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People are ghosting big-name dating apps, as smaller platforms make a splash

Robyn Exton, CEO and founder of the sapphic dating app HER, explains how the online dating market has changed over the years.
Just in time for cuffing season, smaller identity-based apps are having a moment.
Marketplace

Dating apps struggle to compete in a saturated market

Nov 14, 2023
Take Bumble. Its stock price started at around $70 a share when it went public in early 2021. It’s now around $14.
A lot of dating app users are "feeling swiped out," said Liesel Sharabi, a professor of communication at Arizona State.
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Some singles are done with dating apps

Sep 7, 2023
And they've turned their efforts to other methods, like speed dating and matchmakers.
Participants at a speed dating event in London.
Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images

Wait, how much per swipe? Dating apps flirt with premium subscriptions.

Aug 30, 2023
Along with pricey upgrades, some apps are rolling out lower-cost options as they try to rake in more dollars from subscribers.
Grindr is among the apps that have started offering premium weekly memberships.
Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

New Tinder background checks are more than a safety feature

Mar 11, 2022
Dating apps rely on supply and demand. If users don't feel safe, they'll ditch the platforms.
A woman walks past a Tinder advertisement.
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COVID changes prompt dating apps to adapt

Aug 11, 2021
As the number of new users has flattened, dating app companies are creating game-like scenarios and events to keep people engaged while they look for potential partners.
The dating application Bumble. Dating apps have had to adapt to COVID changes.
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Background checks in dating apps aim to promote safety, but raise privacy concerns

Mar 17, 2021
A leading dating-app company is working with a nonprofit to bring criminal checks to one of its platforms.
A woman walks past a Tinder advertisement.
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For public good, not for profit.

Love in the time of COVID: Dating apps are thriving

Nov 24, 2020
Hookup culture could be waning in the era of COVID-19, with infection a constant concern.
Bumble, the dating company, went public last week, making Whitney Wolfe Herd the youngest female CEO to take its company public.
Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images

As "social distancing" becomes the new norm, will online dating start to lose its appeal?

Mar 11, 2020
"I feel a little bit like Chicken Little for it, but I cancelled that date," said one online dater.
Tinder has canceled the release of a new choose-your-own-adventure series due to COVID-19.
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Making friends is tough. There's an industry that wants to help with that.

Jan 3, 2020
Apps, dating services, even matchmakers are trying to help adults find friends, for a price.
NBC/Newsmakers