Dating App That Pays
Who pays for dating apps? According to a new study, the answer, in a word (or three): Not a lot. But some do, and those who do really talk it up. To back up for a moment, I always figured it was those most committed to find love who pay — the people who pay extra to hit the 'promote me' button and get pushed to the top of the pile on everyone's feed for 10 minutes on OkCupid, the people who use the 'passport' feature on Tinder to expand their search for romance to other cities and countries.
Turns out this may be true in some instances, but of those who pay for dating sites, some hype the upgrades with zeal and zest. In a piece on Vice, called 'In Defense of OkCupid's A-List,' the writer says, 'I value my A-List subscription at a level in which it has become engrained. Half the time, I forget that I even pay for it.' Well, there you have it.
Even though there may be some passion around paying for apps, the bottom line is that not very many people do. About 275,000 Tinderers pay for Tinder Plus, but there are 32 million users, which means only 0.85 percent pay — less than one percent. And according to this new study about who pays for dating tech and apps, analyzing data from more than 30,000 people in this country by online lender Earnest, only 1.6 percent of 18- to 26-year-olds who are on dating apps pay for the premium services offered with an associated price tag.
Welcome to Tinder — you can be here for a good time, and a long time, too. With 30 billion matches to date, Tinder® is the top free dating app, making it the place to meet new people. Whether you’re looking for love, need a date today, or just want to chat: We’ve got something for local singles ever. Hinge wants its users to meet IRL so badly, that they’re paying people to go on dates. In a new stunt likely designed to garner media attention, the dating app company is paying 250 different users. And according to this new study about who pays for dating tech and apps, analyzing data from more than 30,000 people in this country by online lender Earnest, only 1.6 percent of 18- to 26-year. Consumer Reports gave it a shot in 2017. Survey data actually found that free apps had a higher satisfaction rating than paid apps. Granted, satisfaction is relative. People weren't thrilled out.
1. Men Pay More Often Than Women
The study found that men are 16 percent more likely to pay for apps and sites that offer dating, which surprises approximately no one.
2. West Coast Dominates The Dating Game
Those who live on the west side of the country are about 55 percent more likely to use dating apps and sites than those in other regions. I thought New Yorkers were online date-aholics, but I guess Portland, L.A., Seattle, San Francisco et al have cumulatively beat NYC, D.C., Boston, Philly and the like. I'm not sure it's a contest, and I'm not really sure who would be considered a winner even if it were, but — props, West Coast?
3. Overall, Few People Pay For Dating Apps
In addition to the 1.6 percent of people ages 18 to 26 who are down to shell out bank for dating online, 2.2 percent of 27- to 35-year-olds, 2.4 percent of 36- to 55-year-olds and 1.7 percent of those 56 and older have paid for a dating app. Pay close attention to that language: have paid for a dating app. At one time. So these tiny percentages aren't even necessarily paying right now for eHarmony or whatever — they just have, at one time, paid for some online dating service.
4. Match Rules The Paid Dating Game
As far as paying for online dating goes, Match is the most popular of them all. This is interesting, because I literally have never met anyone who has ever tried Match. Except for my ex's mom, who found her evangelical new husband on there. So there is that.
5. OkCupid Comes In Second
Match may have 44 percent of the online dating commerce, but OkCupid comes in close second, with 32 percent. Other runners-up: eHarmony (22 percent), Tinder (9 percent) and Plenty of Fish (1 percent).
6. Dating Sites Aren't Cheap
According to Earnest, the average dating site costs between $10 and $65 per month. The low end is less than the weekly coffee budget of pretty much everyone I know (with the exception of myself — what what home brew — but I parenthetically digress), but the high end of that is pretty pricey. I hope that $65 includes, like, five automatic dates with super-hotties every month.
7. Regional Dating Is A Thing
Or at least trends happen in different regions. West Coasters are definitely most likely to throw down for dating services, with a whopping 2.9 percent of people in that area willing to pay a premium for dates, followed by 2.1 percent of those who live in the Northeast, 1.8 percent of Midwesterners and 1.7 percent of Southerners. Makes sense, actually.
This Is Just Based On Statistics
Statistics are notoriously skewed — as they say, statistics lie — and this only analyzed a data set of 30,000 people, which is actually really small. If you want to pay for a dating app, pay for a dating app. If you don't, don't. Do you. And here's a handy little infographic from Earnest about this data, FYI, which also lets us know that people search for 'love' via Google the most in the month of February every year. Sweet.
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Images: Andrew Zaeh/Bustle; Earnest; WiffleGif (8)
So what’s the deal with the Hinge app?
Since it’s relaunch a while back, the Hinge dating app has called itself the “relationship app,” saying it’s “designed to be deleted.”
But is the Hinge app really so different from Tinder?
We foraged the internet for real reviews and information, and here’s what we found out about using Hinge for dating.
What people love about the Hinge app [PROS]
• Hinge makes it clear it’s for relationships, not hookups, which puts everybody on the same page.
• Hinge profiles have style and substance. Hinge CEO explains: “It’s like Instagram profiles for dating, and in beta testing, has driven five times the conversations.”
• Rather than swiping, you interact with the dater’s profile content directly. The profiles scroll really naturally into photos, videos, and info about the person. When you come across something cool in a profile, you can heart or comment on it to get the conversation moving straight away.
Dating App That Pays Money
• Hinge uses your Facebook data to match you with people who have mutual friends while avoiding awkward ex and family ties.
Best App That Pays Money
What people don’t like about the Hinge app [CONS]
• While you can trial the Hinge app for a while, you’ll eventually be asked to pay the $7 monthly membership fee.
• People online mention seeing a lot of the same people on Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble.
• Some users have had trouble getting their Facebook info to display the way they want it to on Hinge.
Overall takeaway: ✔️ 👍
All that having been said… we found much more good feedback than bad about the Hinge app.
We think it’s a good find for people seeking a long-term relationship who don’t want to mess around with people who aren’t serious. And for those who want a little more substance in their profiles.
How to guarantee you’ll meet someone great on Hinge
Test your dating pics on Photofeeler to make sure they are 👌.
What Apps Pay You Money
Studies show that people are terrible at picking flattering photos of themselves. And nowhere is that more evident than on dating sites/apps.
Photofeeler tells you how you’re coming across in pics. That way, you only use your best ones. (And you might be shocked at which ones those are!)