For better or for worse, Grindr is the granddaddy of gay apps, boasting over six million active users worldwide and a total of nearly 30 million members. Despite its reach, the app, predominantly for men, has been unable to transcend its “hook-up first” image because of its popular geolocation feature. Since its launch in 2009, Grindr has had its share of controversies – the app has been accused of racism, hate speech and of being exploited as a tool for persecution of gay men in repressive countries, and it’s weak on the concept of boundaries – but there’s no denying its ubiquity and value to travellers and those relocating for meeting new people.

Why Kristen Stewart is an LGBTQ+ icon

Hornet

The second-largest gay dating app after Grindr, Hornet focuses on the “social” part of social networking, and with 25 million users it’s easy to understand why it’s gaining traction. While it’s often used as a dating platform, its strengths lie in its clean interface and Hornet Feed, which curates content from around the world and keeps users plugged in to what’s going on in the community. As a bonus, its ads are relatively non-intrusive. Hornet is particularly popular in Brazil, Taiwan and France – and it maintains an office in Hong Kong – though it’s still playing catch-up to Grindr in the US and Britain. At least for now.

6 YouTube influencers who are open about their transgender journey

Jack’d

“We strive to make sure that Jack’d is a true safe space, where people can be both sexually and emotionally open, and because of this, Jack’d is one of the best places for QPOC to find dates and create new relationships,” stated CEO Eric Silverberg in O magazine last year. To that end, Jack’d is something like Grindr’s agitating little brother, an app that places an emphasis on LGBTQ+ people of colour who may feel marginalised or unwelcome elsewhere. It boasts five million diverse male users in 2,000 cities, and like most apps it features geolocation services and worldwide chat, which is great for travellers, and anonymous browsing is a blessing for the bashful among us.

Her

Not to be left out of the fun, Her is a dating app for queer women by queer women, and is among leading apps in diversity and inclusivity. It’s also clear that it’s not exclusively for cis (non-transgendered) women: the profile offers users a choice of 17 sexualities, 18 gender identities and maximum flexibility in pronoun assignment, creating a non-binary, agender, gender nonconforming and two-spirit community as a start.

Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman tackle mental health issues on screen

And similar to Hornet, Her includes an LGBTQ+ feed for news and events in your area, and regularly hosts networking functions in 15 cities around the globe for good, old-fashioned face-to-face meet-ups with hundreds of Her’s four million users.

Scissr

More for the ladies. Scissr is a relative newcomer to the LGBTQ+ app landscape, but it’s a good one. Featuring one of the most elegant interfaces among all apps, Scissr has also taken care to ensure fake profiles, trolls and men stay out by using a Facebook sign-in (though it never posts to the site itself). In addition to the usual dating features, Scissr dedicates a great deal of time and energy to culture, community and networking. From women seeking relationship advice to those wanting to sound off on the latest episode of Legends of Tomorrow, Scissr exists to cultivate a platform for connection – intellectual, romantic or both – for “dyke, queer, gay, lesbian, bisexual and bi-curious” women everywhere.

STYLE LGBTQ+ Series: Queer voices

Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .