating sites for gay men have gained traction in the last few years, and now somewhere around 65% of gay couples first meet online. That doesn’t mean it’s always a good experience, though.
I’ve had plenty of gay friends who’ve expressed their frustrations with online dating, and most of the complaints have been about the inability of mainstream sites or apps to cater to the LGBTQ+ community. You name it, and they’ve experienced it. I’ve heard that sometimes they’ll receive more matches from straight men and women than single gay men. Ugh.
We’re here to put an end to the frustration by shining a light on the 11 top dating sites for gay men. These rainbow-friendly sites make it much easier to find someone who’s your type (or at least your orientation!) and is looking for someone like you.
This whole article is full of good news for gay singles, but let’s start with the best of the best good news. Below are three gay dating sites that can’t be beat — they’ll work for daters of all ages, locations, professions, backgrounds, religions, cultures, ethnicities, and lifestyles.
If we were comparing online dating to a sundae, Match would be the cherry on top. Similar to how a sundae just isn’t a sundae without a cherry, online dating just isn’t online dating without Match. The site got its start in 1995, and, ever since, it’s shown every other dating site the right way to do things — including how to cater to LGBT singles.
Relationships:
Friends, Dates, and Relationships
Match System:
Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
Our Experts Say:
“Match has a massive and extremely active gay user base, as over 1 million gay, bisexual, and curious men use the site to find dates and partners...”
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User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
All Singles*
39.7 Million*
Try Match FREE
Match has more than 30 million members, and growing, and has the largest user base of paid gay subscribers. You want thousands of gay men all in one place? Here, you’ve got it! Chance is on your side as well as Match has led to more dates, relationships, and marriages than any other dating site.
It’s not enough for a dating site to meet your sexual orientation needs — it also has to meet your other needs. If one of those is an intelligent lifelong partner, Elite Singles has got you covered. A significant number of its users are gay, about 80% have earned a college or university degree, and 100% want a long-term relationship.
Relationships:
Serious Relationships
Match System:
Search, Receive Partner Suggestions
Our Experts Say:
“Not only is EliteSingles exclusively for educated professionals, but it also has a diverse user base made up of millions of gay and bisexual men...”
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User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
All Singles*
2 Million*
Browse Profiles Free
Something else Elite Singles gets right is its pricing. You won’t have to provide any kind of payment info to sign up, fill out a profile, upload pictures, browse members, or create a Favorites list. It also won’t cost you a cent to send a smile, receive matches daily, and receive your own personality assessment.
is a unique gay dating site that cares more about providing you quality instead of quantity. The registration process includes numerous in-depth questions to get to know who you really are and what you really desire. You’ll specify how you want a potential match to answer those same questions, and then OkCupid’s algorithm will go to work
Another popular aspect of OkCupid is that everything on the site is 100% free, and the team promises they’ll keep it that way until the end of time. With more than 7.3 million messages exchanged a day and more than 1 million app installs a week, OkCupid’s audience is an active one, and you’ll want to join them soon.
According to a Gallup poll, 4.6% of African Americans identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. However, that percentage also includes people who are married or in a relationship. If you’re strictly looking for single gay black men, the most efficient way to meet them is through online dating. And we just happen to have two go-to sites right here:
BlackPeopleMeet, a sister site of Match, was founded in the early 2000s, and it soon became a leader in the black dating niche. The site now sees over 1.4 million monthly visitors and is available for free on both iOS and Android devices.
Relationships:
Deep Relationships or Just Casual Dates
Match System:
Search by location, age, more
Our Experts Say:
“BlackPeopleMeet is a go-to dating site for gay, bisexual, and curios black and biracial men, and it has a free membership option...”
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User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Black Singles*
5.7 Million*
FREE Trial for New Users
In addition to setting your search filters by sexual orientation, BlackPeopleMeet also allows you to set them by age, zip code, appearance, and hobbies, among other data. Once someone catches your eye, make use of BlackPeopleMeet’s various flirting and communication tools, including swiping right or clicking the check mark if you’re interested, adding someone as a Favorite, and virtually winking.
promises that “meeting black gay men just got easier,” whether you’re interested in friendship, dating, a relationship, or marriage. The site was created around 2011 and has a more serious-minded atmosphere than some gay dating sites.
Take a couple of minutes to sign up (that’s all it’ll take), and then start trying all the features out — don’t be afraid to make the first move. Plus, now that you don’t have to worry about browsing by race and sexual orientation, you can spend more time focusing on other identifiers more important to you.
Research shows that there are at least 1.5 million LGBT Americans who are 65+, and that number should double by 2030. It’s a growing population that deserves attention, especially in the dating industry, and that’s where the next two sites come in. Even more good news is they don’t charge for all the necessary features.
OurTime is another sister site of Match, so you should feel confident that it can get the job done. You’ve got millions of registered users to choose from as well as millions of monthly new users. Not to mention you can take your search for “The One” anywhere you go thanks to OurTime’s iPhone and Android apps.
Relationships:
Dates and Relationships
Match System:
Search by profiles by zip and more
Our Experts Say:
“OurTime is a fantastic option for gay, bisexual, and curious single men age 50 and up, as the site's user base is very active...”
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User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Mature Singles (50+)*
8.9 Million*
Over 50? Try It FREE
The team at OurTime understands that it’s important to you to meet someone who’s been through comparable experiences and who leads a comparable life, and they’ll work around the clock until they find you that ideal match.
was created by the same team that launched eharmony, and it has everything that you’d expect from the online dating giant, but with a more targeted audience. Every member is gay, and a majority are 50 or older and Christian. You’re not just hitting two birds with one stone — you’re hitting three.
Compatible Partners can save you valuable time in the dating scene. You also won’t find a more streamlined process than its psychology-driven matchmaking.
It’s true that signing up can take a while (because you’re taking the site’s very own 32 Dimensions of Compatibility test), but it’s well worth it. After that, CompatiblePartners will find all your matches for you, so you can sit back and relax. You can easily see how you compare to other men on the site because every dating profile has a compatibility breakdown in terms of intellect, extroversion, conscientiousness, athleticism, and more.
Some gay men are into international dating — maybe they travel a lot or are willing to move anywhere for love. But some people have a solid career, a friend and family base, and social life where they live, so they’re looking for someone in their area with whom to share all of that. If you fall into this camp, the two sites in this section will put you in front of thousands of gay singles who are right around the corner.
Zoosk, which came onto the dating scene in 2007, was among the first dating sites to offer signup via Facebook and make online dating feel more like a social experience. Gay daters can pull info and photos from their existing profiles and upload them to their Zoosk account within seconds.
Relationships:
Fun Dates, Serious Relationships
Match System:
Search and get match recommendations
Our Experts Say:
“Gay, bisexual, and curious single men love Zoosk because it's quick, easy, and really successful...”
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User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
All Singles*
28.9 Million*
Start Zoosk for FREE
Set your preferred location, and head to the Carousel to filter through men nearby (click the check mark if it’s a yes, the X if it’s a no, or the O if it’s a maybe). Zoosk is beloved among single gay men for many reasons, but perhaps the main reason is you can take it on the go and never miss out on possible dates.
is commonly referred to as the gay Tinder because it works in almost exactly the same way, but it’s just for gay, bisexual, and curious men. It’s totally free to download through the App Store and Google Play — in fact, Grindr only charges for GrindrXTRA. This upgraded membership ($5 a month) allows you to view more profiles every day, share multiple photos instead of one at a time, and block an unlimited number of members.
Of course, the most important component of Grindr is that it’s a geolocation app that shows you who’s online now within your specified mile range. You could be at a bar, grocery store, dog park, or anywhere else and arrange a meetup for the weekend or the same day!
Don’t worry, though, Grindr does not reveal anyone’s exact location — just a general area — and you must form a mutual match to start a conversation on this gay dating app.
Chatting and messaging are obviously some of the most vital parts of online dating — you want to get to know a match a little bit before meeting in person. We’ve tried a plethora of dating sites and found the two featured below to be the cream of the crop for gay chat.
BeNaughty is all about “fun dating with no waiting,” and this naughty dating site really means it. According to the homepage, you can sign up in just two clicks. Your communication options include about 50 pre-written icebreakers, photos or videos, virtual gifts, chat, and private messaging — just to name a few.
Relationships:
Hookups, Chats
Match System:
Search by encounter, location, and more
Our Experts Say:
“BeNaughty is a popular casual hookup site for millions, which includes a large and active gay user base...”
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User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
All Singles*
13.3 Million*
Browse Profiles Free
BeNaughty excels in terms of security, too. The team verifies every profile to ensure it’s from a real person; encryption technology is used to protect your personal and financial info and keep hackers at bay; and customer support is available via email 24/7.
When you land on MenChats.com, you’re given the choice between video chat or text chat. Then the rest is up to you. The main rule on MenChats is everyone must be at least 18 years old, but the overall atmosphere is fun, free, and sexy. The chat site even has cam models who are up for anything.
We suggest also signing up for MenChats’ email list, which comes out once a week and showcases the hottest members. As the site says, “When you love something, you must share it with other lads!”
It sucks that my friends and others like them have had some disappointing times with online dating, to put it lightly. But it doesn’t have to be this way, and that’s not the case with every dating site. Over the past decade in particular, online dating companies have stepped up and created more inclusive features and safe environments geared toward people in the LGBTQ+ community.
We’ve told you about almost a dozen sites that get gay dating right, so all that’s left to do is take them for a test drive and see for yourself. Have fun!
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