Finding the best gay dating app is tricky enough in and of itself, but what do you if you are specifically looking for apps facilitating serious relationships and aren’t just hookup apps?
Fortunately, there is a large number of different online dating apps for gay dating nowadays. Unfortunately, sifting through all of them can be time-consuming and not everybody can spend enough time and effort to find the perfect local gay app for their needs.
So, we decided to save everyone some time and do most of the research ourselves. Based on that – and on six chief criteria we’ll list below – we’ve found the 4 best dating apps for gay men and women out there looking for serious relationships.
Which Are The 4 Best Gay Dating Apps For Serious Relationships Today?
Based on the above factors, we went through every online dating app we know of and tried to find the best picks for gay and lesbian dating apps.
This doesn’t mean that the apps above focus exclusively on serious long-term relationships, but rather – that they don’t explicitly prioritize casual dating like most apps (looking at you, Grindr) and they offer the LGBTQ community a good assortment of features and tools to help those seeking meaningful connections.
Additionally, – and as a result of the above – all of the apps we’ve listed do have a gay community that’s predominantly looking for meaningful relationships. So, here are our picks for the best dating apps for gay dating and serious relationships.
1. Taimi.com
Taimi is famous as a prime candidate for the “best dating app” mantle when it comes to the LGBTQ community. A large part of that is due to its unique and dedicated design.
Unlike most other gay dating sites, Taimi isn’t just a re-skin of a straight people dating app. Instead, Taimi was made from the ground up with the LGBTQ community in mind.
This means that a lot of unique features focused on the needs of any gay man or queer women who’d use the site – numerous sexual identity and sexual preferences choices, gender identity options, group chats, various ways of self-expression, and more.
This gay dating app is yet to become as notorious in the mainstream as certain other dating sites, but it has already gotten huge within the gay community, as it haves an active user database of over 17 million people. That alone is a testament to its features and how much it stands out among other dating sites for gay men and women.
What Makes Taimi Worth It?
- Taimi has an enormous database of users from all around the world, making it very likely that your app dating experience will be fruitful.
- Unlike most other apps about gay dating, Taimi has made an active effort to focus on helping people find potential matches for long-term relationships. This isn’t to say that there aren’t still people looking for casual gay dating on Taimi – there always are – however, this is likely the best dating app for relationships out there.
- The app offers a lot of functionality to free users who merely want to test it out or even use it for free in the long run.
- At the same time, this dating site also gives gay guys and gals lots of premium tools, such as video chat, unlimited messaging, unlimited upload photos space, match suggestions, and more features not seen on most other gay dating apps.
- This dating site impresses with its large assortment of safety tools. Whether you’re using the free version of this gay dating app or its paid subscription, Taimi always requires photo ID profile verification. This alone makes sure there are no fake profiles on Taimi like on other gay dating apps, and especially on most free dating apps. User safety is paramount when it comes to online dating and this dating site is better at it than most other apps for either gay or straight people.
- The matchmaking system on this online dating app works seamlessly with its profile customization options to help you get the most potential matches possible compared to most other dating apps out there. This is especially crucial for those looking for serious relationships and is a big reason why this is arguably the best dating app for the LGBTQ community out there.
- Taimi has a great desktop version as well, allowing PC and Mac users to seek compatible matches from the comfort of their desk.
What You Should Watch Out For?
- The intricate complexity of Taimi may be the greatest strength and most unique feature of this dating site but it’s also one of its drawbacks, as it gives new users a rather steep learning curve to get through.
References – https://taimi.com/gay-dating-app/
2. Grinder.com
Grinder is an app that isn’t specifically designed for members of the LGBTQ community, but it is very much inclusive toward them and has the right filter settings and matchmaking tools to be used for those in pursuit of LGBTQ love.
More crucially, it’s also designed for those who are exclusively looking for serious relationships.
What Makes Grinder Worth It?
- Unlike most dating apps, Grinder focuses very much on serious relationships and safe dating practices.
- The above, coupled with Grinder’s sizable user database makes it one of the best dating apps for people looking for meaningful conversations and interactions.
- Bumble has a very good matchmaking algorithm that’s very effective both for the users of its free versions and for paying subscribers.
- Bumble has a lot of fantastic safety tools and security measures, which is especially key for members of the LGBTQ group when browsing through a dating app open to people of all gender and sexual identities, including outside of the LGBTQ umbrella.
What You Should Watch Out For?
- We found the customer support on this dating app to be fairly lackluster compared to most others. Fortunately, the app itself functions very well, meaning that customer support will rarely be an issue.
References – https://cheatriverreview.com/grindr-review/
3. Scruff.com
Scruff is often called “the serious Grindr” and this is a rather app descriptor. Unlike other gay dating sites, Scruff solely focus on people pursuing serious relationships and it has the tool set to help people find what they are looking for.
Another thing to point out is that this site is mostly geared toward gay men – another reason why it gets compared to Grindr – so it isn’t as useful for the broader LGBTQ community. Nevertheless, if you are a gay man, this is one of the best gay dating apps for you to try out.
What Makes Scruff Worth It?
- Virtually every matchmaking and profile customization tool on this dating app focuses on facilitating serious long-term relationships.
- Scruff has a great selection of features for both free users and premium subscribers. Unlike most gay dating apps, this site doesn’t treat its free users as just people to be strong-armed into subscribing.
- Scruff not only has a rather sizable user base, but it allows for people to join different community based on their interests, preferences, and history. There are community for military members, for poz people, twinks, discreet, bisexual, and more.
- Scruff has impressive safety tools, whether you’re using the free version or the premium subscription.
- The matchmaking system on Scruff allows for various customization tools and variables – sexual orientation, age range, and more.
What You Should Watch Out For?
- Scruff doesn’t have a dedicated desktop version, which means you’d have to use an app player if you want to access it from PC or Mac.
- Scruff used to be more focused on casual dating and many people unfortunately still associate it with that, rather than the serious long-term relationships it’s now focused on promoting.
4. HER.com
A rare example of a dating app focused on queer ladies rather than on gay men, HER is the ideal place for any queer lady looking for serious interactions with other like minded women.
The site has a huge database of millions of active users, which is great for an app that self-limits not only based on sexual orientation but on gender identity too. HER is also available worldwide, allowing queer women to have a safe space for pursuing serious long-term relationships wherever they are.
What Makes HER Worth It?
- HER is a very inclusive space for all types of queer ladies – from cis gender bisexual women to gay trans women. This isn’t a trans-exclusionary app.
- The huge database of this app makes it undoubtedly one of the ideal choices for women looking for serious queer relationships with other women.
- HER has an excellent profile verification system and other safety tools, which is absolutely essential for any female-focused dating app.
- The app has great matchmaking tools as well, which further helps foster an environment for pursuing serious romantic relationships and meaningful interactions.
What You Should Watch Out For?
- As you’d expect from a women-only space, straight men are known to try and occasionally succeed in getting past the profile verification system – be wary of catfishing!
How To Find The Online Dating App That Best Fits Your Personal Preferences?
While we stand behind our suggestions above, it’s very much understood that everyone has their own personal preferences. What makes a good app for some people, may not work for others.
So, it’s very likely that a huge chunk of you have tried our suggestions above and haven’t found them exactly to your liking. This doesn’t mean you should give up!
Yes finding the best gay dating app is a tricky process, given that most gay men and women – as well as most people of the broader queer community – have rather diverse preferences, wants and needs.
Still, whether you’re a cis gender gay guy or a non binary trans gay woman, you likely the same basic requirements when it comes to dating platforms – you want them to have good safety features, an adequate free version, an easy sign up process, unlimited messaging, a large dating pool of like minded individuals, a good matchmaking algorithm facilitating meaningful connections, decent customer support, and so on.
So, to make sure that we help you find the best dating platform for your needs, we’d recommend focusing on the following criteria first and foremost:
1. Does The App Employ Good Safety Measures?
Safety concerns are ever-present in the online space, especially when it comes to dating. This is even more so when it comes to networks designed to work as a hookup app for casual encounters, but it’s also important for app aiming to foster genuine connections between people.
As such, a good dating mobile app or its desktop version should offer excellent security measures, both in its free version and for premium users.
2. Does The Dating Site Have Good Customer Service?
Customer service is the thing no one wants to have to deal with during our online interactions, but is also something almost everyone relies upon at least every once in a while.
So, while it’s rarely the first thing people think of when choosing dating sites or any social app, it’s something to always keep in mind.
3. Is The User Base Of The Gay Dating App Large Enough?
The one big issue facing all niche dating apps, especially those focused on a specific location and/or minority group, is whether they have a large enough database for its users to use.
From gay dating apps to Christian Mingle or Farmers Dating, any mobile app should have a significant enough user base to offer enough dating opportunities.
4. Can The App Be Used Effectively For Free?
Looking for a serious relationship online is usually a time-consuming process. This can mean spending a large sum of money over time, depending on the app you’re using, the number of people you are chatting with, and how many paid premium tools you want to use.
All this is a non-starter for people on tighter budgets, which is why it’s important for every app – from the broader ones to every niche platform – to have at least its basic dating features available for free.
Unfortunately, many dating sites today have lackluster and borderline unusable free version features, which leads to a lot of dating struggles, especially in the LGBTQ community.
So, when ranking every mobile app and dating platform we came across, we used this as one of our main criteria.
5. Are The App’s Premium Features Worth Your Money?
Of course, for a truly good app to be able to offer both security features and adequate matchmaking services, it needs to get revenue from somewhere. For those who don’t want to watch an endless stream of ads, every mobile app offers a paid premium version too.
Not all apps’ premium feature subscription is really worth it, however. In many cases, all you’re getting for your money is the lack of ads and the ability to see who has liked your profile.
A truly good dating website should offer a whole host of other features too, however – photo sharing, video chat, additional communication features, local events lists, safety tips, and other limited features for premium members.
6. Is The App’s Overall Price Affordable Compared To Other Apps?
All of the premium features above must not only be worth it, but must be overall affordable too. Most people can’t spend hundreds of dollars on online dating every month, especially given how long it often takes to pursue meaningful connections.
So, the best dating apps don’t only offer a lot of bang for your buck, but also don’t require that much buck to begin with.
All In All – Taimi Stands Above The Rest!
Based on all of the above criteria, Taimi stands out as not only the most popular dating app for the LGBTQ community, but hands down the best place for gay men and women of any age range to beat the hookup culture that’s prevalent online and find truly compatible matches for long-term relationships.
Thanks to its great matchmaking algorithm, excellent profile customization options, and great safety features, Taimi is excellent for both free version and premium membership users to find potential matches and form meaningful relationships.