Scruff review: I tried Scruff dating app for a whole month, and this is what I thought

For those of you that haven’t yet heard of Scruff, where have you been? This incredible gay dating app has taken the world by storm, overtaking many other apps and websites as one of the most used apps for gay men on the market. That’s why today, I thought I’d take some time to give you a full Scruff review after having used the app for over a month now – god, time really does fly when you’re having fun.

Gone are the days of sketchy-looking, data-mining, spambot-filled gay websites: say hello to a new brand of fun, easy, and safe dating app! Let’s dive in to why we love Scruff so much: we’ll have a look at the apps features, the community, the subscription options and some pros and cons, before I finally give you my final verdict at the end.

Scruff: General overview

  • Ease of Use and Interface
  • Community and Diversity
  • Functionalities and Entertainment
  • Price and Value
4.5

Summary

Scruff, sometimes written as SCRUFF, is a hookup and dating smartphone application available for iPhone and Android, designed to help gay men find a partner or a hookup. This app is incredibly successful, and boasts a large community of LGBT members.

Pros

  • Very aesthetically pleasing app, with an easy-to-use design and layout.
  • Good for hookups, but can also help find a long term partner.
  • No bots, 20 million active users.
  • Very inclusive to transgender males
  • “Traveller alert” that keeps users safe when travelling

Cons

  • No web version yet

My time using the Scruff app has altogether been a lot of fun: I have to say, spending time sifting through hot guys in my area has not been a chore, and I don’t think I’ll be uninstalling the app just yet.

 

Presenting: Scruff

Scruff is a hugely popular app, and is referenced in popular culture quite a bit, so I’d be surprised if there are any gay dudes out there that haven’t heard of it. This incredible gay hookup site has over 20 million users, and some of them are bound to be near you! Just create an account and see for yourself what’s in store.

Whether you’re a sub, a dom, a rope bunny or a twink, Scruff will help you find a partner in no time at all, whether it’s just for the night, for regular hookups, or maybe even for something more serious. This being said, Scruff is more angled towards helping guys find a quick hookup than a long-lasting committed relationship, so keep that in mind while searching – you don’t want to get your heart broken.

Scruff review: how it works

Scruff is very easy to use, but just in case, let’s have a look at how the app works. When you’re on the homepage, it’ll automatically open to the “Discover” page, which shows you gay men you can chat to from all over the world. Of course, these guys aren’t the ones to speak to if you’re looking for a quick hook up. If you’re looking for something tangible, scroll to the “Nearby” tab just next to it – this is where you’ll find hot, local gay guys. Scroll even further, and you’ll find the search tab, where you can use loads of different filters to search for any kind of dude you’re into!

Much like any other gay hookup app, you can click on any guy’s profile and send him a quick message. You can also choose to send members a “woof”, which is sort of similar to a “swipe” on Tinder. This will inform the person that you’re interested in them, and they can decide to message you if they like you too. It’s great for those who are maybe a bit shy and prefer not to make the first move!

You can also add guys to your favourites list, so you can access profiles later and organize them by category: the Scruff app is a lot of fun to play with.

How to register on Scruff

When you first download the app, before registering, you must allow Scruff to see your location. Once you’ve done so, click on Create Profile. You’ll need to input your birthday, a profile photo, and your email address. That’s all there is to it – the app will open up right away and you can use it immediately.

 

Scruff review: features and functionalities

Scruff has some pretty great features: although it may have fewer options of things to do on the app than some websites such as GayTryst (read our full GaysTryst review too), it’s definitely not boring. Some features are totally available to all users, and some are only for paid users, or are limited for free users and unlimited for paid users. Here’s a look at some of my favourite features from the app:

Scruff Events

The first feature I’d like to mention is Scruff Events : this is a really fun way to keep up to date with any LGBTQ event, such as parades, parties, and queer festivals in your area. Scruff is the only gay hookup app to have such a feature, and it’s something I personally really enjoyed. I was able to keep up to date with a bunch of fun stuff happening in my area.

Scruff Review: match feature

The “Match” feature on Scruff is similar to Tinder or Bumble or any other basic dating app: simply swipe left or right to select whether someone interests you or not, and if you both swipe right on each other, the app will match you, so you can start chatting straight away! This feature is available for both free and paid accounts.

“Woofs”

“Woofing” is the Scruff way to send a quick like. As we already mentioned earlier, you can send guys that catch your eye a little “woof” instead of sending the first message. This way, you don’t have to come up with a smart one-liner to get conversation flowing!

Scruff review: what’s the Scruff community like?

We couldn’t do a full Scruff review without discussing the community. As you may know, Scruff has one of the biggest online communities of gay men of any hookup app, so let’s have a look at the kind of men you can expect to match with on Scruff.

While I was swiping through men on Scruff, I was particularly shocked to see how varied the guys were. I used barely any filters, so I could see the full scope of men on the app, and there was certainly something for everyone. I matched with men of all ages, ethnicities and styles, with the main point being that most of them were hot and horny!

These men were also pretty good at getting the ball rolling: I send a bunch of woofs to a bunch of different guys, and every single one of them sent me a message afterwards! They were not shy, and had no issue starting fun conversations and keeping them going.

All in all I’d say the men on Scruff are more looking for hookups than partners, and I had a lot of success finding hot guys to sext, but not many dates.

 

Scruff accounts & prices

Next up in my Scruff review, it’s important to go over what you can expect to get from a free Scruff account vs a paid one, and how much you’ll be set back a month to keep a Scruff pro account.

Scruff, as you may know, has two different account options: Scruff basic and Scruff Pro. Scruff Pro has loads of cool features that aren’t available from a free account, such as:

  • Stealth mode: you can browse totally anonymously for as long as you need
  • Ad-free browsing
  • Favourite up to 25,000 profiles in up to 100 folders
  • See up to 250 search results (as opposed to 40 with a free account)
  • Enable face ID, touch ID, password or passcode on startup, so you can keep your account private
  • Save photos and videos to your device
  • Unsend messages
  • View full chat history
  • Enable more advanced search filters

… all these and more can be unlocked with a Scruff Pro account. Scruff Pro subsciptions are priced as follows:

  • 1 month: €12,99
  • 3 months: €35,99 (€11,99/month)
  • 1 year: €99,99 (€8,33/month)

If you want to enjoy the full Scruff experience, then definitely try out a pro account for at least a month. If you like it, consider saving money by taking out a longer subscription next time.

Scruff review: pros and cons

The best way to continue my Scruff review is to do a quick “pros & cons” list. Here are some of the best and worst things about the Scruff app:

Pros
  • Scruff free account is totally useable and lots of fun
  • Over 20 million gay men on the app
  • Scruff events feature is unique to this app
  • Very affordable pro account
  • You can talk to gay guys all over the world
Cons
  • Less cool features than some other websites

Scruff review: my personal experience and takeaway

I couldn’t possibly finish my Scruff review without first discussing my own personal experiences and how many successful hookups I got thanks to the app.

To be honest, I didn’t get as many hookups as with some others apps (for example, read my Grindr review here). However, I did partake in a huge amount of horny sexting! Thanks to the “global” feature, there are lots of potential pen-pals you can have discussions with, whether they’re spicy or tame.

That being said, I did have a few successful hookups: I met up with 2 or 3 different guys of different styles and ages, and had some pretty fun experiences. All in all, I’d say my experience on this app was fun and exhilarating.

 

My final verdict on Scruff

To sum up, Scruff is a really fun and exciting app. There are quite a few fun features on the free version, and the pro version is very affordable. Scruff Pro gives you unlimited access to the entire app, and makes finding a hookup partner very easy. Between the events, the global chat and the “woof” feature, finding a hookup partner is extremely easy!

Why not check Scruff out for yourself? Click the link below to get started!

 

Scruff review: FAQ

Is Scruff free?

Yes! Scruff is free, but you can also upgrade to a Pro account for more features and unlimited searching.

How do I contact Scruff customer service?

To contact Scruff customer service, simply use the contact form on the Scruff website linked above.

Are Scruff and Jack’d the same?

Scruff and Jack’d are both owned by Perry Street, so although the apps aren’t exactly the same, they’re owned by the same company. Read our full Jack’d review for full details.

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