Is Blendr really the Grindr for straight people? Here is our full Blendr review.

Blendr App Review Results Popularity - 78

Value - 74

Features - 73

Quality of Members - 79

Safety - 83

Customer Satisfaction - 75 77 Final Word on the Blendr App As far as location-based dating apps go, Blendr has been around long enough to have a large user base, That is definitely a plus. However, it seems as if they have not done much to keep the app ahead of the game. While their offerings may have been impressive a few years back, today they seem — stale. About the only reason we would use it would be for its "People Nearby" function. There is nothing implicitly wrong with the app, it is just that there are other apps out there that perform a similar function — some with a more modern flare. Our overall rating for Blendr is GOOD

Watch Our Blendr review on video or scroll down to continue reading.

— Blendr App Pros and Cons —

Pros

Free to use

Fast and easy registration

Convenient way to find like-minded people near you

Cons

Must allow the app to use location services on your phone

“Encounters” section is not very accurate in serving compatible matches

User interface and features seem routine and generic by modern standards

— in-Depth Blendr App Review —

Blendr has frequently been called the Grindr for straight people. Both apps were designed by the same person and both are what are known in the industry as “geosocial networking apps.” To put it more simply, both apps work only on mobile devices and utilize your device’s GPS or alternate location service to identify where you are when you are using the app.

In the case of Blendr, it uses your location to help you meet like-minded people that are near your location. Whereas Grindr is more focused on establishing casual sexual encounters among the gay community, Blendr takes on a more generic approach. It can be used for meeting potential long-term dating partners, to strike up platonic friendships, or casual encounters.

Blendr has been around since 2011 and purports to have a total user base of 300 million people. While independent industry analysts validate that number, there is no official figure regarding what percentage of that huge membership is actually active.

— Registration on Blendr —

To register on Blendr you must first download the app from the iPhone App Store or Google Play if you have an Android device. When you install the app it will ask you for permission to use your device’s location. The app then asks you if you wish to use your Facebook credentials to register. You are also given the option of manually creating a new account. After selecting your desired username and password, you have the option of filling out a short series of questions that will establish your user profile and determine what you are looking for in a match. We recommend that you take the few minutes that it takes to do this. During our Blendr review, we found that potential matches were more inclined to engage in communication with you if your profile information was filled out. You must also upload a profile picture. This image must be suitable for a general audience — no nudity or any pose that could be construed as being sexually provocative. The entire registration process should not take you more than ten minutes.

— Blendr User Experience —

If you have used other location-based dating or hookup apps, Blendr will be very familiar to you. It offers you the option of linking your Blendr account to a variety of social media platforms. Among these being Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. In our evaluation, we opted not to link to any of sour social media accounts. Somehow, we feel that dating and hookup apps should be kept at a distance from our social media — you know, for privacy.

Navigating through the app was easy enough. The app has five main sections — Encounters, People Nearby, Messages, Liked You, and Favorites.

— Blendr Encounters Section —

In this section of the app, you are able to swipe through profiles of the members that match the criteria that you selected when you registered. If you “like” a member’s profile and they like you back, you can communicate via the apps messaging platform. While this sort of functionality was “revolutionary” in 2011, nearly six years out — it’s pretty mundane in our opinion. During our Blendr review, we found that many of the profiles that were being served to us weren’t even adhering to the criteria that we entered when we registered. It was pretty lackluster to tell you the truth. If we were seeking a match to find someone with true dating potential, nobody served in the Encounters section would have worked for us.

— People Nearby Section —

This is what most people consider Blendr’s main feature. When you enter this section you will be shown the profile images of other members that Blendr deems to be a potential match for you that are currently near your location. The screen gives you an approximate idea of where they are in relation to you without identifying their exact location. We appreciate that for reasons of privacy and personal security. It’s one thing to know who’s close, quite another to know exactly where they are. That would be too creepy — even for us.

By clicking on the profile pic of somebody found in this section you can send them a message. If they respond, it is then up to the both of you — presumably after chatting for a while — to decide whether or not you want to exchange exact locations and meet up in real life.

— Messages Section —

This is where you can see your incoming messages, chat strings and also discover who is currently online. It’s pretty self-explanatory. When you are in communication with another member, you can send them additional pictures that can only be seen by the both of you.

— Liked You and Favorites Sections —

These last two sections allow you to see which members have liked your profile. You can then like them back if you feel they are a suitable match and open up a line of communication with them. The Favorites section is a convenient place to list those members that you are interested in and may wish to contact later.

— Cost of Blendr —

There is no direct cost for using Blendr. However, there are premium features, such as obtaining preferred positioning for your profile in the search results that can be purchased separately. Based upon our evaluation, paying for preferred positioning might be handy if you live in a densely populated region with a large number of Blendr members. In such locations, any advantage that you can get to appear before others will help you obtain better results. If you live in an area of the country where there aren’t so many Blendr members, paying for improved positioning would be a waste of money.