I got tired of Grindr. The ads, the paywalls, the endless subscriptions just to see who liked you. So I built my own.
What is Embyr?
Embyr is a free gay dating app — no ads, no paywalls, no "subscribe to see who messaged you." Just men connecting.
It's built with Next.js (App Router), Tailwind CSS, and PostgreSQL. Fully responsive (mobile-first), multilingual (25 languages), and designed to be inclusive.
Why I built it
Grindr charges €30+/month just for basic features. Scruff is going the same way. These platforms treat their users like products. Meanwhile, the gay community deserves better digital spaces.
Embyr is:
- 100% free during launch phase
- No ads — your feed isn't an auction
- Unlimited messaging — talk to anyone
- Founder badges — first users get lifetime perks
- Privacy-first — no data selling
What's under the hood
- ⚡ Next.js 15 with App Router, Turbopack
- 🎨 Dark aesthetic UI with Aurora gradients
- 🌍 25 languages (i18n via next-intl)
- 🗺️ City-based discovery with geolocation
- 🔐 Secure auth (session-based + OAuth-ready)
- 📱 Mobile-first responsive design
The stack
Frontend: Next.js 15 + Tailwind CSS + Framer Motion
Backend: Next.js API routes + Prisma ORM
Database: PostgreSQL
Deployment: PM2 + Nginx on VPS
Check it out
Feedback welcome. I'm building this in public and want to make something the community actually wants to use.
Gratuit aujourd'hui, 5x moins cher que Grindr demain.
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