Scruff: the friendlier grid, fewer guys nearby.

What is Scruff?

Scruff launched in 2010 and is run by Perry Street Software, an independent company that also owns Jack’d and, since 2026, Growlr. It was built by gay men, for gay men, and now welcomes gay, bi, trans and queer guys.

People use it for dates, hookups and friends. Scruff says more than 40 million members have joined, and Perry Street says its apps together reach over 3 million people in 180+ countries each month.

How Scruff works

Like Grindr, Scruff shows you guys nearby. You can browse, send a “Woof” to show interest, chat, and use Match to see who’s interested back. Profiles can have private albums, hashtags and a verified-photo badge.

Beyond the grid there are Moments, photos and videos you choose who sees and when they vanish, an events guide to parties and prides, and city features for chatting with locals before a trip. Scruff also publishes travel advisories for members visiting countries that criminalise same-sex relationships.

Free vs SCRUFF Pro

The free version covers browsing, woofs and chat, but with limits and full-screen ads.

SCRUFF Pro adds up to 1,000 nearby members, more search filters, full message history, an unlimited inbox, stealth mode, anonymous browsing, read receipts, video sending and no full-screen ads. Plans run for 30 days, 90 days or a year, prices depend on your country, and they renew automatically until you cancel.

Is Scruff safer than Grindr?

On data, its record is cleaner. Perry Street says it doesn’t use third-party ad networks or sell member data, and we couldn’t find any fines or major breaches involving Scruff itself.

It isn’t perfect. In 2024 Mozilla’s Privacy Not Included guide gave Scruff its warning label, saying it couldn’t confirm the app meets basic security standards and that not every user gets the right to delete their data. Your distance from other users is also visible, so share carefully.