Grindr was founded as a gay dating service in 2009, and has since grown to the biggest app for this segment of the market. In this analysis we have looked at more than 30,000 survey responses from Grindr users and the general population. Additiuonally we have gained access to financial statements, terms of deals, and much more.
Please reference any use of the data or findings in this report. To gain access to the full dataset reach out to researchcenter@bedbible.com
Key statistics
- Grindr’s revenue was $141 million in 2022 (down -4% from last year), but is estimated to reach over $300 million by 2025.
- Grindr have an average growth of +70% year-over-year.
- Grindr has 9.6 million monthly active users, of which 745,500 are paying subscribers (8%).
- Grindr have 139 million registered users.
- Grindr was valued at $2.1 billion in 2021 (has since dropped to $1.1 billion).
- Grindr was temporarily owned by a Chinese company (Kunlun); they bought Grindr when it was worth $150 million and sold Grindr 4 years later for $608 million to SVA LLC, after they were forced to sell by the US government.
- 8.7% of Grindr users are HIV positive.
- 52.2% of Grindr users also use Scruff
Grindr Financials: Revenue, Valuation, and EBITDA
- Grindr turned over $141 million in revenue in 2022.
- Grindr had the biggest EBITDA result in 2022 with $85 million in profits.
- Grindr was valued at $2.1 billion in 2021, this valuation has since dropped to $1.1 billion.
- Grindr have grown revenue +70% on average year-over-year since founding.
- in 2022 Grindr had the first year of negative top-line revenue (-4%), and went from $146 million in 2021 to only turning over $141 million in 2022.
| Year | Revenue | CAGR | EBITDA | Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $140.5 M | -4% | $85.2 M | $1.1 B |
| 2021 | $145.8 M | 40% | $77.1 M | $2.1 B |
| 2020 | $104.5 M | 3% | $24.7 M | $608 M |
| 2019 | $101.3 M | 22% | $31.3 M | – |
| 2018 | $83.2 M | 25% | -$4.16 M | – |
| 2017 | $66.4 M | 40% | $13.7 M | $394.8 M |
| 2016 | $47.5 M | 25% | -$22 M | $151.2 M |
| 2015 | $38.9 M | 19% | $9 M | – |
| 2014 | $32.1 M | 24% | $4 M | – |
| 2013 | $25.8 M | 95% | $3 M | $75 M |
| 2012 | $13.2 M | 106% | $3 M | – |
| 2011 | $6.4 M | 220% | $1 M | – |
| 2010 | $2.1 M | 292% | – | – |
| 2009 | $510,000 | – | – | – |
To answer how much Grindr is worth, we can take a look at some of the investments and purchases the company has undergone throughout the years. This give us the exact valuation and thereby worth of Grindr at the specific time of the deals.
In 2013 an internal process was initiated to give employees warrents and share equity. This process valued Grindr at $75 million.
In 2016 Kunlun Tech Co (a Chinese gaming company) bought a majority stake in Grindr (65.5%) for $93 million, making Grindr’s valuation north of $150 million.
Just one year later, In 2017 Kunlun Tech Co bought the remaining 33.5% of the shares (1% still belonged to the founder and employees) for $152 million, valuing Grindr at $395 million.
In 2019, the Chinese owners of Grindr was forced by the US Governement (CFIUS, The Committee on Foreign Investment) to sell their shares over privacy concerns. In 2020 Grindr was sold for $608 million to San Vicente Acquisition LLC. A SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) that shortly thereafter publicly listed Grindr.
Users
- Grindr have 139 million registered users.
- Grindr has 9.6 million monthly active users, which is -30% down from their former peak of 13.6 million monthly active users in 2019.
From the data we also find that:
- 745,500 users on Grindr pay for features or subscriptions on the dating app.
- Grindr turned over $141 million from their 745,500 paying subscribers, which means each paying subscriber on average pays $189 annually for the dating app ($16/mo).
- The average paying user on Grindr spends $16 per month on services and subscriptions.
- The average monthly active Grindr profile pays $14.7 a year ($1.2/mo).
- 7% of the monthly active users on Grindr are paying subscribers.
- Just 0.05% of all registered users on Grindr are currently paying subscribers.
| Year | Registered users | Monthly active users | Paying users |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 139.4 M | 9.6 M | 745,500 |
| 2021 | 138.8 M | 10.8 M | 723,000 |
| 2020 | 99.5 M | 13.0 M | 769,231 |
| 2019 | 97.4 M | 13.6 M | 526,507 |
| 2018 | 80.0 M | 12.0 M | 481,928 |
| 2017 | 52.3 M | 8.4 M | 335,958 |
| 2016 | 37.4 M | 6.6 M | 265,400 |
| 2015 | 30.0 M | 5.3 M | 212,900 |
| 2014 | 16.1 M | 5.0 M | 173,000 |
| 2013 | 7.8 M | 2.2 M | 71,900 |
| 2012 | 4.0 M | 1.1 M | 31,500 |
| 2011 | 3.1 M | 1.4 M | 41,000 |
| 2010 | 1.3 M | 600,000 | 13,400 |
| 2009 | 200,000 | 170,000 | 8,500 |
Demographic
- 80% of Grindr users are under the age of 35. And the mean age of Grindr users are 31.7 years old.
| Grindr Demographics | % |
|---|---|
| Sexual orientation: Gay | 77.2 |
| Sexual orientation: Gay: Bisexual | 21.7 |
| Sexual orientation: Gay: Bisexual: Other | 1.1 |
| Current relationship: Yes | 25 |
| Current relationship: No | 75 |
| Ethnicity: White (non-Hispanic/Latino) | 63 |
| Ethnicity: Black (non-Hispanic/Latino) | 19.6 |
| Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino (any race) | 9.8 |
| Ethnicity: Asian/Pacific Islander | 3.3 |
| Ethnicity: Multiracial | 4.3 |
| Education: Less than 12th Grade | 2.2 |
| Education: High School, or equivalent | 12 |
| Education: Some college | 22.8 |
| Education: Some college | 4.3 |
| Education: Associates degree | 7.6 |
| Education: Bachelors’ degree | 35.9 |
| Education: Masters’ degree | 12 |
| Education: Doctoral degree | 3.3 |
| Employment status: Working full time | 56.5 |
| Employment status: Working part time | 16.3 |
| Employment status: Not working | 13 |
| Employment status: Student | 12 |
| Employment status: Unable to work | 2.2 |
| Individual yearly income: Under $10,000 | 17.4 |
| Individual yearly income: $10,000 to $24,999 | 18.5 |
| Individual yearly income: $25,000 to $39,999 | 18.5 |
| Individual yearly income: $40,000 to $54,999 | 21.7 |
| Individual yearly income: $55,000 to $69,999 | 8.7 |
| Individual yearly income: $70,000 to $84,999 | 6.5 |
| Individual yearly income: $85,000 to $99,999 | 4.3 |
| Individual yearly income: $100,000 or more | 2.2 |
Activity
- Grindr profiles send 855 million photos every month (10.3 billion photos each year).
- Grindr profiles send 654 million taps every month (7.85 billion taps each year)
Sexual activity and HIV status
| HIV status | % |
| Negative | 84.8% |
| Positive | 8.7% |
| Unknown/never tested | 6.5% |
| Engaged in Insertive Anal Intercourse (IAI) in past 6 months | % |
| Yes | 70.7% |
| No | 29.3% |
| Engaged in Receptive Anal Intercourse (RAI) in past 6 months | % |
| Yes | 58.7% |
| No | 41.3% |
Grindr popularity in the gay community
When looking at the age groups in the gay community, who currently report to be on Grindr we find that:
- 23% of gay men aged 18-24 are currently on Grindr.
- 19% of gay men aged 25-34 are currently on Grindr.
- 16% of gay men aged 35-44 are currently on Grindr.
- 7% of gay men aged 45-54 are currently on Grindr.
- 1% of gay men aged 55-74 are currently on Grindr.
- 2% of gay men aged 75+ are currently on Grindr.
| Age | % of all gay men |
|---|---|
| 18-24 | 23% |
| 25-34 | 19% |
| 35-44 | 16% |
| 45-54 | 7% |
| 55-64 | 1% |
| 65-74 | 1% |
| 75+ | 2% |
Other dating apps
Grindr users also use other dating services, sites, and apps.
- 52.2% of Grindr users also use Scruff
- 45.7% of Grindr users also use Jack’d
- 21.7% of Grindr users also use Hornet
- 18.5% of Grindr users also use GROWLr
- 10.9% of Grindr users also use Guy Spy
- 8.7% of Grindr users also use MISTER
- 7.6% of Grindr users also use Boy Ahoy
- 7.6% of Grindr users also use Skout
- 4.3% of Grindr users also use Bender
- 3.3% of Grindr users also use Planet Romeo
Preferences
- The top countries with the highest percentage of tops are: Morocco, India, Nigeria, Chile, and Israel.
- The top countries with the highest percentage of bottoms are: Vietnam, Sweden, Thailand, Peru, and South Africa.
- The top countries with the highest percentage of vers are: Venezuela, Guatemala, Argentina, Mexico, and Australia.
Fact sheet
- Grindr was created by Mr. Simkhai in 2009.
- Grindr is no longer a Chinese owned company, as of 2020. It was formely owned by Kunlun Tech Co (Chinese gaming tech company) from 2016 to 2019 when they were forced to sell the company – which took effect in 2020.
- Grindr is available in 196 different countries.
- Grindr’s Head Quarters are places in West Hollywood, California.
- The current CEO (Chief Executive Officer) is Jeff Bonforte.
