The Grindr Review, A Top Gay Dating Site
What is Grindr? You might be wondering because this is a very famous term in the gay dating world. It is a popular dating platform suitable to the gay, bicurious, and bisexual, as any Grindr.com review will tell you. The platform is more famous as a hookup app that most gay guys use when they want a great night out. This review will detail all the information about this amazing gay dating platform and answer all its questions.
| Statistics | Data |
|---|---|
| 1. Total number of registered users | 27,000,000 |
| 2. Free registration available? | Yes |
| 3. Price of premium plan registration | $24.99 per month |
| 4. Site existence | Founded in 2009 |
| 5. Customer satisfaction rating | 4.2 out of 5 |
| 6. Mobile application available? | Yes |
| 7. Male-to-male user ratio | 100% male |
| 8. Average age of users | 32 years |
| 9. Number of daily active users | 5,000,000+ |
| 10. Average time spent on the app per user | 1.5 hours per day |
| 11. Largest user base location | United States |
Reputation And History Of Grindr
With an average of 3.6 million active users daily and in 196 countries, the Grindr dating site is indeed the largest all-male dating platform globally, according to countless Grindr.com reviews. Having been launched in 2009, this app has continued to grow and eventually became one of the best platforms where gay men meet and connect.
The platform has had firsts in many ways, but the most iconic one was the fact that it was the first app to launch in the iTunes App Store. Positive Grindr reviews dominated the gay circles, and soon word on the ground was that it was the best platform. Come 2012; this platform had bagged 4 million users and counting. It has so far reached 192 countries, and 1.1 million users logged in every day.
It then went on to become such a great platform and received a couple of awards. Here are the awards this site bagged.
- Best Mobile Dating App three times
- TechCrunch’s 2011 Crunchies Award (Best Location Application)
- About.com’s Readers’ Choice Award( Best Dating App)
- Honoree of Webby Awards (handheld devices category)
Being such a great dating platform for gay men, you can be assured of meeting and connecting with someone special here. The profiles are legitimate, and the countless success stories of how men have met and are now enjoying healthy and fulfilling relationships are enough to tell you it is a place you can trust.
The Grindr Sign Up Process
The signup process on this site is easy and quick, as any review of Grindr.com will attest out there. The platform requires you to submit basic details such as username, age(must be above legal age), and email. The platform will then ask certain preferences you might have, such as location, age, and tribe. Next, you will have to write a short “about me” section, which will help tell your potential matches about you.
You can choose to display your profile photo or not, but it is recommended that you upload a photo since the platform is mostly visual-based. Ensure that you follow the photo guidelines indicated to upload the perfect photo. You want to impress your potential beau enough to get them to reach out, right? Then you must do everything the right way.
Membership Pricing And Payment Method
The basic app is free, and you don’t need a subscription to enjoy some features. However, a premium upgraded version known as Grindr XTRA could cost a few dollars every month. With the upgrade, you will access all the features available on this extended version of the app. There is also Grindr premium that is an even more costly upgrade that comes with super premium features.
The features available on the XTRA upgrade are very convenient to those heavy users, but in most cases, the free features are enough if you are just a basic member. If you are on a platform to access regular hookups, romantic dates, or casual sex, then you will love the free version just fine.
Still, the premium features are also great. For example, the expanded filtering options like sexual position, height, body type, and relationship status are amazing and will find you an ideal partner. Grindr XTRA goes around $29, while Grindr premium can cost up to $50 monthly, depending on your needs. Payments are through debit or credit cards or PayPal. Simply choose the package that will best meet your online dating needs.
Here are the appealing features that the XTRA upgrade will get you.
- Ad-free navigation
- Ability to view more than 600 profiles at the same time.
- More photo filters
- Access to unlimited favorites and blocks
- Save and send chat phrases possible.
- Recent photos quick send
- Increased Grindr tribes.
Such features are worth paying to have a better experience.
Grindr Special Features
This dating platform is no doubt a bar above the rest of the free apps. Basic users can enjoy the full experience without having to pay an upgraded membership. You can message anyone you want freely on basic membership, unlike many online dating platforms. Still, the paid features on this app are amazing and are worth mentioning. Here they are.
- Unsend: This is a feature that every communication app should embrace. It is perfect for when you type up a message that feels right, and the regret hits after you hit the send button. Well, unsent changes allows you to cancel and remove any last message you sent. You might have called someone a name that isn’t theirs sent a message to the wrong person, or sent the wrong photo. Unsend feature will come in handy in such scenarios, and undoubtedly it is worth paying.
- Expiring Photos: With this feature, you don’t have to share your Snapchat with your potential matches. Instead, you could send them this photo, and it will only exist for a single 10-second viewing before vanishing forever. The mystery and allure associated with sending the one-time photo to potentials are too priceless. Expiring photos is a lovely addition to the paid features list.
- Chat Translate: It is exciting to use when traveling, and the creators knew this when they created and released it to the market. There is no doubt, auto-translation was created to identify conversation texts in foreign languages. It makes interaction with other singles of other cultures easier, fun, and even safe.
- Favorites List: The feature allows you to save users’ favorites by tapping on a star when viewing their profile. When you favorite the profiles, you will know when those users are online.
- The Gaymoji: Well, conversations have never been so fun and interesting, thanks to the collection of over 500 LGBTQ-themed stickers. The stickers make it easy to express yourself to potential matches and keep the conversations fun always.
- Send Location: The feature enables you to view just how close your user is in proximity to you. It is an additional feature on top of the app’s existing strong geo-targeting one. A very useful feature worth paying extra to access it.
How Does Grindr Work?
The Grindr dating site reviews are not making all the fuss in the dating world for nothing; there is something to write about on how it works. The base product of the site is a free, but ad-supported app uses location technology in Android and iOS devices to help easily connect men in the same area. A small amount allows the upgrade into Grindr Xtra, a premium subscription service. It allows an ad-free experience and access to more exciting features.
The app is visually appealing, with no clutter, and very easy to use. When signing up, all you need is your email, date of birth, a password of your choice, and finally, you have to turn on your phone’s location services. You will then need to upload a profile photo and introduce yourself to your potential matches.
The profile has more fun details in the ‘Stats’ section. The standard dating app information includes height, weight, body type, ethnicity, and relationship status. Then there is what the app adds to suit a gay user base. Users could, for example, indicate their preferred sexual position, tribes they come from, such as bear, geek, clean-cut, otter, jock, twink, poz, and so on. There is also a ‘sexual health’ area allowing users to showcase their HIV status and last test.
Possible matches can be accessed through the cascade page, where men within your location will be listed using geolocation. The profiles will automatically load during scrolling down your cascade until the point where the maximum number of profiles has reached. You can then refresh your matches by simply placing your finger at the top area of the cascade and then pulling it down and releasing it. You get a fresh supply of profiles to look at.
There is a filter feature where you can filter your matches by “my type” or “online now.” You could also use the “fresh faces” filter to view only the newest users in your area. When viewing a profile, you can “peek” if you are not ready to connect with the person.
The platform also comes with two fun messaging features, and the first one is saved phrases for Grindr XTRA users. The saved phrases come from the message you have sent or messages others have sent. You can store your favorite phrases to gain easy access during conversations.
The other fun messaging feature is the Gaymoji, a collection of more than 500 LGBTQ-themed stickers perfect personalizing chat and text messages.
Most of the app’s functionality is available free to users, but the only drawback is you will see ads. However, these ads are not intrusive, which is why many users don’t feel the need to upgrade their membership. But most do so because of the additional features they gain access to.
The best thing about this platform is the ease of use, free functionality, and the large user base which grows daily. It is undoubtedly an excellent platform for all gay men looking to have the best experience in the dating app world.
Grindr Pros And Cons
As much as this app is fun to use, it still has its pros and cons, and here they are
The Pros
- Has simple profiles that make it fast and easy to set up an account and begin the matching process.
- The platform has over 2 million active users daily, which presents an impressive wealth of match options.
- The profiles inspire users to be open and indicate freely what they are looking for. This makes the whole process of finding the perfect match easy.
- The free version of the platform offers complete functionality in exchange for viewing advertising. Still, the best thing is that the ads are very unobtrusive, and most users never feel the need to pay for a subscription.
The Cons
- Potential matches are only displayed through geolocation, and the users cannot search for matches independently.
- Most simple profiles are perfect for quick viewing but lack the detail common with profiles on other dating sites.
- Some users may experience problems with the app’s technology which doesn’t always work in their favor.
Grindr Search And Profile Quality
The matches are based on geo-targeting, and the platform’s interface allows users to see when the other users are online and how close they are. You can see all the available profiles within a certain radius. You can then tap the photo that interests you and see their information and their distance from you. The search algorithm is great, and most times, people have found perfect matches. Many users are real, and their profiles give useful information allowing users to gauge whether they want a hookup or a long-term relationship. There is no question about the platform’s search and profile quality. One can say it is a great platform to be in.
Safety and Security
It is common knowledge that the site works by targeting the user’s locations. There was an issue where a bug in the system allowed the leakage of the users’ actual location in the past. However, since then, the platform has been vigilant and taken strict measures to ensure the privacy of its users. The platform encourages users to report any suspicious activity and even any fake accounts using other people’s photos. In a great effort to fight the surge of fake accounts, they devised a feature that enables users to link their accounts with their social media channels. The feature has led to a considerable decrease in fake user accounts. Even the Grindr log in process is now safer for its users.
Grindr Customer Service & User Support
The site seems to have everything under great control in terms of quality customer service and support. Their response is usually quick, and issues are addressed very quickly. There is customer support in most international languages to cater to users from different regions. The site has unquestionable quality customer service and user support.
Grindr Alternatives
It is known as the best guy-only dating platform for the LGBTQ community, according to the numerous Grindr.com reviews out there. However, other mainstream dating platforms also offer similar experiences for LGBTQ guys. The top alternatives to the platform are as follows:
- GayCupid
- GaysGoDating
- Gaystryst
Conclusion
Based on this review of Grindr, most questions about the dating platform have no doubt been answered. With the detailed features and the smooth operation of the site, there is no doubt that it is the ultimate gay man’s dating platform. Its smooth interface, great features, and quality profiles set it apart. It is no doubt an excellent place to take your online dating to the next level. A great app for regularly meeting people within your location and having the best fun.
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