The best gay hookup sites can satisfy the libido of men of all ages. Free-wheeling online dating platforms support a vast network of sexually active singles, and they’re open 24/7 to anyone feeling flirty.

From bi-curious college students to silver-haired daddies, you never know who you’ll meet on a popular hookup site or app, and all it takes is a swipe, a mutual match, and a good pickup line to spark your next whirlwind romance in the gay community.

We’ve vetted the following hookup sites for gay men and found them all to be reliable, safe, and affordable options if all you want is casual sex. Check out our LGBTQ+ dating platform reviews and let your lust be your guide in the local hookups scene.

Best Overall Gay Hookup Sites

Our dating experts have spent years in the trenches of the gay dating scene, and we’ve agonized over our list of the overall best gay dating sites. We understand that gay people have a variety of dating standards, relationship goals, and sexual desires, and we’ve taken this opportunity to speak directly to all you hit-it-and-quit-it casual daters.

If you’re looking for a flirty chat room and casual sex, we recommend creating a dating profile on the following gay-friendly hookup sites.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.2/5.0
  • 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

BeNaughty is a top hookup site known for getting fast results. It is free to create your dating profile, upload a photo or two, and start your hunt for local hotties.

Gay singles can use the Search tab to find matches sorted by popular, online activity, distance, and age. You can also set advanced parameters for certain desirable traits, including sexual orientation, ethnicity, body type, hair color, and eye color.

If you want to speed things up a little, you can go to the Like Gallery and breeze through the database by swiping through one photo at a time. You’ll receive a notification about any mutual matches, profile views, or messages, and you can chat with any gay man you like. Even though this dating service caters to singles of every sexual orientation, we rank BeNaughty highly as the best gay hookup site because of its secure chat features and local hookup search filters.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.1/5.0

Launched in the 1990s, AdultFriendFinder remains very popular as an open-ended dating spot for singles and couples in open relationships. The sexually charged atmosphere is perfect for gay men who are feeling horny and looking for an immediate release with a potential partner in the same mindset.

As a full-fledged AFF member, you can browse profiles, read erotic stories, flirt in members-only chat rooms, view live video chat shows, and send private chats to any gay guy you fancy. The hookup site has created nearly 5 million hot connections over the decades, and it is a liberating place to explore your sexuality and create a sexy persona.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.1/5.0
  • Free registration and unlimited profile browsing
  • Add online crushes to the Hotlist or My Network
  • Enjoy private conversations in the Message Center

Since launching in the 1990s, MenNation has become a global sensation with a large list of gay personals at its disposal. This all-male dating network has led to countless hookups, threesomes, orgies, and flings, and it’s still growing in popularity.

With over 99 million members, Men Nation boasts having the world’s largest gay hookup site, and it provides a lot of leeway for curious men to explore gay dating relationships. An older man can take on the role of a sugar daddy on this hookup site and solicit sex from younger men under a pseudonym. Whether you’re attracted to a gay bear, a drag queen, or other queer men, you’ll be in good company here.

MenNation supports users 24 hours a day with its Help Index, and any user can fill out the customer contact form to give feedback, report issues, and ask questions.

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.9/5.0

FriendFinder-X is a go-to dating service if you want to flirt anonymously and solicit sex with local gay men. The hookup platform prides itself on being discreet, friendly, and sex-positive. It welcomes people of all sexual orientations.

Gay people don’t have to hide their kinks or fetishes on FriendFinder-X. Many singles, couples, and groups have joined this local hookup site because they’re sexually adventurous and want to become intimate with a gay man who shares their desires.

As the site says, “FriendFinder-X.com is the place to be for average people looking to spice things up — without changing their current lifestyle.”

5. Pure

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.4/5.0

One thing we really like about Pure — it doesn’t mess around or pretend to be something it’s not. This is a hookup app for people who want to move quickly into erotic sexting and arranging a casual meetup.

Pure even puts users on the clock in the chat room. All messages are automatically deleted and matches are removed 24 hours after creation. That means gay singles will have an incentive to exchange numbers and get something going before it’s too late. It makes for an exciting atmosphere.

Just be aware that Pure isn’t completely free. Joining is free, and looking at sexy photos and profiles on the app is free, but if you want to be more than a lurker, you’ve got to get a weekly, monthly, or yearly subscription.

6. Grindr

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.1/5.0
  • 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

Since 2009, Grindr  is widely known as one of the best gay hookup apps on the market. The Grindr app has offered a safe haven where gay men can mingle at their leisure. This dating app has been around long enough to figure out what guys want — and how to give it to them.

Thanks to its location-based matching, Grindr provides easy access to men in the same area, and it has become the go-to gay hookup platform for guys on the prowl at local bars, house parties, and clubs.

Many Grindr users agree the app is good for hookups and not so good for long-term relationships. Ultimately, Grindr is built to introduce you to gay singles in the neighborhood, and the rest is up to you.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.0/5.0

Plenty of Fish has a dating pool of 150 million singles, so you’re bound to find gay dating opportunities here. And it’s completely free to send messages to any local gay single or queer person online.

Although the dating website and app claim to facilitate friendships, relationships, and casual dating, the free-to-chat features seem to attract a lot of young, sex-driven singles and not a lot of serious relationship seekers.

Plenty of Fish has a lot of impressive stats to back its matchmaking services. The online dating site creates over 57 million connections each week, adds 65,000 new users to the database every day, and is available in 11 languages and 20 countries worldwide.

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.9/5.0
  • 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

Ashley Madison is a popular affair site where men can let go of their inhibitions and follow their deepest, darkest desires. The dating site may be named after a woman, but its gay dating network is just as robust and flirty as its hetero network.

When you identify as a “male seeking males,” you get immediate access to an all-male dating space designed to facilitate same-sex affairs. The free membership doesn’t include unlimited chatting, but this sneak peek has some flirtatious features and can lead to more intimacy if you play it right.

Whether they’re out and proud or still in the closet, gays can trust Ashley Madison to keep their personal identity private with photo blurring, discreet billing, and no real names required.

9. Tinder

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.9/5.0
  • Fosters same-sex relationships between gay men in 190 countries
  • Tinder gender settings include "just men" or "men and women"
  • Premium members have unlimited likes and 5 Super Likes

Tinder needs no introduction in the online dating scene. The original swiping app went viral in 2012, and it has dominated the casual dating scene ever since. As many as 1.5 million dates per week occur because of Tinder.

Tinder sees something like 3 billion swipes every day, and the #SwipeLife has taken off in over 190 countries.

According to expert reviews, Tinder is relatively gay-friendly with dozens of queer, fluid, and nonbinary options at play. I’d say the app works best for gay singles who want to explore the local dating scene, have fun conversations, and keep their options open.

FAQs: What Are the Most Popular Gay Dating Apps?

Hookup sites tend to be particularly popular in the gay community. In a Match survey, gay singles reported having had 30 sexual partners in their lifetimes, and 56% of LGBTQ+ singles said they’d dated someone they met online. Probably on Grindr.

Grindr is definitely one of the biggest names in the gay dating scene. The app has over 27 million users, and its location-based matches facilitate short-term hookups as well as long-term dating.

Grindr is the world's largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer.
Grindr

Despite what you may think, Grindr isn’t just for hookups. A Queerty study found that an astounding 84% of Grindr users said they’d found love on the app. That love may last a single night, or it may last a lifetime. This gay dating app doesn’t judge singles. It encourages them to follow their hearts and find a gay guy who returns their lovey-dovey feelings.

Is SCRUFF a Good Gay Dating App?

SCRUFF is one of the best options if you’re looking for a completely free gay dating site. It’s free to register, free to match, and free to chat, and the basic membership never expires or stops delivering hot dates to your inbox.

Over the years, SCRUFF has proven itself a staunch LGBTQ+ ally — it has even participated in Pride Parades. It offers a world of gay dating profiles, and it even has travel features that you can use on the go.

Which Is Better: OkCupid vs. Plenty of Fish?

When it comes to pricing and features, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish have a lot in common. Both dating sites offer unlimited chatting to all members, and both have advanced search tools to help singles narrow the dating pool to the most desirable few.

Both platforms are open to straight, gay, and lesbian singles, and both have search tools for gender and sexual orientation.

Overall, we’d give OkCupid an edge over Plenty of Fish — even though it has a smaller user base. It’s a quality versus quantity thing. Plenty of Fish has more concentrated date options, but OkCupid has more curated options for the average gay man. Plus, OkCupid has shown more pronounced support for the LGTBQ+ community.

OkCupid screenshots
OkCupid has 22 gender identity and 12 orientation options.

OkCupid has a more in-depth dating profile and matchmaking process than the average dating platform. The platform goes to great lengths to get to know your likes, dislikes, preferences, interests, and quirks, and all that data goes into a compatibility rating that is amazingly accurate.

In 2017, OkCupid began supporting chats for mutual matches only, meaning users must like each other’s profiles before they can converse via instant messenger.

Plenty of Fish doesn’t have any chat restrictions or filters, so a gay person may find himself sending a lot of unanswered messages. The POF dating site doesn’t give gay men any guarantee that your online crush likes you back.

Is Tinder a Good App for Gay Men?

Some mainstream dating apps are actually really good at pairing men up and providing avenues to a casual hookup with a gay, transgender, or bisexual guy. Tinder isn’t marketed as a gay app — it’s for everyone — but it sure does work for the average local single man seeking men.

Tinder has created over 97 billion matches since its launch in 2012, and it offers nine sexual orientation options for members of the LGBTQ+ community. According to the dating app, its More Genders feature has led to 80 million matches between fluid, nonbinary, and queer daters.

Tinder logo
Tinder’s swiping system makes it easy to pick up a date on the spot.

Tinder is one of the most popular and successful online dating platforms of all time, and it has plenty of same-sex matching options to help a gay guy find his match.

It’s free to download Tinder on Google Play or the App Store, and you don’t have to make any in-app purchases to swipe, match, and chat with local singles.  The only reason you’d have to upgrade to Tinder Plus or Tinder Gold is if you regularly seek dates in another city or country, or if you want to get more daily likes and Super Likes under your belt.

Does Online Dating Work for Gay People?

Absolutely, in fact, studies show that members of the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to find a date on an online dating site than in real life. Something like 65% of gay couples now meet each other online. It’s just easier for them to mingle in such safe, discreet, and anonymous spaces, and sometimes it can help a gay man come out of the closet.

The most prominent gay dating success story in the new headlines today is American politician Pete Buttigieg (aka Mayor Pete) and his husband Chasten. They met on the Hinge dating app years ago and formed a bond over their shared interests and sense of humor.

When Mayor Pete revealed that he met his partner on Hinge, the app’s gay dating audience increased 30% in one month. And it remains strong to this day.

How Does Grindr Xtra Work? Is It Worth It?

Grindr Xtra is the blinged-out, feature-rich, and highly effective subscription option on Grindr, and any single gay man with serious dating intentions can instantly give his online dating experience an upgrade by subscribing.

With a Grindr Xtra account, you can:

  • Like up to 600 dating profiles.
  • Receive read receipts on your messages.
  • Lock the app with a unique PIN.
  • Swipe outside your city limits.

The premium account also allows users to choose a discreet icon so no one glancing at their phone will know they’re members of a gay hookup app.

The Grindr Xtra features help singles make sense of their matches and use filters, groups, and tabs to prioritize the most promising matches.

Grindr Xtra also includes quick send photos (dick pic anyone?) and the ability to save and send chat phrases, so your private conversations escalate to full-blown casual sex experiences as soon as possible.

It’s not necessary to sign up for Grindr Xtra to have an enjoyable time on the gay app, but it can be useful for a single gay man with a voracious appetite.

What’s Better Than Grindr for Casual Sex?

Let’s be real, if you’re looking for casual sex, then you probably don’t have patience for Grindr’s lengthy signup process and complicated matching system. You just want to get laid, not take a personality test!

Well, AdultFriendFinder is there for you with a quick solution to your romantic troubles. This site has a discussion forum, erotic blog, and video chat features to keep gay singles enthralled.

AFF logo
AFF has discussion forums for all types of kinks and fetishes.

If gay sex is your prime objective, then AdultFriendFinder will be your ally, wingman, and best friend as you flirt with local singles, and its sex-positive features can really speed things up in a romantic sense. Gay hotties linger on AFF day and night seeking carnal pleasure, so don’t hesitate to let a potential partner know what you want.

Gay singles and couples can create a free account on AdultFriendFinder to explore the local dating scene and meet people on their terms.

Can eharmony Work as a Gay Hookup Website?

Honestly, it’s not likely that a gay single man will have much luck finding a casual relationship on eharmony. The dating website was founded in 2000 as a straight person’s dating site for marriage, and it has never excelled at arranging a casual encounter.

Even though eharmony is now open to men seeking men, the vibe on this dating platform is very much about long-term relationships, and its gay community is still growing.

Bottom line: a gay person can join eharmony and look for male partners, but the dating website’s matches and conversations tend more toward serious commitments than casual hookups.

How Can You Tell if a Hookup App is Safe?

Safety is a top concern for gay, bisexual, and queer men seeking dates because LGBTQ+ people can fall victim to romance scams, online harassment, or homophobic bullying. Fortunately, the online dating scene has taken precautions to assist and protect gay men and LGBTQ+ folks.

You can tell if a free hookup app is legit by its online reviews and customer ratings, and you should also take a look at its security measures before creating an online dating account. A trustworthy dating platform should offer tools to report, block, and screen dating profiles, and it should be clear how the dating company deals with online harassment and threats.

Be aware of transparent data collection.

Profile verification is a must on the safest dating sites. Some apps verify new users through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or phone numbers — that’s a good sign that you won’t run into bots or become enamored with a fake profile. If the dating site offers photo verification or background checks, that’s even better.

Popular gay apps like Grindr often have specific safety features, including information about HIV/AIDS, to support men in the LGBTQ community.

Pursue Your Pleasures on the Best Gay Hookup Sites

So, what are you waiting for? You’ve read our hookup site reviews, now go pick your favorite gay hookup site or app and start your flirtatious journey right away.

With the help of the best gay hookup sites and apps, you’ll have tons of local gay men at your fingertips, and you can spend many wild nights, randy mornings, and idle afternoons chatting with gay people who are looking for something casual. If you feel the chemistry building, don’t be shy about asking that cute young guy out and turning your online connection into a steamy romance.

Gay singles can dive into the local gay dating pool and find a great catch thanks to the hookup sites on this list, and it won’t cost a thing to get started. Happy hunting!

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