Golo vs Stick
Two Indian apps that both take privacy seriously. Golo is the one that makes safety the default — no profile photo, and messages that delete themselves.
The short answer
Golo is a safety-first dating and chat app for gay men in India. No profile photos at all, approximate distance only, photos in a chat that open once, and every message deleted after 30 days — on by default, for everyone.
Stick is a good Indian app with the right instincts: no social account linking, no public profile, and your exact location never shared. Golo agrees with every one of those.
Where Golo goes further is in what it removes. There is no profile photo to protect in the first place, and your old chats disappear without you having to think about it.
Stick also has live streaming, so there is more of a community to sit in. Golo has none of that on purpose — it is an app for finding someone, talking to them, and then getting out of your way.
Golo is safety-first by design
Not a privacy settings screen — this is simply how Golo works, for everyone, from the first time you open it.
Nothing to keep private, because there is no photo
Golo has no profile picture at all, so there is no image of you on our servers and nothing anyone can capture and repost.
Messages delete themselves after 30 days
Not a toggle you have to find. Every message goes 30 days after it is sent, for both people, automatically.
Photos in chat get one look
A photo you send can be opened a single time, and we delete it from our servers the moment it is viewed.
App Lock with a PIN or fingerprint
On a shared phone, an unlocked screen still will not open Golo, and auto-lock can trigger the moment you switch away.
A number, and nothing else
Sign-up is a mobile number and an OTP — no email, no social account linked to your profile.
Approximate distance only
Others see roughly how far away you are. Your exact location never leaves our servers.
18+ only, and moderated
Date of birth required at sign-up and locked afterwards, names and bios screened automatically, blocking and reporting two taps away, and reports of suspected minors escalated immediately.
Leave, and take everything with you
Delete your account from inside the app and your profile, chats, likes, blocks and reports go at once. We keep no copy.
Nobody can screenshot you
Golo blocks screen capture and screen recording across the whole app, so a screenshot of your profile or your chat comes out blank.
What else Golo does differently
Beyond safety, a few more choices that shape how Golo feels to use.
Nine languages, all the way through
English plus Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada and Malayalam — every screen, not only onboarding.
Quiet by design
No streams, no feed, nothing nudging you back. Golo shows you who is nearby, sorted by who is online and who is closest, and then gets out of the way.
Free, with no paid tier
Every filter, every call and every conversation is open to everyone. There is nothing to buy.
Side by side
The Golo column describes the app as it ships today. The Stick column only lists what Stick documents publicly.
Swipe the table sideways to see the Stick column →
| Feature | Golo | Stick |
|---|---|---|
| Profile photos | None. Every profile is text | Profiles, with privacy controls over what you share |
| Live streaming | No | Yes |
| Photos inside a chat | Open once, then deleted from our servers | Yes, but no auto delete |
| How long messages are kept | Deleted automatically after 30 days | Not publicly documented |
| Location shown to others | An approximate distance. Your exact spot never leaves our servers | States that exact location is never shared |
| Social account linking | None. Mobile number and an OTP | None — the app states it does not link social accounts |
| Voice and video calls | Yes, free for everyone | Yes |
| App lock (PIN or fingerprint) | Built in | Not publicly documented |
| Cost | Free. No ads, no paid tier | Free |
| Platforms | Android | Android, with iPhone listed as coming |
| Built in | India | India (Bengaluru) |
| App languages | English and eight Indian languages | English only |
What Stick is
Stick is made by a Bengaluru company and aimed squarely at India — its own site describes it as built for Indian men and Indian cities rather than a copy of a Western app.
It leans on live streaming as well as browsing men in your city, and it lists filters for age, interests, distance and lifestyle, plus a travel mode for looking at other cities.
On privacy it promises no social linking, no public profile, exact location never shared, and the usual block and report tools. It is free, and Android only for now.
What Stick does well
- Live streaming, if you like watching and being part of a room rather than only chatting.
- A travel mode for looking at another city before you get there.
- It has been in Indian app stores for a while, so there are already people on it.
- A clear India-first stance, with filters for interests and lifestyle.
Which one should you install?
There is no single winner here. There is a version of you that each app is right for.
Choose Golo if…
- You want to meet men near you anywhere in India — the metros or a smaller town.
- You want a privacy-first app, not a general one with privacy bolted on afterwards.
- You want an app nobody can screenshot. Golo blocks screen capture and recording throughout, so a grab of your chat comes out blank.
- You want to be part of a community from the start, while it is still growing.
- You want a profile with no photo on it, ever.
- You want old chats gone without doing anything about it.
Stick may suit you better if…
- You want live streams and a community to watch.
- You like browsing other cities before you travel.
- You want to be on the app with more Indian users on it today.
Common questions
Is Golo related to Stick?
No. Both are Indian apps for gay men, but they are made by different companies and share nothing.
Both apps say they protect privacy. What is actually different?
Mostly what Golo leaves out. There is no profile photo to protect, because there is none in the app. And rather than giving you controls to manage, Golo deletes photos after one view and messages after 30 days on its own. Both approaches are reasonable — Golo just makes the safe option the only option.
Does Golo have live streaming or a feed?
No. Golo is only for finding someone nearby and talking one to one. Voice and video calls are private between two people.
Is Golo on iPhone?
Not yet. Golo is Android for now, the same as Stick.
Do I need to give an email or link a social account?
No. Golo signs you in with a mobile number and an OTP. There is no email address, and no Google, Apple or Facebook account attached to your profile.
Can I delete everything if I change my mind?
Yes. Settings has an account deletion that removes your profile, your chats, your likes, your blocks and your reports immediately. Nothing is kept beyond the limited records the law requires.
Be one of the first on Golo
Free, no ads, no photos. Sign up with your number, set your filters, and start talking.
Golo is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Stick. All product names and trademarks belong to their owners. The Stick column was compiled in September 2026 from that app’s own store listing, website and help pages; “Not publicly documented” means we could not find the answer in those sources, not that the feature is missing. Apps change — please check the current listing before you decide. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.