Best Gay Dating Sites in USA: Top 8 Dating Online Websites For LGBTQ
Last Updated on June 5, 2023
Gay folks are less overt about dating people of the same sexuality. It follows with several risks and you might get stuck at a dead end without knowing where to start. Our main suggestion would be to start with specialized gay dating sites. They are straightforward yet anything but straight. We’ve picked the best of the best, trying to include different online gay dating options.
Find Your Soulmate
#1 Gaysgodating
The gay dating website is more for those who want something casual. People here are more into sexual stuff than building strong relationships.
| Users | 75% Male vs 25% Female |
| Free version | Liking other profiles, getting a small number of credits to write first messages, browsing other profiles |
| Paid Version | Seeing private photos, sending messages whenever you want, starting a video conversation |
| Special offer | Get a free consultation when filling your profile |
Overview
This is the most popular gay dating app with the largest selection of gender identities and sexual orientations. Variations in the umbrella identities of transgenderism, asexuality, pansexuality, and other aspects of self-presentation are taken into account. Another convenience of the app is that the questionnaires can be viewed as a gallery.
Pros
We liked how effective customer support was. They are fast and can resolve your problem easily if you specify your issue. Another plus is accessibility. The gay site gives you many discount options to try out a paid membership. They know you’ll like it, so they offer it quite often. Also, the matchmaking system was quite joyful and there were several interesting men to choose from.
Cons
Unfortunately, gaysgodating cannot offer you a dating app version. Yeah, sure, you can use the browser, but it’s longer and doesn’t always scale properly. Also, some users on the gay site are overly lazy to describe their bio and interests. Hardly anyone wants to date a dark horse. Furthermore, those undetailed profiles are likely to be fake which can add to the negative reputation of the gay site.
#2 Grindr
Grindr is a popular gay hookup app. It can be used for seeking strong relationships, but men come here mostly for the sake of enjoyment. It’s more of a gallery of hot people who want to hook up together.
| Users | 97% men vs 3% female |
| Free version | Profile customization, revealing other users’ profiles, creating chat with several members |
| Paid Version | No advertising, you can like or dislike however many times you want |
| Special offer | Gaining a 20% discount when buying a subscription |
Overview
The Grindr gay hookup site is aimed directly at LGBT people. It is used by people from over 200 countries and is very popular in the queer community. Perhaps a certain risky point is that the app actively uses the geolocation of your phone to show you which of the app’s subscribers are nearby. Accordingly, your profile can also be shown to someone who is looking for subscribers near you.
The application is free, but, as usual, some features can be obtained only by purchasing a Grindr Xtra subscription. The cost of such a subscription is $12 per month.
Pros
The most innovative feature so far is an option to add your recent medical analyses. This is extremely helpful, as people don’t want to get a disease whilst being in a sexual relationship. However, it depends on how trusting you are, because one day the person is healthy, and the next thing they get a spontaneous infection. Nevertheless, Grindr is accessible and has a strong pool of members.
Cons
Despite Grindr being a strong long-lasting contender, there are still some glitches here and there. The company needs to strengthen their app’s technical maintenance routine. Also, there were instances of data leakage in 2018, which is a blow to Grindr’s reputation. Just like many other gay sites, having many members increases the chances of encountering bots.
#3 BeNaughty
| Users | 77% Male, 23% Female |
| Free version | Sendings winks, creating a list of favorite users, free messages for ladies |
| Paid Version | Access to photo gallery of any profile, sharing files in chat, seeing the place where your interlocutor lives |
| Special offer | 3-day subscription costing $1 a day |
Overview
One of the most popular and widely known gay dating apps. Hornet includes not only an app but also a social network. And today it has 25 million registered users, and about 1.5 million people per day visit the app. BeNaughty was created in 2000 and has been successfully competing with other similar apps for more than a decade. The app can be used for free, but it has a paid format with prices ranging from $4.5 to $10 per month. In this mode, you can get the app clean of ads and see who has viewed your profile.
Pros
There are many people with different kinks out there. Your choices are unlimited here. We like that women can use the gay site for free to help them in their hour of need. If you’re having bad luck, the creators will give you a free trial for three months to help you out.
Cons
Unfortunately, Apple users are being left out here. Also, you cannot see the full information of a profile if you don’t have a membership. Furthermore, the free version doesn’t allow you to chat properly and you cannot see the photos of the profiles. It can get frustrating.
#4 MenNation
That is a great popular gay dating site if you are into gay dating and gaining additional perks for being an active user.
| Users | %99 male 1% female |
| Free version | Signing up, creating erotic chats, sending winks, showing your video files |
| Paid Version | Virtual gifts, getting in touch with users, adding people to a friend list |
| Special offer | More matches to a newbie user |
Overview
This gay dating app is also aimed at gay and bisexual men. But it works originally. You don’t choose who you want to chat with, Banana gives you a random order of who you want to chat with. It is also not geolocated, so there is no guarantee that you will meet. After all, the person you’re talking to could well be on any continent.
One of the disadvantages of this app is that, like most random conversation apps, Banana is very popular with exhibitionists. Whichever app you use, the important thing is that you feel safe and can find someone you will feel good with.
Pros
We liked how committed gay men are. No fakers are trying to pose as a heterosexual trying out something new. Additionally, this might be the site with the biggest communication choices. As we mentioned earlier, the gay site gives you perks for remaining active. You might even get some cash for your devotion.
Cons
This is yet another gay dating site with no dating app. All it can provide is the site version on your mobile browser. It creates small obstacles, and you have to re-enter your login data whenever you delete your browser’s cache. Also, the gay site looks a bit old-fashioned. If you want to step up your game, you have to revitalize your main operating principles.
#5 FriendFinder
It is a gay site that is both for romantic relationships and to find gay friends. It adds variability and you can always deepen your bond with existing friends. You never know who you might fall for.
| Users | 82% male 18% female |
| Free version | Writing blogs, adding videos, user search, filters |
| Paid Version | No limit on the number of users you can see, full technical support, getting your profile to the top |
| Special offer | Discounts for a Gold subscription |
Overview
Another app entirely geared towards the gay community. Its advantage is that it focuses not only on dating and creating relationships but also on entering a friendly space. Here you can find chat rooms according to your interests and communicate in them, expanding your circle of acquaintances.
The app is initially free, but it has a set of paid features, costing $10 a month. If you pay for a subscription, you get access to video chats, the ability to see who’s looking at your profile, and advanced search settings.
Pros
Possibly the best thing FriendFinder offers is free communication. Granted, you don’t have all of the features, but it’s a great hookup for you to keep using the site. As a plus, people here are being straightforward about what they are looking here for. Though there are mostly men here, you also find bisexual women, lesbians, and trans people. A variety of choices is always welcome.
Cons
Unfortunately, we had some instances of encountering fake profiles. They usually pretend to be rich men who promise to shower you with money if you help them out in some shape or form. Furthermore, customer support here is ineffective and it takes way too long for them to judge a reported profile, which provides for impunity.
#6 Jerkmate
Jerkmate is meant for more horny gay users who’d like to drown in lustful pleasure.
| Users | Male 83% Female 17% |
| Free version | Search filters, a preview of videos |
| Paid Version | NSFW cam shows, giving full access to your webcam |
| Special offer | Additional free webcam sessions |
Overview
Although this is not a popular gay dating app, it is still used by some people for sexual pleasure. Jerkmate is a service that offers webcam shows when you are way too tired of communication. Sometimes dating is not an option for you, and it’s perfectly fine. Jerkmate is far from being free. To get your eyes on sexy content, you have to spend that coin. Your price depends on how many live streams you are ready to watch.
Pros
This is sex business done properly. We like how models post their schedules so you can expect their future sessions. Also, the mobile version is quite optimized, and it is easy to watch streams on smaller screens. You can always see how much in-site currency you’re spending and decide whether to keep going.
Cons
Naturally, this site doesn’t allow you to date the models. They are eye candies who interact with you via online chats but that is the maximum of their possibilities. Stalking them or pursuing private information is illegal. Additionally, customer support was unresponsive so it might take a while to solve your issue. This goes for models as well, as they can have some rare technical issues. Also, there is no freemium model, and you have to pay for accessing the site.
#7 HER
This app is great for gay women. Bisexual women and lesbians gather here to dive into the Sapphic experience.
| Users | 1% Male 99% Female |
| Free version | Swiping profiles to deny or confirm a match, viewing profiles, free sign up |
| Paid Version | Swipe as many times as you need, see the users who like your profile |
| Special offer | Coupons to send free messages |
Overview
HER is made for lesbian and bisexual girls. There are three ways to get to know someone. The first is the classic way of liking a profile, which is common to Tinder and many other similar apps. The second way is by placing an advertisement for dating and waiting for responses. And the third way is by communicating in general interest chats to find girlfriends and possible partners there.
Pros
This gay site here is oriented toward creating strong relationships between gay women. You are not likely to get casual here. It was created to connect lonely lesbians who dream to find their queen. The atmosphere here is simply lovely and it encapsulates a full spectrum of LGBTQIIA+ women. Yes, you can also find aromantic, asexual, and trans women here as well.
Cons
One main complaint we have here is that the site limits your registration to either Facebook or Instagram. We don’t support the notion of necessitating a connection between two different sites as it propagates weak security and opens more loopholes for hackers. HER is using the app version exclusively, so you can’t dive into it on your PC or MAC. We get it that mobile phones are always better for dating, but we also support maximum accessibility.
#8 Adam4Adam
As the name implies, Adam4Adam is sorely for gay single men. This is the best gay dating site if you want to drown in casual pleasure.
| Users | 99% Male 1% Female |
| Free version | Profile creation, getting messages, sending messages, sign up |
| Paid Version | Unlimited amount of symbols for chat, add as many friends as you want |
| Special offer | 70% discount for a membership |
Overview
This gay dating site also offers IRL events, in real life, to meet men looking for love. Workshops, themed evenings, vacations: you are bound to find an activity that will please you. If we had to mention one regret for MeeticGay, it would be the webcam option, which does not exist on this platform. As for the Meetic Gay application, it is of good quality, available, and easy to find in all the stores once your registration has been validated. You can however use the mobile site, well adapted to small screens.
Pros
One unique interesting feature is the possibility to register on the gay site as a couple. It might be a great option if you want to add another player to your bed experience. The more the merrier as they say. We liked the fact that you can go incognito and can hide some of your visits. You want to be discreet in your choice.
Cons
Although Adam4adam has a mobile app, it is a bit lacking, compared to the PC version. You can see that it is more of a cut version. It is also recommended to be an active user, as the chats with 10-day inactivity get immediately deleted. We also didn’t like the lack of a proper verification system. It welcomes many fraudsters to exploit the system.
User Experience From Best Best Gay Dating Websites
How Many Gay Guys Use Dating Sites?
Gay dating sites are extremely popular with about 74% of adult gay people using them. This is what many gay site reviews state. To be honest, this information is not that surprising. Using a gay dating website is much safer than trying to look for gay people on the streets. You might encounter homophobia or get accused of being a pervert, and nobody would wish for this kind of experience. Your gay dating journey is much safer with the Internet.
How Can I Meet Gay People Without Gay Online Dating Sites?
Another option on how to meet a gay man consists of three stages. On the first one, it is necessary to get acquainted with the rules of calculating such. To this end, it is recommended to learn more about their manner of dress, and behaving in society. Any information that allows identifying a homosexual without verbal contact will do.
Next, it is necessary to go out on the streets of the city and apply the obtained theoretical knowledge in practice. Focusing on international gay men you will have to get to know them in one way or another. It’s important to first make sure your assumptions are correct, and only then make them public in front of the interlocutor. Otherwise, you will not only be left with a broken trough but also with a broken nose: every other hetero man will be glad to bruise anyone who dares to suspect him of being gay.
The majority of gay people are eager to get acquainted with gay friendly folks. This is because ladies are much more tolerant than men. A friendly gay-gay-female couple is no longer a rarity. This is not to say that it is easy to meet a gay man in our country. However, it is possible if you want to. It is easiest for people in big cities, where such phenomena are more common. It is much more difficult to do it in villages and remote provinces.
Visit the Gay Clubs
Gays, for the most part, do not feel very comfortable in the same area as heterosexuals. They prefer to rest in a secluded place where people like them gather. More often than not, it is in specially organized clubs. Some of them work incognito. Others do not hide the fact that the vast majority of their visitors are directly related to members of sexual minorities.
How Do I Meet a Gay Man in Real Life
To do so, it is enough to be inside the establishment. The only “but” is that most of the time there is strict control at the entrance.
The reason for wanting to meet a gay man can be anything but insulting or humiliating the latter for his lifestyle. A gay man has unusual physical tendencies and no more – otherwise he is no different from any other man.
Why Is Gay Dating Difficult?
As far as LGB people are concerned, the existing literature shows that discrimination against these social categories can take different forms: psychological or physical violence, verbal or non-verbal harassment, refusal of promotion, dismissal, and non-engagement. It can be exercised by different actors in the work environment. Generally speaking, these are the most common issues of being gay:
- Discrimination
- Prejudice
- Less legal rights
- Marriage constraints
Gay Dating: Living Together
is the most important step in any relationship. Life changes extremely so and you can find several new aspects to deal with. We’re not discouraging you from creating a happy life together. We only want you to get prepared for some surprises:
- Your relationship will change when you start living together. It’s one thing to date and breaks up, and it’s quite another to live as a family;
- Living together will not help a complicated relationship. If there are serious problems between you, they will only intensify when you are constantly together;
- You will have to find compromises and learn flexibility in dealing with issues. Your lifestyle, developed during the time you were alone, will inevitably change, in one way or another, and you will have to give up some degree of independence.
How to Give Gay Life Together a Chance
Eventually gay people might consider taking their relationship to the next level. However, there are several matters that you should consider before fully merging. You cannot exactly ignore them because those issues might manifest later on:
- Guys, before you start a life together, make sure that you are committed to each other, that you both want to live as a family, and that you are honest with each other, and that you have a shared vision for your relationship and future;
- Communication is the key to success. Share each other’s fears and problems as well as joyful moments and good moods. Don’t “swallow” resentments and hard feelings, keep a constant dialogue;
- Establish some ground rules for living together before you move in together. This way you will have fewer surprises. From time to time, switch roles in running the household together so that one of you doesn’t become the “troublesome wife”;
- You will have a lot of decisions to make together. So make sure that both of you can safely discuss problems and are willing to compromise. Listen to your inner feelings and be aware of your emotions during difficult conversations – so you can avoid accusations, resentments, and painful scenes. When you are going through a “storm,” focus on the strengths of your union.
How Do You Propose to a Gay Person?
We believe that weddings of homo and hetero couples are somehow different. That’s why a beautiful and laconic ring in yellow (a more classic version) or white gold is a very nice surprise. As a setting in which to propose, we can advise places with beautiful views of the city, maybe places by the river or the sea. Cool, as we think, to propose on vacation, when there is no need to rush anywhere and there are a lot of different opportunities to do it.
And all those clichéd “champagne glasses with rings in them,” expensive restaurants with waiters in white aprons, and proposals in the form of flash mobs – it’s so movie-ish.
How Much Do Gay Dating Sites Cost On Average?
Honestly, it mostly depends on your budget. There are popular gay dating apps where you can send messages without as much as spending a penny. Granted, they are flawed to an extent and can limit your accessibility, but we are talking about the minimum price. Overall, most gay premium memberships don’t cost much and on average you can a paid version for 10 euros or so.
Gay Dating (Advice to my Younger Self)
In this video, Sam Cushing explains what could have been done better in the past. He learns from past mistakes and sees better ways to approach gay dates.
Conclusion
We hoped that this was a helping dive into gay dating sites and several issues connected to gay dating culture. Most of our gay dating websites in USA are meant for a gay man or gay single looking for a serious relationship. However, you can also extend it to trans people, lesbians, and pansexuals. Also, you can extend your searches to real-life encounters, especially if you enjoy clubs. Remember, that revealing your sexuality might be a poor option, as there is prejudice in this world. Nevertheless, it is easier to find someone your type if you’re open with your identity.
FAQ
What are the free best gay dating apps?
Adam4Adam, Grindr, Hornet, and GayCupid might be your best options. Some of those stick to casual dating, whilst others cater towards singles trying to create a strong bond. They don’t advertise themselves as 100% belonging to either of the categories, and It mostly depends on the user atmosphere.
What is the best gay dating app?
It always depends on your needs. If you want a one-night stand, then you can always opt for Grindr and Hornet. People might get a bit vulgar there, but the user database is so rich that you’ll eventually find someone suitable. If you want to take it to the next level, then try gaysgodating, or HER, if you are a single gay woman.
What are the best gay dating sites for relationships?
The main factor here is how convincing you are, as even some casual gays might consider starting a relationship with you. Yes, most Grindr or Hornet users would rather spend a day or two with you and move on, but there can always be a spark between two people. If you want to play it safe, however, then use GayCupid, as it caters more to romantic single gay men.
