Tinder and Grindr are two of the most popular dating apps worldwide to find love. They both have millions of users, they're both super easy to use – and they can both help you get laid.
Naturally, Tinder is aimed at both sexes, while Grindr is aimed purely at gay, bi, trans or queer men. However, finding what you want on Tinder can be just as easy as it is on Grindr – all you need to do is select your preference (man looking for another man).
So which is better?
I signed up to both apps to test them out. In this comparison review guide, I'll be taking an in-depth look at Tinder and Grindr to help you decide which one to sign up to. I'll be looking at who they're largely aimed at, who they're not aimed at, how useful their features are, and so on. At the end of the article, I'll give you my final verdict.
Comparison: Tinder Vs Grindr
| Comparison | Tinder | Grindr |
| Male to Female Ratio | There are approximately 2 men for every woman. | Practically all users are men. |
| Casual (1) to Serious (10) Rating | 5 - Tinder used to be a hookup app, but it’s now used by those looking for something casual and those looking for something serious. | 4 - Grindr is used by many gay men who want to get laid fast, but it's also possible to simply make new friends on this app. |
| Types of Men | Tinder attracts all kinds of guys, from well-groomed metrosexuals with good careers to more rugged types who enjoy beer and banter. | Grindr generally attracts all kinds of men from different backgrounds. Some are cute; some are muscular, others are well-educated, some are divas, while others are just bi-curious. In a word, Grindr is a jungle. |
| Cost | Free to send and receive messages | Free to send and receive messages. |
| Premium Features | You can upgrade your account to either Tinder Gold and Tinder Plus to enjoy additional perks, or buy one-off extras such as Boosts and Super Likes. | Like Tinder, Grindr has two upgrade packages that let you view more matches, eliminate all ads and essentially enjoy a more streamlined, hassle-free version of Grindr. However, it lacks features that would act as the equivalent of Tinder's Boost and Super Like. |
| Biggest Plus | It’s got a HUGE user base. | More traffic than any other gay dating app. |
| Biggest Minus | It can be really difficult to land quality matches unless you upgrade. | Easy to be overwhelmed by the number of messages you might receive in one day. |
Who's Tinder For?
- Guys looking for something casual – Looking for a hookup? This was the main reason Tinder was created in the first place.
- City livers – Tinder works best in heavily populated areas, such as cities.
- People who want to make new friends – Tinder is great for many reasons, but it's especially useful for just making new friends in your city.
- Dudes short on time – If you hate how time-consuming some dating apps are with their personality quizzes, Tinder cuts straight to the chase. It doesn't even have a search function!
- Men who just want to have fun – Tinder is typically used by outgoing people who enjoy a drink and a laugh.
Who's Tinder Not For?
- Those who wanna get married – Sure, you could find your marriage partner on Tinder, but it's highly unlikely.
- People who hate swiping – I'll level with you: Since there's no search function on Tinder, you'll be doing a lot of swiping.
- Anyone who doesn't wanna get addicted to a dating app – Tinder can be super compulsive due to its swipe concept and the fact that SO many people use it.
Who's Grindr For?
- Guys who want a hookup – Like Tinder, Grindr initially got a reputation for being just a gay hookup app. These days it's a bit more than that, but there are still many people who use it for casual sex.
- The LGTBQ+ community – Yes, Grindr is aimed at men. But it's not just gay community that use it. Bi, trans and queer people use Grindr too.
- Confident dudes – Grindr's users can be very explicit, both with their pictures and how direct they are. Therefore, it's especially ideal if you're confident both in terms of your personality and how you look.
- City dwellers – Since Grindr is a location-based dating app, it's popular with city dwellers.
- Fuck buddies – Want a fuck buddy? You can find one on Grindr.
Who's Grindr Not For?
- Shy and retiring types – If you hate nudity and don't know how to flirt online, Grindr probably isn't for you.
- People looking for something serious – Yeah, Grindr isn't here to help you find your soulmate.
- Those who hate time wasters – If you REALLY can't stand time wasters, Grindr will frustrate you.
Tinder: Everything You Need To Know
Launched in 2012, Tinder was the first-ever “swipe app.” Swipe right to like and swipe left to reject someone. For the first few years, it was widely marketed as a hookup app where young people aged under 30 could find casual sex encounters in the city. As its user base grew, Tinder became an all-around dating app that retained its basic swipe concept.
How does Tinder work? You sign up, add a few pics, create a short bio – and get swiping. Essentially, profiles are queued up for you, and you need to swipe left or right on them. If you match with someone, then (and only then) you can start chatting.
Unlike Grindr, which shows profiles in card stack, you'll be shown only just one person at a time.
As a swipe app, Tinder has no search function. Moreover, you're often at the mercy of the Tinder algorithm to get noticed by other people (unless you pay for extra features, such as the Boost). Tinder is free to send and receive messages. However, but to get the most out of it, many people upgrade their accounts.
To date, Tinder continues to be one of the most used dating apps in the dating world. It has a user base of around 57,000,000 people, many of whom are located in the US. It's been downloaded more than 400,000,000 times in total and records 2,000,000,000+ views per day.
Grindr: Everything You Need To Know
Grindr predates Tinder, having been launched a few years earlier in 2009. Back then, the iPhone was barely a thing. And gay dating apps? There'd never really been any except Gaydar. Indeed, Grindr was – and remains – one of the world's most popular gay dating apps that were initially conceived as a hookup app where gay men could find all kinds of local casual sex encounters.
Grindr was different from Gaydar straight from the start, as it relied on a mobile device's satellite location data to connect gay singles who were living and/or working nearby. And thanks to its ease of use, it soon caught on, and millions of people were downloading it.
Even today, Grindr continues to be used by 5,000,000+ people daily. Crucially, most people who sign up to Grindr are gay, bi, trans, or queer guys – unlike Tinder, which many straight people also use.
How does it work? As mentioned, Grindr uses satellite data from your mobile device to show you members who are nearby. You can then message someone you're interested in – and take it from there. Most users don't fill their profiles out too much because Grindr – unlike Tinder – is still very much used by people looking for a hookup. It also lets users swap nude pictures with each other privately.
Tinder vs. Grindr: The User Base
Tinder is widely known for being one of the most popular dating apps globally, and indeed it's used by more than 57 million people at the time of writing. Around 72% of its user base are males, while its largest age range is the 20-35 year old demographic.
Subscriptions have grown year-on-year since Tinder was launched, and millions of people continue to download the app each month. Around 16% of people who use it say they're heterosexual, while 26% label themselves as “other.” So, while Tinder has a super high user base, not all of them will be guys looking for other guys.
Grindr, on the other hand, can easily claim to be the most-used gay dating app. In 2020, reports suggested it had 13,000,000 monthly active users, many of whom spend 54 minutes per day on the app.
All in all, there are over 30,000,000 users, most of whom identify as gay. There are around 228,000,000 messages exchanged every single day, a quarter of users are based in the USA, while 25-35 is the predominant age range.
Tinder vs Grindr: Profiles
Tinder profiles are mostly sparsely detailed, and users generally add a couple of photos alongside very short bios. These bios typically consist of one or two interests, a witty one-liner, as well as an emoji or two. A Tinder user rarely goes in-depth. Instead, they rely on a couple of good pictures to grab someone's attention.
However, Tinder does also let you see at a glance a user's job, education status, as well as their proximity to you.
Grindr profiles are very similar. Most users add a main profile pic and one or two other pics, as well as a line or two in their bio. Like Tinder, Grindr's profiles come with a few extra prompts that users can fill out and add to their profile, including last online time, height, and relationship status. They also let you see what a person is “looking for.”
Compared to sites like POF and OkCupid, though, Tinder and Grindr's profiles can definitely be described as basic, simple, and straight to the point. Users on both sites aren't generally averse to posting topless pics of themselves.
Tinder vs Grindr: Premium Features
As mentioned, Tinder is completely free to send and receive messages. However, many people prefer to upgrade to get the most out of the app. You have two choices when it comes to the premium features: You can either pay for a Tinder Boost or extra Tinder SuperLikes for a one-time fee, or you can subscribe.
There are two subscription options: Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold. Both give you daily Super Likes as well as a free Boost each month, but they also let you see who's liked you (which is great for landing more matches). Either option is worth it if you want more matches, while one-off Boosts are affordable if you want to improve your visibility (and potentially get more matches) but don't want to lock yourself into a monthly contract.
You can read our comprehensive analysis of Tinder Gold vs Plus vs Platinum.
Grindr also lets you send and receive messages for free. You can also add people to your list of favorites, send emojis and swap private photos with people (including nude pics). Upgrading your account, meanwhile, lets you view as many as 600 potential matches. You can also add as many people to your list of favorites as you want and block as many people.
Is Grindr's premium package worth it? Yes and No. If you're not getting enough quality matches, upgrading will definitely help you out. But most people who use Grindr find that they get some matches and therefore don't need the premium package.
Tinder vs Grindr: Final Verdict
If you're a guy looking for casual sex, friendship, or even a bit of romance, Grindr is the obvious option, thanks to the fact that it's a) strictly aimed at men and b) the most high-traffic dating app around. However, Tinder is the most active dating app, and all you need to do is set your preferences if you're a man looking for a man. However, Tinder is mainly more successful for straight couples.
Both apps are easy to use, they're both hassle-free, and they're both free to send and receive messages.
All in all, Tinder just about edges it, thanks to its high user base, ease of use, and features (such as the Boost that makes your profile more visible). Grindr is still a worthy second, but many users often complain of feeling overwhelmed by the amount of attention they receive on it. Not to mention, it's specifically for lgbtq community. Whether that's a good thing or not, though, is really for you to decide.