The Best Queer-Friendly Dating Apps
For Love, Lust, and Beyond

HER

HER is THE dating and relationship app for the queer FLINTA (Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Trans, Agender) crew. You’ve probably already heard of it. Heck, you may already have it downloaded on your phone. But if HER isn’t part of your app collection, allow me to illustrate why it should be.

There’s lots of intel you can dish out on your profile using HER’s diverse preset multiple choice answers, such as gender and sexual identities, what you’re looking for on the app, interests, political leanings, religious beliefs, height, whether you smoke (both kinds, wink wink), whether you want kids, and dietary preferences (“VAGITARIAN” IS AN OPTION HERE!!!). Not enough personally-identifying content for your liking? You can also add more questions to your profile (and write your own answers) from a list of extras like what you’re “Gay Manifesting” for this year, what “lives in [your] head rent free,” and your sun/moon/rising signs (ofc. Not to say that astrology is inherently queer but there sure are a lot of astrology hoes in the queer community ¯_(ツ)_/¯ ). Not feeling creative? HER provides cute little example answers for each question to inspire you, like their answer to “This lives in my head rent free” being “THAT scene from Jennifer’s Body. If you know, you know.” (Honestly, who ISN’T that true for?!)

HER also offers a super cute way to deliver personal info visually with Pride Pins, a collection of illustrated words you can feature on your profile. Pride Pins are an easy and adorable way to highlight self-identifiers you want users to know about you ASAP and are akin to a virtual jean jacket adorned with your fav enamel pins or patches – because let’s face it; there’s nothing queerer than a denim jacket littered with enamel pins and patches.

And you can filter what profiles you see based on any of the profile questions with preset answers to choose from, INCLUDING THOSE ADORABLE PRIDE PINS! You can also choose to only have profiles show up that have been verified by the app, which is supes helpful for avoiding catfishes like writers who need to download 500 dating apps for researching an advice guide (sry, y’all).

But there’s more to do on HER than just match and chat – you can also make and interact with user posts in specific Communities filled with like-minded queers, with over 35 Communities to choose from. While users worldwide can be members of said Communities, the feature does offer the option to filter out posts so you’re only seeing them from people you give a fuck about (such as your matches or people nearby). Community members can choose to view posts within individual Communities OR browse via their feed, which pulls posts from every Community you’ve joined for hours of highly tailored Facebook-style scrolling fun.

Started “by queer women for queer women and gender diverse people,” it’s clear that HER cares about its community both in terms of their in-app experiences and beyond, offering helpful resources on its website like an LGBTQIA+ glossary, blog, and a “DM Slider” that lets you generate opening lines to use on your matches to start conversations.

You can download HER on Apple’s App Store or Google Play.

ROMEO

Online dating can be a gamble in terms of finding a good match – after all, how much can you really tell someone about yourself in an app profile? Well, if you’re using ROMEO, the answer is pretty much everything. ROMEO profiles offer four in-depth sections – General, Bedroom, Looking For, and Social – with many optional pre-set answers you can choose from.

• The General section lets users display all sorts of details about their physical appearance, with everything from hair length and the amount of body hair you may have to whether you have piercings or tattoos. This section also provides a spot for some non-physical intel that potential partners might find important, like your relationship status and whether or not you are a smoker.

• The Bedroom section not only offers standard gay dating app info like your position and preferred safer sex methods but also details on your peen, such as size and whether you’re cut or uncut, among other sexual specifics like your stance on fisting.

• The Looking For section lets others know what type of relationship you’re seeking, as well as the age range and genders of users you’re open to connecting with.

• The Social section discloses info related to personality, lifestyle, and interests. It also includes a spot with a unique rating system for a few traits that lets you divulge exactly how you lean on a scale from 1 to 5 for Stay-at-home vs. Party Animal, Pedantic vs. Chaotic, Well[-]Planned vs. Spontaneous, and Shy vs. Forward.

Shy guys and speed daters will appreciate the Footprint feature, which lets you send a quick pre-set comment or question (with 35 options, ranging from the sweet like “Great smile” and “On my wavelength” to the naughty like “Threesome?” and “Send pics?”), each paired with a cute ‘lil illustration.

Looking for love out of town? ROMEO’s Travel feature lets you browse profiles from a location of your choosing and even allows you to set travel dates that determine when your vacay destination’s lovely locals will be able to view your profile.

ROMEO also boasts some pretty stellar communication capabilities. You can send other users one of your Saved phrases (such as ROMEO’s kind and helpful automatically saved phrase, “Thanks very much for your message. I’m sorry, it’s not a match for me. Have fun!), pictures from your phone’s photo library, pictures from your ROMEO albums, and your location. You can also video chat with other users directly within the app!

And you can get even more out of ROMEO by using the web app, which you can log into using the same profile you have for your phone app. Browser-only ROMEO features include HUNQS, where you can find profiles of escorts, and Groups, a spot for you to join specific communities and interact with other members of your groups.

You can download ROMEO on Apple’s App Store or Google Play.

Taimi

From still having a toe or two in the closet to highly valuing privacy in general, there are plenty of ethical reasons you may want to date or browse discreetly, and Taimi expertly caters to those needs with features like:

• “Stealth mode,” which only allows users you ‘like’ to view your profile.

• The ability to choose which parts of your profile are privately or publicly visible.

• “Private cards,” which other users can only access if you match with them and give them access once they request it. Taimi’s prompt is to “Post a spicier picture” - hot!

• Optional security methods that only allow you to access the app with special sign-in options like passcodes or Face ID.

But Taimi is more than just discreet – it’s also delightfully gay, letting users create what Taimi’s site calls “A Queer-Centric Bio.” These queer-focused profile bits feature spots for you to display your sexuality, pronouns, intimacy preferences (top, bottom, switch, etc.), and – my favorite feature – pick your “Vibes,” which can relay an array of details and descriptors ranging from more traditionally queer labels like “Pre-Op” and “Lipstick” to less common identifiers like “Dead inside” (relatable) and “Wizard core” (???). Taimi even goes the extra gay mile with helpful LGBTQ+ content on its website, such as its LGBTQ+ Wiki of queer terminology and blog.

And I’d be remiss not to mention the app’s superior chat capabilities, which not only let you share photos and GIFs but also allow you to record and send videos and voice memos directly from within the app and to share your geolocation.

You can download Taimi on Apple’s App Store or Google Play.

#open

If you want options, then you want #open, a polyamorous wonderland of possibilities. As an app designed for the ethically non-monogamous (ENM) crowd, it should come as no surprise that the dating app takes a quite liberal approach to its functionality and available information. #open offers not only a wealth of preset options to state your sexual orientation, gender identity, and pronouns but also lets users enter their own terms if they desire. The fill-in-the-blank component carries over into your profile’s “Boundaries” and “Preferences” sections, which display your interests, desires, and limits as a series of hashtags.

The downside to #open’s hashtag system is that you’re very much left to your own devices in defining yourself, which can be intimidating or overwhelming to some users (at the very least, it was to me). Hashtag prompts only appear once you start typing and searching rather than giving you a starter list to choose from, so you kinda need to know what you want others to know about you from the get-go. That being said, that very same feature lends itself well to customization and creativity. There are a LOT of user-submitted hashtags, which can be reassuring for those who may assume their specific wants and interests aren’t shared by others. You can pretty much enter anything in these fields, which leaves room for plenty of inventive sharing. Wanna list your only interest as #weirdlyspecificplants? You absolutely can! (I know because I did.)

#open’s most notable and helpful feature, however, is the ability to create joint profiles so you and your partner(s) can use the same account to match and chat with other users on your own devices. And if you create a solo profile and later enter a relationship, you can add a partner profile to yours at any time. You can also choose to create both a solo and joint profile at once, allowing you to switch between the two profiles in-app without having to sign out and back in. When it comes to whose profiles you see (and who sees yours), #open allows you to choose whether you’re receptive to solo profiles, joint profiles, or both and to specify which gender identities you’re interested in seeing.

From my brief stint on #open, there seems to be a healthy mix of users looking for romantic connections, sexual connections, and all other dynamic types without me having to search too long or hard for any of them. So, whatever your poly heart and loins are #open to (sorry, I had to), you can probably find it on #open.

You can download #open on Apple’s App Store or Google Play.

Lex

I won’t lie to you – Lex can be a bit of a crapshoot if you don’t know how to use it. The app uses a message board-style interface that gives big Craigslist vibes, with posts ranging from missed encounters to hookup requests and then some. The experience can absolutely be overwhelming if you stick with Lex’s wildly undefined preset settings that filter out seemingly nothing. But when you adjust the app’s settings and make the most of its easy-to-use search function, Lex opens up a portal to... well, whatever you want. Turns out life and Lex are what you make of them.

Lex’s filter section lets you search posts using keywords so you can find exactly what it is that makes your queer heart flutter, with the option to further refine your results by posters’ ages and proximity. You’d be surprised what highly specific events you can find by using this form of gay Google. All I had to do was search the term “drag” and set my location filters to 6 miles, and I was suddenly aware of a drag-themed screening of the cult classic film Bring It On IN MY AREA! I now shudder to think about all the wonderfully weird and queer events I’ve likely missed out on in the past by not downloading Lex sooner.

Though Lex is relatively new to the app-osphere and could probably use a bit of fine tuning from its developers, it still has a lot of promise and could very well introduce you to new queer-friendly events or friend circles or even help you find a roommate when used with discretion. If you’re looking for queer things (or people) to do in your area, Lex is a great (albeit somewhat unpredictable) tool to have in your pocket.

You can download Lex on Apple’s App Store.

Grindr

Perhaps the most famous gay dating app of all, you already know we had to cover Grindr in our list. And as it turns out, Grindr’s popularity is quite well-earned! Grindr not only makes it easy to find a sex partner quickly but also to find the kind of sex partner that suits your fancy. The app’s filtering options are pretty much unmatched, allowing users to search for others based on qualifiers like preferred position, whether profiles have a face pic (because, unlike many other apps, faces aren’t required on Grindr!), and even have someone listing that they accept NSFW pics as a requirement. And sharing said NSFW pics is supes easy, too! You can get saucy securely by creating a private album that’s only accessible when you share it (and you can even include 1 video in it!) or by sending an expiring photo or video that disappears after one view (and 10 seconds for a picture).

But Grindr isn’t just sexual; it’s also positively sex-positive! When you click your profile icon to open up a sidebar that allows you to change your profile and preferences, beneath “My Albums,” you’ll find a button that reads “Free HIV Home Test,” which leads you to Together TakeMeHome’s site that offers – you guessed it – free HIV tests. A sex and dating app that puts a free STI testing resource super visibly within their platform? We love to see it!

Because safer sex and informed sex are the best sex, Grindr also features an optional “Health” section in profiles where you can enter your HIV status, the date of your last HIV test, and even get reminders from the app for when it’s time for you to get tested again! In addition to a spot to list what vaccinations you may have (COVID-19, Monkeypox, and Meningitis), Grindr also provides a link to their handy Sexual Health FAQ to educate users.

Can you find long-term relationships and friendships on Grindr? Sure, but why would you? The gay ‘dating’ app has a rep of being best for finding fast sex for a reason. The company’s website states that they’ve “created a safe space where you can discover, navigate, and get 0 feet away from the queer world around you,” and odds are if someone being 0 feet away from you is a big determining factor in your matching strategy, you’re probably looking for something other than your heart strings to get tugged. So, if instant gay gratification is what you crave, you should have a stroke of good luck with Grindr.

You can download Grindr on Apple’s App Store or Google Play.

Likk

If the only thing you’ve got in your U-Haul is a barrel of sex toys and dental dams, then Likk is the app for you. The hookup app’s straightforward (or gayforward), easily navigable interface features a Grindr-esque grid that displays pictures and usernames of a handful of nearby lesbians looking to ~connect~. There’s no matching required to message other users, eliminating the odds of a missed hookup chance by letting you slide into your dream girl’s DMs ASAP without pause.

While users can pick from a variety of relationship dynamics they’re “looking for” and list up to 3 on their profile, you’re more likely to find lust than love on Likk. Unlike other certain dating apps that try to dispel reputations of being primarily best for finding sex partners (-cough- Tinder,) Likk leans into their naughty nature with unapologetically sexual marketing (their name and claim that the app will send “1,000s of girls” to your pocket, for instance) and erotically charged profile question prompts (such as a spot to list your preferred position and a place to state whether you’re comfortable receiving NSFW photos). And that’s one of the reasons we love it! No shame in the Hunny-hunting game – go get yours and Likk your best life.

Like many of the other queer-friendly dating apps covered in this round-up, Likk also provides handy resources on their website, like dating safety tips, an interesting blog, and a list of terms “every LGTBQIA+ woman should know.”

You can download Likk on Apple’s App Store or Google Play.