Community first
A Social App for Men — Gay, Bi, Curious or Straight — That Is About Real Mates, Not Just Hooking Up
Grindr-style apps are good at one thing. B8Mates is built for everything else: making real mates, finding your people in Tribes, going to events, and keeping in touch with the men who matter — while still being honest about the fact that men also like to have fun together. Plenty of members are gay, plenty are bi or curious, and plenty are straight blokes who just want mates who get it. Nobody has to pick a label.
What makes B8Mates different
- M8s and Close M8s — real friendship tiers, not just a favourites list
- Tribes with feeds, members and their own events
- Events with interest registration, approvals and group chat
- Location-based Discover grid with distance and availability
- End-to-end encrypted chat, voice memos and location sharing
- No ads, discreet mode and private albums
Friendship is the default
Add a man as an M8 and he joins your circle; mark him a Close M8 and he sees the parts of your profile and albums you keep for your inner circle. Followers, M8s and Close M8s give you three clear levels of trust, so your social life and your private life can live in the same app without getting mixed up.
Profiles cover interests, hobbies and what you are looking for — friendship, hangouts, hookups or all of the above — so matching on more than a photo is easy.
Tribes and events: find your people
Tribes are communities inside B8Mates: gaming, fitness, hiking, kink, bating, local area groups or anything a member wants to start. Each has its own feed, members list and Tribe-only events. Public, private and secret Tribes let you be as open or discreet as you like.
Events can be anything from a casual pub meet to a hosted session. Set who can see it, let people register interest, and the app handles invites, approvals and a group chat for attendees.
Private, encrypted and ad-free
Messages are end-to-end encrypted. Photos shared in chat can be withdrawn. You control face visibility, location precision and who sees what. There are no ads and no data brokers — the app is funded by optional premium, which alpha users get free for three months.
Find your people
Download B8Mates, join a Tribe and make a real mate this week.
Free download · 18+ only · No ads
Frequently asked questions
Is B8Mates a dating app or a social app?+
A social app for men. Some members date or hook up through it, but the core features — M8s, Tribes, events and encrypted group chat — are built for friendship and community. Solid, real connections are the priority; everything else is optional.
Who can join?+
Any man aged 18 or over. B8Mates welcomes gay, bisexual, bicurious, straight, trans and questioning men — orientation is optional on your profile, and your profile tells other members what you are looking for.
How is it different from Grindr?+
No ads, friendship tiers (M8s and Close M8s), Tribes, events, encrypted chat and far more privacy controls. Read our Grindr alternative comparison for the full breakdown.
Is it free?+
Yes. Browsing, chatting with existing contacts and joining Tribes are free. Premium unlocks starting new conversations and creating events and Tribes — free for alpha users for three months.