Just curious really! I’m a guy who refuses to pay for premium features on dating apps. A typical amount seems to be £30/month which is insane to me for what is fundamentally a basic text and photo based online service, in a world where Netflix and prime cost £9.99/month and social media is completely free.

I would be seriously tempted if it was something sensible like £5/month for the sake of better filters and unlimited matches/messages but the amount that is being asked for tinder, bumble etc. makes it a total non starter.

15 comments
  1. Because it seems like the better profit model is to have a core group of people pay out of the nose for the extra things than it is to lower the price and have more people pay

  2. Dating apps are not designed to help you find someone. Especially not the free versions. So, when you fail on the free version, the idea is that you would be so desperate that you’ll now pay. Then when you pay, it wouldn’t make good business sense to find a match. So, you still won’t.

  3. Because the exclusivity is the point. The cheaper they make it, the more people who will join in, and since the dating apps are zero sum that defeats the whole purpose of getting premium. It’s only worth anything if it’s beyond the reach of most of the users.

  4. People who are willing to pay for dating apps are willing to pay a lot. People who aren’t aren’t even willing to pay a little. Lowering the price may not increase the number of customers by a more than proportionate amount.

  5. A lot of people online spend a month or two on dating apps and then leave. It’s not meant for people to use for years at a time.

    I think this sub is basically a collection of people who have a particularly hard time dating (myself included) and have spend years on dating apps . Look around the real world, most people just go out, date, have relationships, get married without too much trouble.

  6. Quite simply because people will pay it.

    I do question the strategy of some apps, like Bumble, who when you pay for the upgrade it doesn’t actually help your profile at all. Tinder Premium legitimately did heavily increase my matches, you are basically paying for your card to be shown more often. People seem to forget these apps are there to turn a profit, not to make the world full of happy relationships, they found a way monetise love, and now they can charge what they want.

  7. Because they know desperate people will pay anything, and the average person would never consider paying a penny

  8. Might be an unpopular opinion, but if you can’t afford $30 a month on a dating app, I don’t think you can afford a relationship.

    I’ve paid for one or two premium memberships and always had better date choices because of that.

    Some women even think that if you’re serious about finding a relationship, spending some money only shows that you’ve got what it takes.

    But every situation can be looked at different angles, some may think that they are indeed desperate to spend money just to get a match.

  9. Taking advantage of the competitive nature of human beings is extremely profitable. Even if you don’t want to pay for them at the current price point, someone will just to gain some sort of advantage over users who don’t.

  10. Apps with a website are much cheaper there. Like I got lifetime Bumble Premium for $120 and a year of Tinder Platinum for like $82ish. Hinge is the most expensive for the least features but is probably the most worth it, but it’s only worth occasionally buying like 3 months to use a ton then just go back to free for a while.

  11. For some men, 30 pounds for the possibility of meeting someone is worth the money. Unless they’re ridiculously good-looking, they’ll soon realise the futility of paying that amount and will revert to the free version.

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