GayCupid Review November 2018 - Money pit or a place to fall in l

Last updated: October 2018

Our Review

GayCupid is owned and operated by Cupid Media, a known and reliable company for its large network of dating sites. Highly marketed for gay men who are in search of finding love and a serious relationship, GayCupid has grown its member base to more than 200,000 singles since its launch in 2002. Yet, GayCupid is not exclusive to gay men alone as there is a small percentage of its member base composing of gay women. With its hundreds of success stories, GayCupid is known to be one of the competent and reliable dating platforms that help gay people find their life partners.

Member Structure

Members

800 from Hong Kong

Members activity

170 active weekly

Gender Proportion

10 %

90 %

You get a personal profile which you can fill out

200,000 members worldwide
Active users mostly come from the United States, South America, and Asian countries
Majority of the members are within the age range of 35-44
Members are usually looking for serious relationships

Majority of the members of GayCupid is located in the United States, South American countries such as Venezuela and Columbia, and Asian countries such as Thailand and the Philippines. Most users fall within the age range of 35 to 44, but there is also a good number of members within the other age brackets. As this is a gay dating website, almost 100% of the member base is gay, and most of them use the site to find love and a serious relationship.

Because of the 3-month free trial offered by GayCupid, there are considerably many Platinum members on the website. There are also a lot of verified profiles. As for fake profiles, there are only a few as the moderators of GayCupid monitor the profiles and terminate low-quality ones or accounts that have suspicious activity.

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

Signing Up

Registration is free
1-3 Minutes registration
No email verification needed
Uploading a photo gives you a 3-month free trial
You can add a profile photo later

You only need a minute to create an account with GayCupid as they only require your basic information. The form you need to fill out asks for your name, gender, age, email, and password. You do not need to upload a profile photo right away, and there is also no need to verify your email. After a successful sign-up, a 3-month Platinum membership free trial would be offered to you. You could avail of the free trial if you add a photo to your profile.

Making Contact

Browse through popular search categories
Advanced search filters available
Sending hearts is free
You can add interesting members to your favourites list
Only premium members can send messages
Replying to messages is free

There is a chatroom

Contacting in GayCupid is smooth if you have a premium membership, as only premium members are able to send messages. Premium members can also see who has viewed their profiles and who has put them on their favourites list. Free members, on the other hand, could send hearts to other members and they could also reply to messages. Free members can also send a direct message to Platinum members, and put interesting members to their favourites list.

Search filters are available in GayCupid for all members to use. The filters of premium members are just more extensive than those of standard members. You could search for members by browsing popular categories such as ‘New Members’ or ‘Recent Uploads’. You could also search by 'Cupid Tags' or by looking at the page where those who are currently online are displayed.

Profile Quality

Your profile displays whether you’re a free or a premium user
Verified badges (to be placed on profile) can be earned after undergoing a strict verification process
Very few fake profiles
Free members can upload up to five photos
Moderators suspend low quality and suspicious profiles

The profiles are quite detailed
Profile pictures are visible to everyone for free
Profile photo and profile information can be changed later

The extent of information shown in your GayCupid profile depends on the amount of details you would want to share. Your profile displays information about appearance, lifestyle, and cultural background. All of these are filled out by answering a “quiz” type of questionnaire. In addition, there is another optional tab that lets you fill in the information about the person you are looking for.

GayCupid members mostly just fill out the basic information section on their profiles, add a short ‘About Me’ paragraph, and complete the overview description about them. This isn’t surprising as these sections are always prompted by GayCupid through a pop-up window. Members who fail to complete these sections are usually banned from using GayCupid.

App

You can view matches for free
Same features as the website
Member search results are shown in a linear display
Default matches display location-approximate members
App not available on iOS

The app version of GayCupid has the same features as its website counterpart. The difference is how matches are displayed. On the website, matches are displayed via a grid layout, whereas on the mobile app, matches are displayed in a linear layout. Likewise, the mobile app displays the name, location, and the profile photo of the member. There are two icons situated at the bottom part of each member’s picture. The icons are:

A heart, which when clicked, sends an 'interest' notification to that member
A chat bubble, which when clicked, leads you to a conversation page with that member

Similar to the full website, only premium members are able to send messages to other users. Note as well that when you sign-up for an account in GayCupid using the mobile app, the 3-month free trial is not offered.

Real Life Review

There are a lot of platforms I can use to find someone to date or have fun with. But as a gay man in my late 40s, it’s a bit challenging to find someone who I can have a serious relationship with. Much more if I want to find someone who doesn’t share the same ethnic roots as mine. But many thanks to GayCupid for providing a platform for gay men like me to find love anywhere in the world. I have found the partner who I want to spend the rest of my life with through this website. He recently relocated to Florida from Columbia, and we are getting married next month. Thank you GayCupid for providing a safe and reliable dating platform! - Johnny, 49, Corporate Lawyer

Design and Usability

The interface of GayCupid is designed for ease of use and navigation. The “Matches” dashboard displays a gallery of profile photos with contact icons right below them. Platinum users are highlighted with a blue colour, while gold members are accented with gold. This allows members, especially those with a free membership, to know who they can interact with.

As for the “Search” page, members are displayed in a linear grid, with platinum members taking up the first rows of the page. Unlike the “Matches,” search results display the headline of each member, their last login time, and the gender and age range of the person they are seeking.

Overall, the design and usability of GayCupid seem to have been well-thought of. Many members report that it provides a pleasant experience.

GayCupid Costs and Prices

Basic matching
Send interest
Communicate only with paying members

Communicate with free and paying members
Live chat with instant messenger
Disable ads
Hide your profile and browse anonymously
Be on top of match searches
Double your profile space
VIP profile highlighting
Exclusive search features
Advanced matching algorithms
Translate messages into your language

Duration / Credits / Coins	Costs per month	Total

Is GayCupid expensive or cheap?

In comparison to other providers GayCupid is upper moderate.

Bank Transfer
Credit Card
PayPal
Online Bank Transfer

The charge on your billing statement or card will appear as "GayCupid Southport AU".

GayCupid offers two types of membership—Gold and Platinum. The Platinum membership offers additional features such as VIP profile highlighting and messages translation. Having a membership in GayCupid is essential if you are serious in using the app to find true love, as it is the only way you can communicate with other members.

Membership in GayCupid is not auto-renewed. You can also cancel your membership anytime you wish, and you can enjoy the benefits of a premium membership until your billing cycle ends.

Special Features

GayCupid doesn’t offer any special feature for free members except the ability to view who visited their profiles with a timestamp indicated. Free members can also see how long ago other members were last seen online.

For Platinum premium members, this special feature is offered:

Messages Translation

Messages of other members who use a different language can be instantly translated to the language you use. This makes communicating with people from different culture and backgrounds easier.

Our rating

Signing Up:	3.0 / 5
Making Contact:	3.5 / 5
Profile Quality:	3.5 / 5
App:	2.5 / 5
Real Life Review:	4.0 / 5

Editors Conclusion

Overall, GayCupid provides a good platform for single gay people—especially gay men—to find love anywhere in the world. With the 3-month free trial, GayCupid makes it possible for anyone to make connections and foster relationships. Signing up is free, and to avail the free trial, you just need to upload one decent profile photo. Why not try it now? It only takes a minute to create an account. You’ll never know, maybe your true love is waiting for that one click.

FAQ

Facts

Who owns GayCupid?

GayCupid is owned by Cupid Network Pty Ltd.

Is GayCupid strictly for gay men?

GayCupid is highly marketed for gay men, but gay women can join too.

Membership

Who can join GayCupid?

Anyone can join GayCupid.

How can I join GayCupid?

You can sign up for a free account on their website.

Does GayCupid have premium memberships?

Yes, GayCupid offers two kinds of premium memberships—Gold and Platinum.

Does GayCupid offer free trials?

Yes, GayCupid offers a 3-month free trial.

Can I cancel my membership anytime?

Yes, you can cancel your membership anytime through your billing settings.

Are membership plans auto-renewed?

No, memberships are not auto-renewed in GayCupid.

How do I permanently delete my account?

You can delete your account through your account settings.

Can I temporarily deactivate my account?

Unfortunately, you cannot temporarily deactivate your account. However, if you are inactive for six consecutive months, your account will automatically be deactivated.

Why was my account suspended?

Your account may have been suspended due to low-quality profile, or you may have done something suspicious.

How can I retrieve my suspended account?

You can send an email to GayCupid’s customer support.

Usability

How do I send a message to other members?

You can send a message to other members by clicking on the “Send Message” button on each member’s profile or by clicking the envelope icon on member search results.

How many photos can I upload on my profile?

If you are a free member, you can upload up to five photos. Premium members may upload an unlimited number of photos.

What are Cupid Tags?

Cupid tags are words or phrases you put on your profile so that your profile will come up on the search results when that specific tag is searched for.

Security

What security features does GayCupid offer?

GayCupid has detailed privacy policies, and terms of usage are strictly enforced. There are also ‘Report User’ and ‘Block User’ buttons available on each member’s profile and on every conversation page.