Grindr reviews
What users love and hate, from real reviews
Grindr is the gay dating-and-hookup app whose former number-one reputation is drowning in complaints about aggressive ads, paywalls around once-free features, and a wave of opaque account bans.
What users love
For the loyal "despite everything" crowd, Grindr still finds partners
Despite the flood of complaints, some users have found matches, friends and even marriages here over the years — especially while travelling and looking for locals. Those who can filter still have fun.
found a DL Trade with a Older man and now we're married and have two adopted Kids, thank you Grindr
I have been using this app for more than 4 years and found great matches. This is the best app to explore local people if you love traveling.
lots of trash to sorry through, but the app cannot be blamed. I have lots of fun, often, just have to be intelligent and discerning.
What users hate
An ad on every tap makes the app barely usable
An ad pops up on every action — open the app, tap a profile, reply to a message. Clips drag on for 15-30 seconds and eat up half the user's time.
Algorithm is designed to get you to click a profile then the advert is 30 seconds long. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
way too many ads... you hit return, ad.... you tap someone, ad... you open the app, ad... you respond to someone, ad
STOP PUTTING ADS IN THE INBOX!!!!!!!!!!!!
Predatory ads: a tiny close button redirects you to other apps and sites
The ad's close button is made tiny and hard to see, so a tap "accidentally" opens the app store or browser. Sometimes the app downloads junk onto the phone by itself.
The way the ads are designed is so predatory nowadays.
Will constantly download apps on your device
the ad close button is misleading it 100% direct you to the app of the ad specifically Lazada and shopee
Once-free features moved behind a paywall, prices jacked up
With each update what used to be free gets hidden behind a subscription, and the plans are sliced into expensive tiers. Pay for one and you still have to buy the next just to actually message people.
It used to be a good app, but with every update there are less and less features available.
I just upgradee and paid £15 and now need to pay another £30 to actually speak to people.
pay-walls for things that were free a month ago
Bots, fakes and scammers flood the grid — even after you pay
Half the profiles are bots, catfish and OnlyFans/Snap ads. Paying doesn't stop the spam, and users suspect the bots benefit Grindr itself by driving ad views.
Riddled with scammers, spammers and catfish.
The paid versions STILL HAVE ADS AND BOTS...
Basically half the profiles are promoting another app OF, Snap etc.
Opaque bans hit real accounts, appeals stall for months
Accounts get banned by automation with no reason given, sometimes right after paying or cancelling. Appeals don't work, and people wait 34 days or more for any support reply.
I don't know why this app banned my account I am using it normally if someone reported me they should verify first simply banning my acc is not fair
got banned for no reason, submitted my repeal, then told my account is in good standing but still banned.
I've been waiting 34 days for a response from customer service, who don't seem to care.
The app crashes, freezes and won't load profiles
Every update breaks something new: the main grid loads zero profiles, the app hangs for 10-15 minutes, crashes on launch, and loses messages mid-typing.
the entire app is broken, not a single profile loads on the main page.
Can't even open the app anymore. Immediately crashes
Ìt just HANGS for 10-15 minutes at a time.
Dirty subscription tricks: silent plan swaps and charges after cancelling
An annual plan quietly gets swapped for a pricey weekly one, a weekly trial auto-renews, and charges keep coming after you cancel. Cancelling through the app itself is nearly impossible.
My annual subscription of €83.88 was cancelled and replaced by a weekly subscription €25.99/week.
canceled subs and still getting charged!
I keep cancelling subscription and I keep getting charged for subscription
Paid Xtra cheats: the "hot" profiles vanish after you upgrade
The Xtra section dangles attractive people nearby, but after you pay they disappear or turn out to be hundreds of miles away. Free unlocks and search deliberately hide the real distance too.
Shows you hot guys in the extra section that all disappear when you upgrade.
I use my one free unlock only to find out the person is 100 miles away after it hides that info on the search.
the paid versions like xtra is a scam those profiles are far asf away
GPS lies, and the "online" status shows people long gone
The distance map is wrong: random profiles 25+ miles away show as closest. And "online" lights up for people offline 10+ minutes, or even for the user who hasn't logged in.
The gps feature is wildly off, random profiles from 25+ miles away show as closest to you.
app shows my profile is online even when I haven't been !
Profiles shown as being online will have been offline for 10+ minutes.
Forced age verification feels like an invasion of privacy
To lift a ban or confirm age, the app demands a selfie with a handwritten ID or a passport scan. Users find this humiliating and unsafe, especially given how sensitive the audience is.
they want me to take a selfie photo with my device ID handwritten on a piece of paper
No other dating app does that. Tried verifying multiple times with a video but it failed.
now is forcing me to send passport id document. Complete invasion of privacy!
The brand loses its core: women, fakes and pop-star Madonna marketing
Long-time users feel the app has stopped being a space for gay men: women and fakes creep in, and the intrusive Madonna promo takeover of the screen only annoys.
Between ads, spam, fake profiles, and allowing women, this app is no longer for gay men.
no one gives a 💩 about Madonna... the worst marketing team ever
madonna is taking up a spot in my already limited visuals