“I’ve been using different gay dating apps for over 3 years now. I did have successes in some, but I don’t think it was worth paying the hefty monthly membership fee. The other completely free gay dating sites, on the other hand, were full of fake profiles and members who just wanted to scam me. And then I found out about Only Lads which offers a one-day free trial for its premium membership, and also has limited but nevertheless, amazingly fair perks for free members. With the perks that come with being a free member, I still get to interact with other members. Plus, I am sure that the users I interact with are genuine with using the website because the site is not totally free. I feel safe and content with what Only Lads has to offer.”
Joey, 33, Seattle
Only Lads Review New Zealand November 2026: Shams or Real Hot Guys?
- Over 1 million members worldwide
- Matches suggested by location
Only Lads New Zealand in 10 seconds
- Only Lads is a renowned dating app that connects gays and bisexual men for chats, dates, and relationship
- The app was founded by UK-based entrepreneur Jimmy Forrester-Fellowes
- Works by suggesting matches based on location and offers a customizable search tool
- Has over one million members worldwide: Know more about the community here
- The site only accepts gay male members: Learn more here
- The app is available for iOS and Android users
- Payment for subscriptions is limited to debit and credit cards
- Offers general free services and options to upgrade: Learn more here
Find out if Only Lads is the right service for you or if there are better options.
Better than Only Lads
Who is Only Lads for, and not for?
- People looking for serious relationships with like-minded individuals
- Single gays and bisexuals who are into casual flirting
- For gays and bisexuals who are looking for friendships and profound connections
- People looking for transactional relationships
- Cheating individuals seeking explicit affairs
- Not for straight men and lesbians
Only Lads pros & cons
- Only Lads is well designed and is available as an app and website
- The app lets you build a social network of friends with the same mindset and beliefs
- The free account offers a generous package of functions
- Lack of interesting features compared to similar dating apps
- Most profiles on Only Lads are incomplete and empty
- Most of the app's members are searching for hookups and erotic encounters contrary to what the app promotes
What Only Lads really costs in New Zealand
Only Lads has a premium membership that is offered monthly. The site usually offers 30% to 46% discount from time-to-time to encourage its members to upgrade. Having a premium membership in Only Lads gets rid of all limitations of being a free member. You can send an unlimited number of messages and have an unlimited number of friends and favourites.
Who is signed up on Only Lads in New Zealand?
Exclusively on DatingScout: online member numbers for dating services are usually far off, so we estimate how many people are really on Only Lads from traffic data and interest, updated monthly, with history.
The site only accepts gay male members so you will not see a female member here.
Most of the members are from the United States, but there are also significant membership coming from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, France, Germany, and Austrial only lads
The population is mostly on the younger side, but there is membership across all age groups. Most members are on the age group 25 to 34 although it is almost equally distributed among all age groups.
| Women | Men |
|---|---|
| 0% | 100% |
| 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
20% 18-24 |
30% 25-34 |
25% 35-44 |
15% 45-54 |
10% 55+ |
Last data update: November 2026
How does Only Lads work?
Requires Google, Apple, or Facebook login for authenticity
Use the Radar feature to find who’s online near you
Simple, user-friendly, and easy to use
Making contact on Only Lads
★★★★★ 3.0/5
- Search results page displays nearby users
- You can view members who visited your profile
- Sending ‘Icebreakers’ is free
- You can add members you like to your ‘Favourites List’
- You can send friend requests to users you want to keep a close connection with
- Everybody can send messages for free
- Only Lads has a chat function
Profile quality
★★★★★ 3.0/5
- Profile setup takes six steps
- You can upload photos to your ‘Locked Album’ and ‘Messenger’ Album
- Profile information and profile photo can be edited later
- Public photo gallery is visible to everyone
- Profile displays your ‘Friends List’
- Profile pictures are visible to everybody for free
The Only Lads app
★★★★★ 3.0/5
- Same features as the website
- Clean and clear user interface
- Profiles show how far you are from a user
- App only requires small free storage
- App is downloadable in App Store and Play Store
Only Lads’ mobile app has the same features as the website. The only difference is, it is optimised for users who are on-the-go. Whenever you click a user from the search results, the whole screen will show that member’s profile photo, with basic details at the bottom.
These details are his name, the types of relationship he’s looking for, age, how far away that member is from you in terms of kilometers , and the number of photos he has on his gallery. When you scroll up, you will see that member’s full profile along with the contacting features.
Our field test
★★★★★ 3.5/5
Design & usability
Only Lads’ web design was well thought of in terms of providing easy usability for its users. The design is clean and straightforward. There are four tabs on its main menu found on the upper left side of the page. The first tab is the ‘Home’ where you will see the six main interaction page features that you can view and use. This design is similar to its mobile app, with the features hidden in a collapsible menu.
You can also find a sidebar menu on the website consisting of the same features listed above, with ‘Account Settings’ added to it, same as the mobile's.
The next two tabs are the ‘Search’, which would take you to the ‘Nearby’ members search results page, and the ‘Chat’ tab which is your message inbox. The last tab on the main menu is your name, which is a collapsible menu that has the ‘update profile’, ‘account settings’, and ‘logout’ function buttons.
Special features
The six features of Only Lads are:
Finding people 2
NearbyFree
Shows you the members who are approximate to your current location
Visited You
Shows you the members who recently viewed your profile
Showing interest 1
FavoritesFree
The members who you put into your ‘Favorites List’
Messaging and contact 1
Chat Paid
Your message inbox
Profile and visibility 1
Update Profile
Would take you to the different profile sections that you can edit
Community and events 1
FriendsFree
Your friends list
Final results
“Overall, the simple features of Only Lads are straightforward in connecting gay and bisexual men with each other. Even if it offers no unique features, it gives free members a chance to use and experience what the site has to offer by giving them generous perks.”
Alternatives: Better than Only Lads
Compare Only Lads with other dating sites
| Activity |  Only Lads4.0Read review |  GaysGoDating4.5Read review |  Romeo4.5Read review |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Only Lads is a dating app for gay and bisexual men that suggests matches by location | GaysGoDating is a gay dating site for men looking for casual relationships with location based matching | Romeo is a dating platform for gay, bi and trans people looking for friends, hookups or love |
| Activity | 100,000 members | 1,000 members | 30,000 est. active members |
| Costs and prices | Premium Membership 1 month: 21.58 NZD / month | Full Member 1 month: 30.99 NZD / month 3 months: 15.99 NZD / month 6 months: 11.99 NZD / month | Romeo PLUS 1 month: 17.95 NZD / month 3 months: 15.56 NZD / month 12 months: 12.71 NZD / month |
| Free features | Send ‘Icebreakers’ Standard definition viewing of photos Up to 50 profiles you can browse per day Up to 3 messages you can send per day Up to 10 search results pages you can view Up to 10 friends you can have in your Friends List Up to 20 users you can put in your Favourites List View a preview of who visited and favourited your profile | Create an account Viewing profiles Browsing the Like Gallery | Browse profiles Use of search filters Send messages 3 daily requests for accessing QuickShare albums Give footprint stickers Save contacts to your Favorites list Add members as Friends |
| Premium features | High definition viewing of photos Unlimited browsing of profiles Unlimited sending of messages Access to unlimited search results pages Unlimited number of friends Unlimited number of users in your ‘Favourites List’ Full view of the list of users who visited your profile Full view of the list of users who favourited you Ability to turn off advertisements | View photo albums Get profile details Send messages | See XXX content No ads See your profile visitors from the last 7 days Anonymous browsing Save your search filters Unlimited Quickshare Unlimited storage |
| Right for me?Read review | Visit Gaytrust.netRead review | Right for me?Read review |
1 Only Lads experiences from real users in New Zealand
- Fake profiles left untouched
- Stolen pictures not acted on
- No reply from admin
- Only three messages a day
- Many fake accounts and spammers
only lads has gone to to the dogs of late they have many hacks and spacers joining and sending emails to use other sites admin dont reply i told them about 15 fake profiles and they did nothing. and only 3 messages a day that pretty antiquated most sites give unlimted or 50 messages a day you report profiles for stolen pictures and nothing happens
Cancelling your Only Lads subscription
How you can cancel
- Via your profile settings on Only Lads
Contact details
| Company | Rocketware Limited |
|---|---|
| Address | Rocketware Limited, 1 Aire Street,Leeds, LS1 4PR |
| management@datingnode.com |
Do subscriptions auto-renew?
Subscriptions renew automatically, cancel at least 1 day before your current term ends.
Money-back guarantee
- Only Lads does not offer a money-back guarantee
Only Lads FAQ
Who founded Only Lads?
It was founded by entrepreneur Jimmy Forrester-Fellowes.
When was Only Lads first launched?
It was first launched in 2012.
Is Only Lads only for gay men?
Yes, the site is exclusive to gay and bisexual men.
How do I join Only Lads?
You can sign up on the registration page or connect your Facebook account for a quicker registration.
Does Only Lads offer premium membership?
Yes, it has one type of premium membership that can last for a month at $12.95 cost.
How do I permanently delete my Only Lads profile?
You can delete your profile by going through your ‘Account Settings’ and clicking the ‘Remove Your Account’ button.
Can I temporarily hide my Only Lads profile?
Unfortunately, there is no option to temporarily hide your profile.
Does Only Lads offer refunds?
Under no circumstance are refunds offered to members who decide to cancel their premium membership.
How do I send a message in Only Lads?
You can send a message to any member by going to that member’s profile and clicking the ‘Chat’ button.
How come I cannot send a message to another Only Lads member?
Free members are only allowed to send a maximum of three free messages per day, so maybe you have exceeded your daily limit. If you wish to send an unlimited number of messages, you can upgrade your membership to premium.
What is an ‘Icebreaker’?
An ‘Icebreaker’ is a quick contacting feature of Only Lads that you can send for free. You can send either a wink, smile, wave, or poke.
How come I cannot see the full list of who favourited me?
Only premium paying members of Only Lads can view the full list of those who favorited them.
How do I remove the advertisements showing on my mobile app?
You can remove ads from your mobile app by upgrading your Only Lads membership.
Why can I no longer add friends to my list?
Free members can only have a maximum of 10 friends in their list. You can upgrade your Only Lads membership to have an unlimited number of friends.
What security features does Only Lads offer?
Only Lads has a published Privacy Policy and Terms of Usage that are strictly enforced and monitored.
I suspect a scammer, how do I report the user?
You can report an Only Lads user by clicking the ‘Report profile’ button found on his or her profile.
Someone is being abusive, how do I block that user?
You can block an Only Lads user by clicking the ‘Block profile’ button found on his or her profile.
You did not find your question? Ask us!
Thank you for your question. We will answer it as soon as possible.
Security
- Does Only Lads sell your data?
- No, Only Lads does not sell your data.
- Was Only Lads hacked in the past?
- No, Only Lads was never hacked.
- How accurately does Only Lads track your location?
- Only Lads tracks your approximate location.
- Do your Only Lads profile pictures or profile information appear in Google Search Results?
- No, your Only Lads photos and personal information will not appear in Google Search Results.
- Who can view your pictures on Only Lads?
- All Only Lads users can view your pictures.
- Is your phone number required for signing up at Only Lads?
- No, you can sign up at Only Lads without a phone number.
- Can you erase your personal data on Only Lads?
- No, Only Lads does not let you erase your data yourself.
Why can you trust us?
- We have been testing and publishing online dating reviews for over 17 years
- We have carefully reviewed over 3,576 dating services
- Our dating site reviews and results are objective and independent in contrast to many other comparison sites
- We update our reviews every month based on new site/app offerings and feedback from our readers
- We are the Author of the Book "Online Dating for Dummies" - read more on our About Us page
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