Grindr vs Scruff: Which Is The Better Dating Site?

Comparison articles are certainly helpful when you want to know which dating app you should invest your time in. In this Grindr vs Scruff article, you will read the information to help you know which is the best app for your needs.

Summary

Grindr’s pros:

• Largest userbase among gay apps
• Matching and arranging a hookup is quick
• The app is easy to use and intuitive
• Chatting and accessing the main features is free

Grindr’s cons:

• Each profile only has one picture

Scruff’s pros:

• It lets you upload many pictures
• You can upload naked pictures and let selected users see them
• Viewing many profiles and finding the best match is easy
• The app developers care for the users

Scruff’s cons:

• There are fewer members on Scruff than on Grindr

Before jumping to the Grindr review with all details about the app, let’s check some main characteristics about it:

• Highest engagement of users among all dating apps
• Free users get access to all features that matter
• Matches are based on location
• Paying for a subscription helps you get matches quicker
• Profiles on Grindr include only basic information
• You can sign-up with your Facebook account
• It is an app made for all gay and bi men, including trans

Some info about Scruff is also essential before getting to the full Scruff review. Check below:

• There are few fake profiles
• Only men (gay and bi, cis and trans) can register on Scruff
• You will see pop-up ads unless you pay for a subscription
• Sometimes the app will crash
• Over 12 million people around the world are on Scruff
• Sexually explicit or suggestive pictures get removed from the app
• Members of all ages are welcome into the app
• You don’t need to get matches before sending messages
• At Scruff, you send a “woof” (the app’s way of sending “hello”)

Grindr vs Scruff: Overall Reputation

Grindr

Grindr was launched in 2009 and is only one of several dating apps and sites developed by Grindr LLC. It was created as an exclusive app for the LGBT community and is the first to be location-based. It has an exclusive geolocation technology to help users connect to LGBT folks nearby. Members on the app are already over 27 million around the whole world.

The app’s reputation suffered a bit back in 2018 when the developers implemented a feature where members disclose their HIV statuses. What truly made the company look bad about it is that the data got shared with third-party services. Later, however, Grindr LLC made sure not to share such information anymore.

Nowadays, Grindr is an immensely popular app that helps GBT folks meet and arrange casual dates.

Unfortunately, since Grindr is only available as an app, you can’t access it through the Grindr official site.

Scruff

Scruff was created in 2010 by Johnny Skandros and Eric Silverberg. Silverberg is now the CEO, and the app is owned and operated by the independent company Perry Street Software, Inc.

In 2014, Scruff won an award for best dating app in New York City. Right now, there are over 12 million members on the app looking for all types of relationships.

Scruff focuses only on men, as stated on the Scruff official site. The app exists to help men connect with other men to start romantic or sexual relationships. As an app that is supportive of the LGBT community, trans men are very welcome to register.

Expert Opinion

Grindr has the numbers on its side, while Scruff has a solid story of caring about its users and winning awards. If you are a man looking for an app with a great reputation, Scruff is your choice.

Grindr vs Scruff: Popularity and success rate

Grindr

According to the number of users registered on it, Grindr is the most popular dating app for gay men. However, data about Grindr’s success rate is unavailable.

Scruff

Scruff is also very popular, even if not as much as Grindr. Many people register on both apps to try and get different results. Data about Scruff’s success rate is also unavailable.

Expert Opinion

If you want to join a dating app because of its popularity, Grindr is the best option. With a huge number of members on it, you are more likely to find hookups very quickly.

Grindr vs Scruff: Target Audience and User Demographics

Grindr

The target audience of Grindr is young men looking for relationships with other men. Even if most members on the app are young males, many older men are also registered on the platform.

Out of the 27 million members on the site, around 25% of them are in the USA. That means it is easy to find guys to date if you are in the USA. Still, there are many users in other countries, so all you have to do is try your luck with the Grindr app.

Scruff

Scruff has the same target audience as Grindr. They are competing apps in the same niche. However, Scruff has fewer users. 15 million men are members of Scruff, most of them from the USA.

Expert Opinion

Both apps have the same target audience. That means any of them is excellent for gay and bi men looking for a relationship or a casual hookup. The thing that will most impact your success is the number of users on each of them. Depending on where you live, perhaps fewer people nearby are using Scruff.

Grindr vs Scruff: Profiles

Grindr

One somewhat strange thing is that profiles on Grindr can only have one picture at a time. Next to a user’s profile is his age, distance from you, and last seen online.

Aside from that, the rest of each profile includes five sections to fill out.

The Info section is where your display name is visible and your description. You can write about your preferences or any other thing that seems relevant to tell.

On Stats, people get to know about your age, body type, height, weight, relationship status, position, and ethnicity. “My Tribes” (tribes on Grindr include Bear, Clean-cut, Daddy, Discreet, Geek, Jock, Leather, Otter, Poz, Rugged, Trans, and Twink), and “Looking For” (you can choose between Chat, Dates, Friends, Networking, Relationship, or Right Now).

On your profile, people can learn what your gender identity is and what your pronouns are.

On Sexual Health, you can fill out:

• HIV status
• Last tested date
• Testing reminders
• Sexual health FAQ

Finally, you can also attach social links to your profile. That way, people can meet you on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.

Scruff

On Scruff, you can add more pictures to your profile. You can create albums and make some of them private. Private albums let you add naked pictures, and you can give other users access to these albums.

Scruff lets members write a lot on their profiles. You can edit many sections, such as “what I am looking for,” “activities & interests,” “where I live,” and so on.

Similar to Grindr tribes, Scruff lets members identify with communities. Scruff’s communities are Bear, Muscle, Guy next door, Geek, Jock, Daddy, Poz, Leather, Discreet, College, Otter, Military, Queer, Chub, Chaser, Twink, Bisexual, Transgender, and Drag. A user can choose more than one community to fit in, thus showing other users what they are all about.

Just like on Grindr, Scruff also lets you see the distance of a user from you and when he was last online.

Expert Opinion

Profiles on Scruff are much better than on Grindr. Two main things count points for Scruff. First, the app lets you upload as many pictures as you want, including naked photos to show your matches. Second, you don’t need to disclose your health information. Knowing if someone is HIV positive matters, but that is a subject to be discussed in private conversations rather than disclosed on your profile.

Grindr vs Scruff: Is There Scam?

Grindr

It is ultimately impossible to avoid all fake profiles on any social network. The best you can do is keep an eye out for seeming scammers. With that in mind, the number of fake profiles on Grindr seems to be very low. So you shouldn’t expect to face much Grindr spam.

Scruff

Scruff app has fewer members than Grindr and potentially fewer scams. Talking with evidence now, there genuinely are few fake profiles on the site. Sometimes you can find some abandoned profiles that weren’t even finished, but they don’t truly count as fakes. You don’t need to expect Scruff spam.

Expert Opinion

Grindr and Scruff are tied regarding spam and fake profiles. The majority of profiles on both apps feature real people trying to connect with other users to meet in person.

Grindr vs Scruff: Sign-Up Process

Grindr

To sign up on Grindr, you need to have access to a mobile device with either iOS or Android. Once you download the Grindr app from the app store, you can quickly register with your e-mail or Facebook account.

Grindr doesn’t require e-mail validation, but you need to upload a photo for your registration to be accepted. Fortunately, the picture verification takes only a few moments.

Finally, Grindr asks to check your location. That is needed, as the app will suggest matches based on your location.

Scruff

When you register on the Scruff app, you have to use a valid e-mail and let the app access your location. You also need to fill out your name, birthday and choose a strong password.

Then you need to add a profile picture. In this step, the app will ask you if it will be a face pic. To that, you have the following options:

• My face is clearly visible
• Only my body is visible
• I’m not in the photo

Expert Opinion

Grindr and Scruff are at the same level on their registration requirements and processes. Registration on both apps is super quick, and you can start finding matches in instants.

Grindr vs Scruff: Convenience and Interface

Grindr

Grindr app is very well developed, and that is part of the reason why so many people are on Grindr and not on other apps. Everything on the app is easy and intuitive, making it quick to find profiles that can appeal to your desires.

Its visuals are simple but appealing. The choice of yellow and black for the whole layout conveys a secrecy sensation, making the app a bit thrilling.

Scruff

Scruff also has a dark-themed layout, and to complement the black, it implements some red tones here and there. As on Grindr, this layout being mostly in black, presents the user with a feeling of secrecy.

Inside the app, though, Scruff lets users see more profiles at once than other dating apps. That helps you find what you are looking for, get the perfect match, and arrange a meeting.

Expert Opinion

Both apps are great. They are well designed and share some characteristics. However, Scruff excels in delivering what users truly want, which is finding matches as quickly as possible.

Grindr vs Scruff: Features

Grindr

Gaymojis: These are LGBTQ-themed emojis exclusive of Grindr that help make conversations more fun while speaking a very own language. More than 500 gaymojis are available right now.

Tap: This is the flame icon. Tapping is the best to show your interest to another user without sending a message. If you successfully get their attention, they might send a message to know what’s up.

Favorite: As you can imagine, “favorite” is a way of bookmarking other users on a personal list. That way, you can return to their profiles later to send a message when you have more time to think about what you will text.

Explore: With explore, you can look for members outside of your range area. However, you can’t chat, tap or favorite them unless you have a premium subscription.

Discreet App Icon: This is a free feature that allows users both on iOS and Android to choose how the app icon will show up on their phones.

Scruff

Matching system: Scruff’s matching system is the already known swiping. Profiles that show up to you are based on what you selected on “open to” on your profile details. One innovation of Scruff is that when a profile shows up and you don’t know if you swipe left or right, you can click on the clock icon. That way, the selected profile will show up again for you on the next day.

Scruff Venture: This tool helps you when you go out of your town. Members of Scruff themselves upload information about their cities, such as best places to go, events happening soon, rooms to stay, etc. That way, the community helps itself.

Expert Opinion

If matching quickly is what you want, Grindr seems to be the best option. Its features help users find the best match as quickly as possible. On Scruff, on the other hand, you have to rely only on your chatting abilities.

Grindr vs Scruff: Quality of Matches

Grindr

On Grindr, you can explore as many profiles as you want, and the app gives you features to help find the perfect guys. However, one flaw is that you can only see one picture of each user before you start chatting. If you want to see or send more pictures, that needs to get done through the chat. It makes things slower.

Scruff

Scruff lets you upload plenty of pictures, including naked photos, that you can put on private albums and let other users have access. That highly contributes to quality matches, as you can see pictures of other members and decide if they are attractive or not.

Expert Opinion

Scruff takes this round. Being able to upload many pictures on a dating app is completely necessary, and it is nuts that you can only see one picture on each profile on Grindr.

Grindr vs Scruff: Best app for hookups

According to the real-life experience of many users who went online to share their stories, Grindr is the best app for gay men who want quick hookups. Its whole structure points toward that goal, and that is the very reason so many men are on the app.

Grindr vs Scruff: Best app for a relationship

No matter which you choose, Grindr or Scruff, both are truly made for hookups. It is more likely that you will find a serious relationship with Scruff than Grindr, according to the real-life experience of many users.

If you want to enjoy any type of relationship and eventually engage in a serious relationship, Scruff seems to be your certain bet.

Grindr vs Scruff: Price comparison

Grindr

How much is Grindr a month? On Grindr, you have two options of subscription: Xtra and Unlimited. Here are the prices for the Xtra:

• 1 month – $13
• 3 months – $28,20
• 12 months – $62,40

Unlimited:

• 1 month – $41,11
• 3 months – $61,17
• 12 months – $176,46

Scruff

How much is Scruff a month? On Scruff, there is only one premium plan, and it is called Scruff Pro. Here is how much it costs:

• 1 month – $14,99
• 3 months – $39,99
• 12 months – $119,99

Expert Opinion

Grindr’s cheapest paid membership is a bit cheaper than Scruff’s only premium plan. However, to get access to all features on Grindr, you will have to acquire a more expensive plan that costs even more than Scruff Pro. To decide which has the best cost-benefit, you need to think about what features matter for your experience.

Grindr vs Scruff: Fee-based services

Grindr

• Get rid of ads
• Push notifications
• View up to 600 matches
• Online-only view
• Choose up to 3 tribes
• Unlimited Blocks and Favorites
• Save and send chat phrases

Scruff

• Get rid of ads
• Up to 1,000 guys nearby
• Share your private albums with anyone
• Advanced grid sorting
• Browse anonymously
• Advanced filters
• Unlimited search

Expert Opinion

Scruff app seems to offer more features to help matches have more quality. On the other hand, Grindr seems to focus on the speed of matching.

Grindr vs Scruff: Free services

Grindr

• Edit your profile
• View up to 100 matches
• Chatting
• Choose 1 tribe
• Basic Filters
• Visit profiles
• Create group chats

Scruff

• You can access the site without an account
• Edit your profile
• profile search
• Chatting
• Responsiveness insights

Expert Opinion

On this round of Grindr versus Scruff, both are even. The two apps offer all you need to arrange dates without paying anything.

Best Alternative For Grindr vs Scruff

Aside from Grindr or Scruff, gay men also have other alternatives. Check below:

GaysTryst: Created by Together Networks Holdings Limited, millions of gay men gather on the app to chat and arrange casual hookups. If you are thinking about trying a different app, GaysTryst might be your goldmine.

GayCupid: This is a dating platform by CupidMedia focused on serious dating. Of course, you can also hookup if you find other members interested in it. However, most members on the site are looking for a serious partner to enjoy the little things of life.

BuddyGays: On this app, you can look for serious relationships or hookups. Better yet, you can decide while you look for matches and chat. This versatility makes BuddyGays very attractive for new users.

Grindr vs Scruff: The Final Verdict

After considering all aspects of both apps, it is easy to say that Grindr and Scruff each have great features and offer good things to the LGBT community. With that in mind, Grindr is the best app only by a few inches. The substantial difference between Grindr and Scruff is the already large user base on Grindr. If you were looking for the best app to find hookups with other men, then the Grindr app will deliver what you want precisely.