What SCRUFF does

SCRUFF (legal entity: Perry Street Software) is a privately-held mobile dating and social networking application targeting gay, bi, trans, and queer men, founded in 2010 and headquartered in New York City. The product operates on iOS and Android with global distribution — including 10 localized UI languages plus 13-locale event submissions — and adds a direct APK side-loading path for markets where Google Play is restricted. The app combines profile browsing, location/worldwide search, swipe-based matching, group and private chat, video messaging, and a community-events module (SCRUFF Events), and it layers a gay-travel companion (SCRUFF Venture) and a volunteer Ambassador program on top of the core experience.

The platform is built on a freemium model. Free users can register, browse, match, and chat with limits, while SCRUFF Pro — a recurring subscription billing through the iOS and Android stores — unlocks 30+ premium features: unlimited chat history, unlimited private album sharing, 10x more profiles in the grid, ad-free browsing, advanced search/filters, advanced grid sorting, anonymous browsing in Stealth mode, and video messaging. SCRUFF Pro is also offered complimentary to users who RSVP and attend SCRUFF-recommended events, which tightens the link between monetization and community engagement. A second commercial surface, advertise.perrystreet.com (with an in-house Director of Advertising Sales), points to advertising as a complementary revenue stream.

SCRUFF reports a connected base of '30M+' members worldwide and is positioned as 'the top-rated, safest and most reliable' app in its category, emphasizing independent, LGBTQ-owned-and-operated status since 2010. The 2019 acquisition of Jack'd extended the company's footprint in the LGBTQ dating category, with subsequent technical integration enabling cross-publishing of community events. The product portfolio — SCRUFF, SCRUFF Pro, SCRUFF Match, SCRUFF Venture, SCRUFF Events, SCRUFF Ambassador, and an LGBTQ Resources portal — is packaged as a single integrated app rather than separate offerings.

Name

SCRUFF

Legal name

Perry Street Software

Website

https://scruff.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SCRUFF is a global LGBTQ dating and social networking app (Perry Street Software) connecting 30M+ gay, bi, trans, and queer men across iOS and Android via freemium access and a SCRUFF Pro subscription that unlocks 30+ premium features for dating, events, and travel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SCRUFF Pro Subscription: Freemium model where free users have limited functionality. SCRUFF Pro subscription unlocks 30+ premium features including unlimited chat history, private album sharing, 10x more profiles displayed, ad-free experience, advanced search/filters, anonymous browsing (Stealth mode), and video messaging. Subscription is available on both iOS and Android platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SCRUFF is a mobile dating and social networking application for the gay, bi, trans, and queer community, connecting more than 30 million members worldwide on iOS and Android. The platform operates on a freemium model, offering free browsing and matching features while monetizing through the SCRUFF Pro premium subscription that unlocks 30+ advanced features including unlimited chat history, private album sharing, ad-free experience, advanced search/filters, anonymous browsing, and video messaging.

Product overview

SCRUFF is a single unified LGBTQ social networking and dating app built on a freemium model with a premium subscription upgrade. The core SCRUFF app provides browsing, matching, chat, and social features, supplemented by three integrated modules: SCRUFF Match (AI-powered recommendation engine for personalized matching), SCRUFF Venture (travel companion for connecting with locals during trips), and SCRUFF Events (event discovery and RSVP platform). SCRUFF Pro serves as the premium subscription tier unlocking 30+ advanced features. Additionally, the LGBTQ Resources portal provides health and travel resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SCRUFF Pro: Premium subscription service offering 30+ advanced features including unlimited chat history, private album sharing, ad-free experience, advanced search and filters, and video messaging.
• SCRUFF Match
• SCRUFF Venture
• SCRUFF Ambassador

Products and services

• SCRUFF The main LGBTQ dating and social networking mobile application connecting over 30 million users globally for friendship, dates, hookups, events, and travel advice. Available on iOS and Android.
• SCRUFF Pro Premium subscription service unlocking 30+ advanced features including unlimited chat history, unlimited private album sharing, 10x more profiles in grid, ad-free experience, advanced search/filters, advanced grid sorting, anonymous browsing in Stealth mode, and video messaging. SCRUFF Pro is also offered free to users who RSVP and attend SCRUFF Recommended events.
• SCRUFF Events Event discovery and RSVP platform featuring a daily-updated calendar of LGBTQ parties, pride events, and festivals. Includes RSVP functionality, attendee visibility, and special perks for SCRUFF-recommended events. Events can be submitted in 13 supported languages.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LGBTQ Health Resource Partners (NIH, GMHC, The Trevor Project, AIDSmeds.com, GLMA, Fenway Health)minorOthersSCRUFF maintains a public LGBTQ Resources page as a service to its community, linking to health organizations including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), The Trevor Project, AIDSmeds.com, Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), and Fenway Health. These are informational resource links rather than formal business partnerships.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hinge: Match Group dating app marketed for 'designed to be deleted' relationships. Indirect competitor for serious-relationship-oriented LGBTQ users who might otherwise consider SCRUFF.
• Tinder: Largest mainstream dating app owned by Match Group. Competes with SCRUFF for LGBTQ users at the periphery and has added sexual-orientation features that erode SCRUFF's niche exclusivity.
• Bumble: Mainstream dating and networking app with Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz modes. Competes indirectly for LGBTQ users and represents the kind of well-capitalized incumbent that could expand into SCRUFF's niche.

Emerging players

• Feeld: Dating app for couples and singles exploring alternative relationship styles. Adjacent in the dating-app subscription model and increasingly popular with queer audiences, partially overlapping with SCRUFF's user base.
• HER: Dating and social app for lesbian, bi, queer, transgender, and non-binary people. Adjacent LGBTQ-focused player with overlapping product surface (dating + events + community) but a different core persona.

Direct peers

• Taimi: LGBTQ+ dating and social network with a focus on inclusivity across sexual orientations and gender identities. Competes with SCRUFF for the same user base while expanding into broader LGBTQ+ personas.
• Hornet: Gay social networking app combining dating with curated content, community stories, and city guides. Directly comparable to SCRUFF's Events and Venture features and serves the same LGBTQ-male persona.
• Grindr: The largest dating and social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people globally. Direct head-to-head competitor to SCRUFF in the same core persona, with overlapping feature sets (match, chat, travel) and a broader user base.
• PlanetRomeo (Romeo): Long-established gay dating and social network popular in Europe. Operates a similar dating-plus-community model as SCRUFF and serves the same gay/bi/queer male demographic.
• Jack'd: Gay, bi, trans, and queer social and dating app; acquired by SCRUFF (Perry Street Software) in July 2019 and now operated as a sister app with cross-event publishing integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scruffapp
• Facebookfacebook.com/scruff
• Instagraminstagram.com/scruffapp
• TikToktiktok.com/@scruffapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/perry-street-software

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SCRUFF