The year was 1993. An American engineer, Gary Kremen, was hit with an idea while in the shower – use the Internet for relationships. He collaborated with another entrepreneur, Peng Ong, and together they founded a corporation titled Electric Classifieds, Inc. Their first project was a subscription-based dating service called Match.com.
Match was launched in 1995 and, by today’s standards, was primitive. It had a database and matched straight people based on common keywords in their profiles.
“We’ve come a long way baby” as the saying goes.
Online dating is a big thing. With 8,000+ digital dating services worldwide and more being added daily, it has become a multi-billion-dollar industry with no indications that it is slowing down in the least.
Who Uses Dating Apps and Why
Around the world, about 381 million people used online dating apps and sites in 2024.
The simple answer to who uses dating apps is easy – people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, gender identities, and sexual orientations; people who are tired of trying to find new friends, love, sex, and a partner the traditional way. It’s slow, inefficient, and they end up meeting the same people at the same bars, clubs, and events, over and over again. It’s time to move beyond their limited space and explore a larger world of dating.
The LGBTQ+ communities were late comers to the party, because early on, dating sites were reserved for straights
Things Evolve Again
Over the years, as dating apps began to see the buying power of queer people, they evolved again, and pretty quickly. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and all others on the LGBTQ+ spectrum were major players.
Here’s what happened.
Dating services took a look at the buying power of the LGBTQ+ population. It was huge. So much so that, in 2024, in the US alone, they contributed about $1.7 trillion to the US economy, via small businesses and in the purchase of goods and services. Here was an entirely untapped market for dating apps.
It was just a smart business decision for dating apps to reach out to that market to grab some of that money. And so, they began to expand their market to include the LGBTQ+ community.
The dating app market today includes sections reserved for queer women and men of all types and everywhere on the full queer spectrum.
The Queer Population Sees the Benefits
Once they were included and marketed to, queer women and men began to see the same benefits that everyone else did. How about these?
It’s Easy
Anyone with a mobile device and a web connection can register and join online dating services, participate in all they have to offer, and enjoy the ride while the seek like-minded others.
Once registered, users create a profile that includes key info about themselves, such as interests, and what they are looking for in a relationship.
Users then receive matches of like-minded individuals and can choose to accept or reject them. When two users accept each other, a match is made, and they can then begin to communicate.
It’s Comfortable
Think about how many times you have been on a first date in person. You may have been a bit nervous and struggling for conversation with someone who is almost a stranger. the atmosphere can be tense.
It’s totally different online. Many dating apps will provide conversation starters. And it’s just easier to have a conversation when you’re not sitting face-to-face.
It’s Less Expensive
Think about it. When you have a date in real life, there are expenses.
You may have a subscription fee at various dating apps, and, of course, there is your internet charge. But you use that for other purposes too.
So, there is just no comparison with the costs. And most dating apps have free versions that do offer a lot of features for finding your match.
It’s Convenient and Efficient
You can connect to dating apps from anywhere on your mobile devices. And this can be important if you want to check your matches frequently.
On the other hand, if you have an app downloaded on your PC, you can check things out in you PJs at your convenience.
Ours is a consumer-driven economy. People want what they want when they want it. And using digital dating apps satisfies that demand
Your Dating Pool Expands
You will meet people, even in your own locale, that you would not have met otherwise, through traditional dating methods. You just may have been moving in different social circles.
And that dating pool can even expand beyond your locale – you can meet new friends from all over the globe, have meaningful conversations, develop all types of relationships, and broaden your horizons.
Greater Chance of Meeting Your Match
When dating apps get involved in your search for the types of matches you want, they do a much better job.
You are no longer searching on your own. You have all of the technology of dating apps to search for you and present to you a much larger dating pool to consider.
And that dating pool is based on what you have stated you are looking for.
The chances of you meeting the person you are looking for, based on your filters for mutual interests, age range, and more are just much greater.
You Control the Pace
There is no need to move into an online relationship quickly, even if someone else is pushing it. You may want to get more insights into their personality, and you want to spend more time thinking about whether a person is really right for you.
You can honestly tell a match that you need more time and pause communication for a while, or, if you are feeling too much pressure, most popular dating apps will let you block that person from any more communication with you.
Dating apps also give you the chance to really get to know someone and their personality. There are all sorts of communication tools to let this happen, and many are free. Making use of these tools will let you dig deeper into their personality to make a better decision if they are the “one” for you.
Now the task is to find the best dating apps out there for what you want in a relationship.
We can save you some of that searching. Below you will find what we think are the very best dating apps and sites for the LGBTQ+ community.
Taimi
Introduction
Taimi is the largest individuals LGBTQ+ dating platform in the world with well over 27 million users.
- Taimi is not just a dating app. Its mission is to establish and maintain a community environment in which everyone, no matter where they fall on the LGBTQ+ spectrum is welcome, comfortable, and has a totally safe space.
- Users (Taimi prefers the term members) are free to pursue whatever type of relationship they want, from friends to hookups, to casual dating, to long-term serious partnerships, including marriage.
- To promote a sense of community, Taimi hosts lots of events and activities year-round and urges all of its members to participate, having fun together. The motto here seems to be that people who play together stay together.
- One unique feature of Taimi is that it operates a social media space within the platform. This is filled with groups that all can join for free, meet new people, post, and participate in discussions. Any member can form their own group, promote it, and gain a following. And this space is kept safe too. Any ugly talk, verbal abuse, or harassment will get a member expelled.
Getting Onboard
No one should join Taimi until they have accessed the website and reviewed its mission, its features, and its focus on everyone exploring, connecting, and thriving. Because, as Taimi clearly states, sometimes what you come for is not what you end up with. It’s a journey of discovery.
When you’re ready to get onboard, here’s what you’ll do:
- You can only join Taimi through it app. Every page has buttons to click to download the app for your device. The app can be downloaded on all of your devices, including your home PC if you want that option. The download is free, of course.
- Get registered by providing basic info to the app and then setting up a password-protected account.
- Now it’s time to craft a profile. This has been made super easy because new members just need to follow the prompts that the app provides. the profile will include some key pieces of info about yourself that you think others should know about you and a very clear statement of your current gender identity and sexuality, along with what you are looking for in a connection. Upload some great photos, and you’re in.
- There is an option to verify identity, and you should take that option. This puts a green checkmark on your profile, and it will attract more “accepts.” it would be wise to strongly consider others with that green checkmark too.
So, Now What?
The Taimi app has its own in-house legacy system for generating matches (aka algorithm) and will present those based on your user profile.
- As You continue to use Taimi, its system continues to refine your presented matches based on who you accept and reject. the goal is to give you near perfect possibles to consider. The more you use Taimi, the better this all gets.
- When two mutuals accept each other, they match is made, and they are then free to use all of Taimi’s communication tools to get to know each other – messaging, emails within the app, phone calls, and even video calls. All of these are available with the free version.
Pricing
Taimi’s free version has more features than most other gay (generic) dating apps.
But there are more features that may be valuable to lots of members.
There are three premium versions – bronze, silver, and gold. And with each upgrade, users get all of the features of the one below it plus more.
Some of the premium features include:
- geolocation, so that members can choose a radius around their location and receive only mutuals within that radius.
- An ad-free user experience
- Private, secure, and confidential meetups, to share more intimate conversations and photos.
- Pricing begins at $.99, $6.99 and $9.99/month respectively – much cheaper than most other apps
Are You Safe and Secure?
Taimi has very strict community standards that all users should read. These include prohibiting any ugly talk (prejudice, criticism, etc.), any harassment, or verbal abuse.
Taimi urges its members to report any of this behavior, or any other behavior they find offensive. they will investigate immediately, and violators are subject to expulsion from that app. Diversity, equality, and inclusion reign on this platform. Violations also include asking for money or trying to sell anything.
No gay dating apps can guarantee 100% freedom from fake profiles. But there are certain words and terms in profiles that raise suspicion. Taimi will flag these for further identity checks, and members who suspect a fake profile should report it immediately.
Overall, we believe that Taimi is the best dating app among all gay dating apps. It welcomes the entire queer community and encourages everyone to adopt flexibility as they journey through who they are and what they want – sometimes that journey is lifelong. Add to that all of the great features, and it is the best gay dating app.
Are there other gay dating apps out there? Of course, and we want you to explore all that they offer too.
So, let’s unpack some others that you may want to try.
OKCupid
Introduction
OKCupid is not an exclusively gay dating app. But in 2014, it expanded its reach with its “For Every Single Person” campaign. The results of that campaign have been as follows:
- Users can customize their gender identities and sexual orientations
- There are now 22 gender options and 20 different sexual orientations including most recently non binary people.
- The total result is more than 60 gay identities to choose from
OKCupid (OKC) is pretty big – 15+ million users located in English-speaking countries – US, UK, Canada, and Australia. And this translates to a huge dating pool for the queer community.
OKC is owned by the March Group, but functions differently from most other dating apps and sites in that group. Matching is based on user profiles but also on answers to required and optional questions they answer.
Getting On Board
The steps are straightforward but do take a while to complete.
- You go to the platform and click the “join” button
- You will have to supply your email address and also to create a password for you upcoming account
- You compose a short profile with some basic info about yourself which is for app administrators to use. You will include your gender identity, sexuality, DOB, and your geographic location.
- You will then be presented with questions, including what you are seeking for a relationship. You are required to answer 15 of them, but most users opt to answer more. The more answered, the better the algorithm can present mutuals that are closer to what you want. And be sure to answer questions that are really important to you.
- You’ll also be asked to upload some pics but watch the rules – no suggestive and no nudity. Choose some that show you in action, involved in your work or hobbies.
- Next, you write a short personal intro that other users can see – your work/career or your major study field, your age range – just to give others a taste of who you are.
- When you are presented with possibles, you will also be given a percentage “match” from questions both of you answered.
- One more step – you supply your phone number, get a verification code, and plug it in.
It’s a lot to do, but none of it is hard.
So Now What?
You’ll start receiving profiles of others and the % compatibility you are.
- Presentations will range from 5 – 25 a day, but usually closer to 5.
- You swipe.
- There are lots of buttons across the top of your screen and some at the bottom. You can see who is nearby, online right now, who has liked you, and messages you have been sent. You can also change your profile or answer more questions.
All of this is with the free version.
Pricing
While most users have all they want for free, there are three fee-based options:
A-List Basic gives an ad-free experience and more “likes” – begins at $3.95/month
A-List Premium – more features – $19.90/month – unlimited likes and read receipts.
Boost – pay to boost your profile to the top for periods of time – pay per boost.
Are You Safe and Secure?
Probably the best deterrent to trolls and frauds is the process of joining. Bad guys don’t want to take this kind of time – they’ll go to gay dating apps where they enroll quickly and that do not have all of the verification procedures.
Still, if a user suspects a fraud, they are encouraged to report for investigation.
OKC is one of the favorite dating apps of those who are looking for long-term friends or a serious and long-term relationship and where they can meet people who want the same thing.
If you are interested in hookups and casual dating, there are other places to go.
Adult Friend Finder (AFF)
Introduction
For those who think that AFF is a “fly by night” scam, think again.
AFF has been around since 1996 and has a solid reputation for being not only completely legit, but over 100 million users will testify to full satisfaction with their experiences.
AFF makes no pretense about what its space is for – anyone who is seeking no holds bar sexual experiences, swinging, and kink for singles, couples and groups. No one is shy about the kind of encounters they want, and there are plenty of other members who are happy to oblige.
Most members are cis men and women of all sexual orientations, but there is also a sizable chunk of trans people .
Anyone who is the least bit skittish about raunch needs to go somewhere else.
Getting on Board
It’s super easy.
- Go to the website
- Create your free account
- Choose whether you are joining as a single, a couple, or a group
- State what type of hookups and encounters you are looking for
- Add the basics – age, location, and create a username.
- Create your profile – no one cares about your work, interests, or hobbies. Your profile should be all about pics and videos. If you just want to be a voyeur, say so.
So Now What?
This is not the common swipe feature. Instead:
- there are message boards
- there are chat rooms, blogs, live webcam streams
- you can seek by age, gender, kinks, location
- you can join public chats or watch the webcams of other members
- you meet like-minded people in all of the above spaces – there’s no matching done by the site
- you can arrange in-person meetups too but be wise and take precautions.
Now, here’s the thing. Your free account won’t give you much – the photos and videos are blurred, and you can’t do a lot of connecting and interacting.
Everyone who is serious about getting real sexual experiences will have no choice but to opt for the paid version.
Pricing
The fee-based plan is called a Gold Membership and prices are based on the length of membership.
- 1-month = $39.95
- 3 months = 26.95/month (full payment up front)
- 12 months = $19.95 (full payment up front)
There is often a free trial offered, and sometimes there are special promos and other optional add-ons. It is a good idea to check any specials before taking a subscription.
Are You Safe and Secure?
AFF does not have a great history of security. There were two major breaches in 2015 and 2016. Members’ accounts were exposed, primarily because passwords were not protected. You can imagine the havoc this caused for those who were counting on their membership being confidential.
Since then, AFF has put standard encryption in place to protect its member privacy, and better measures to weed out the fakes.
Still, it is an adult sex-oriented platform, and users must take measures to protect themselves too. Never share personal information – NOT EVER. Use strong passwords that you are not using in other places. Just consider AFF a high-risk environment.
Those who are into a wide-open space for anything say that AFF is the best dating app for them.
Grindr
Introduction
Grindr was first launched in 2009 as a male gay dating app. Like most others who specialized in just one niche area of queer dating, it ultimately expanded to include all of the LGBTQ+ community.
Grindr is huge with about 145 million users in about 190 countries. In any month, there are almost 15 million on the site.
What makes Grindr unique is that it location based so that users can connect with each other online and IRL near their own city.
Getting On Board
No complications here:
- Download the app from your relevant store
- Create your account using your email address of your Facebook profile (faster and avoids verification hassle)
- Create your profile – the app will help you through this. Get stuff in that is important to you, state who and what you are looking for, and upload some great pics of you doing you doing your things. Headshots are great for LinkedIn, but not here.
So, Now What?
You have three options:
- you can begin browsing through others’ profiles and message them
- you can just wait for potentials to be presented and start messaging them
- or you can do both
- Communication can be via messaging, photo sharing, calls, and video calls
- You can seek any type of relationship – finding friends, hookups, casual dating, or even serious stuff.
- One great option is the “explore” feature. If you will be moving, vacationing, or traveling on business, you can change your location and even have potentials waiting when you arrive at any city.
- All of these features come with the no-cost version.
Pricing
While the no-cost version offers a lot, many users do opt for the premium for added benefits, such as no ads and unlimited blocks if you should choose to end a connection that isn’t working out.
The premium versions start at $9.99/month and increase as higher levels are chosen.
Good idea to check the website for all of the details.
Are You Safe and Secure?
If you set up your account via FB, no problem.
But if you use your email address, there will be a verification process.
Users can also report behavior that is suspect, and that will be investigated with further identity checks.
Given the huge size of Grindr, queer people will have no problem finding compatibles for whatever type of relationship they want.
eHarmony
Introduction
Like many other dating sites, eHarmony was launched (in 2000) as a place for straights to connect and find their lifelong partners.
- It was founded by a clinical psychologist who has a patented testing system of 32 compatibilities of personality traits that make for a successful long-term relationship – very scientific and based on research.
- Since its launch, the service states that it has brought about 600,000 couples together who have married.
- Gradually, eHarmony came to include lesbian women and gay men, but today it supports the full range of gender identities and sexualities of the entire queer community. In fact, eHarmony has partnered with GLAAD to enhance its support for queer community daters.
- There is no browsing on this platform. All of the matchmaking is done by the app based on compatibility scores on those personality questions.
- Current dating pool is 16+ million, and most users are in the 25-34 age range
Getting on Board
The sign up process is a bit lengthy, probably about 45 minutes on average. Here is how it goes:
- Sign up with your email address or connect your profile to your FB account. It is rumored that connecting it to your Twitter account may soon also be allowed. You must provide login info – name, age, and such for app use only.
- Create a basic profile – basic info by answering some general questions – gender, sexuality, who and what you are looking for, spiritual beliefs, smoking/drinking behaviors, ethnicity, location, and the distance from your location you want possibles presented.
- Take the test. This is the key piece of the platform’s algorithm. From it, the app develops your personality profile. There are about 80 questions, some with simple yes or no answers, some multiple choice, and some pose situations to respond to. In the end, the algorithm then locates others with a high compatibility score.
- Upload pics. Anywhere from 1 – 10 pics can be uploaded. Be honest here – no filtering.
- Answer some profile questions – this is optional but answering these “About Me” questions will help the algorithm. Examples of these questions are “one of my odd habits,” “the most influential person in my life,” “I have a passion for,” “My love language is.”
So, what Next?
The algorithm now generates prospects based on compatibility and scores that compatibility. Users can then see those scores and decide whether to move forward or not.
- Compatibility scores include the details of the questions that were mutually answered the same, so users can see exactly what they were on the same page on.
- To communicate with compatible prospects, users must be premium members, though there is a free trial for a short period.
- All messaging, including video calls, is fully encrypted. Premium users have no limits on messaging with compatibilities; no-cost users are severely limited.
- Video dating is available to premium members only.
It should be pretty obvious by now that using the no-cost option will not get you anywhere. You can send a compliment or a wink, but you can’t receive any response – so, what’s the point?
It’s time to take a look at what it costs to have all of features that make use of eHarmony satisfactory.
Pricing
Let’s start by listing what a user gets at no cost:
- Registration, account setup, profile
- test and results
- daily suggestions of prospects with compatibility reports
- send smiles, compliments and icebreakers
Obviously, you can’t connect with anyone without the premium subscription, but with it you get:
- view profile photos of prospects
- unlimited communication – messaging, phone calls, video calls, and video dates
- See who has viewed your profile
- search by distance from your location
there is only one premium version – prices vary by length of subscription
- 6 months – 65.90$/month
- 12 months – $45.90/month
- 24 months – $35.90/month
Be sure to check with customer support. You may get a link offering discounts.
Yes, eHarmony is pricey. Is it worth it? That’s up to you.
In all, eHarmony is a solid community space for those looking for something permanent and long-term. It is one of only a few apps the have such an extensive compatibility factor.
Is That All There Is?
Of course not. These are five apps and sites that cover a variety of the types of relationships that people seek.
Specific Apps
There are a host of apps for specific gender identities and sexualities. And on these apps, users can find friends
- Lesbians can find a lesbian dating app (e.g. HER). Some lesbians may seek only other lesbians or are open to bisexuals. They simply state so.
- gay men can find dating apps that also provide a safe space for them to seek the perfect match for adding friends, starting chats, and finding potential matches (e.g., Gaydar).
- even bisexuals can find their own spaces to make friends and connect with others who share their interests, who are on the same page regarding sex, and even looking for a long-term partner.
And don’t forget all of the major social media platforms that have groups for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and others on the entire queer spectrum. Read the posts, participate in the discussions, and have some fun. For those seeking online connections for the first time, social media platforms may be a good place to begin.
If we were to name the best LGBTQ dating sites app, it would be Taimi, one place where the well-being of the entire queer community is protected and honestly cared for. Start there and then explore the other possibilities.