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Growlr Review

Growlr App Review April 2024

Chris Pleines, Author at Datingscout.co.uk
From: Chris Pleines
 • Reading Time: 3 minute(s)

Growlr is a social networking app designed for the gay community around the world. It's a free and fun app for gay bears to socialize, meet new friends, and even get dates. 

353,000 Members
 100 % ♂ 
Good For:
4 / 5
3 / 5
2 / 5
Success Rate:
30 / 10
38 / 10
33 / 10
Compare Growlr
Age Distribution:
18-24
25-34
35-49
50+

Growlr in 10 seconds

  • Growlr is a dating app for gay bears all around the world who are looking for casual dates and short-term relationships
  • The app has over 10 million members worldwide - Know more about the community here
  • Registration is free and quick - Learn more here
  • The app is available for iOS and Android users
  • Works by allowing its members search for potential partners based on location and dating information
  • Sending and receiving messages are free
  • The app is easy to use
  • Some profiles have incomplete information
  • Members can upgrade to premium to explore more special options. See more here
  • You can use Growlr for free
  • Pricing starts at £5.17 / Month - More Information
Chris Pleines, Author at Datingscout.co.uk
Chris Pleines
Founder of Datingscout and Author of the book "Online Dating for Dummies"
Growlr brings a whole new perspective when it comes to men meeting men and hooking up with other bears. Growlr is fun, it's real, and it works!

Who is Growlr for and not for?

  • For single bears who are looking for short-term relationships or casual dates
  • For chasers who are looking for like-minded gay bears
  • For single gay men who are looking for flirtatious encounters
  • People who are looking for gay sugar daddies and babies
  • Singles who are looking for long-term and serious relationships
  • Not suitable for women and lesbians
Back to Overview

Growlr Pros & Cons

  • Growlr is free and offers affordable premium plans for those who want to upgrade
  • Has an accepting gay bear community
  • The app's general interface is intuitively easy to use
  • Most profiles are incomplete because the app doesn't require users to finish account setups
  • The free account has a lot of advertisements
  • In 2020, the app incorrectly suspended its users due to over-aggressive anti-spam settings

How much does Growlr cost?

Can you try Growlr for free?

  • You can use or try the service for free.
  • All members can send messages for free
  • You can read the first messages in your inbox for free

Is Growlr expensive or cheap?

In comparison to other providers Growlr is low-priced.

Duration / Credits / CoinsCostsTotal
Growlr Pro
1 Month8.49 GBP / Month8.49 GBP
3 Months6.83 GBP / Month20.49 GBP
12 Months5.17 GBP / Month61.99 GBP
cost
Free Features
  • Profile creation
  • Chatting with other members
  • Member and profile search
  • Viewing members' profiles
Premium Features
  • Unlock private photos
  • Video chatting
  • Saved searches
  • Ad-free browsing
  • Shout!

Upgrading to a PRO membership will get you access to special features such as viewing full-sized private pictures and videos, live video calls, and removing advertisements. 

Growlr Shout!

SHOUT! s are a way for users to advertise their business, event, or just say "Hello" to a large number of users at one time. Purchase Shout! for 4.59 GBP.

How can I delete my Growlr account and cancel my subscription?

Please find more information here

Back to Overview

Who is signed up on Growlr?

Members
353,000 from United Kingdom
Members activity
150,000 active weekly
Gender Proportion
0 %
100 %
  • Users are members of the gay community
  • Targets gay bears and bear chasers
  • Has over 10 million members all over the world
  • Meet nearby members based on your GPS
  • Has a fun and engaging user community

Growlr is a dating app exclusively made for the gay community. Initially, the app caters to gay bears who want to meet other gay bears. Later on, the app evolved and accepted other members of the LGBTQ+ community. Today, the app has millions of gay bear members with a growing population of bear chasers–people who are attracted to gay bears.

Females
Males

Growlr Age Range and Age Distribution

  • 18-24
  • 25-34
  • 35-44
  • 45-54
  • 55+

New members at Growlr in April 2024 in comparison

Here you can see how membership figures at Growlr are developing compared to others

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Growlr in Detail

  • Reading time 16 minutes
  • Lots of insider information for more success

How to Sign Up for Growlr

Growlr Signup and Profile
  • Registration is free
  • Signing up only takes 1 to 2 minutes of your time
  • Users are not required to upload profile pictures
  • No log-in via Facebook or Instagram
  • Users can write a short introduction on their profiles

Signing up with Growlr is free and will only take 1-2 minutes. The app only requires its users to provide their name, email address, and birthday. No email verification is required, a profile photo is also optional. Upon successful registration, users can now use the app's services.

Making Contact on Growlr

Growlr Message
  • Chat feature is free
  • Member search is free
  • See who's online
  • See and talk with members via video-chat
  • Create and view posts on your "Feed" section
  • All members can send messages for free

Growlr lets you contact other bears easily. You can chat, search for members based on their location and online status, view galleries, check out and comment on users' blogs and see who has viewed you.

These are features on the app that are free. You can also extend your profile reach or advertise your business by using their SHOUT feature which you will pay for a minimal fee.

The contacting features of the app are the highlights of the app's functions.

Growlr Profile Quality

Growlr Signup and Profile
  • Members can set up public and private galleries
  • Profiles have incomplete information
  • Fake profiles can be created
  • Completing your profile is optional
  • Members are only in their firstnames or nicknames
  • Profile pictures are visible to everyone for free

Creating a profile on Growlr is free and easy. You only need to manually fill out the sections that best describe you. However, this is all optional so profiles are not concise and clear. Members can upload photos and set them to public or private. Members can unlock their private photos and show them to other users they are interested in. Take note that unlocking private photos is a premium feature. 

Fake profiles can also be created, as the app is not strict and does not conduct tests or background checks on every member. There are also guidelines provided in the app for online safety.

However, should there be any complaints, you can just send them an e-mail to their customer support at support@growlrapp.com.

Growlr App

Growlr App
  • Available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store
  • The app is fun and easy to use
  • The app's user interface is a bit outdated compared to others
  • The app is free, but users can upgrade to premium plans to explore more features
  • The app has occasional bugs and glitches when used with other applications

Growlr is free to download on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The app is fun and easy to use. However, its user interface is a bit outdated compared to other dating apps in the market. The app is generally free and users have the option to upgrade to premium plans if they want to explore more features. There are several reports of the app having bugs and glitches, especially when used simultaneously with other applications.

Special Features

Growlr keeps your dating game more fun and exciting with the following special features.

Bears

You get to find bears based on three different sections, "online", nearby" and favourites". The "online" section shows you a list of people who are recently active. The "nearby" sections show you a list of users who are closest to your current location. There's also a "global" section if you wish to see other members in a different location. The "favourites" section shows the users you have marked as your favourites sorted by distance. 

Checkins

This feature lets you see a list of venues closest to where you are, and will then show a list of Growlr members near your area as well. You just need to tap on the venue to show you the venue details which will then show you a list of users who are in that area. 

Events

This section has two parts which are the "events" and "birthdays". For the events part will display a list of upcoming bear events. In the birthdays part, you get to see your favourites profile with their birthday listed down. 

Bars

This section shows you a list of bars that are frequented by bears. The venue closest to you is shown at the top of the list.

Meets

This section shows you a list of meet requests that you will receive from other bear members. This also shows you a list of meet requests that you sent out to the person you marked as favourite or are attracted to. 

Ntotes

This section shows you a blank space to save personal notes or memos. You can add, edit, delete notes here and the most recent note will be seen at the top of the list. 

Shout!

SHOUT! s are a way for users to advertise their business, event, or just say "Hello" to a large number of users at one time.

How can I delete my Growlr account and cancel my subscription?

Uninstalling the app will not cancel your subscription.

How can you cancel your Subscription?

  • You can cancel by managing your app store subscription

Will your subscription automatically renew?

  • Yes, your Growlr subscription will automatically renew. The notice period for opting out of automatic renewal is 1 Day.

Is there a money back guarantee and do you get refunded the full amount?

  • Usually you will not get back the full amount, it will be reduced by the time or credits you used for Growlr.

Will your credits expire?

  • No, your credits do not expire.

Growlr FAQ

Free Features

Are there free features on Growlr?

Yes. You can view members' profiles and photos. You can also send them a chat directly and search and mark your favourite bears. You can also send a meet request to other bears. 

Facts

What is Growlr?

Growlr is a social networking app designed for gay bears to meet other bears. It was operated in 2010 at their headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and has gained 10 million members since then.

What do you mean by bears?

Bears are masculine gay men that belong to an inclusive community of gay people. 

How does Growlr work?

It is an app that can be downloaded on your smartphone for free. You just need to register in the app, which is also free. You will only be required basic information like name, e-mail, password, and location for the signing up to be successful.

What is the average age of users on Growlr?

The average age of Growlr users is between 33-40 years. You can find more information here

Usability

How many pictures can I upload on Growlr?

You can upload one public picture for other members to view and 5 extra slots for private photos and videos.

Is there an age limit to join Growlr?

There is no maximum age limit. However, only individuals 18 years old and above can sign up to Growlr. 

How do I search for other bears?

The search section is divided to 3 parts namely online, nearby or favourites. Online would show a list of bears who are active. Nearby would show bears who are online and near your current position. Favourites would show bears that you have marked as favourites or that you are attracted to. There's also a section in the app called "Events" where you can find upcoming bear events. There's also a "Checkins" section where you can find nearest locations where a lot of bears are usually gathering.

How do I send messages to other bears?

If a bear is currently online, you can click on their profile for free viewing and click on a chat button. The chat feature is also free.

How many bears can I mark as favourite?

The maximum number of bears you can tag as your favourite is 75. 

Costs

What features do I need to pay for?

Growlr has extended features that you need to pay for like upgrading to PRO membership with their respective fees per month, the SHOUT feature where you can advertise or say hello to other bears within a 5 mile radius, and FLASH feature where your profile gets boosted quickly.

What do I get when I purchase a PRO membership?

When you purchase their PRO membership, you get ad-free browsing, get access to live video calls and unlock private photos and views, save searches and even anonymous viewing.

How do I pay for the PRO membership?

Your purchase be charged directly to your iTunes or Google Play account. You can also change the settings manually to stop auto-renewal. 

Can you try Growlr for free?

Security

Is Growlr safe to use?

Growlr is relatively safe and easy to use. However, since background checks are not conducted on every member of the app, precautions should be taken when connecting with other members and meeting them in public places. Should you have any complaints about other members, you can send them an e-mail at support@growlapp.com.

Does Growlr sell your data?

No, Growlr does not sell your data.

Was Growlr hacked in the past?

No, Growlr was never hacked.

How accurately does Growlr track your location?

Growlr tracks your approximate location.

Do your Growlr profile pictures or profile information appear in Google Search Results?

No, your Growlr photos and personal information will not appear in Google Search Results.

Who can view your pictures on Growlr?

All Growlr users can view your pictures.

Is your phone number required for signing up at Growlr?

No, you don't need a phone number to sign up on Growlr.

Can you erase your personal data on Growlr?

Yes, Growlr provides an option for users to erase their data.

How can I delete my Growlr account and cancel my subscription?

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Final Results table

Signing Up: 3.0 / 5
Making Contact: 3.5 / 5
Profile Quality: 2.5 / 5
App: 3.0 / 5
Real Life Review: 3.0 / 5

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Contact details

Company:Initech LLC
Address:Columbia, Ohio, USA
E-Mail:support@growlrapp.com
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