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Grindr
IndependentBest for gay and bi men who want the largest grid
Grindr's dominance is real, and so is its cited data-sharing history; we present the trade-off rather than just the grid.
Key facts
Owner: Independent (no parent company on record).
Free tier: Grindr's free tier is rated Usable; you can message your matches without paying.
Cost: The cheapest premium tier costs $22.99/mo in the US.
App Store rating: On the Apple App Store, Grindr holds 4.45 out of 5 from 384,841 ratings. source
Safety: Grindr has 3 cited data or privacy incident(s) on record; the most recent is dated 2022-05.
Grindr is effectively the default for gay and bisexual men, and the US is its largest market. Its location grid, tribes and granular identity fields keep it dominant, and much of the app is usable for free.
The counterweight is a long data-privacy record worth reading first. Grindr admitted sharing users' HIV status with third parties in 2018, was fined by Norway's regulator in 2021 for passing location and identity data to advertisers, and had precise location data sold through ad networks for years. Being a Grindr user is itself sensitive information, which is what makes this history matter.
Paid tiers add filters, incognito browsing and unsend. Note that the app's photo watermark proves a picture is recent, not that it matches the person.
US position: Category leader (not an overall US chart rank): near-monopoly in gay/MSM; US is largest market (16M+ downloads, ~14.7M global MAU) [src]
Pricing (US)
| Tier | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grindr XTRA | 22.99 USD | Monthly IAP raised to ~$22.99 (from $19.99) rolling out H1 2026 per Q4'25 shareholder letter; cheaper on 3-mo/annual [src] |
| Grindr Unlimited | 44.99 USD | Monthly IAP raised to ~$44.99 (from $39.99); adds Incognito + unsend [src] |
Cheapest premium floor (cost-to-connect): $22.99/mo
Free tier
- Message matches for free: Yes
- Free likes/day: not capped / unknown
- Paywalled: advanced filters, expiring photos, chat translation, unsend messages, read receipts, Incognito
Safety & privacy
| Photo verification | Yes |
|---|---|
| Screenshot blocking | Yes |
| Incognito mode | Yes |
| Encryption notes | 'Taken on Grindr' watermark proves photo freshness, NOT identity match. Discreet app icon + PIN/biometric lock. Extensive third-party data-sharing history (see incidents) |
Breach & privacy ledger
- high 2022-05 — WSJ/reporting: precise location data collected via ad network MoPub and sold through UberMedia since at least 2017; enabled third-party de-anonymization. [src]
- high 2021-12 — Norwegian DPA fined Grindr ~NOK 65M (≈€6.5M/$7.7M) for unlawfully sharing GPS location, IP, ad ID, age and gender with advertisers without valid consent (being a Grindr user reveals a sexual minority). [src]
- high 2018-04 — Grindr admitted sharing users' HIV status and last-tested date (linked with GPS/phone ID/email) with third parties Apptimize and Localytics; said it would stop after reporting. [src]
Feature matrix
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| location_grid | proximity 'Grid' of nearby users ranked by GPS distance [src] |
| tribes | self-identify/filter MSM sub-communities (Bear, Daddy, Twink, Geek...) [src] |
| gender_identity | granular gender (Cis/Trans/Non-binary/Custom) + pronouns [src] |
| hiv_status_field | optional HIV status, PrEP use, last-tested date with retest reminders [src] |
| discretion_tools | discreet app icon + PIN/biometric lock [src] |
Screenshots
© Grindr LLC, via the Apple App Store listing — editorial/nominative review use
Head-to-head
Frequently asked questions
Is Grindr free to use?
Grindr's free tier is rated Usable; you can message your matches without paying. Paid features include advanced filters, expiring photos, chat translation, unsend messages, read receipts.
How much does Grindr cost in the US?
The cheapest premium tier costs $22.99/mo in the US. That is the lowest effective monthly rate, usually on a longer plan; single-month plans cost more.
Who owns Grindr?
Grindr is owned by Independent (no parent company on record). That makes it one of the few apps here with no parent conglomerate.
Has Grindr had a data breach?
Grindr has 3 cited data or privacy incident(s) on record; the most recent is dated 2022-05. WSJ/reporting: precise location data collected via ad network MoPub and sold through UberMedia since at least 2017; enabled third-party de-anonymization.
What is Grindr's App Store rating?
On the Apple App Store, Grindr holds 4.45 out of 5 from 384,841 ratings.