Verified, never exposed.
A live video check at sign-up — not a photo, not a vouch. It proves you're a real human, and the usual spoofing tricks get caught. We protect what it tells us, so you're verified without ever being the one exposed.
Meet Dudes.
Match Moods.
A social app for Dudes who like Dudes — gay, bi, curious, or allergic to labels. Every member is a real, verified human. Built by Theme Park Software, the team behind a gay community that's been running online since 2002! So yes, we're older than some of you.
iOS app — pre-order now, on your phone 30 September
DudesChat arrives on the App Store on 30 September 2026. Pre-order today and it downloads itself on launch day. Can't wait? The web app is live right now — same profile, same Dudes, carries straight over.
Free to download, free to use — premium is optional. Got a DudesNude login? It works here too. Android follows; sign up on the web and your profile is waiting. Your data is handled per our Privacy Policy.
Cover competition
Cover competition · winner revealed 30 Septemberarrow_forward
The faces of DudesChat
they entered — winner revealed 30 September
Verified · real humans only
One face. One human. One account.
The bots flooding the other apps don't get far here — being a real person is the price of entry. And no AI ever writes in your DMs: it handles the back-office grind, flags what needs a look, and every decision about a member is made by a human.
One human, one account.
No farms. No throwaways. No fifty "guys" run off one laptop.
Banned is banned.
Get booted for being a scammer, spammer or catfisher and you lock the door, not just a profile — no new email, no fresh start. The deterrent that actually deters.
Two doors
Two doors, one house.
DudesChat comes out of 24 years of community, not a pitch deck. The same team runs DudesNude — a sex-positive community going since 2002 — and built DudesChat as a second, separate space: non-explicit, independent, complete on its own. Use one, the other, or both. And yes, we leave the back door jokes to you.
Features
Built around what Dudes do.
Profiles, conversations, communities, location privacy baked in — the basics, done properly. And none of the slot-machine tricks that keep you swiping at 2am.
Communities, not algorithms
Find your people, matched on what you share.
Pick who you are and who you're into — bear, pup, geek, poly, whatever fits. The match score counts what you share, in both directions, out in the open. No black box quietly deciding you're a 6.
It's how DudesNude has matched Dudes for two decades. Not a feature we copied — a legacy we brought along.
- check_circle 40+ community tags — both directions count
- check_circle Mutual-match highlighting — see what you share at a glance
The profile
More you than stats.
Languages, hobbies, and a taste shelf — the music, games, movies, books, podcasts and TV you'd vouch for. Real picks with real covers, not a typed list nobody believes. Better openers than "stats?".
And when chips don't cut it: an About in your own words, your socials linked, health info you control. The whole you, one profile.
- check_circle Your picks in 3 of 6 categories, five each
- check_circle All of it searchable — be found for what you're into
New — the Feed
Say what you're up for. Right now.
Discover shows you who's around. The Feed shows you what they're up for. Drop a quick status, tag it with a mood — CHAT, DATE, GAMING, TRAVEL, whatever tonight is — and it lands in the feed for the guys nearby. Less guessing, more saying it.
A status is a mood plus a line in your own words. When a Dude replies, the conversation opens with your status quoted — nobody starts from "hey".
- check_circle Tag your mood up front — eight moods, from CHAT to CLUBBING
- check_circle A live feed of who's around and what they're after, newest first
- check_circle Tap a status to chat — the ice is already broken
Discover
Who's around. Right now.
A clean grid of Dudes near you, sorted by what you care about — match, distance, who just came online, or who viewed you. No "sponsored" guys jammed into the grid. Ever.
And everyone in that grid is a verified human — profiles only make the cut after the photo review. Browsing, minus the bot slalom.
- check_circle Sort by Match · Distance · Recent · Visitors — your choice, not ours
- check_circle Filter to online now, your favourites, or by mood
- check_circle Online dot is honest — green means right now
Cover photo competition
Be the face of the launch.
That hero photo up top? Those are the entries — real Dudes, no models. Entries closed July 7, voting closed August 31. We're validating the results now; the founder circle picks the winners from the top and we announce them on launch day, 30 September. The winners bag a lifetime membership and their face on every phone that loads this page. Low stakes. Mild glory.
Founding campaign · last three weeks
Founding prices end 30 September.
The app ships on 30 September — ahead of the Q4 we promised. Until then you can still back the build at founding prices and lock in premium for a year, two, five, or forever. From 1 October premium is CHF 99/year in the App Store — no exceptions, no founder badges.
One‑time
Early Bird
CHF 59 once
Approx. US$74 | €65 | £56 | CAD 104
Instead of CHF 99/yr in the App Store after launch.
- check1 year premium
- checkBigger storage
- checkIncreased sending limits
- checkUnlimited discoveries
- checkPermanent Early Bird badge
- checkPremium active on launch day
One‑time
Pioneer
CHF 99 once
Approx. US$124 | €109 | £93 | CAD 174
CHF 99 now vs CHF 198 post‑launch.
- check2 years premium
- checkBigger storage
- checkIncreased sending limits
- checkUnlimited discoveries
- checkPermanent Pioneer badge
- checkPremium active on launch day
One‑time
Patron
CHF 199 once
Approx. US$248 | €218 | £187 | CAD 350
CHF 199 now vs CHF 495 post‑launch.
- check5 years premium
- checkBigger storage
- checkIncreased sending limits
- checkUnlimited discoveries
- checkPermanent Patron badge
- checkPremium active on launch day
One‑time
Founder
CHF 499 once
Approx. US$621 | €547 | £468 | CAD 876
Lifetime premium — forever.
- checkLifetime premium — forever
- checkBigger storage
- checkIncreased sending limits
- checkUnlimited discoveries
- checkHelp shape the app — a vote on what's built next
- checkEarly access — TestFlight today, before the App Store
- checkPermanent Founder badge
Your contribution funds the build. The app ships 30 September 2026; if it doesn't, every founding contribution is refunded in full — no questions, no forms, just an email. Founding tiers close 30 September 2026, 23:59 CEST. Theme Park AG, Switzerland.
Why CHF?
We run this campaign transparently through Open Collective, from Switzerland — so everything's in one currency, Swiss francs. One currency keeps the public books clean and honest, with no hidden multi‑currency markups. You'll be charged in CHF, and your bank converts to your local currency automatically at the day's rate. The approximate figures shown are a rough guide only.
News
What we're building, out loud.
Build updates, design notes, the occasional thinking-out-loud post about why this app exists. No press releases, no growth-hacking, just the actual work.
Sep 8 · Launch
DudesChat lands on the App Store on 30 September — pre-order today
DudesChat is on the App Store for pre-order — release 30 September 2026. Founding prices end that day; from 1 October premium is CHF 19/month, 39/3 months or 99/year.
Read →
Sep 4 · Launch
DudesChat is live — public web beta since 30 July 2026, 1,300 Dudes and counting
DudesChat launched its public web beta on 30 July 2026. Five weeks later: more than 1,300 verified Dudes, over 700 of them in the last two weeks, all organic. Here's where things stand.
Read →
Jul 23 · Community
The vote is live — pick the face of the launch
The entries are in, the gallery is open, and until August 31 the community decides who's out front. No account needed — back as many Dudes as you like, one vote each.
Read →FAQ
Questions you'd actually ask.
Short answers. The longer ones live in the Support center — or drop us a line via the contact form.
Who's DudesChat for?add
Dudes who like Dudes — gay, bi, curious, or allergic to labels. "Dude" was never a strict gender checkpoint: cis, non-binary, whatever you feel — if you move through the world as a Dude who's into Dudes, this is your place. And it's built for more than the next warm body: chats, meetups, nights out, friendships, the whole thing.
What's the difference between DudesChat and DudesNude?add
Both are run by the same team at Theme Park Software. DudesNude is the original community — sex-positive, running since 2002, for members who want that. DudesChat is a separate, non-explicit app with its own sign-up and its own rules; it's complete without DudesNude and doesn't lead you there. Use one, the other, or both. The full story →
Is DudesChat an alternative to Grindr?add
Yes — if you want to find gay, bi and curious Dudes nearby and talk to them directly. The difference: every Dude is a verified human, profiles say who you are, and there are no ads and no sponsored profiles. See how DudesChat is different →
When does it launch?add
30 September 2026 on the App Store — pre-order is open now and the app installs itself on launch day. The web app has been live since 30 July 2026, free, and you can create your profile in the browser today; it carries over to the app. Android follows — same account, same profile.
What does pre-order do?add
Tap Pre-order on the App Store, and on 30 September the app downloads to your phone by itself — nothing to remember. Free, no charge, cancel any time before release. If you're already on the web app, log in with the same details and everything is there.
Is the app free?add
Yes — free to download, free to use. Premium is an optional extra for the power features, and it's what keeps the lights on. DudesChat is ad-free: no advertising, no data sale, members funding the thing they use. Until 30 September you can back the build with a one‑time founding contribution and get premium for less — a year, two, five, or lifetime. From 1 October premium is CHF 19/month, CHF 39/3 months or CHF 99/year in the App Store.
Will adult content ever be in the app?add
No. DudesChat plays by Apple's App Store guidelines on every platform — iOS, Android and web alike. It stays pants-on and non-explicit across the board: no nudity, no explicit content, the same rules everywhere.