Grindr review
Updated September 28, 2026 · AdultCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Grindr suits LGBTQ adults who want a large, purpose-built app and will pay more monthly. It draws 13.5M monthly active users (Sep 2023), rates App Store (US) 4.5/5 from 387,945 ratings in the App Store, and charges $24.99 to $44.99 a month on paid plans.
Key facts
- Best for
- Adults who want a dedicated LGBTQ app with a large pool and will pay a higher monthly fee.
- Monthly price from
- $24.99 to $44.99 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- What is free
- Free app with ads; messaging and profile limits (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Profile verification
- FaceTec age check; optional government ID confirm (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience focus
- Gay, bi, trans, queer and curious adults 18+ (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Plans
- Free, XTRA, Unlimited, Edge; week, month, annual (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Members
- 13.5M monthly active users (Sep 2023) (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Credit system
- Boost and add-on microtransactions (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Renewal and cancelling
- Auto-renew; cancel 24h before renewal; CA 3-day refund (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Privacy and data
- Data processed in the US; ad opt-out available (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- App store rating
- App Store (US) 4.5/5 from 387,945 ratings (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Categories
- LGBTQ, Gay, Trans, Mature, Discreet (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Grindr LLC (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2009 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Pricing model
- Free
- Features
- Mobile app
- Official website
- grindr.com
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- App StoreGoogle Play
Pros and cons
Pros
- The audience is stated plainly, as Gay, bi, trans, queer and curious adults 18+, so the pool is built for that community rather than a general mix.
- 13.5M monthly active users (Sep 2023) gives a large active base to browse, and the app can be started with no spend.
- Age assurance is written down rather than implied: FaceTec age check; optional government ID confirm.
- Tier names and billing periods are published in Free, XTRA, Unlimited, Edge; week, month, annual, and the refund route is set out in Auto-renew; cancel 24h before renewal; CA 3-day refund.
- Public ratings back the reputation: App Store (US) 4.5/5 from 387,945 ratings.
Cons
- Monthly fees run $24.99 to $44.99, well above $0.09 at Findom.com and €0.83 to €2.50 at BDSM-baari.
- Support runs on email and help centre only, so a billing problem has no phone or chat route.
- Free app with ads; messaging and profile limits means ads plus messaging and profile limits on the version you get for nothing.
- Auto-renew; cancel 24h before renewal; CA 3-day refund means you must cancel before renewal, and the refund is a California rule rather than a general policy.
Who it suits
- Adults who want an LGBTQ-first app: Gay, bi, trans, queer and curious adults 18+ with 13.5M monthly active users (Sep 2023) behind it.
- Readers who will pay $24.99 to $44.99 a month to lift the messaging and profile limits in Free app with ads; messaging and profile limits.
- Privacy-minded readers who want US data processing with an ad opt-out, per Data processed in the US; ad opt-out available.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers on a tight budget, since Findom.com lists $0.09 a month.
- Anyone after one specific scene, since BDSM-baari lists €0.83 to €2.50 a month and a narrower interest than the broad Gay, bi, trans, queer and curious adults 18+ pool.
- Readers looking for an older audience, where Senior.dk Dating at DKK 2.30 a month is the closer fit.
Using the service
Grindr is built around a single audience, and that is the clearest thing about it in this group. Gay, bi, trans, queer and curious adults 18+ sets out who signs up, and the wording is wider than a single label: gay, bi, trans, queer and curious adults are all named, so a reader can see the pool before paying anything. 13.5M monthly active users (Sep 2023) is the practical reason to start here, since a large active base means plenty of profiles in a given area. The trade-off is concentration. The pool sits inside one community, so a reader looking for the widest possible mix of people will not find it here, and anyone after a general mixed audience is better served by a different pick in this group.
Members and plans
Plans are named and easy to read: Free, XTRA, Unlimited, Edge; week, month, annual. Each tier, including the free one, is offered on a weekly, monthly and annual billing period, so the billing length is a choice separate from the tier. Boost and add-on microtransactions adds a second layer of spending: Boost and add-on microtransactions are bought inside the app, which is how visibility extras are sold rather than folded into the plan list. On membership, Gay, bi, trans, queer and curious adults 18+ describes who the plans are aimed at, and 13.5M monthly active users (Sep 2023) gives the size of the active base behind them. Put together, the plan list is short and readable, while the add-on layer is where a monthly bill can quietly grow.
What is free and what costs
Free app with ads; messaging and profile limits covers the entry point: the app is free to download and use, it carries ads, and messaging and profiles are limited. Everything beyond that sits behind a subscription, and $24.99 to $44.99 is the monthly figure the paid plans land on. Free, XTRA, Unlimited, Edge; week, month, annual lists the tiers and the billing periods, so a reader can see which plan buys which commitment. Boost and add-on microtransactions is the part to watch on a bill, because Boost and other add-on microtransactions are extra, and a month can cost more than the subscription line alone. For anyone comparing on price, the free version exists, but the caps sit inside it, so the limits readers care about are the ones to budget for.
Billing and cancelling
Data processed in the US; ad opt-out available is the short version of the data picture: processing happens in the US and an ad opt-out is available, which is the detail readers on this list tend to want. Billing works the other way round. Auto-renew; cancel 24h before renewal; CA 3-day refund means subscriptions renew automatically, cancellation has to happen in advance of the renewal date, and a refund is offered under California rules rather than as a general promise. Taken together, the data side offers a switch you can control, while the billing side asks for a calendar reminder, since a subscription you forget about keeps charging until you cancel it inside the window.
The company behind it
The operator is Grindr LLC, headquartered in the United States, and the company dates back to 2009. Support runs on email and help centre, so a question goes out by email or through the help centre, and no other channel is listed. For readers who weight privacy and billing, that gives a clear picture: a US company handling US data, a published set of renewal terms, and a support mix limited to written channels, which also means account and billing answers arrive in writing, a format that suits anyone keeping a record of a charge.
How Grindr compares
8.7 vs 9.1
8.7 vs 9.5- 8.7 vs 9.1
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8.7 vs 8.8VictoriaMilan
8.7 vs 9.9
AdultFriendFinder
MOFOS
Babes
TwinkPop
8.7 vs 9.0
8.7 vs 8.6
Where Grindr is available
- Available
- Everywhere except United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Libya, Morocco, Maldives, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How much does Grindr cost per month?+
Paid plans run $24.99 to $44.99 a month, and Free, XTRA, Unlimited, Edge; week, month, annual lists the tiers and billing periods behind that figure: Free, XTRA, Unlimited and Edge, each on a weekly, monthly or annual cycle. The free tier sits alongside them, so the monthly number only applies once a subscription starts.
What is free on Grindr?+
Free app with ads; messaging and profile limits sets out the free part: the app itself, with ads, and limits on how much messaging and how much of a profile you get. Free, XTRA, Unlimited, Edge; week, month, annual confirms a free tier is listed beside the paid ones, so browsing and the basics need no subscription, and the caps, not the download, are what a paid tier removes.
How does Grindr billing and cancelling work?+
Subscriptions renew automatically, and Auto-renew; cancel 24h before renewal; CA 3-day refund sets the terms you need: cancel in advance of the renewal date, and refunds are handled under California rules rather than as a general policy. Miss the window and the plan rolls on and bills again at the same tier.
Does Grindr check ages or verify profiles?+
FaceTec age check; optional government ID confirm covers the checks: a FaceTec age check at signup, with a government ID confirmation available as an option. That is an age gate applied before a profile goes live, which matters on a free app where anyone can start an account without paying.
Who is Grindr for?+
Gay, bi, trans, queer and curious adults 18+ is the stated audience, so the pool is concentrated on LGBTQ adults and on curious adults exploring it. 13.5M monthly active users (Sep 2023) gives the scale. Readers after a general mixed audience, or after a single narrow scene, are better served by a different pick in this group.
How do I get help from Grindr?+
Support runs on email and help centre, so questions go by email or through the help centre. No phone or live chat route is listed, which makes Auto-renew; cancel 24h before renewal; CA 3-day refund worth reading closely, since a charge or refund question is handled in writing.
What happens to my data on Grindr?+
Data processed in the US; ad opt-out available is the short answer: data is processed in the US and an ad opt-out is available. The opt-out is the part that matters here, because Free app with ads; messaging and profile limits means the free app runs with ads, so switching it off removes a data channel rather than a feature.
Who runs Grindr and where is it based?+
The operator is Grindr LLC, headquartered in the United States, and the company dates back to 2009. The same US base shows up in the data picture under Data processed in the US; ad opt-out available, and the billing terms in Auto-renew; cancel 24h before renewal; CA 3-day refund sit alongside the renewal commitment.
What are Boost and add-on purchases?+
Boost and add-on microtransactions describes spend on top of a subscription: Boost and add-on microtransactions bought inside the app. They sit outside the tier list in Free, XTRA, Unlimited, Edge; week, month, annual, so the monthly figure of $24.99 to $44.99 is not the ceiling on a month that includes visibility extras.
Sources
- apps.apple.com/us/app/grindr-gay-dating-chat/id319881193 checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features, App store rating, What is free, Pricing model, Monthly price from, Audience focus
“trackName=Grindr - Gay Dating & Chat; sellerName=Grindr LLC”
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grindr checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded, Headquarters, Members
“Founded March 25, 2009 ... in Los Angeles, California”
- grindr.com/unlimited checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Categories
“the most convenient and discreet Grindr experience ever ... This app is rated 18+ with content restrictions”
- help.grindr.com/hc/en-us/articles/47133656615827-Age-Assu... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Profile verification
“a one-time Age Assurance check, powered by FaceTec. This process uses facial age estimation”
- trust.grindr.com/en-US/legal checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Renewal and cancelling, Credit system, Legal entity, Plans, Privacy and data, Support channels
“UNLESS YOU CANCEL AT LEAST TWENTY-FOUR HOURS PRIOR TO RENEWAL ... request a refund at any time prior to midnight of the third business day following the date You subscribed”
Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
Grindr
Adults who want a dedicated LGBTQ app with a large pool and will pay a higher monthly fee.