Review Insights · App Store
Grindr - Gay Dating & Chat
Grindr LLC · 380,680 ratings · ★ 4.5
4.5
★★★★★
380,680 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 89 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"bots"
35 negative reviews mention this · 39% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Needs a lot of help. Over run with bots and spam ads, making it almost unusable" - F you flappy bird
2
"spam"
27 negative reviews mention this · 30% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Needs a lot of help. Over run with bots and spam ads, making it almost unusable" - F you flappy bird
3
"grindr"
17 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Why is it shouting ads in silent mode!?. Why would any developer for this app think it’s okay to have your phone announce “Hi Grindr!” Audibly while my phone is set to silent. That’s what it just did to me opening it. Lots of other reasons to give this app one star. But that’s …" - Redeall
4
"people"
17 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Don’t pay for this! Still get ads and bots!. Even after you pay for an expensive supposedly ad-free version of the app you still get ads for ED pills (?!) and other things. Plus you get more bots than real people messaging you. They can check me on this for all the accounts I keep rep…" - //////////./
5
"fake"
16 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "You pay absurd money to still have limitations. Honestly my title says it all. All their tier pricing is a scam. Even paying 22$ you’re still VERY limited unless you pay their 40$ subscription fee. And lap no matter what tier you sub for you’re going to get very spammed with their woodwo…" - Undead twink
6
"profiles"
16 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "You pay absurd money to still have limitations. Honestly my title says it all. All their tier pricing is a scam. Even paying 22$ you’re still VERY limited unless you pay their 40$ subscription fee. And lap no matter what tier you sub for you’re going to get very spammed with their woodwo…" - Undead twink
7
"unusable"
14 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Needs a lot of help. Over run with bots and spam ads, making it almost unusable" - F you flappy bird
8
"accounts"
14 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "It gets worse and worse. It only gets worse! I pay for unlimited and now I’m getting tons of ads and so many bot accounts. Shame on the developers!!!!" - Bio 210
9
"worse"
13 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "It gets worse and worse. It only gets worse! I pay for unlimited and now I’m getting tons of ads and so many bot accounts. Shame on the developers!!!!" - Bio 210
10
"messages"
13 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "SO MANY BOTS. I’d say about 70% of the messages I get are from bots advertising scam websites. It cannot be that hard to detect bot accounts and ban them. Fix your app." - LightningKloud
11
"nothing"
12 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "You pay absurd money to still have limitations. Honestly my title says it all. All their tier pricing is a scam. Even paying 22$ you’re still VERY limited unless you pay their 40$ subscription fee. And lap no matter what tier you sub for you’re going to get very spammed with their woodwo…" - Undead twink
12
"every"
12 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Ruined by greed!. The ads are out of control- Nicole and some every F,!:)/?/ click- SNIFFIES IS THE BETTER PLACE" - Angry Arlo consumer
📋 All 89 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
No
Tiene demasiados problemas, no me deja eliminar mi cuenta tiene mucha fallas
Why is it shouting ads in silent mode!?
Why would any developer for this app think it’s okay to have your phone announce “Hi Grindr!” Audibly while my phone is set to silent. That’s what it just did to me opening it. Lots of other reasons to give this app one star. But that’s top reason now. They are heavy on the paywall. As are all apps. Ads have gotten out of hand.
Needs a lot of help
Over run with bots and spam ads, making it almost unusable
It gets worse and worse
It only gets worse! I pay for unlimited and now I’m getting tons of ads and so many bot accounts. Shame on the developers!!!!
Wtf is wrong with you ?
I run the app and I am a paid member . It’s yelling “Hi Grindr”
Respect your customers .
Respect your customers .
Unusable
This app is unusable. Constantly interrupted by advertisements that you can’t get out of. The filters barely work and is honestly the worst gay app out there. Xtra is ridiculously expensive
Afraid to open this app now
So apparently this app now has ads speaking at loud when you open it.
DL guys must love it
DL guys must love it
SO MANY BOTS
I’d say about 70% of the messages I get are from bots advertising scam websites. It cannot be that hard to detect bot accounts and ban them. Fix your app.
Don’t pay for this! Still get ads and bots!
Even after you pay for an expensive supposedly ad-free version of the app you still get ads for ED pills (?!) and other things. Plus you get more bots than real people messaging you. They can check me on this for all the accounts I keep reporting. What a joke, don’t spend a dime on this.
You pay absurd money to still have limitations
Honestly my title says it all. All their tier pricing is a scam. Even paying 22$ you’re still VERY limited unless you pay their 40$ subscription fee. And lap no matter what tier you sub for you’re going to get very spammed with their woodwork sub brand for ED, Weight-loss and other meds.
They do literally nothing to stop the fake profiles from spamming you so get ready for that. Safety on the app is low so make sure you’re vetting someone as much as possible before meeting up with them.
This is basically an app for greed rather than community now. The developers and owners could care less about the LGBTQIA+ community they just want our money.
They do literally nothing to stop the fake profiles from spamming you so get ready for that. Safety on the app is low so make sure you’re vetting someone as much as possible before meeting up with them.
This is basically an app for greed rather than community now. The developers and owners could care less about the LGBTQIA+ community they just want our money.
Ruined by greed!
The ads are out of control- Nicole and some every F,!:)/?/ click- SNIFFIES IS THE BETTER PLACE
unusable now
It haves so many adds that you can’t even use it now it’s so bad amd basic features you have to pay now
this is an ads, not app
full of ads, in, out, cut in, all fking ads! what a garbage
Report to Apple!
The moderators ignore illegal activity and explicitly allow it. Spam bots, sexual exploitation, financial scams, drug trafficking. On the App Store page, scroll down to “Report a Problem” and submit a complaint about how unusable this app has become and how much illegal activity is on it. Moderators refuse to do their job and the developers don’t care.
Full of spam
This app has become garbage. Full of bots and scammers sending messages. No fix at all. Fix it!
Spam
It’s all spam. No one is real. Have it confirmed by Grindr. Don’t waste your time.
Non stop bots
I just recently paid for a subscription after taking a 6 month break. The bots are worse. I block and report and average of 12 a day. That is absurd.
The worst
I pay an absurd amount of money for a subscription and it’s still constant pop up adds trying to sell me boost or pecker pills or weight loss pill. Grinder is the last place I’d trust to sell me any meds. Not to mention the non stop fake profiles. Hopefully grinder is circling the toilet bowl like the turd that it is and the world will be a better place when it’s gone.
Worst app for scams
Unlike most apps that make security improvements. Grindr goes backwards. Every time there is a major update they’ve made it easier for scammers and liars to use and feel protected. If you’re gonna use Grindr. Stay strapped or get clapped
Hatred of Queer People
One must hate queer people to run an app this terrible. It only works because we hate ourselves enough to feel like we deserve it. Study grindr to find out how to make an entire community feel hated.
Hide / blocking
I hate this new thing yall added that is the hide profile to replace the block button it’s super annoying cause when I wanna block people it doesn’t show block it shows hide profile why? Please take that feature away like fr please
Filters
Getting rid of race filter sucks now that I have to keep telling guys I’m not into certain race sexually which has nothing to do with racism, the it just made it worse
Ads after 1 seconds and bots everywhere
You can’t use this app for even 1 second without getting an ad it’s so user unfriendly. Open a message *IMMEDIATE AD*. This app is garbage. To make it worse it’s rampant full of bots spamming their websites and nothing is being done to prevent this
Time waster(s)
99% of the guys who contact are fake: out of the area and wanting to chat on WhatsApp and Telegram. And So. Many. Ads.
So much spam
App has become so taken over by ads and spam that it’s become unusable. It’s really annoying.
Grindr: Where Bots Thrive and Users Pay the Price
I’ve reached the point where this isn’t even a dating app anymore-it’s a subscription-based bot museum with the occasional human sprinkled in for flavor.
Every time I log on, it’s the same routine: delete, block, report… repeat. The only thing more consistent than the spam bots is Grindr’s complete indifference to them. It’s almost impressive how a company can charge premium prices while delivering a product that feels fundamentally broken at its core.
Ever since going public, it’s painfully obvious where the priorities shifted-and spoiler alert-it’s not the users. It’s the shareholders. The app has become a masterclass in how to squeeze a community for profit while giving less and less in return. Basic features are locked behind an increasingly aggressive paywall, yet somehow the bots are enjoying full, unrestricted access like VIP members.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just an inconvenience anymore. It feels exploitative. You’re monetizing a platform built on the LGBTQ+ community while allowing it to be overrun by fake profiles, scams, and spam accounts. That’s not just bad management-that’s willful neglect.
Meanwhile, other apps manage to offer better features, cleaner interfaces, and far fewer bots without treating their users like walking wallets. So what exactly are we paying for here? Because it certainly isn’t quality, safety, or user experience.
At this point, posting this review is part of my routine-right alongside blocking the latest wave of bots you somehow “can’t” get under control. Maybe one day you’ll care as much about your users as you do your revenue streams.
Until then, consider this less of a review and more of a warning label.
Every time I log on, it’s the same routine: delete, block, report… repeat. The only thing more consistent than the spam bots is Grindr’s complete indifference to them. It’s almost impressive how a company can charge premium prices while delivering a product that feels fundamentally broken at its core.
Ever since going public, it’s painfully obvious where the priorities shifted-and spoiler alert-it’s not the users. It’s the shareholders. The app has become a masterclass in how to squeeze a community for profit while giving less and less in return. Basic features are locked behind an increasingly aggressive paywall, yet somehow the bots are enjoying full, unrestricted access like VIP members.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just an inconvenience anymore. It feels exploitative. You’re monetizing a platform built on the LGBTQ+ community while allowing it to be overrun by fake profiles, scams, and spam accounts. That’s not just bad management-that’s willful neglect.
Meanwhile, other apps manage to offer better features, cleaner interfaces, and far fewer bots without treating their users like walking wallets. So what exactly are we paying for here? Because it certainly isn’t quality, safety, or user experience.
At this point, posting this review is part of my routine-right alongside blocking the latest wave of bots you somehow “can’t” get under control. Maybe one day you’ll care as much about your users as you do your revenue streams.
Until then, consider this less of a review and more of a warning label.
Too many stupid ads
Ads pop up way too much can’t even type a message sometimes on a profile due to the enormous amount of ads
A joke
$45 a month for “premium” services should include NO ads.
Legit tired of seeing ads for GLP1s every where I look.
Legit tired of seeing ads for GLP1s every where I look.
This app is just one big Advertisement
Through recent updates this app has become an ad wall. Every 30 seconds you’re shown ads that take up your whole screen and force you to watch it for a minute (or sometimes more) to be able to close. Forget about closing the app - now they’ll show you another ad as soon as you open it. They really are struggling to keep the lights on with the way they try to nickel and dime your experience on the app.
Bots, Spam, Ad
When you barely open the app, you’ll get an ad, bots, and spam within minutes. The app’s design is very predatory so that you subscribe to their premium service. You get taps and messages from bots from miles away to get you on their website, crypto, or to promote their OF/content. There’s been no fix for years, only to get worse
Bots
Way too many bots and fake accounts trying to get you to click links and go to websites etc on the ap. Also, all the positive reviews for this app are obviously written by bots. Can yall not invest in paying real people to right the fake positive reviews for you?
Too many Spams. Blocking spams DOES NOT work for me
I paid $140 every 6 months for membership and this is what I get…. Constant spams appearing on my in coming accounts. Try blocking those spams BUT it keeps happening. It’s frustrate.
Wack
If you pay for the full membership, you still get blown up with bots and spam.
A Predatory Digital Landfill
Grindr is no longer an app; it is a digital slum engineered by a vendor that functions as the ultimate corporate parasite. It is an ecosystem meticulously designed to exploit basic human impulses through a UI that prioritizes dehumanizing commerce over any semblance of connection. No amount of branding can mask the stench of this digital pigsty.
The Vendor: Bottom-Feeding Extortionists
The developers have effectively paywalled basic interaction, locking primitive features behind predatory pricing tiers. While they bleed your wallet dry, they carpet-bomb the interface with intrusive, full-screen ads that behave more like malware than marketing. They are monetization ghouls who have abandoned all pretense of safety in favor of a purely extractive business model.
The Technical Rot: A Malfunctioning Joke
Technically, the app is a stagnant pool of spaghetti code.
• The Notification Black Hole: Messages routinely vanish or arrive hours late, making real-time communication impossible.
• The Ghosting UI: Profiles appear and disappear at random, while "tech support" is a hollow automated void that offers zero recourse for users being defrauded.
• Security Failure: They hoard sensitive data while providing the security of a screen door in a hurricane, leaving users wide open to hackers and blackmailers.
The Inhabitants: Bots and Predators
The platform is a biochemical hazard of human behavior. The "bottom-feeding catfish" are now outnumbered by sophisticated sextortion rings and AI-driven bots designed to funnel the desperate toward financial ruin. It is a landscape of blank squares and judgmental shadows where the baseline for interaction is ghosting and instant disposal.
The Verdict
Grindr is a functionally bankrupt, psychologically corrosive dumpster fire. It provides zero value beyond its own exploitative cycle. It is an irredeemable waste of bandwidth that feeds on loneliness and returns nothing but trauma and technical failure. Delete it and never look back.
The Vendor: Bottom-Feeding Extortionists
The developers have effectively paywalled basic interaction, locking primitive features behind predatory pricing tiers. While they bleed your wallet dry, they carpet-bomb the interface with intrusive, full-screen ads that behave more like malware than marketing. They are monetization ghouls who have abandoned all pretense of safety in favor of a purely extractive business model.
The Technical Rot: A Malfunctioning Joke
Technically, the app is a stagnant pool of spaghetti code.
• The Notification Black Hole: Messages routinely vanish or arrive hours late, making real-time communication impossible.
• The Ghosting UI: Profiles appear and disappear at random, while "tech support" is a hollow automated void that offers zero recourse for users being defrauded.
• Security Failure: They hoard sensitive data while providing the security of a screen door in a hurricane, leaving users wide open to hackers and blackmailers.
The Inhabitants: Bots and Predators
The platform is a biochemical hazard of human behavior. The "bottom-feeding catfish" are now outnumbered by sophisticated sextortion rings and AI-driven bots designed to funnel the desperate toward financial ruin. It is a landscape of blank squares and judgmental shadows where the baseline for interaction is ghosting and instant disposal.
The Verdict
Grindr is a functionally bankrupt, psychologically corrosive dumpster fire. It provides zero value beyond its own exploitative cycle. It is an irredeemable waste of bandwidth that feeds on loneliness and returns nothing but trauma and technical failure. Delete it and never look back.
Going corporate kills another app
I’ve been a member of Grindr for many years now. Initially, it was an exciting and very useful. You could browse a number of profiles right around you message them without limits and not have issues with sharing photos.
However, the latest update significantly limits what you can view free. There’s really no point in even checking who viewed your profile because the pictures are blurred out and you can’t select the open the profile anyway. This is all a big money grab; you can’t really do anything on this app unless you have some sort of subscription. Do you want to have the ability to do anything like you used to it? Only $30 a month. Seriously, $30 per month.
I would recommend checking out smaller competitors Grindr has clearly lost their way.
*updated. Received a 2 day ban for unknown reasons; no way to reach out for more information. Can’t wait for my sub expires in 10 days; no renewal.
However, the latest update significantly limits what you can view free. There’s really no point in even checking who viewed your profile because the pictures are blurred out and you can’t select the open the profile anyway. This is all a big money grab; you can’t really do anything on this app unless you have some sort of subscription. Do you want to have the ability to do anything like you used to it? Only $30 a month. Seriously, $30 per month.
I would recommend checking out smaller competitors Grindr has clearly lost their way.
*updated. Received a 2 day ban for unknown reasons; no way to reach out for more information. Can’t wait for my sub expires in 10 days; no renewal.
malware ads, predatory subscription plans
malware pop ups with new update. how is this allowed, every action costs $15/week, cant even search your local area without being shaken down. AVOID.
Overrun by bots and spam
I’ve never seen an app so willingly allow such rampant spam, bots, OFs and scammers. It’s literally overrun with spam messages.
Fix it !!!!
They’re trying to charge for everything u do on this app but can’t even ban or find a way to get rid of the bots. The app is flooded with bots or people with nudes in their profiles but they ban you for the tiniest reason. There are way better apps out there
Terrible
It’s constant ads that gets slapped in your face when you open the app and when you’re on there, you could be doing something and it’ll immediately throw an ad and interrupt whatever and then you get messaged from left and right with spam profiles and then it gets to the point where you report all these spam profiles and then your account gets suspended. The idiot company that brought this app from the original creator that I happen to personally know. From the time when he owned it and created it to now. This new company is all about trying to make you pay and annoy you with ads etc. not worth the download. Every company should keep in mind that there are always so many other options out there that they’re not the only ones. Jokes on you.
Unusable without subscription
App is unusable unless you pay the subscription to get rid of the ads
De mal en peor todo es $
Gracias por limitar los bloqueos 😡 me salgo la seguridad aqui no sirve
Bots spam and pop ups.
Bruh this app isn’t the greatest we all know this, but not many option so we had to use it. In over it at this point though cause you open the app and immediately have pop ups for whatever they’re advertising, then get messages from bots and really it’s just annoying at this point.
Unreasonable ban and horrible support
Didn’t open the app for a while and when I did, I found out I was banned. No warning no explanation no nothing. Reached out to support and basically they said sucks to be you but it’s a human decision and it’s final. And that answer came after over a month of waiting. Used to be a fun way to meet new people but now it’s just simply unusable.
USERS SAFETY ISSUES
This app has a major problem that goes beyond inconvenience-it’s a user safety issue.
While I understand the need for ads in a free version, the bigger concern is the overwhelming number of fake profiles, bots, and scam accounts. These aren’t occasional-they’re constant. It makes the platform feel unmoderated and unsafe.
What’s worse is that this problem doesn’t improve even after paying for the premium version. Removing ads is one thing, but continuing to expose paying users to scam profiles is unacceptable. At that point, users are paying and still not receiving a safe or trustworthy experience.
This creates real risks:
- Users can be misled or scammed financially
- Potential exposure to malicious links or harmful content
- Erosion of trust in the platform overall
It also makes the app nearly unusable from an experience standpoint-sorting through fake accounts outweighs any real value.
Honestly, at this point, I can’t tell if developers truly want long-term user retention. Moderation and verification systems need to be a priority, not just monetization. Right now, it feels like this is an abandoned project and if you truly don’t care then say it! Say the app is what it is and you get what you get. Be transparent about it. But there hasn’t been any kind of development or statement about improve the apps overall safety.
While I understand the need for ads in a free version, the bigger concern is the overwhelming number of fake profiles, bots, and scam accounts. These aren’t occasional-they’re constant. It makes the platform feel unmoderated and unsafe.
What’s worse is that this problem doesn’t improve even after paying for the premium version. Removing ads is one thing, but continuing to expose paying users to scam profiles is unacceptable. At that point, users are paying and still not receiving a safe or trustworthy experience.
This creates real risks:
- Users can be misled or scammed financially
- Potential exposure to malicious links or harmful content
- Erosion of trust in the platform overall
It also makes the app nearly unusable from an experience standpoint-sorting through fake accounts outweighs any real value.
Honestly, at this point, I can’t tell if developers truly want long-term user retention. Moderation and verification systems need to be a priority, not just monetization. Right now, it feels like this is an abandoned project and if you truly don’t care then say it! Say the app is what it is and you get what you get. Be transparent about it. But there hasn’t been any kind of development or statement about improve the apps overall safety.
Ugh
This app keeps getting worse the glitches the bots but its not going to get fixed
Ain’t what it used to be
Horrible “pay to play” model which dissuades everyday people from using it. It’s practically unusable without a paid subscription meaning less people use it.
Racket
They force you to get the premium because they don’t hate any of the fake profiles or bots. Then they still serve you up ads. There should be more filtering capabilities because we have our preferences and I don’t want people to see me if they aren’t my type.
User
There are so many bots. They don’t even go anything to fix the problem. Throughput the years it only got worse.
Bots Bots Bots
Canceled my subscription. The bot issue is getting to the point where the app is a pain to open. Floods and floods of bots in my inbox whenever I open the app. Already submitted a complaint and the devs are silent while taking my money.
Terrible and not filled
This app is absolute trash and has been since it was sold to Americans to run. Nothing but bots. 98% of the profiles and messages are fake.
+ 39 more in the clipboard copy
Sentiment summary
86%
Positive (4-5★)
5%
Neutral (3★)
9%
Negative (1-2★)