Bear411 Review — Looks Can Be Deceiving
Bear411 is all about bears – from muscle bears to leather bears, this site focuses entirely on the bear community. The question is, does it provide results? We conducted a complete review of Bear411 to provide you with the information you need to answer that question.
Bear411 Review Results
Yes, Bear411 looks awful in terms of site design. However, much like finding an old bar or coffee shop that may look worn but that offers excellent service and delicious beverages, Bear411 is worth putting up with its aesthetic flaws. If you are a member of the bear community, this site is genuinely dedicated to helping you meet fellow bears. They don’t just pay lip service to their intended purpose, they actually come through for their members.
– Pros and Cons –
- Members provide a tight-knit community feel
- Free version is powerful
- Ideal for meeting partners for sex, friendship or cyberchat
- Userbase is active and engaged
- Antiquated site design
- Lack of native mobile apps
- Lack of advanced features such as video chat
- Approval of new accounts can take 4 to 36 hours.
Dating and 
hookup sites for the gay community represent one of the fastest growing segments of the online dating industry. In spite of this, the “bear” community is often marginalized within the niche of gay dating sites.
If you are a bear – or are interested in meeting a bear – ask yourself this question, “does your current gay dating site make it easy to meet a bear?”
Chances are most would reply with a “no.” This is where a gay dating site called Bear411 steps into the picture. It wants to become the alternative dating platform for bears.
– First Impression –
When we first accessed the Bear411 welcome page we were struck by how outdated it looked. We often remark when other sites look out of step with the times in terms of design that they look like something out of the early 2000s. Bear411, however, made us harken back to a time even later than that. The look, the design, the navigation is reminiscent of a site from the 1990s.
We did not allow this to dishearten us entirely on the potential of the site. However, its antiquated look did make us take the additional step of probing deeper into the technicals of the site to ensure that it did not pose a security or privacy risk for users. Fortunately, in spite of its “retro” look, Bear411 does implement the latest essential protocols to safeguard the privacy of their users’ information.
– What Bear411 Offers –
The value proposition offered by Bear411 revolves around their exclusive focus on the bear community. Its platform is designed not only to help users meet bears who live nearby, but it is also designed to encourage real-world meetups. These consist of events scheduled throughout the world in large and mid-sized cities. Some are small events held in bars or clubs, while others are larger, taking place in resorts or even cruise ships.
The more we explored this community development side of Bear411, the more we were inclined to forgive it for its design transgressions.
– Registration Process –
The registration process for Bear411 is uncomplicated. You are required to provide a valid email address, select a username and password, location – the basic information that is standard for every dating site out there.
However, being focused on the bear community, there are a few fields in the registration form that you will not find on other dating or hookup sites. For example, new users are asked to specify what type of bear they are. The choices presented from a drop-down menu include bear, cub, muscle bear, daddy bear, chubby, leather bear, chaser, and couple.
