With the rise of dating apps like Tinder, meeting people has become much easier. As dating software becomes increasingly popular, the question of how to create a dating app also arises among business owners.
It may seem that the market for creating a dating app is overloaded, but more than 340 businesses appeared in the dating service industry in 2024.
The revenue in online dating reached $655 Million and it is expected to grow to $2.530 Billion by 2024.
So, it might be a great chance to start now. Read ahead to find out exactly how to create a dating app.
Dating App Market
Over 349 million people now are using dating apps, which is an all-time high number compared to the past years.
Online dating market revenue reached $2.4 billion in 2022 and continues to grow with a stable CAGR of 6.7%.
Revenue in the online dating segment is expected to amount to US$2.5 billion by the end of 2024. Most revenue in online dating is generated in the United States ($259.3 million in 2024).
The biggest target audience group (61%) of dating applications comprises 30 to 49-year-olds.
In February 2024, Tinder reached over 4.4 billion downloads, making it the most popular online dating app in the United States. Second place went to Bumble with over 3.2 billion downloads.
Types of Dating Apps
All dating applications can be divided into four main groups:
Traditional Dating Apps
These are the old-fashioned dating websites where customers use multiple questionnaires to find their match.
Examples: eHarmony, OkCupid.
Geolocation Matching Dating Apps
Geolocation dating applications find matches according to users’ proximity. The most prominent example of such a dating app is Tinder.
Examples: Badoo, Tinder.
AI Matching Dating Apps
AI matching dating apps is the next stage in the evolution process of the online dating industry. Some dating applications, like Zoosk, utilize behavioral matchmaking technology, others like Hily use AI-matching.
Examples: Zoosk, Hily.
Niche Dating Apps
Niche dating apps are focused on certain groups of people:
- SweetRing: a user can find the right guy or girl who’s ready to get married.
- The Catch: allows girls to play the game of asking the guys their selected questions and then rating them and choosing one to chat with.
- Luxy: a Silicon Valley dating app for rich people
- Ourtime: a dating app for people over 50.
Web Dating App vs Mobile Dating App
The online dating industry started in the 1980s and little by little has filled the Internet with a wide variety of dating choices. Dating websites appeared first, then with technologies moving forward, web and dating apps became popular.
Looking for Dating App Development?
If you are thinking of how to make a dating app then deciding whether to build a dating website or a dating application like Tinder, this is one of the questions that should be discussed in the very beginning of the project.
There are two factors for deciding what type of dating app to build:
- Target Audience
Who is your Target Audience? What gender and age is your target audience going to be?
Deciding what target audience is going to use your app will closely correlate with the type of your dating app.
For example, mobile dating apps are mostly used by young people because they are more accustomed to using them on the go, in comparison to older people who take their time deciding on their preferences and choices.
- USP
Obviously, before starting dating app development, you need to decide how your dating app will be differentiated from others. In doing so, you’ll be able to offer users something that is not on the market. However, your USP is likely to have some features that are more suited for development on a web or a mobile app.
For example, if you are planning to exloit GPS matching then building a dating app should be your first choice. But if you want to build a more comprehensive search system with filtering and complex architecture, then making a dating website should be a priority.
There is also a case when you might need to build both a web and a mobile app, for instance, if you need to cover different target audiences. However, building both apps at the same time isn’t a great idea. Most of the time, startuppers focus all their energy and resources on building one app. And then after seeing the demand to build a mobile or a web version of their online dating service they move over to building a second platform for dating services.
How to Monetize a Dating App
Even though the majority of dating apps are free to use, every dating app has a way of monetizing its business.
Here are the most popular ways to monetize a dating app:
- Freemium/Subscription
With freemium, you give your users access to basic features for free. However, for the additional price, your users can have extra features, account boosters, an unlimited number of swipes and direct texting.
Examples: Bumble, Coffee Meets Bagel, OkCupid, Luxy, Zoosk, Match.com.
- Advertising
Advertising is a great way to make extra bucks on your dating app. However, this monetization model has one major drawback: Risk of losing users due to spamming them with ads. So, while making a dating app, apply native advertising. This will discourage users from leaving your platform.
It is advised to introduce such a model as an addition. For example, Tinder and Grindr use both freemium and advertising models.
Examples: Tinder, Grindr, Match.
- Partnering
By partnering with flower deliveries, restaurants and taxi services, your business gets a percentage for every ordered service. Your dating app can offer different additional services on the platform. Say a customer wants to impress a girl – he can send her flowers or could book a restaurant with just a few clicks.
How to Create a Dating App
The world of dating apps is bustling, but with the right niche and execution, yours could be the next success story like Bumble or Hinge. So, our team carefully assembled tips and tricks on how to create a dating app to make sure it’s the right match for your customers.
Knowing Your Ideal User
The first thing needed is identifying your target demographic. For example, The League uses a waitlist and LinkedIn profiles for exclusivity as it caters to people looking for serious connections. Another idea is to occupy a niche, like dating for dog owners or people of one profession. In any case, whichever you choose, you must understand and empathize with your target audience. Not just to promote it, but also to add unique features such as the LinkedIn verification.
Analyzing the Competition
The next step to take is to research existing dating apps, both successful and those that fell flat. Searching for the features you like and your target audience could be useful.
For example, Tinder’s swiping mechanic or OkCupid’s extensive compatibility questions. There is something unique that you can do but we still advise you to learn from your competitors. You may start by researching the pain points and underserved needs of your client, and look for what you can satisfy.
For instance, Grindr focuses on the LGBTQ+ community, while JSwipe caters specifically to Jewish users.
Crafting the Core Features
Here, the ideal solution would be the functionalities that will make your app stand out.
Consider profile creation tools that go beyond basic photos, like allowing users to showcase their hobbies or link their social media profiles.
We recommend exploring unique features like video introductions like Bumble does or voice chat options like Friender to cater to different preferences. Don’t forget about icebreaker features like prompts or questions to get conversations flowing naturally.
Prioritizing User Safety
We all should learn from the failure of our competitors. You might try to utilize the mistakes of apps that have struggled with fake profiles or harassment.
Firstly, try to plan out robust security measures like photo verification. You could implement features like in-app reporting, blocking options, and the ability to flag inappropriate behavior.
Consider integrating features that allow users to share their location with a trusted friend during dates for added peace of mind. Also, you can add social media verification, which would also help you integrate social media functions more easily.
Designing
A user-friendly and visually appealing interface is crucial. Ideally, you can invest in intuitive UI/UX design that makes navigating your app a breeze for your target audience. As an inspiration, you may look at apps like Hinge, known for its clean and uncluttered interface, or Bumble, which prioritizes user photos. If you’re targeting young professionals, a sleek and modern design might be ideal, while a more playful and colorful interface might work better for niche connections.
Peculiarities of Creating a Dating App
If you are considering building a dating app or a dating website, then there are some things you need to take into account.
Security
In order to make sure that users can trust your dating platform, you need to provide security both for your platform and users:
- Platform Security
To protect your users’ personal data and not risk data leakage while making a dating app turn your attention to implementing a high-security standard, namely GDPR (General Data Protection Policy).
- User Security
For users’ security, your platform needs to have a user verification, the ability to ban users or add them to a blacklist, and to block inappropriate photos and messages.
For example, Bumble and Badoo verify users with selfies. They ask potential users to take a selfie in a specific pose to ensure there’s no catfishing on their platform. Besides that, Badoo also uses social media and phone-based user verification.
Matching
When startups are thinking of how to make a custom design dating app they usually start with coming up with a matching system. And they are not wrong. Matching is probably the most important feature in your dating app. If no matches are found or an app matches users badly, customer retention is going to fall. So be sure to dedicate some extra time for this feature during your dating app development.
There are four main matching algorithms for a dating app:
Geolocation Matching
Geolocation matching is matching based on a user’s location. With such a matching approach, an app asks for a user’s permission for their location area and then suggests some nearby users.
Examples: Tinder, Happn, MeetMe, Grindr, Skout.
AI-Matching
They say that a match was made in heaven. We say that a match was made by AI.
For implementing a more advanced matching method, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are used. AI-matching uses a variety of factors for finding a suitable match, some of them can be based on users’ GPS, preferences, and behavior.
Note: In reality, matching limits users in finding a perfect guy or a girl. Analyze your target audience and determine which kind of matching will be suitable for your dating app.
AI matching for online dating apps can be divided into two categories:
- Compatibility Matching
Compatibility matching is matching based on users’ preferences. Usually, users answer a questionnaire where they describe their likes and dislikes and what they are looking for in a guy or a girl. Then an app runs a mathematical algorithm based on the answered questions and determines the matching percentage.
However, the challenge here is when people start to describe some characteristics which can’t uniquely set a value. These characteristics can be either defined by a range, by words with fuzzy logic or by clusterization.
With compatibility matching, users are matched not by analyzing certain answers but rather by the questionnaire in total.
Examples: Coffee Meets Bagel, OkCupid, Hater, Clover, eHarmony.
- Behavior-based Matching
Behavior-based matching is matching based on the data gathered from other sources besides a dating app, such as various social media apps, music platforms, etc. For processing and analyzing big chunks of data, you’ll need to use Big Data analysis.
Say a man wants to find a woman with blonde hair but no woman’s profile says whether she’s blonde or not. That’s where image recognition may come in handy. Another example is related to NLP: supposing a woman wants to find a man who is interested in hiking, but no profile matches this requirement. What the system can do is use, for instance, Twitter or any other available social media to gather information, sort it and find a suitable profile.
Examples: Zoosk.
- Moderation
It is no secret that there are a lot of scammers on dating websites. Sometimes they can even get passed by a solid user verification. That is why platform moderation is required.
Moderation can be conducted either manually or automatically.
For manual moderation, you’ll need to hire a person who will detect any unusual activities on your platform and will be able to ban users once and for all. Plus, this person will verify users on the initial stage of registration.
For automated moderation, all you’ll need is to find either a service that will take care of your content moderation or simply integrate a suitable API on your dating website.
Dating App Promotion
Building a dating app isn’t enough to be ahead of the game. You need to promote your app through different channels. In order not to waste money on launching some pointless campaigns, you need to know who to target and what to offer.
Here are some factors worth considering before promoting a dating app:
- Target Audience
If you’ve already run the Project Discovery Phase, then you probably know your target audience inside out. If not, then study the market to find out who is using dating apps.
Essentially, you need to define your buyer personas, which are made-up characters created to illustrate a particular type of user who is interested in using or buying your services.
- Niche
There are thousands of dating apps, you need to choose a niche where you think you’ll reach your full potential. You can niche into different aspects:
– Location
– Type of service
– Type of user
- USP
It’s great that you know what to promote but you need to know how to promote it. That’s where you’ll be needing your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). By knowing exactly how your product differentiates itself from others, you’ll be able to show what is so great about it, thus increasing the chance of users using your app.
To sum up
The online dating industry shows a lot of potential and is predicted to grow in revenue. Before deciding on how to create a dating app, you have to analyze your target audience and determine what exactly you are going to build: Traditional, Niche, AI, or Geolocation dating app. Whether you are going to build a mobile or a web app, or even a dating website.
All in all, when building a dating app, you need to take into account the following four factors:
- Type of an app: web, mobile, or website.
- Platform of an app: iOS or Android
- Monetization model
- Core features
- Peculiarities of creating online dating services
Frequently Asked Questions
What technologies are essential for building a dating app?
To build the app itself, you’ll likely use a mobile development framework like React Native for a broader reach or native options for a more customized experience. On the server side, languages like Python or Java with frameworks like Django or Spring will handle user accounts, matching, and communication. Finally, consider integrating geolocation if location-based matching is a core feature, and prioritize secure user authentication and reporting functionalities to ensure user safety.
How can I attract the initial user base for my new dating app?
Attracting that initial user base requires understanding your target audience. By knowing their demographics and online habits, you can market your app effectively on the platforms they use. Highlighting what makes your app unique and offering sign-up bonuses can also entice users to try it out.
