Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably already know that Grindr has opened up access to everyone, including women, trans, and non-binary people, which now means it can compete in the larger hookup category rather than the more specific gay hookup category when it comes to comparisons.
And that got us thinking: how does Grindr stack up against the web's oldest, raunchiest hookup site, AdultFriendFinder? Specifically, when it comes to hookups, is one service much better at finding you something fun, flirty, and short-term? What are each service's strengths and weaknesses?
We put these two hookup juggernauts to the test across four major categories to see which one will work best for you.
Userbase
Let's start with Grindr. According to their Investor Relations report, Grindr boasts 15 million active monthly users, which really does make them, in their words, the "Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket."
AdultFriendFinder, on the other hand, boasts nearly 8 million active users (7,288,978, to be precise!), but in our experience on the site, many of them are bots.
Grindr, with nearly twice as many active users, is the clear winner, then, right? Not so fast! The answer depends on what you're looking for. While AdultFriendFinder definitely has a skewed gender ratio (65 percent men, 35 percent women, according to a recent DatingAdvice breakdown), Grindr still hasn't escaped its reputation as being an app exclusively for gay men, since, according to the latest DatingNews report, Grindr's members are a whopping 93 percent male.
In other words, if you're a gay man looking for a hookup, Grindr is the clear favorite, but if you're anyone else… AdultFriendFinder still retains the edge.
Winner: AdultFriendFinder
Interface and ease of use
The big drawback of AdultFriendFinder is that the site was founded all the way back in 1996, and though it's undergone some updates through the years, it definitely looks its age. The aesthetics, navigation tools, and even the profile photo limitations don't reflect what modern technology is capable of, so you have to get comfortable with a dated interface. On the plus side, though, AFF has one of the most comprehensive offerings of any dating site, with blogs, discussion boards, live webcam feeds, and even user-generated sex tutorials you can peruse when you're tired of looking at profiles.
Grindr, being a mobile app, operates very differently and is powered by more impressive tech. The focus of Grindr is its location-based grid, which shows you the nearest Grindr users to within 100 meters, which is about as efficient as any hookup app can get.
Other features are also much better executed on Grindr. Profile photos are larger and crisper, messages are easier to read and allow for modern conveniences like location sharing and voice notes, and the navigation bar makes it easy to switch between the main grid, your profile, and your conversations in the blink of an eye. And best of all, for those of us who prefer a computer or tablet to a smartphone, Grindr even has a web app, Grindr Web, so you can enjoy all the above perks with a full-size keyboard to boot.
Winner: Grindr
Cities versus towns versus rural communities
Another major difference between AFF and Grindr is where their users are located. Because Grindr operates on proximity, showing you the profiles of people closest to you first, it is most effective in large metropolitan areas where you're constantly surrounded by people. On the other hand, if you live in a small town or rural community, not only are you unlikely to have many fellow Grindr members nearby, but your profile is at an inherent disadvantage since you live farther away from the core Grindr userbase.
If, for example, you live 30 minutes outside of Manhattan, there's a good chance your profile won't appear to Manhattan Grindr users, unless they manage to swipe through the millions of Grindr profiles on the island.
Which, in turn, demonstrates the beauty of AdultFriendFinder: you can be from anywhere, including rural Alaska, and still let your freak flag fly prominently, without being penalized because you don't live near a large, active member community.
This one is a bit of a toss-up, since Grindr is arguably the most effective app for people living in cities, but, for the same reason, it's much less effective for everyone else.
Winner: Tie
In-person success
If you narrowly define a hookup as something that exclusively happens in person, there's a clear winner in this category: Grindr. Its location-based matchmaking algorithm and culture of horny singles constantly on the lookout for novelty make hooking up nearly as fast and efficient as ordering food for delivery. Just look at any social media site, and you'll find hundreds, if not thousands, of people talking about using Grindr and meeting people from the app. AFF? Not so much.
On the other hand, if you expand the definition to include online hookups, whether that's sexting or sharing a live webcam interaction, AdultFriendFinder has a lot going for it, beginning with the fact that you aren't limited to the people in your immediate vicinity.
For in-person fun, though, Grindr takes the victory.
Winner: Grindr
Does this ultimately mean that a heterosexual male will be better off creating a Grindr profile than an AdultFriendFinder one? No, of course not. If you're a man and not at least heteroflexible, Grindr will be an exercise in disappointment, and you're automatically better off on AdultFriendFinder. But if you're gay, lesbian, or bisexual, Grindr has the goods and is clearly the future of hookup apps.