Sadly, loneliness never goes out of style. “All by myself” sang Mr. Carmen in the evergreen anthem of lonely souls back in 1975. A lot has changed since the 70s, including the way we converse and connect with each other. Today, we are more used to meeting someone online or through a dating app than any other traditional route.
Led by Tinder, the army of online dating apps has streamlined the dating process to an unprecedented extent. Instead of sifting through extensive profiles and applying sophisticated matching algorithms, Tinder offers a shortcut to your match.
Do you want to find out how to make an app like Tinder and how much it costs? Then keep on reading. Besides ground rules, we’ll share a comprehensive guide on how to build any mobile dating app and some bankable way to make your dating app profitable.
Crucial dating app statistics
Love it or hate it, but no one follows the proper protocol of calling upon their crush these days. The dating dynamic has changed, ushering in the fundamental cultural shift. The advent of the Internet and matchmaking services has transformed the world forever and online dating is a common thing now.
Let’s go over some numbers:
- As of 2020, over 30 million Americans are using online dating services.
- As for the most popular dating apps, Tinder sits comfortably on the top of the list with around 50 mln users across the world.
- Tinder is estimated to be worth around $10 bln, according to an independent evaluation.
Dating apps are witnessing a migration of new users every single day with people sheltering at home due to the pandemic. Therefore, there has never been a better time to invest in such apps.
As we see from the stats, Tinder is the most popular app. Making its copy may be simple but making it as successful as Tinder can be a challenging task.
Let us help you.
Dating app like Tinder: Key features
Probably, the trump card that makes Tinder so popular is a fairly simple algorithm and gaming spirit. If you like what you see – swipe right, if you want other options – swipe left. Yeah, Elizabeth Bennet would be terrified.
Now let’s zoom in on Tinder app features.
- Facebook/Phone number login. Tinder allows users to sign up using a social media account or phone number. Once signed in, users can link their Tinder profile with their Facebook or Instagram accounts. The major benefit of such authentication is a superior security level.
- Geolocation. The Tinder Business Model relies heavily on geo-based features, as the app connects users based on their location. It is crucial that creators go local with the search, profile, and interest-based filtering. This will help your map-based dating app locate well-suited matches for users.
- Matching algorithm. Tinder adjusts potential matches by comparing new profiles with those already in the database.
- Swipe Surge. As Tinder’s press release suggests, the Swipe Surge feature is geared towards an unusual activity surge that happens during festivals, weekend evenings, and other events. To get notifications about surges in traffic, users must turn push notifications on. Those who turn on Swipe Surge will also have their profile featured at the beginning of the line. During the non-Surge time, users typically need to pay for top ranking.
- Find matches. Users can apply search filtering based on their specific preferences like age range, gender, etc. Then, the app selects a number of users who have mutual likes.
- User profile. User profile shows basic details like profile pictures, job, and other things. To make their profile more attractive, users can add a short bio or tags.
- Push notification. Tinder sends you a notification whenever you get a new message, like, or a match.
- Private chat. You can instantly start a private conversation with your match.
Now that we’ve got to grips with the core features of dating apps, let’s move on to the development process.
How to build your own Tinder-like app: A comprehensive guide
To implement your business idea in a tangible project, you need to follow the following steps:
Step 1. Niche down
Before spending money and time on a multi-purpose application, we recommend picking the right niche. Although the market is abounding in dating apps of various shapes and forms, you can still mark yours out by adding a sparkling of interest.
Thus, the most popular dating niches include:
- Dating apps for foodies
Dietary matchmaking is one of the most exciting categories you can tap into. It’s a low-pressure way for singles with special dietary concerns to find the one. Dating apps can pair potential couples based on particular menu choices like vegans, gluten-free, sugar-free people, and others.
Example:
PB&J. This dating platform allows members to swipe on tasty-looking food and later connects people with similar culinary tastes based on the received data.
Through a series of sophisticated algorithms, PB&J monitors user likes and dislikes and later matches two people in the end.
- Lifestyle-based dating applications
We are all unique, picturing different places for living. While some of us always go back to the city lights, others prefer rural living and the serenity of the countryside. So why not use this difference as the basis for your matching algorithm?
For example:
FarmersD. This dating app brings together single farmers, country and rural lovers, as well as cowboys, cowgirls, and ranchers to discover real love among like-minded users. The app serves as a welcoming community for thousands of countryside enthusiasts who choose picturesque rural views over
- Animal dating applications
It can be difficult to encounter a dog/cat/hamster person serendipitously, which is why pet lovers really appreciate the online space and the abundance of dating sites for pet keepers. These applications make dating people who love pets that much easier.
Example:
Dig. This dog person’s dating application makes mutual love for dogs a priority. The app also offers first date ideas with its dog-friendly locations feature.
So, what is next?
Step 2. Choose a monetization model
There is a number of monetization models that dating apps like Tinder use for generating profit:
- Freemium business model
Freemium business model is exactly what it sounds like – free and premium versions combined. It means that users can download the app for free and get access to a set of basic features. However, if they want add-ons, they have to upgrade their profile to the premium version. Various dating apps hide various premium features behind a paywall, but the most common ones are:
- Boost. The app charges users for having their profiles displayed first to other users in the same location for a certain period.
- Advanced search. Users pay for accessing additional search filters that allow them to fine-tune their search.
- Unlimited likes. As a free user, you have a limited number of likes and swipes, but with a premium account, users can like and swipe an unlimited number of times.
You can also turn to other monetization methods, such as:
- In-app purchases
This business model allows users to purchase goods in an application, including paid gifts, flowers, compliments, and kisses. In terms of dating apps, this model will surely be profitable.
- Ads
This monetization strategy is a go-to among all types of applications. Other businesses pay you for featuring their ads on your app. This may come in the form of cost-per-click or cost-per-mile models.
Step 3. Choose the tech stack for a Tinder-like app
Creating a Tinder-like dating app would require the right set of technologies that will power your product. The main thing to focus on is scalability. Why is that? Well, let’s look at Tinder as an example.
When the app came on stage, it was powered by MongoDB, the NoSQL database, to bring people together. But as the app experiences an influx of new users, the MongoDB database becomes insufficient to maintain the performance. So, the team opts for the more powerful AWS hosting.
That is why it is crucial to go for the scalable technology that won’t shutter your solution. Now onto the next step, which is setting up a perfect development team.
Step 4. Pick the right dating app development team
Today’s development landscape abounds in numerous options. Keep in mind the following parameters to find the best project team:
- Developers hourly rate
Programmer hourly wages vary greatly based on location, experience, and skill sets. However, you can still get the same amount of work done for a fraction of the price if you choose the right country. For example, hourly salaries may shoot up if you outsource a dating app developer from the US and Canada. At the same time, you can lower the cost by hiring a Europe-based specialist.
- Portfolio
The portfolio is another indicative benchmark you need to check when hiring a whole technical wing for your dating application. In this case, you can verify their expertise in particular technologies, domain experience, and so on. Also, portfolio research allows you to find a case similar to your project. For example, if the company has already developed a dating app, they do know how to deal with geolocation and matching algorithms.
- Present and past clients
References and client testimonials matter. This way, you’ll get an in-depth and impartial look at the company’s performance from the horse’s mouth. You can either ask a company for client contacts or do some research on directory sites like Clutch.co and Goodfirms. When you get the chance to communicate with previous or current clients directly, ask about the quality of work, project management, and costs.
If the company refuses to provide you with references, or client testimonials, consider that a red flag.
- Development Capabilities
Development capabilities basically refer to the size of the development team. If you are in need of a knowledge-intensive enterprise-level solution, you need to hire a big development team. On the contrary, to build a minimum viable product, you can reach out to a small or middle-sized team. This brings us to the next step.
Step 5. Develop and launch MVP
Once you’ve assigned the project to the development team, the specialists will initiate the Inception phase. This stage is about understanding the project scope, requirements, risks as well as technical and UI prototyping.
|
Feature |
About |
Estimated development time |
|
Social sign-in |
Facilitate the log-in on your dating app by using information from social networking sites. |
25+ hours |
|
User profile |
Each user fills his or her own profile and provides either basic or extended information about their personality. |
12+ hours |
|
Geolocation |
Empower your application with this feature to let users swipe left or right on other members, collected based on geolocation proximity. |
8+ hours |
|
Matching algorithms |
AI-powered matching algorithms compare favorably due to their accuracy. |
45+ hours |
|
Messaging |
Users can get to know their match better by starting a chat. |
6+ hours |
|
Push notifications |
Users get notified about new matches and incoming messages |
18+ hours |
|
Settings |
The settings feature is a must-have for most applications where users can mute the app, customize filters, and so on. |
16+ hours |
|
Total |
130+ hours |
The Final Word
Overall, building a dating application is no easy undertaking. While there are plenty of great dating apps, most of them share lots of similarities like the same set of features packed within a slightly different User Interface.
Therefore, if you want to vie for popularity with the leading market players, you need to come up with a more innovative solution, be it an uncommon niche or superior matching capabilities. We hope that now you are better equipped to build a Tinder-like app and apply monetization strategies relevant to your particular product.
Author’s bio: Tatsiana Isakova is a Belarus-based content writer who authors in-depth industry insights, opinion pieces as well as reviews, and blog posts at The App Solutions. Tatsiana loves to stay au courant with tech trends which helps pack her copies with value and relevance.
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