A staple of the queer community when it comes to dating, Archer is a fairly new dating app where the community advocates for gay bisexual and queer men from the New York city area and even beyond now.
Archer's interface is super straight forward and it is designed to be a social first dating app making way for casual encounters, closeted gay man to have a safe space and even a health hub.
- Inclusivity: Archer is mega inclusive and will welcome anyone from any background. Once you've verified yourself you can truly be your authentic best self without the need to hide behind a mask. This is definitely the stand out feature for Archer.
- More Like a Social Network: If you're addicted to doomscrolling but haven't quite found your tribe yet then you'll love the vibes of Archer. It's super chilled out and has a really close knit group of guys looking to welcome new users onto the app. This is the feature that really makes Archer very unique compared to its competitors and is a fun way to meet new people, especially if you're new to gay dating or the area you live in.
- Safety First: Obviously, in the modern world we live in, safety should be your biggest priority when logging onto any online platform. The safety aspects of Archer make every single user feel safe and they leave no space for scammer, catfishes or any other nasty people to be using the app. If you're worried about negativity coming from an online platform then Archer has already taken care of that. You'll be in a totally safe part of the internet with only the most supportive, lovely people ready to welcome your new profile!
- New Kid on the Block: It's still very new. Your big names like Tinder, Grindr and Taimi will have way more active users than Archer. If you live in a big city then perhaps your local area will have enough new users to make the experience worthwhile for you but people in smaller towns will probably have to travel to meet up in real life. Is this a huge issue? No. But it can be off putting for people without their own transport. However, the community is always growing and the only way it can continue to grow is by people signing up and using the platform!
- Only Guys: Not necessarily a downside but if you're looking for a platform to meet people across the LGBTQAI+ spectrum then this isn't it. However, dating other guys, this is absolutely made for that!
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Is Archer a Good Gay Dating App?
| Active audience | 9,000+ |
| Quality matches | 70% |
| Popular age | 24-37 |
| Profiles | 400,000+ |
| Reply rate | 60% |
| Ease of use | 7/10 |
| Popularity | Low |
| Fraud | Low |
| Rating | 3.5/5 |
| Registration | Free |
Archer ushers in a new age of celebrating self expression in a digital center that has features like profile photo verification, group chats and tonnes of ways to forge meaningful connections with gay bisexual and queer men.
The self identifying tags allow users to connect freely in a welcoming space with plenty of safety features to protect queer people from across the spectrum.
Selfie verification is seen on some other apps too these days but Archer plans to empower men and provide access to a safer space than anything you'd find even a decade ago.
Archer is a good choice because the community of users are encouraged to showcase their full selves on their Archer profiles. Archer sets the bar pretty high when it comes to self expression as other apps have only pre set tags whereas Archer sets your tags as anything you want.
Positive Features
There's a lot to love about Archer and so many people are already logging on to find love, friendship and more. We've done a shortlist of some of our favourite features but the best way to see if the app is a good match for you is to log on and give it a go! You might find the love of your life on the first swipe!
Negative Features
We've shared some of the good bits but what are the downsides to Archer? Whilst there's a lot to love there are a couple of things that let the platform down a little. However, this definitely does not mean you shouldn't give it a go as some of these issues might not effect you and it's still a really good platform to meet like minded guys on!
Is Archer Better Than Grindr?
Archer is better for forming a genuine connection with a man you might date whereas Grindr is more geared up for casual meetings. In product testing many gay men preferred Archer's linear feed, selfie verify service, community pages, and how you can filter people based upon shared interests.
During pre registration for Archer, many users were thrilled to finally have a platform that enhances the gay community instead of becoming another one of those hookup apps where people just want to see shirtless profile photo after photo.
New Age of Dating
Michael Kaye the Director of Brand Marketing and Communications at Archer celebrated the “new age of dating” that is welcomed to the gay community. The community aspect that goes beyond dating and can help gay users to make like minded friends is exactly what puts Archer over Grindr for many people.
The Archer app aims to shoot higher in terms of an all round dating experience with additional features for bisexual and queer men launching Archer into becoming a social first dating app.
Archer aims to move even further away from Grindr as a platform for gay bisexual and queer men to use the community building tools and human moderation features to build an app that puts other gay dating apps to shame.
Just for the Guys
It is important to note that Archer is just for the guys at the moment. Will it be open to other people on the LGBTQAI+ spectrum? We don't currently know but this can be offputting is you are aiming to build friendships with women or those who identify as non binary!
Is Archer a Legit Gay Dating App?
Absolutely! Archer is a part of the Match group which have launched lots of different apps with some focusing on gay dating and others catering to the straight community.
Match group debuts Archer as a social first dating app for gay dating which allows queer men to put themselves out there for dating and even making friends.
Part of the Archer pledge when Match group debuts Archer was to “aim higher, shoot higher” which was a nice change from a gay dating app that usually focuses on hook ups.
When Match group was launching Archer they wanted to keep safety at the forefront of every users experience.
For example, Archer's chat feature uses AI to blur potentially nude photos giving queer men a safe platform to chat.
Match group want to keep Archer as a dating app for gay men to define their own tags and form a community of friends.
Part of the shoot higher aims of Archer was to adopt features like the selfie verify to keep the community safe. Shoot higher also allowed users to use the app to create real community vibes for dating as if you were amongst people you'd known for years.
Do Many Gay Men Use Archer for Online Dating?
Yes! The zoomed out grid is used by many men to find their community whereas the zoomed in grid is part of Match groups plan to allow gay men to connect for dating purposes.
Launching Archer was easy for Match group seeing as they've already had so many successful dating apps but Archer is still a very new dating app for Match group meaning it has a smaller amount of gay men and queer men compared to some of the other, bigger dating app options from Match group.
Users log onto Archer to keep up to date with their community and also date other users like in a normal gay dating app.
Queer men love the multiple discovery modes available on the app allowing Archer users to meet gay men based on a bunch of different filters and options. The Archer app is a really safe way for gay men to meet other users and know they are not being scammed or catfished.
Whilst many gay men are regular users on the Archer app, the app is still pretty new to the online dating app world so it doesn't have quite as many users as some of the longer running apps and websites!
Is There a Better Gay Dating App Than Grindr?
This is really down to personal preference! Archer is one fabulous alternative app to Grindr and has plenty of positive aspects that users adore.
Taimi is another app that boasts an incredibly inclusive community much like Archer and allows you to meet people on the app looking for a variety of different things from the experience.
To say one app is better or worse than Grindr or Archer is incredibly difficult and it's always best to give all the options a proper go before you settle on one. Archer is great, Taimi is great, Grindr is great but they're all completely different and you have to give them a try to find your perfect match!
References:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/archer-gay-dating-chat-date/id6446289426
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.archerapp.archer&hl=en
