Asking about the best free because I've had mixed results and want a sanity check.
The honest version of gay dating is that it takes longer than anyone admits. Anyone selling certainty about the best free is selling something.
If the best free feels like work, the filters are probably wrong rather than the app. The bear and daddy subculture has strong dedicated apps that the mainstream platforms simply can't match.
Hornet's community features are genuinely underrated compared to Grindr's more transactional vibe.