Grindr review: free version, XTRA, Unlimited, privacy and safety

What Grindr is

Grindr is a location-based social and dating app for gay, bi, trans and queer adults, run by Grindr LLC. The App Store description calls it "the world's #1 free dating app serving the LGBTQ community," and Google Play describes it as "The world's leading social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people." The #1 ranking is Grindr's own claim.

The terms are "a legal agreement between you and Grindr LLC," which is also the App Store seller and the Google Play developer. Grindr says it is a U.S.-based company with no EEA, UK or Swiss establishments. The About page calls Grindr the world's largest network for gay, bi, trans and queer adults, with millions of people in nearly every country opening the app each day. The store numbers are about 390K ratings on the App Store and 50M+ downloads and about 1.7M reviews on Google Play. Those count ratings, reviews and installs, so they say nothing about active users. No gender ratio or age split is published.

Who Grindr is for

The store listing addresses its audience directly: "If you're gay, bi, trans, queer, or even just curious, Grindr is the best and easiest way to meet new people for friendships, dates, and whatever else you're looking for." The Community Guidelines describe "a place for people of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, genders, and identities to express themselves and their sexuality joyfully and freely."

Linked couple profiles are not confirmed, and couples will find the wider field in dating apps for couples. Apps built for the same community are compared in the LGBTQ hookup and dating app list.

Dating or hookup

Grindr's listings put friendships and dates first and leave the rest open. The word hookup does not appear in the store listings, the homepage or the Community Guidelines. The guidelines treat sexuality as welcome and leave it to each profile to say what it wants: "Check profile info to find out what folks are looking for." Nudes are allowed in private chats and Albums but not on public profiles, according to the same guidelines.

For a search on hookup apps or sex apps, Grindr qualifies through its sex-positive guidelines and its grid of nearby people, though its own pages never use the label. Relationship focus is not confirmed: dates are one aim in a list of several, and nothing positions the product around relationships. Open relationships are not discussed. The category as a whole is explained in how hookup apps work, and the hookup app picks cover the ranked options.

Matching and messaging

Grindr is built around a grid of nearby profiles that you browse and message directly. The App Store listing says "See people nearby based on your location" and "Search tags to find others based on their interests," and it lets you star favorites and block others. Swiping and mutual matching are not described. XTRA shows up to 600 profiles at once and Unlimited shows unlimited profiles. How many profiles a free grid shows is not stated.

Chat sits in the base feature list: "Chat and share private photos," plus private albums that can be shared and unshared. Message limits for free accounts are not stated either. Unlimited adds "Unsend messages and photos," and the plan lists also name chat translate, typing status and expiring photos (one 10-second view) without saying which of the two paid tiers holds them. Terms section 2.5 says chats may not be retained and can be viewed only inside the app.

Calls are less clear. The privacy policy says the Services facilitate communications between users "including messages, photos, audio calls, video calls, videos, or audio," but the store listings do not list calls, and the plan that covers them is not stated. Voice messages and group chat are not confirmed. Apps that do list video calling are collected under dating apps with video chat.

Search and filters

Basic filtering is free: the listing says "Filter your search to find what you want," and tag search is part of the base feature list. XTRA adds "Filter by position, relationship status, and more," plus views limited to people who are online now or have a photo. Unlimited includes all XTRA features. Other apps are listed under dating apps with advanced filters.

Location

The terms (section 4.1) say the Services use device location to show nearby users and to show you to them. Other users may see an approximate distance or a map position that is "generally offset from your actual location." Controls over whether distance and map position are shown are free for every user, according to the terms. Section 4.2 warns that a sophisticated user may still estimate your exact location.

The privacy policy says Grindr may collect precise geolocation. The App Store listing presents Grindr as a tool for travelers who want to meet locals, but no travel mode or location-change feature is named. Other apps are compared under location-based matching and dating apps with travel mode.

Privacy and incognito

Incognito mode is listed as "browse profiles without being seen," and the App Store puts it under Unlimited, the top paid tier. Unsend, also an Unlimited feature, has limits spelled out in the terms (section 7.6): it cannot retract content that was already seen, saved or screenshotted. Private photos and albums are in the free feature list, covered with other apps in dating apps with private photos.

The privacy policy was last updated on July 6, 2026, and a Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy was published alongside it. Profile fields can include health information such as HIV and vaccination status if the user chooses to add it. In some jurisdictions the age check uses a video selfie with biometric processing. Free accounts show third-party ads that share limited data with ad partners. Settings, Privacy Settings lets users opt out of certain AI-related uses of sensitive data. The 2026 Terms of Service took effect on October 27, 2026 (or on acceptance, if earlier) and cover age assurance, location risk and AI features.

The wider picture is in our dating app privacy guide, and apps ranked on this need are in the discreet dating app picks and the anonymous hookup app list.

Verification and safety

The terms (section 3.2) say "We do not verify users," and Grindr does not run background checks. No optional photo-verification feature is described. What exists is age assurance: a date of birth and, in certain jurisdictions, a video selfie that can be paired with an official photo ID. Verification also follows a fake-profile report. Other apps that check profiles are under profile verification.

The in-app tools are report, block and mute conversations, the free distance and map controls, Incognito mode and unsend on Unlimited, and Community Guidelines with consent, privacy and adults-only rules. The Community Guidelines page is the closest thing to a safety page found. The safety guide and the page on dating app scams cover the usual caution with strangers.

Free version

Grindr is free to download, listed as "Free, In-App Purchases." A free account shows nearby users, chat, private photos and albums, tags and basic filters, favorites, and block and report. The App Store says Grindr "(excluding XTRA and Unlimited accounts) includes third-party advertising," so ads come with the free tier. The paid tiers add:

• XTRA: filters by position and relationship status, online-now and with-photo views, up to 600 profiles at once, no third-party ads
• Unlimited: all XTRA features, unlimited profiles, full access to the Viewed Me list, Incognito mode, unsend

The privacy tools therefore cost money, while the distance and map controls stay free. Free apps for the same purpose are compared in free hookup apps.

Pricing

All prices below come from iPhone App Store listings, checked on November 5, 2026. On the US App Store, XTRA is listed at USD 14.99 and USD 22.99, Unlimited at USD 27.99 and USD 44.99, and an item that does not name its tier at USD 24.99 and USD 27.99 for 1 month. The listing gives no period for the XTRA and Unlimited prices, and Grindr's terms say renewal periods vary by plan, for example one week or one month, so calling any of them weekly or monthly would be a guess.

On the UK App Store, the lowest listed price is GBP 8.49 for 1 month, again on an item with no tier named. The UK App Store's lowest listed XTRA price is GBP 9.99 and its lowest listed Unlimited price is GBP 24.99. The US App Store also lists a Boost at USD 11.99 and an Unlimited Day Pass at USD 9.99, a name that suggests one day, though the listing gives no detail. Google Play shows only a price range, and web prices are not covered. The full country-by-country breakdown is on the Grindr pricing page.

Cancelling and deleting

Cancel in the place you bought the subscription: your Apple account, your Google Play account or your Grindr account. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current period, partial periods are not refunded, and subscriptions renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before renewal. Closing the account or deleting the app does not cancel a subscription. The general steps are in cancelling a dating app subscription.

To close an account, follow the instructions in the app. The profile stops being visible and personal data is generally deleted within 28 days, while a device identifier and limited logs are kept for up to two years. A paid subscription must be cancelled first. See also how to delete a dating app account.

Platforms and age

Grindr has an iPhone and iPad app (568.3 MB) and an Android app (package com.grindrapp.android). The homepage also says it is "now available on Web" with "No download required," for XTRA and Unlimited subscribers only. Whether the web version replaces the app, and which features it has, is not described. Sites that skip the download are listed under dating sites without an app.

The App Store listing is present in 41 of the 45 storefronts checked and missing from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Indonesia. The listing data does not say why. No official supported-country list was found, and the terms (section 1.2) mention U.S. embargoed countries only as an eligibility representation. Local app picks are on the country pages.

Terms section 1.1: "You must be at least 18 years old to use the Services, no matter where you live and regardless of any lower age of consent or age of majority that applies there." The App Store shows 18+, Google Play shows Mature 17+, and both listings say "for adults 18 years and older only."

Pros and cons

Alternatives

People who want a head-to-head can start with Grindr vs SCRUFF or the Grindr and Tinder comparison. For other apps sorted by what Grindr leaves out, such as confirmed photo verification or a relationship focus, see Grindr alternatives.

Grindr review verdict