Exploring the World of Dating Apps
People have always been using media and technology to find potential partners, from classified ads in magazines or newspapers to the first questionnaire-based computer-run matchmaking services in the 1960s. The first modern online dating websites were launched in the 1990s, and the current era of smartphone-based dating apps started in the 2010s, with Tinder being launched in 2012. And this changed everything!
While everyone knew Tinder and OkCupid by the 2010s but most never admitted to use them, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that really seemed to normalise online dating. Tinder broke its world record for the most activity in one day (over 3 billion swipes) on 29 March 2020, just after lockdown began. Other dating apps experienced similar surges. What might have started with people just being bored and alone with too much time on their hands soon turned into a societal shift in dating behaviour, as users realised how convenient and easy dating apps make meeting new people. According to a Forbes Health survey, 45% of Americans consider dating apps to be the main way to meet new people in 2025.
The Big Three
The most downloaded dating app worldwide is Tinder. It was launched in 2012 and was the first to develop the now-widespread swipe feature. The app grew fast, reaching 1 billion swipes per day in October 2014. It introduced the paid Tinder Plus version in 2015, followed by Tinder Gold, and by 2017, it was the highest-grossing app on the App Store. While Tinder is definitely the trailblazer among modern dating apps, it’s not necessarily the most liked, especially among people looking for more serious relationships.
At the same time, Hinge was being developed, with the app being launched in 2013. It was designed to be less superficial than Tinder, with more thorough written profiles encouraged. Instead of swiping, users have to “like” a specific photo or text prompt, with the option of also sending a message along with it. While Tinder is now mostly seen as a hookup app, Hinge markets itself as the “relationship app”, with their tagline being “the dating app designed to be deleted”.
In 2014, a Tinder cofounder won a lawsuit against the company for sexual discrimination and harassment. Three months later, she launched Bumble, the “feminist dating app” – the main difference between Bumble and other similar apps are that in opposite-sex matches, the woman is the only one who can start the conversation. There is also a 24-hour limit on starting the conversation with matches. Other features the app is known for are Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz, which are non-dating modes on the app for making friends and business connections, respectively.
Plenty of Apps
The dating app market is still growing, and there are plenty of different options to choose from. OkCupid and eHarmony are classics, both launched in the 2000s, and still have millions of users. They both feature questionnaires for users to take that will then match them with other users whose own questionnaire answers are most compatible with theirs. Plenty of Fish is another older one that’s still big in the US, focused on messaging – it’s one of the few dating apps where you don’t have to match with someone to message them.
Then there’s a whole host of niche dating apps, aimed at a more specific target audience. The most famous of these is Grindr, the most relevant dating app for LGBTQ people. While Grindr is open to everyone, it has always been more focused on gay men – so in came Her, a dating app aimed at LGBTQ women, trans and non-binary people.
In a different niche, you have religious dating apps. Christian Mingle is one of the most popular dating apps in the US. There are similar ones for other major religions too, such as Muzz for Muslims. These help people find partners with similar religious beliefs and value systems.
While most of the big dating apps are based in America, Europe has some of its own apps that are more popular regionally. Badoo, Happn, Lovoo, Meetic, Adopte… the list goes on. Most of these have pretty similar features. Badoo is like a cross between social media, a chatroom and a dating app, allowing users to message each other without matching. Happn specialises in finding hyper-local people based on your geolocation, particularly people you may have already crossed paths with in real life. Each country (and sometimes even city) has its own most popular apps and they change year by year.
One more app that stands out is Raya. This is one that was unveiled in secret, with no public marketing, and is exclusive to people with referrals, is membership-only (starting at $24.99 per month in the US) and is also only available on Apple products. Apparently, only 8% of applicants get accepted. It started out as a celebrity dating app, although as it has become more known over the years and more people are being accepted onto the app, that image is fading. According to various user experiences, it’s now full of athletes, influencers and various wealthy or otherwise important people. Or people who think they are important.
The Dark Side
While there are a lot of apps to choose from, they mostly use the same formats and algorithms. You post pictures, write a short description, and then scroll infinitely through similarly superficial profiles and hope to find a match, whether for a hookup, a casual date or a potential life partner.
Most of the big apps are owned by the same company, Match Group. They own Tinder and Hinge, as well as OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, Meetic and plenty of more niche apps, totalling 45 apps owned as of 2025. As many users have realised, the aim of these apps is not to help you find a partner and, therefore, delete the app (whatever Hinge’s tagline may claim) – their aim is to keep you on the app for as long as possible, and make money in doing so.
From 2022-2025, the CEO of Match Group was Bernard Kim, formerly known as the president of video game developer Zynga (you may have heard of their famously addictive Facebook game, Farmville). This makes sense, if we consider that Tinder was originally designed to look like a deck of cards. The idea was to gamify dating. At first this worked well. But over time it has led to a decrease in user satisfaction, as well as concerns about safety – dating apps have long been notorious as places for (mostly) women to get harassed, and meeting up with strange men from the Internet is always a risk. However, setting up systems and teams to make sure users reported for harassment and abuse aren’t able to create new accounts on the platforms is expensive and resource-consuming and often not seen as a priority.
Ultimately, a company is always behind a website or an app, and a company’s goal is to be profitable. All the other major dating apps have also followed similar strategies to Match Group in an effort to remain competitive. The industry of dating apps capitalises off human loneliness and desire for connection, earning money directly off some of the most personal aspects of our lives. People are starting to notice.
Growing Dissatisfaction
According to a survey by Forbes, 78% of people feel dating app burnout, with higher numbers among Gen Z and Millennials. Reasons mentioned for this include inability to find a good connection with someone, being disappointed by people, feeling rejected, repetitive conversations, swiping and time used on the apps generally. 41% claimed to experience ghosting (when someone you’re talking to suddenly stops responding), and 38% reported being catfished.
When talking to people actually using dating apps, trying to make connections using dating apps is exhausting. Constant small talk with new people, hours of texting that doesn’t lead to anything, trying to judge someone by a few photos and written sentences, getting excited about someone and then learning they’re “not looking for anything serious”...
Differences in Men’s and Women’s Dating App Experiences
Men often report having a harder time getting matches or having them lead to anything. This is likely due to multiple factors, such as men using dating apps more than women and also liking a larger percentage of profiles compared to women. Women are more often looking for an emotional and long-term connection, leading them to be more selective with who they like and talk to. Women are also naturally more cautious, as they more commonly experience harassment and meeting up with men carries more risk.
The Future of Dating Apps
Match Group has seen a decline in paying users since 2022 Q4, and Bumble shares saw a 30% plunge in late 2024. Younger generations are opting out of dating apps in favour of more authentic ways to connect with people, such as meeting in-person. One 2023 survey by Statista showed that just 26% of Gen Z use dating apps, as opposed to 61% of Millennials. How are dating apps responding to these shifts?
Bumble, for example, is investing in marketing and AI-driven features to help attract young users. Increasing safety is another important focus. Match Group is investing into similar avenues, and also changed CEOs in early 2025. Whether any of this will work or dating apps have simply reached their peak as people begin to seek more authenticity and a less technology-dependent life will remain to be seen.
