Growlr Review 2024 — Real Gay Dating Site or Scam?

Growlr is one of those social networking and dating apps for the gay community across the globe. It is a fun and free app for gays men to meet new people, socialize and even find love. A bear is a gay man that is masculine and belongs to the broader gay community. The platform was developed by Initech LLC in 2010, thereby making it one of the newest gay dating/socializing sites. The platform welcomed a large number of gay bears from all backgrounds and cultures to this perfect environment to meet other gay men.

How Does Growlr Function?

Growlr is a comparatively newer gay dating site. However, the difference here is that the platform is made for a specific type of gay – bears. If you are a bear or looking for one, then Growlr is your best option in the market.

A Brief Look At The Audience

Growlr has been in the online dating scene for more than seven years now. Its main focus is on sociability and hook-ups. Growlr will provide you with a lot of options, whether you are looking for a bear to dance the night away, visiting a night club, or to find a towering bear in a new city. The founder of the apps is famous bears themselves – Frank Rollings and Coley Cummiskey – who married each other in 2016.

According to research, Growlr has more than eight million users worldwide, like the US, the UK, Canada, Scandinavia, etc. The app has also seen more than five million downloads within five years of its formation. Most members speak a lot of different languages like Spanish, French, German, and of course, English.

Growlr is a platform for all ages as well. However, true bears are mostly above the ages of 30-years and 40-years.

What Are Some Essential Features Of Growlr?

Growlr aims to keep your online dating experience more exciting and fun with the special features mentioned below:

Bears

You will find bears of all kinds on three different sections – favorites, nearby, and online. The favorites section will show members that you have marked as favorites and are sorted according to the distance. The nearby section will show you a list of members that are closest to your vicinity. The online section will show you which bears are online right now.

Check-ins

The Check-ins feature will show you a list of venues that are closest to your location. Then, it will also show you a list of Growlr members near that area. All you need to do is tap on the venue, and you will be shown all the details about it. Next, you will be shown a list of users who are currently in that area.

Events

The Events section has two different parts – birthdays and events. At the birthday party, you will be able to see the date of birth of all the members that you have favorited. The event part will show you a list of upcoming events.

Bars

This feature will show you the list of bars that are visited by bears most frequently. At the top of the list, you will see the venue that is closest to you. These venues are primarily gay clubs and bars.

Meets

The Meets section will show you a list of meet requests that you receive from other bear members. Here, you will also find the list of meet requests that you can send to a member that you are attracted to or marked as a favorite.

Notes

This is your personal space where you can write down personal memos or notes. You have the choice to add, edit, and/or delete notes. On top of the list, you will see your most recent note. This feature comes very handily when you are looking for a partner and wish to remember an idea or comment for later.

How User-Friendly Is Growlr?

Growlr is one of the simplest dating platforms around design, mobile app, and overall user-friendly.

Key Points On Growlr’s Website Usability and Design

Of course, when you visit the Growlr website, it might seem that they have ripped the design directly from Grindr. However, the design is such that it welcomes bears and guys that love fur. Thanks to the intuitive design and format, you can easily browse hundreds of profiles and chat with anyone.

The site also has a friendly side. This is quite evident from the dedicated Growlr hotspot service. This means that a Growlr premium member can switch on their mobile device or their computer and turn it into a hotspot. In this hotspot service, other members can tap into it. As long as you are using this hotspot, the other users will be able to make use of all the premium features and whether their profiles are upgraded. This feature is ideal for bear clubs and bars.

What Does The Growlr Mobile App Look Like?

The Growlr app is available for free to download for Android and Apple devices. The app’s functionality and design are quite simple and user-friendly. However, the app has also been designed with modern aesthetics. Everything on the app has been laid out clearly so that navigation is easy, whether you are using an Android handset or the latest Apple phone. All the purchases can be made on the app via the respective online stores.

How Reliable Is The Customer Support?

Before you sign-up on any online dating app/site, you need to know how good is their customer service support. This is an important aspect because good customer support attracts users and stops them from leaving. Thankfully, Growlr has one of the best customer support service available.

You will see an online form where you have to fill in your username and email address. Below this, you will see a large text box; here, you need to write down the problem that you are facing. Once done, you need to tap on Submit. After this, your query will be submitted to the customer care agents. They will work on your problem and send you the appropriate answer within 24 hours.

If you have a more urgent problem that cannot wait for over 24 hours (for example, related to payment), you can make use of the email address and the phone number provided on the website. You then need to explain your problem, and the agents will get to work. Mostly, they will try to solve your problem immediately. However, in very rare cases, when your problem cannot be solved immediately, you will be notified immediately via email or phone. Or else, your query should be solved within the next two hours or so.

Customer care agents are beneficial, friendly, and polite. They are also quite hardworking and will do everything they can to solve your issues immediately. Hence, it is recommended that you make use of the online form whenever you face a problem unless the issue is extremely dire. Of course, you can make use of the phone and email options as well; however, this becomes very stressful for the agents.

Alternatively, you can also make use of the FAQ section. Here, you will find the answers to questions that have been asked by previous users. Checking out the FAQ section is recommended because it is likely that your problem has already been faced and solved by another member.

Signing Up For An Account and User Profile Creation

Creating a Growlr account is very easy. You do not need a lot of things and will not take more than a minute to do so.

How Do You Sign-Up At Growlr?

It should not take more than a minute or two to create an account here at Growlr. All you need to do is fill in some basic information like email address, username, password, etc. You also need to fill out some information about your personal information about yourself so that other members will get to know you better.

Once you are done with the registration process, you will have to upload a photo of yourself that can be seen by other members. You will also be provided with five slots to upload five photos or videos; these media files are private and can only be seen by other members if you unlock them.

What Is The Profile Quality? What About Verification?

Overall, creating a profile at Growlr is easy and free. You will have to fill out the sections and describe your personality manually. While these sections might be optional, it is recommended that you fill them out so that your profile is clear and concise.

Search Feature At Growlr

Growlr has a search option that allows you to search for members based on their online status and location. Once you have found the member you are looking for, you can check out their galleries, comment on their blogs, and check who has viewed your profile. All these features here can be used for free. If you are a premium user, you can extend the reach of your profile or do a business advertisement with the help of the Shout feature.

The search function of Growlr allows you to look for members you have ‘favorited’ in the past. You can also check those who are ‘nearby’ and those who are ‘online’ at a specific time.

When you look for members who are ‘online,’ you will be provided with a list of suggested matches online currently or within the last 24 hours. The ‘nearby’ search option will show you a list of both offline and online members that are nearby your location. You also have the choice to adjust your ‘nearby’ search option to show you suggested bear matches located in some other areas. This aspect of the search feature will come very handy if you are planning a trip to other locations and wish to meet people and start setting up a potential hook-up well in advance.

The Chatting and Matching Process At Growlr

Growlr is an online dating site for gays that allows you to contact other bears with ease. You have the option chat available in the app itself; the site does not have a chat option. Overall, the chat feature is very basic but allows common messaging features.

What Are The Membership Options At Growlr?

Growlr offers both free and premium membership. Of course, you get a lot more features available in the premium membership. The free membership also offers you some features; however, they are not as extensive as the ones offered in the premium membership. If you are using Growlr for the first time, it is recommended that you start as a basic user. Once you get the hang of the app, you can choose to pay for the subscription plans and become a premium member.

Free Membership

Growlr offers free membership to its members. Its basic set of features is available to basic members, including the communication module. However, you will see ads in the free app. But, the free version of Growlr is quite robust. Most other online dating apps offer very limited features in their free versions; on the other hand, the free version of Growlr will offer you a rich experience. Some of the features that you can use as basic members include:

• Creation and registration of profile
• Chatting with other bear members
• Profile and member search
• Viewing the profile of other members

Paid Membership

As mentioned above, Growlr also offers premium membership. As mentioned above, the free version offers you so much feature, without you having to shell out a single dime. On the other hand, the paid version will open a few more doors for you. Some of the features that become available to you, apart from the free ones, include:

• Ad-free browsing
• Saving all your searches
• Video chatting
• Unlocking private photos

Pricing Of The Paid Membership

The pricing of the premium Growlr membership, along with the Flash and Shout features, include:

• One month: US$9.99/month; a total of US$9.99
• Three months: US$8.00/month; a total of US$23.99
• Six months: US$7.50/month; a total of US$44.99
• 12 months: US$6.00/month; a total of US$71.99

Flash feature

One month: US$4.99/month; a total of US$4.99

Shout feature

One month: US$4.99/month; a total of US$4.99

How Do You Cancel Your Growlr Subscription?

Canceling your Growlr subscription plan is very easy. All you need to do is head over to ‘Cancel Subscription’ and then on OK. You can also write down why you are canceling your subscription. Once your membership has been canceled, you will be reverted back as a basic member, and you can only use all the free features.

What Are The Safety and Security Features Offered By Growlr?

When it comes to security, Growlr is a dating platform that has left no stones unturned. The site is very much against fake accounts and removes them immediately once they are found. You can also report a profile as fake or spam if you happen to come across one.

The platform uses the 128-bit encryption technology to ensure that your personal and financial details remain safe and secure; this means that sensitive information is locked away in the Growlr servers. If you happen to face any problems, you can immediately get in touch with the customer support agents.

However, the site cannot protect you from all the elements. Hence, you need to adopt and follow some safety procedures if you wish to remain safe. You should never give away sensitive information like your home or work address or financial details to an unknown person on the web. Such details should not be shared even with your friends on the internet. Additionally, you always need to ensure that the place you choose for your date is somewhere public. Secluded spots might sound romantic, but it is a very dangerous affair if you are heading out with someone you have never met before.

What Are Some Growlr Competitors and Alternatives?

Of course, you might not like Growlr much; it is all about perspective. However, if you are looking for some great alternatives, check the following apps/sites out:

• Scruff
• Hornet
• Grindr
• Blued
• Surge

Growlr: Final Thoughts

Overall, Growlr is a dating site that brings in a whole new perspective when it comes to meeting and hooking up with gay men and bears. This is because it helps you to do so in a more engaging and fun environment.

The platform offers you to do so much, even as a basic user. However, a lot more functionalities become available to you once you avail of their premium membership. The app is also quite simple to understand and use. You will find all types of bears here—the ones looking for a casual hook-up scene and others who are looking for a long-term relationship.

Josie

MS, RD & Writer

Josie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, and she is a certified relationship coach. The young lady offers clients a warm and caring environment. She has dedicated her life to other people’s well-being since she understands what they go through. Throughout her career, she has acquired enough skills to build healthy relationships.

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