How can a gay man in the US find a partner quickly and easily? Statistics show that the majority of LGB adults (over 55%) have used gay dating sites and apps before, and 37% of gay singles are using them right now.
The figures are more than just impressive—⅓ of all gay community members are dating online. So, you can meet someone special without any difficulty just by finding the best gay dating app. We have some ideas for you, so take a look!
Most popular gay hookup websites to find a partner in the US
Let’s start with the best gay hookup websites—currently, these 7 platforms are considered to be the top options in this segment of the market.
- BuddyGays — best gay dating site overall
- AdultFriendFinder — best for meeting gay singles & sharing content
- GaysGoDating — best for finding local matches
- OneNightFriend — most popular gay dating platform
- BeNaughty — best online dating platform for gay men seeking all types of relationships
- NoStringsAttached — best for active social media users & streamers
- AshleyMadison — best for married and attached gay singles
As you can see, all the best gay dating sites have their key advantages. Still, knowing them isn’t always enough to make the right choice—keep reading to learn more about each gay hookup site and make a 100% informed decision.
1. BuddyGays
- Types of dating: Gay dating, casual dating
- Features: Free profile boost, mass messaging, advanced search
- Mobile app: No dating app, but the website is mobile-friendly
- Registration: Free
As you can see from the name of the website, BuddyGays is a platform designed for gay dating and nothing but gay dating. It’s known and loved for its versatility—it is one of the few gay hookup sites that can also connect you with your soulmate if that’s your relationship goal.
Creating an account won’t take much time and effort. There’s a simple form to fill in, and you can join the gay community with just one click if you connect your Google account. Everything is free, and no payment details are required to sign up.
Although the website is not that old, it already gets around 500,000 monthly visits, 50% of which are from users based in the United States, while others are mostly from Western Europe. So, it works both for those who want to date locally and internationally.
People choose it because it has pretty much everything that the best gay hookup websites and sites for serious relationships are supposed to have: profile boosts, free extended search, unlimited messaging for premium users, and even priority support. There are multiple premium plans—a user can buy a 1-day plan for just $0.99 to test the service or upgrade for 3 months at the price of $0.69 per day.
- Types of dating: Casual dating, cyber dating, serious relationships
- Features: Webcam shows, profile videos, free forums, and blogs
- Mobile app: Gay dating apps available both on the App Store & Google Play
- Registration: Free
AdultFriendFinder is one of the partially free gay dating apps that not only lets you create an account and search for matches—it’s also a platform where members can share and view content, and it works like an adult social networking site, too. Registration will also take just a few minutes—a new user only needs to fill in the form and create a profile headline. More details and photos can be added at any time.
The user base is enormous—the website now has tens of millions of members and over 40 million monthly visits (75% from the United States). Though there are straight members, too, the number of gay men is huge, so finding a partner won’t be a problem for a queer user.
number of features is more than just impressive. There are streams, videos members can share, group and private chats, opportunities to send tips, forums, blogs, and more. Though there are some free services that let you contact others without paying, AdultFriendFinder is still a freemium site, and the costs of Gold plans range from $19.95 to $39.95 per month.
3. GaysGoDating
- Types of dating: Casual dating, serious relationships
- Features: Free Like Gallery, profile promotion, messaging & file exchange
- Mobile app: No dating app, but the website is mobile-friendly
- Registration: Free
GaysGoDating is another great gay hookup website that has much to offer to a user. No users besides gay men are accepted, and the system is supposed to connect you with the most attractive matches and help you get a bit closer online before you meet in real life.
Like in the case of BuddyGays, you can sign up in just a few minutes or even less if you use your Google account. Currently, the platform is visited by about 350,000 users monthly, and the largest portion of visits (40%) is from the United States.
When you set up an account, you’re offered to promote your profile for free. Also, free members can get a bonus of 5 free messages a day for adding a photo and confirming the email. If you’d like to enjoy unlimited messaging and unlimited access to all the information and photos on profiles, you’ll need to upgrade, and the costs range from $0.99 per day to $62 for 3 months.
- Types of dating: Casual dating, gay dating
- Features: Free search, profile boost, Like Gallery
- Mobile app: No dating app, but the website is mobile-optimized
- Registration: Free
OneNightFriend is a casual dating site that can also work as a gay hookup site—you can set up an account easily and indicate that you’re a man interested in meeting other gay men. Registration is free, and no payment details must be provided when signing up.
Currently, OneNightFriend is one of the most popular casual dating platforms. It has 4 million monthly visits on average, and over 25% of its traffic comes from the US, so Americans are the largest group of members here.
Theoretically, you byou send a few free messages a day. Profile boost, as well as search, are free, too. However, if you expect more and want to send unlimited messages and see extended search results, you’ll need to upgrade. Currently, members can choose between multiple plans, for example, upgrade for a week for $0.89 per day or for 3 months for $0.69 per day.
5. BeNaughty
- Types of dating: Casual dating, gay dating
- Features: Free access to profiles, search filters, media file exchange
- Mobile app: No dating app, but the website is mobile-friendly
- Registration: Free
BeNaughty is also designed as a platform that should work for everyone, including gay men seeking casual relationships. As in the case of OneNightFriend, you can select your gender and the gender of a partner you are looking for to join the community as a gay user. As on all top dating apps, you can create an account for free, and there’ll be no need to take a lengthy personality test.
The platform has a huge community. There are around 4 million monthly visits on average, and 43% of members are based in the United States.
Once you create an account, you can see profiles (access to photos and the Looking For information is limited, though), use search filters, use the Gallery swiping feature, like others, and more. If you want to send unlimited Flirtcasts (mass messages to all your best matches), get priority support, and see all your matches, you’ll need to upgrade your account. Prices aren’t too high either—they range from $0.99 to $0.59 per day.
- Types of dating: Casual dating, gay dating
- Features: Free webcam broadcasts, hotlists, sharing videos
- Mobile app: No mobile app, the website is mobile-friendly
- Registration: Free
NoStringsAttached is another interesting casual dating site that can become the best gay hookup site for someone who’s looking for something more than just a place to exchange a few text messages. It’s half a dating site and half a social networking platform where members can share their content, too.
It’s not as big as some other gay dating apps on our list, but this dating website has around 100 monthly visits on average, and most of the users are from the United States. Joining the website is super-easy—you only need to fill in the form, and you’ll see your best matches right away.
Access to profiles and most features are limited for free users, so members who want to see other users’ streams and videos and have private conversations prefer to upgrade. You can buy a premium plan for $8.40-$19.90 per month.
- Types of dating: Extramarital dating, casual dating
- Features: Free advanced search, priority messages, discreet albums
- Mobile app: Gay dating apps for both Android & iOS users
- Registration: Free
If you’re looking for the best apps for gay hookups, we highly recommend considering Ashley Madison. Though it’s known and promoted as an affair dating site, it’s also one of the platforms with the highest number of gay users seeking both short-term extramarital affairs and classic long-term relationships. The registration process is really fast, and only basic details must be provided, so everyone can start using the dating app right away.
Another reason to choose Ashley Madison is the user base—the site has around 7 million monthly visits, over 20 million registered users, and 65% of its members are based in the United States.
The system itself isn’t that complex. Women can chat for free, while straight and gay men registered here need to buy credits to start conversations, unlock private albums, and send priority messages. All other features are free. The prices for credits range from $0.29 to $0.59 per credit.
Factors to consider when choosing a gay hookup site
So, these were the best gay dating sites. But what if you can’t choose among them or want to find another dating app on the web? In this case, you’ll need to focus on certain criteria and your own priorities—they should match perfectly.
What makes a gay dating site good? First and foremost, these are the following things:
- Concept and user base. An online gay hookup site like BuddyGays will be the best just because it will automatically narrow down the search to your best matches. Casual dating sites like AdultFriendFinder may work well enough, too. Just ensure that the platform has enough gay users from your area.
- Reputation. Background research is necessary—search for gay hookup site reviews to ensure you’re going to use a reputable platform.
- Profile quality. Looking through low-effort profiles can hardly be called a satisfying experience. Make sure you’ll easily find the person you’d like to meet, and that’s possible only if the site has a good moderation system and encourages members to add details when or after they set up an account.
- Number and quality of features. If you like streams, ensure the site has a broadcasting feature (for example, AdultFriendFinder); if you need only a messenger, make sure there’s a file exchange (for example, BuddyGays, GaysGoDating), etc.
- Reasonable pricing. Dating apps and sites may be more or less expensive, but the prices must always be transparent and reasonable.
- Safety & security. It’s about moderation, managing members’ data, and anti-scam protection. All those systems are supposed to work perfectly.
It may seem that such a check will be too time-consuming, but in the end, the results and the experience are always worth it.
Tips for maximizing success on gay hookup sites
Regardless of who you are looking for, a gay sugar daddy, a partner for a one-time fling, or a future spouse, you need to develop a good strategy in order to succeed on a dating platform.
Whether you’re new to this world or are an experienced dater, take a look at some recommendations—they can help you have the most satisfying experience:
- Create a competitive profile. No matter what gay hookup app or site you choose—your profile will still be the only tool to attract the most attractive gay guys. With a good profile, you’ll get a serious advantage over others, so why miss that chance?
- Focus on your bio and be honest about what you expect to find. Some believe that you should write something others want to hear, but in reality, the truth in your bio will help you succeed much faster.
- Use search filters and other search & matchmaking features to find the best matches. Browsing random profiles takes too much time. Set your priorities and search for men who meet your criteria.
- Pay enough attention to what others say in their profiles. A lot of guys pay attention to photos only. That’s not the best strategy—spend a bit more time reading the bios, and that will pay off in the long run.
- Don’t be afraid to move on if you notice a person isn’t actually a perfect match for you. It’s a kind of online dating time management—if a man seems handsome and nice but something is still wrong, move on.
It’s no rocket science, but a lot of gay singles, as well as all other online daters, ignore these simple rules. If you don’t, you’ll get a serious advantage and have a more satisfying experience overall.
Navigating the gay dating scene: Statistics you should know
There are enough myths surrounding gay online dating in the United States, as well as in any other country. If you want to know what’s really going on, take a look at some figures and facts that show what it’s like in reality.
- Over 55% of queer singles have used a mainstream or gay dating site, and that’s 27% more compared to straight singles who’ve tried online dating.
- According to Statista, gay singles are even more active than straight users on dating platforms.
- There are more young users of gay dating sites. 54% of gay singles aged 18 to 49 have used a dating platform.
- 61% of gay men who’ve been using dating sites and dating apps evaluate their experience as a positive one.
As you can see, gay online dating is more than just common, so the chance of finding a partner is very high. Most users have a positive experience, and there are a lot of younger single men looking for partners. All this together makes the gay segment one of the most rapidly growing and the highest-quality segments of the global dating market.
Conclusion
The selection of gay dating platforms is vast nowadays. From mainstream dating to affair websites, you can choose a place that matches your style and preferences. If you’re looking for a gay partner and aren’t interested in anything serious, a niche hookup site for gay and bi people will be the best option for you. These days, the online dating market has much to offer to this particular category of users, and all you need to do is set your priorities, do some research, and then make a 100% informed choice.
What are the best free gay hookup sites?
Most gay hookup apps and sites offer premium plans, but there are platforms with reasonable pricing policies, free trials, and great sets of free features. These are BuddyGays, Ashley Madison, GaysGoDating, etc. You can find more options and alternatives in our guide.
What gay apps are legit for hookups?
The best gay hookup apps and sites are BuddyGays, GaysGoDating, and AdultFriendFinder. Still, there are many other great gay dating sites, too, and you can find them all in this article.
How do gay hookup sites work?
They work pretty much like all other dating apps. You create an account, provide photos and information, get access to profiles of gay men in your location, and can communicate with them online before you meet IRL.
Are gay hookup sites safe to use?
Yes, if you choose one of the reputable and high-quality dating sites and apps. Still, if you’re seeking gay hookups online, you still need to care about your own privacy & safety by following common rules—don’t share your data, don’t send money online, etc.
Disclaimer: The above is a sponsored post, the views expressed are those of the sponsor/author and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial.
