Show HN: I Built a Free Grindr Alternative — No Ads, No Paywalls, Just Men Connecting

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

👉 https://embir.xyz

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.