The LGBT community experiences unjust discrimination when it comes to online dating. A recent study reveals LGBTQ+ singles face approximately 23.2% sexual victimization rate, which is 11% higher than the heterosexual rate.
Given this, one thing turns out to be blatantly obvious – the transgender, pansexual, or queer community needs their dedicated and reliable space to connect with each other. Thus, to help you find a secure and authentic gay dating website, we have rounded up the five best alternatives of the year. Read on!
Top Picks For The Best LGBTQ+ Dating Sites And Apps
- BiCupid – Overall Best Gay Dating Site, Editor’s Choice
- MenNation – Most Popular Gay Dating Site
- Friendfinder-x – Best For Serious Relationships
- Academic Singles – Highly Recommended For LGBTQ+ Dating For People Over 50
- eHarmony – Top Site For Discreet Dating
#1. BiCupid– Overall Best Gay Dating Site, Editor’s Choice
Raking in more than 2,30,00 monthly visits worldwide, BiCupid is a leading bisexual dating platform. The website’s inclusivity and secure environment have made it the favorite of millennials. This dating place efficiently serves the LGBTQ+ community. People of various genders and sexualities can use this website to fulfill their quick dating needs.
Typically, most users of BiCupid are men (25 years and above), and they are sexually active. However, the platform wholeheartedly welcomes people of all genders. The best part is that the members of BiCupid can freely explore their sexuality in their preferred setup.
You can use the site for random hookups and dating. On the other hand, you can also search for serious commitments. You don’t need to be single to access this site – the site caters to couples who want to spice up their sexual life with unusual adventures.
BiCupid’s website is well-designed, and you will likely find it easy to navigate. Finding matches and sorting through profiles is pretty convenient with BiCupid. While free memberships come with limitations, paid ones offer a range of amazing features.
For example, you can rapidly check a chunk of matches by leveraging the website’s “Let’s Meet” feature. Moreover, you can send your interest to those matches instantly. You can simply press the dedicated ‘heart’ button when you find a suitable match. On the other hand, when you don’t find a match appropriate, you can simply eliminate it by pressing the ‘X” button.
BiCupid’s match functions are pretty vibrant. However, most of them are available for paid members only. The said functions include reverse matching, a seamless browse-through for checking compatibility, etc.
Highlights
High-Quality Matches: While BiCupid is not the largest bisexual dating site, it’s qualitative. The singles’ quality on BiCupid is interesting, attractive, and genuine. Most profiles are beautifully organized and completed, helping you check the quick information about your preferred match. The overall experience is, however, self-explanatory.
Functional Free Trial: Leveraging the free trial opportunity, you can explore this online dating site to understand how good it could be. You don’t need to pay a hefty amount to look around. Besides, you can set up your free trial account in just a few minutes.
Easy Sign-up: BiCupid has two sign-up alternatives. You can either use the Facebook login method or can sign up manually. The manual sign-up may take around five minutes, while the Facebook one is lightning fast. Best of all, BiCupid values your privacy. Thus, it doesn’t post anything to Facebook on your behalf.
Detailed Info: BiCupid lets you check a full range of information about your preferred match. They include relationship status, last logged-in details, interests, appearance, height, background, lifestyle, astrological signs, and even sexual preferences.
Pros
- Efficient customer service
- Rational pricing
- Allows standard members to connect with premium ones
- Ideal for LGBT casual dating
- Facilities threesomes, hookups, swingers, etc
- Boasts loads of filtration opportunities
Cons
- Doesn’t allow free users to read messages
- Inconvenient gender distribution
=> Click here to visit the official website of BiCupid
#2. MenNation– Most Popular Gay Dating Site
Men Nation is a paradise for gay men looking for hookups. This dedicated gay dating site lets you talk to numerous men who want casual fun. Launched in 1996, MenNation is perhaps the first-ever gay dating site on the planet. Up and running for over two decades, MenNation is a pioneer in connecting gay men worldwide.
Joining the website is pretty easy – you just need to register, and you can start browsing. However, upgrading to a premium account helps you enjoy the exclusive site features. Being a hookup-focused site, MenNation allows you to connect to every man you find interesting. Moreover, you can meet them physically.
MenNation’s sign-up page is utterly standard. You will be taken to the registration page for the first time accessing the site. They may ask about your relationship status. In addition, you may need to fill up a few essential details like your citizenship, zip code, date of birth, etc. Once you are done with registration, you need to complete email verification, and you are all set to go.
Unfortunately, MenNation doesn’t provide any instant matches. You will have to set filters and initiate the search to find your preferred matches. However, the filtered nature of the search ensures the best matches. Everything is not rosy with MenNation, though – to access their messaging feature, you will have to cross the paywall. Given that, free members can’t chat with their matches until they upgrade to premium memberships.
Highlights
Standard Design and Usability: While MenNation doesn’t feature a cookie-cutter design, it’s pretty organized. You can find everything you need to reach out to your preferred matches rapidly. Thus, you can bet on the site’s usability and appreciate its simplistic yet functional design.
Live Models: To keep up with the trend, MenNation allows its members to broadcast themselves on live cameras. You can accept tips and even express your way of handling a man in person.
Cost Efficiency: The premium subscription of MenNation is rational. You don’t need to break the bank to have some fun. Besides, a premium membership lets you access different features like chatting, viewing others’ profiles in full, making gay friends, joining non-nude chats, etc.
Highly Secure: MenNation regularly verifies their member’s profiles to keep things genuine and secure. The site’s detailed privacy policies and terms of use indicate a secure and enjoyable online dating experience.
Pros
- Quick and empathetic customer support
- Suitable for bisexual and bicurious men
- Unique BuzzMode feature lets control a broadcasters wearable sex toy
- Features interesting compatibility quiz (Purity Test)
- Gives away cash incentives
Cons
- No mobile app
- Not ideal for serious committers
=> Click here to visit the official website of MenNation
#3. Friendfinder-x– Best For Serious Relationships
If you are looking for a one-stop solution to fulfill your usual or atypical sexual fantasies, Friendfinder-x may help. This online dating website allows you to search for potential matches with highly customizable filters. The platform doesn’t charge anything for registration. However, premium features like messaging and hotlisting come at a cost.
Friendfinder-x allows you to authenticate your profile by completing its dedicated verification process. Besides Gold Membership, you can also buy coins and tokens and use them to unlock different features. Typically, users use the tokens to give tips to live models and get in touch with them during live shows. On the other hand, points allow you to buy virtual gifts for other members.
You can also join the live model’s fan clubs for a nominal cost. Leveraging this feature, you can access live models’ photos and videos. Besides, you can invite them for private webcam time against a rebate. Friendfinder-x probably leads the convoy of casual dating sites and apps with more than 1,00,000 active users daily.
While most members of Friendfinder-x are from the US, you can also find people from the Middle East, Asia, and the UK. The platform lets you express your wild fantasies and unique fetishes without hesitation. Signing up with Friendfinder-x is a cakewalk. You just need to fill out a quick personal info form that includes gender, sexual preferences, relationship status, etc.
Once you fill out the form, you will receive an activation link over email. The contacting features are also basic – as a free member, you can add interesting matches to your hotlist, comment on other members’ photos, and use the “Hot or Not” feature. On the other hand, if you are a gold member, you can enjoy unlimited chats and flirts.
Highlights
Premium Course: Friendfinder-x lets you access various sex academy courses. However, to brush up on your sexual skills, you may need to pay some bucks. In addition, you can also enjoy their adult movie feature, send tips to live models, and bid to enlist as a top fan.
High-Quality Profiles: Friendfinder-x’s profiles are utterly informative. Most profiles feature descriptive bios, intro, and detailed personal info. You can check your interests, lifestyle, appearance, activities, friends, fans, etc.
Exclusive Blog and Groups: Leveraging the blogs and groups in Friendfinder-x, you can enjoy seamless interaction with a community. Besides, you can post comments and articles or participate in forum discussions. Furthermore, you can publish and browse through different erotica.
Contests: Friendfinder-x keeps on launching different contests to keep its users engaged. The members of the site decide the winners of those contests. You can submit your entries and expect an amazing prize, like a free gold membership subscription.
Pros
- Detailed profiles
- Free access to profile pictures
- Extensive search filters
- Vivid contacting features
- Caters to all gender
- Suitable for groups, trans, singles, and couples
- Promotes no-string-attached dating
Cons
- Not ideal for long-term commitments
- Most features are paid
=> Click here to visit the official website of Friendfinder-x
#4. Academic Singles– Highly Recommended For LGBTQ+ Dating For People Over 50
As the name suggests, Academic Singles caters to the dating requirements of educated singles. Ideal for intellectuals, this advanced dating site leverages a science-backed match-making system that brings together people of similar academic backgrounds and interests. Hence, with Academic Singles, you can hardly leave your romantic chance.
The website has adequate free services to help you kickstart your dating voyage. You can sign up for free, create a profile, and take the personality match-making test to start searching. However, if you want to explore more, you may need to subscribe to the paid version.
A paid subscription lets you view the profile pictures of your interests, create your favorite list, and enjoy unlimited chatting. You can find an extensive range of membership lengths. The longer your subscription is, the lesser price you need to pay. The Committed alternative is considered the most cost-efficient solution; however, it’s ideal for long-term users only.
In Academic Singles, you will mostly find men and women between 30-50 years. The profiles are evenly split between men and women – 49% of the users are female and the rest, 51%, are male. The website is accessible in various countries. However, most members are Taiwanese or French.
The platform seems to pamper the Y gender – women can send free messages; however, men need to pay for the same. This feature allows women to prevent the chances of being unnecessarily harassed or stalked.
Highlights
Straightforward Interface: Academic Singles’ website and app feature a simplistic, clean, and transparent layout. You will come across numerous tips when proceeding further. The minimalistic outlook ensures an incredibly enjoyable experience.
Informative User Profiles: Academic Singles’ detailed questionnaire ensures satisfactory profile completion. Every profile is informative, and you can easily weigh your level of compatibility with your interests.
Easy Payments: Paid members don’t need to invest extra efforts in renewing their subscriptions – thanks to Academic Singles’ auto-renewal feature. For example, if your profile has a 3-month subscription, it will automatically renew unless you cancel.
Highly Secure: The platform guarantees your security. It employs top-notch security measures to prevent data breaches. Besides, the platform promotes anonymity. Other members of Academic Singles don’t have access to your personal info.
Pros
- Features premium partner search alternative
- Sophisticated profiles
- Ideal for long-term relationships
- Presentable and intelligent members
- Dedicated mobile application
Cons
- Subscription cancelation is complex
- Limited matches
=> Click here to visit the official website of Academic Singles
#5. eHarmony– Top Site For Discreet Dating
eHarmony is a match-making site for serious commitments. Leveraging thoughtful algorithms, eHarmony helps you find your dream partner. You can search for matches depending on your dating tastes and personal preferences. The website allows free sign-ups, and the profile preparation procedure is pretty simple. The compatibility quiz, however, may look tiresome, though.
You can send smiles to your preferred matches as a free member, while paid membership allows you to access the platform’s exclusive messaging feature. The platform has three exciting subscription plans – lite, plus, and extra. The lite alternative is the cheapest one, but it comes with different limitations.
Unlike other dating websites, eHarmony’s plans call for a longer commitment. It can range from a 6-month contract to a 24-month subscription. The site scores incredibly well in terms of payment alternatives. You can choose a one-time payment for your current subscription and subsequent renewals.
Besides, you can go for two or three payment options, where your total subscription amount and its subsequent charges get divided into two/three payment schedules. For making payments, you can use your PayPal account or credit card. You can expect a whopping 50% discount for premium and extra subscriptions.
The cost of the premium membership strategically justifies the return. Moreover, you may stumble upon some free coupons or exclusive weekend promos, ensuring more savings. Typically, eHarmony offers free premium trials during Christmas and, at times, on random weekends.
Highlights
Functional Mobile Application: eHarmony’s mobile application is consistent and functional. It’s clean and easy to navigate. Moreover, you don’t have to deal with thousands of ads. Leveraging the eHarmony app, you can smoothly scroll through your favorite list and match list.
Exclusive What If Feature: eHarmony’s What If feature allows you to access extra 30 matches outside your preference list. However, this is a paid feature.
RelyID: This ID verification service enables you to self-verify your details. Leveraging this feature, you can show your matches a RelyID batch next to your name. This eventually adds to your profile’s authenticity.
Video Dating: eHarmony’s exclusive video date feature allows you to meet your interests over video. With this function, you can spend some quality time with your match and get to know each other before meeting up physically.
Pros
- Suitable for serious commitments and relationships
- Welcomes separated singles and divorced
- Advanced technology
- Highly authentic
- No-fuss subscriptions
- Secured match-making experience
Cons
- Lengthy sign-up process
- Free trial and free membership have loads of restrictions
=> Click here to visit the official website of eHarmony
How We Made This List Of The Best Gay Dating Site?
While you can find uncountable gay dating apps and websites, not all provide a safe and supportive arena. Some lack authenticity, while others fail in quality and usability. We have browsed hundreds of alternatives to help you find a functional and well-liked dating website.
In this quest, we have eliminated the platforms with foggy terms and conditions, hidden charges, and low-quality services. After hours of research, analysis, and brainstorming, we finally found the five mentioned in this guide.
We have tried to keep our list diverse. Thus, we included queer dating apps/sites, gay dating websites, and fun chunks. We also included platforms that promote serious commitments and long-term relationships. To verify your recommendations, we considered the opinions of niche specialists, journalists, and avid daters.
What We Looked For?
When preparing our exclusive list, we closely monitored several factors, including the following.
- Safety-related Features: We have carefully checked the safety measures that the platform employs to protect your privacy. All of our recommendations do conduct a thorough screening of the profiles. Besides, they monitor the conversations. Most importantly, they take abuse reports seriously.
- Niche: Since our recommendations dedicatedly serve the LGBTQ+ community, we have carefully cross-verified their niche. Our list compiles apps that cater to a particular identity. Besides, it also contains websites that accept everyone with an open mind and diversified sexual preferences.
- Cost: Cost works as the determiner of quality. However, it should be adequately rational. Our vetted recommendations offer premium memberships against a justified cost. You can access quality profiles without breaking the bank. We have tried to keep the list as budget-friendly as possible.
- Reputation: We have included reputed online gay dating sites and apps in our list. They feature the least number of fake profiles. Besides, they have straightforward terms and conditions. Moreover, they offer a secure match-making environment and protect your information from data breaches.
Buying Guide: Factors To Consider Before Choosing The Best Gay Dating Site
Only a sodomite knows the challenges of choosing an appropriate gay dating website. A hard fact is you can’t expect a reliable platform to show up on your doorstep – if you want to curate your dating experience, you need to work for it.
Depending on what you are looking for and where you are in the whole rigmarole, you may need to check a few factors before you start. You can refer to the following factors as they can transform your dating experience entirely.
Member Profiles
Typically, all dating sites and apps boast member profiles. You can get an idea about your match by browsing through these profiles. When choosing your online dating platform, you should check how detail-oriented the profile-making procedure.
Do they ask for your info, photos, and bio? Besides, do you need to answer a questionnaire before making a profile? If the answers are yes, you can proceed further. Remember, the more details you share, the better match suggestions you receive.
Cost of Membership
Most gay online dating sites offer free memberships. However, with free memberships, you can’t access all features. Therefore, you may need to upgrade your account to a paid one. However, before purchasing the premium membership, you should check the offered features and figure out if they can justify the cost.
Search Tools
Online dating websites accommodate numerous members. Given that, finding your perfect match may look pretty daunting. To turn your job easy, reliable online dating sites use their own search engines. Leveraging their functional search tools and filters, you can find appropriate profiles.
Purpose
Generally, dating sites welcome mainstream people and the LGBT community. However, not all mainstream dating sites work well for gay people. Therefore, before creating an account, check your chosen website’s purpose. Does it serve gay people, or it’s dedicated to mainstream hookups and relationships? Once you figure it out, you may take your call.
Chat Room
While every dating website features dedicated chat rooms, not all are functional. Hence, before joining gay dating websites, you should check how good their chatrooms are. You should also check for a forum so that you can seamlessly connect with other members.
Navigation
An easy-to-navigate website with a thoughtful user interface ensures an excellent match-making experience. Therefore, carefully check your chosen website’s design, tools, and layout before signing up.
Live Video Chat
Live video chats add to a dating website’s usability and excitement. Using your webcam, you can see the people you are communicating with. Besides, you can tip or comment on their videos. Undoubtedly, video chat is way more fun than email or text chats. Therefore, you should ideally walk with a dating website that supports video chat and allows you to make the most of your time.
Reviews
Reviews can help you obtain an idea about how your chosen website works and how authentic it is. Given this, you should check different review platforms, forums, and even the social media pages of your selected site before creating your account.
FAQs Related To Gay Dating Sites
How much do you need to pay for LGBTQ dating apps?
The cost of membership may vary from one gay app to the other. While some platforms are free, others are freemium or entirely paid. Free dating apps let you sign up and create an account for free. However, they may have plenty of limitations. On the other hand, Freemium dating apps allow you to sign up for free and navigate through the network to search for potential matches.
However, you may need to pay a dedicated amount to access better features like messaging, conversations, cams, etc. The subscription-based or paid dating apps charge you a fixed monthly rate and allow you to access all available features. You can even find sites that bill you per action. For example, you may need to pay credits for sending a pic or chatting. Those credits have different prices, and you can buy them in bundles.
Why should you use a gay dating app?
Best dating apps can help gay singles or couples interact with other community members. They allow you to find dates and meet people easily. Besides, you can find matches from your preferred location. Furthermore, they offer a comforting and safe environment for gay dating. Most importantly, these apps and websites are user-friendly and use advanced algorithms to help you find your best match.
Are straight dating apps different from gay dating ones?
Yes and no! Some gay dating apps and websites are different from straight ones as they dedicatedly serve the LGBTQ+ community. They may confirm your sexuality to help you find your best match when joining. Straight dating apps, on the other hand, are for mainstream dating.
However, some of them may feature gay dating opportunities. If you want to make the most out of your gay dating experience, you should ideally turn to gay dating apps as they offer curated services.
How can you stay safe while using gay dating websites?
Since you are dealing with unknown people from different locations, you should exercise caution when using a dating app or website. Even the best gay dating site may feature fake or fraudulent profiles. Thus, be careful! If you choose to meet your matches physically, try verifying the person’s identity.
How to keep yourself safe when using gay dating services?
When dating online or in person, you should follow certain safety measures. For example, you shouldn’t disclose sensitive personal or financial information. In addition, you should always plan physical meetings in a public area and let your friends or family know about the meeting.
If you don’t feel comfortable, feel free to walk away. Don’t allow your emotions or temptations to guide your way – analyze things carefully and proceed sensibly.
What does queer experience refer to?
The term ‘queer’ refers to an individual with bizarre sexual preferences. The term carries a historical connection. It’s said that it was used to insult the French “gouine or pédé.” However, over time, the terms’ meanings have transformed, and currently, people use them to refer to an extensive field of scholarship, including feminist theories of gay and lesbian studies.
In fact, a lot of people have adopted the word as their identity. This adaption has brought out an atypical meaning of the term queer experience. It refers to an encounter with the unusual preferences of sexuality.
What does LGBTQIA refer to?
LGBTQIA refers to the community of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender, Queer, Intersexual, and Asexual. While all these words are well-discussed these days, most people still feel stigmatized about publicly discussing them. However, only the initials, abbreviations, or terms are not enough to testify or determine someone’s sexual preferences.
Ideally, it’s essential to understand the difference between gender and sex. According to experts, sex is associated with an individual’s anatomy. Gender, on the other hand, is self-explanatory. It’s all about how a person identifies themselves. It’s a feeling of being a female, male, or a combination. Understanding the given difference allows you to develop a cursory understanding of LGBTQIA+.
How to find the best gay dating app?
The best gay dating app may be tricky among thousands of choices. However, a little research and a few quick fact-checks may help you make your job easier. First things first, check your chosen website’s reputation and authenticity. You can do that by checking the platform’s reviews.
Next, check the website’s navigation and user-friendliness. Furthermore, cross-verify the safety measures. Most importantly, consider the cost – if it looks justified, then only proceed further. Otherwise, you may end up losing hefty amounts of money.
How do you find a suitable gay partner?
While most people believe that matchmaking is a divine phenomenon, a little effort may be required to find a suitable partner. Thanks to the advancement of technology, you don’t need to walk miles to find out your ideal gay partner. There are ample websites that let you connect with gay people from across the globe.
You can simply sign up and start searching for a suitable match. Once you find someone interesting, you can take things further by chatting with them or meeting them physically.
What to avoid on gay dating sites?
Online gay dating has become ubiquitous. However, it’s still tricky to keep things absolutely safe and simple. While reliable dating apps feature a set of dedicated rules, terms, and conditions, you can’t avoid falling into the trap of fraudulent activities. To ensure a safe and exciting dating experience, you may need to keep a few factors in mind.
First off, never overlook the importance of safe navigation. Remember, virtual users can effortlessly fake their identities and pictures. When you interact with these fake people, you can become a victim of scams. Moreover, you may get into an unsafe physical situation. Therefore, meeting someone in person, ask them to talk over a video call or chat. If you find anything uncanny, drop your wild fantasies and cancel the physical meeting.
Next, avoid hiding the truth or lying to your interests. When you lie on some parts of your profile, your potential matches develop a wrong understanding of your persona. This is somehow unfair. Instead of fudging the facts, keep things as straightforward as possible.
Finally, avoid being idealistic. The world of online dating hides numerous interesting challenges. Since you are browning the profiles of your potential matches online, you may be idealistic or picky sometimes. However, you should try to prevent this idealism as it may lead to decision paralysis. You may not need to be bothered if it’s a regular hookup. However, if you plan for long-term collaboration, you should focus on the foundational factors instead of the cursory ones.
Conclusion
Online gay dating is fun, indeed. Whether you are interested in random hookups or want to find out a perfect partner, online gay dating sites and apps may help. However, looking around, you may find thousands of online dating websites. Picking up the best one from this crowd is no less than searching for a needle in a bunch of hay.
You can turn to our well-researched recommendations to avoid the said challenge. All of our suggested dating websites offer a secure and enjoyable dating environment. Moreover, they are cost-efficient and up to date. Sign up today and let the love flow in the air!
