When Craigslist and Backpage shut down in 2018, the market for gay dating personals took a hit, but not for long. New and improved gay personal ad boards have sprung up in the years since with options for every single person looking to find love, hookups, and missed connections in the LGBTQ+ community. These apps and sites make it easy to find a compatible person without having to find a local newspaper to do it.
Find Gay Personals on Casual Dating Sites
These casual dating sites and apps make it easy for any gay man to find casual encounters locally. Whether you’re in Las Vegas, New York, London, or anywhere in the world, these platforms make it easier to find casual sex.
1. BeNaughty
BeNaughty is open to singles of all sexual orientations, and it doesn’t require new members to define themselves as anything other than “seeking men” or “seeking women.” If you fall in the “seeking men” category, you’re in good company on this hookup site. Men can explore their interests and discover romance on this free-wheeling, fun-loving, fully X-rated dating site.
- Single men in the U.S., Canada, and Europe
- Fast-working and time-saving match and communication tools
- Gay men can sign up for free to find matches
- Browse BeNaughty profiles 100% free »
BeNaughty isn’t solely for gay men, but the online dating platform plays wingman to singles of any sexual orientation in the pursuit of a hookup. From the erotic content splashed across the site to the tight security and privacy features, BeNaughty makes it easy for any gay guy to quickly find a casual hookup.
Basic membership gives you access to the “Cute or Not” gallery, lets you browse matches, and build your profile as well as granting men access to up to five free messages per day.
If you want more extensive options, including the ability to promote your profile to potential partners, you’ll need one of the paid membership options. BeNaughty offers three membership packages. The Security Package wipes your search history, lets you browse incognito, and provides higher encryption. Chataholic gives you unlimited messages and related benefits, and The Premium Dater gives you the best of both worlds.
Adult Friend Finder has become a go-to dating resource for gay singles looking for no-strings-attached sex. The hookup site’s erotic atmosphere and open-minded approach to dating has been a game changer for sexy singles and swingers all over the world. Whether you’re gay, bisexual, or just curious, you can flirt with hot guys on the AFF network.
- Gay singles and couples can create profiles for free
- Enjoy live chat rooms and dating forums
- Flirt anonymously under a username
- Browse Adult Friend Finder profiles 100% free »
Adult Friend Finder (also known as AFF) has been in the game of matching sexy singles since 1996, and that experience shows. Contrary to popular belief, the site does have an app you can install on your phone or tablet, but you can’t get it through the App Store or Google Play. If you’re happy to keep things on the website itself, that’s just fine too: It’s optimized for multiple platforms.
AFF welcomes swingles and polyamorous couples of all genders and sexual orientations. The popular hookup site makes it easy to get right down to business with plenty of spicy content and sexy banter.
Body type can be a major factor for a man seeking out a gay partner, so the site has a body filter option so gay men can sort by the hottest local gay singles. The hookup site lets you post personal ads and participate in the chat rooms without paying a dime. But if you want to send direct messages or access webcams, you’ll need a premium membership to go all the way.
3. MenNation
Since 1996, MenNation has connected over 93 million men around the globe. This men-only dating site measures its success by the number of conversations and dates it facilitates with its intuitive matching system. Gay men love having a site to call their own, and its helpful features keep members engaged and entertained as they look for a hot date.
- One of the largest gay hookup sites in the world
- Search filters for age, location, physical attributes, and more
- Available in 12 languages and counting
- Browse MenNation profiles 100% free »
Like the previous two entries on this list, MenNation is far from shy about putting the adult content right up front. The site allows gay men and gay couples to join, and boasts one of the largest communities of men-only hookup seekers in the world. MenNation doesn’t care about your specific orientation, either. The personals site welcomes all men who want to hook up with other men, whether that’s a gay person, bisexual person, pansexual, or any other flavor.
Free members on MenNation get access to basic features on the site, which include sending flirts, adding other members to your hot list, and browsing freely. But if you want full access to messaging and other perks, paid membership is the way to go.
Filter Gay Personals for Relationship Material
If you’re looking for a long-term relationship rather than a gay hookup, these sites and apps will help you filter out the casuals to find a potential partner for a more serious romance.
4. Match
Since 1995, Match has cultivated a diverse following and welcomed singles across the spectrum of sexuality. Gay men can rely on Match to hook them up with bears, queens, twinks, and other hot dates. Match’s time-tested compatibility scores and search features can help men navigate the dating scene and find a partner who is everything they’re looking for.
- Proud ally to the LGBTQ community
- Millions of verified dating profiles to browse for free
- Over 20 years’ worth of success stories
- Browse Match profiles 100% free »
Match may not be the first dating platform you think of for finding gay love, but the website and the app that goes with it do everything they can to help the hes, the shes, the gays and the theys find love. Match has been in the online dating game since 1995, and has helped steer a staggering number of singles into successful relationships through compatibility and algorithms. The dating platform even sends out daily suggestions based on your preferences to give you a better shot at finding love.
Free members on Match get access to a lot of robust options compared to some other dating platforms. You can browse and use a variety of free contact methods to get your crush’s attention and get the ball rolling. However, if you want to really get in-depth and keep talking to people outside of your Top Picks, you’ll need premium membership access. You’ll also get a monthly profile visibility boost and other perks.
5. eharmony
When it launched in 2000, eharmony was on a mission to find the formula for love. It started with straight couples, and now has expanded its algorithm to pair up same-sex couples. Gay men who can join the eharmony network to get serious about online dating and commit more time and effort into forming a long-term relationship.
- Has search options for same-sex relationships
- An 80-question personality test available for free
- Paid features include unlimited live messaging and video chat
- Browse eharmony profiles 100% free »
It’s no real secret that eharmony has a checkered past when it comes to relationships that aren’t one man, one woman. But a few lawsuits and a change in ownership have changed the site’s leanings when it comes to gay love. The stated purpose of eharmony is to strengthen marriage, so if you’re a gay man looking for a husband, this may be the dating site for you.
While genderfluid and multisexual men may run into some issues on the site, eharmony is a great tool for gay men looking to find a long-term relationship. The site uses an in-depth personality test to match members based on deep compatibility on 32 dimensions, leading to more successful relationships and marriages. You’ll need a paid membership to get full run of the platform, but free members still get access to the basics, including the icebreaker quiz.
Elite Singles has raised the bar in the online gay dating scene and become a rallying point for ambitious, intelligent, and commitment-minded singles around the world. This upscale dating site caters to gay men who are looking for more than just a one-night stand. Every month 2,500 singles find love thanks to the Elite Singles network.
- Caters to professional men in the LGBTQ community
- A smart, no-nonsense matching formula
- Over 2 million singles are active on the site every month
- Browse Elite Singles profiles 100% free »
Elite Singles provides a great platform to search for a partner with an eye for the finer things in life. The dating site plays host to high-value singles: More than 80% of the user base has at least a Bachelor’s degree, and many have higher degrees. The site also makes it easy to be selective. In addition to the intensive screening and approval process, you receive curated matches daily to follow up on.
The signup process can be lengthy, but once you’re all set up Elite Singles keeps things simple. Basic membership is free, but premium membership gives you free rein when it comes to communication with your prospective partners.
Swipe Gay Personals on the Best Dating Apps
Swiping dating apps take the stripped down approach of a personals site to an even more basic level, letting a single person get a snapshot of a potential partner and make a split-second decision: Are you interested or not?
7. Grindr
Grindr is one of the top dogs in the gay dating scene. It’s the name everyone recognizes, and many gay men choose it as their go-to dating app. The location-based matching system satisfies the desires of guys who want to hook up on the fly.
- Among the most popular gay social networks in the world
- Men connect via private and group chats
- View nearby profiles using real-time GPS data
- Browse Grindr profiles 100% free »
The original gay swiping app, Grindr maintains an atmosphere of a social network while keeping the easy swiping function that Tinder made so popular. You can chat, send photos, match with up to 100 local singles per day, and connect with gay men of all ages and races, all without paying a dime.
If you want to take your swiping international, or even just outside of your local area, you’ll need a GrindrX subscription. The premium membership also gives you more daily matches, lets you send multiple photos at once, and offers a lot of other perks as well.
8. SCRUFF
SCRUFF started as a social media platform for gay men but developed into a matchmaking app with swiping features that also double as a digital community in the palm of your hand. The dating app provided stiff competition for Grindr as soon as it launched, offering gay men who travel internationally a more cohesive app way to find partners wherever they go.
SCRUFF lets you alert members when you’ll be traveling in their area, so you can line up dates before you even get on the plane, train, or automobile. The platform also offers robust search features and tailor-made match algorithms to pair members up with their ideal match. You can break the ice with your free membership, but paid membership is where the most perks lie.
9. Surge
Many gay men take an activist role in the community, whether through LGBTQ+ charities or more specific interests. Surge lets gay men connect and bond over shared interests by allowing users to highlight the causes and organizations they support.
Potential dates can donate to a cause with a few taps, or just find people who share their beliefs.
Surge embodies the activism of the gay community and the importance that giving back often holds for men within the community. If you’re passionate about a cause, you can connect with other men who share your passion and want to make the world a better place.
Surge has distinguished itself as a gay dating app with a heart, and it offers a safe space for gay men, bisexual men, and queer men to mingle without judgment.
Mingle with Gay Personals in Popular Chat Rooms
Chat rooms are your best bet if you want to keep your interactions virtual or you want to mingle with the gay community at large rather than looking for a single gay man to be with. These platforms offer gay men a safe space to be themselves and interact, which can provide a big morale boost.
10. 321 Chat
Free chat rooms have been around for a long time, almost since the internet itself, and 321Chat has stood the test of time. The free chat platform boasts a whole host of features to enrich the chatting experience, including video and audio chats available to all, and tailor-made rooms to appeal to every community.
Hit up one of the gay-centric chat rooms, or find a potential partner with another niche interest in a different chat atmosphere without paying a single penny for access or features. 321Chat keeps its platform as fresh as possible while retaining the classic chat feel for people who just want to meet strangers online to talk to.
11. FreeChatNow
Another free chat platform that’s been around for more than two decades, FreeChatNow makes it easy to stay anonymous and meet other members of the gay community. Moderators stick around to keep things friendly, but the site hosts adult chat rooms and private messaging for people who want their anonymous conversations sexy and spicy.
You don’t need any kind of registration to participate on the platform. Just a desired username, date of birth, and gender. If you want to make sure your username stays available, you can register for a free account. But if you want to stay completely anonymous, you can change it up every time you visit the site. Chat rooms for spicy conversations or just casual small talk are all there to participate in.
FAQs: What is a Personal Ad?
Personal ads were how people used to meet strangers before the internet existed. Local queer newspapers in major cities like New York and San Francisco kept the interest going long after more mainstream newspapers stopped carrying the published notices, and the internet took over from there.
Basically, a personal ad is generally a short statement about who you are and what you’re looking for. Personal ads wouldn’t include all of your personal information, but instead would stick to the basics, including how to get in contact. Publish the ad, and wait to hear from interested people.
Websites like Craigslist and Backpage took over the market as newspapers stopped running the reader-paid ads. Today gay men and others seeking love choose to go through dating sites and other platforms to find what they’re looking for.
What is the Best Gay Website for Casual Sex?
Dating sites that cater to casual encounters have seen a major boom in recent years. In addition to the sites on this list, our dating experts have a couple of top picks for the single gay man looking for a casual hookup.
Flirt.com doesn’t cater to gay men, but the dating site is all about making it easy to put yourself out there. Prewritten Flirtcasts help you break the ice with any of the guys — or several at the same time — you might want to hook up with.
Gay men who love to flirt will love hanging out on Flirt.com. This free hookup site promises to connect men with single guys who want to get down and dirty as soon as possible. It’s completely free to create a dating profile, use the search filters, and send up to five greetings per day on Flirt.com, and that could be enough to spark a romance with local men seeking sex.
- Gay, bisexual, and queer men can seek hot dates on their terms
- The Like Gallery recommends potential matches near you
- Send a Flirtcast to all single guys who meet your dating standards
- Browse Flirt.com profiles 100% free »
The freewheeling atmosphere and generous communications options on Flirt.com come together to help you cast a wide net to gather potential partners for steamy hookups.
OneNightFriend is another option for gay single men looking for a hookup. The casual dating site is easy to use, registration is free, and you can send up to five messages per day for free. OneNightFriend offers binary gender options, so it is less convenient for a bisexual man who wants to find people of different genders at the same time. The free membership and affordable premium membership package can help single men who are willing to spend a little to get a lot more access.
Where Can I Meet Gay or Bisexual Men Anonymously?
The gay community can be intimidating for a bisexual man, and some gay dating app options explicitly exclude bisexual men, and some gay men refuse to hook up with or date bisexual men. Fortunately, a lot of the options out there for closeted gay men also make it easy for bisexual men to let loose and feel comfortable.
Ashley Madison may seem like a surprising choice for a bisexual male dating site, but many closeted men use the dating app to cruise for dudes.
Ashley Madison can help married men discover and pursue same-sex relationships without anyone being the wiser. Over 80 million people have joined the affairs dating site in search of something new, and some men even use this judgment-free space to come out of the closet and explore their sexuality.
- Identify as “male seeking males” to narrow the field
- Men can blur or mask their faces in profile photos
- Every month, over 470,000 people create free accounts
- Browse Ashley Madison profiles 100% free »
The online dating platform for married people takes security and privacy to a new level to reduce the risk of being outed. Ashley Madison provides a solid venue for men-loving men who want to keep their marriage intact but want to explore their sexual interest in other men or bisexual men who want to avoid judgment.
Gay Personals Can Offer Quick & Easy Date Prospects
Gay personals have a long history of helping members of the gay community identify each other and find love without risking the stigma associated with same-sex attraction. While newspaper personal ads are no longer a venue for finding the irresistible hunk of your dreams, several gay dating app and gay dating site options are happy to fill the role.
Make a profile and start seeking out the perfect match for your needs!
