1. Tinder
Tinder is an online dating and geosocial networking application. In Tinder users “swipe right” to like or “swipe left” to dislike other users’ profiles. Apart from that it uses a “double opt-in” system where both users must like each other before they can exchange messages.
In 2012, Tinder was launched by “Sean Rad” at a hackathon held at the Hatch Labs incubator in West Hollywood. By 2014, it was registered that it has one billion daily “swipes” and reported that users logged into the app on average 11 times a day. In 2020, Tinder had more than 6 million subscribers and 75 million monthly active users. The company’s flame-themed logo remained consistent throughout the rebranding. In 2021, Nyborg announced that the company is working on creating a metaverse called Tinderverse. The app is available in about 196 countries and can be used in 56 languages. Tinder has recorded more than 70 billion matches worldwide.
2. Match
A match is an online dating service with websites serving more than 50 countries in twelve different languages. It is owned by Match Group, which owns several online dating services. The company has offices in Tokyo, San Francisco, West Hollywood, Dallas, and Beijing.
In September 2001, Match.com partnered with AOL and MSN. Later the company hired “Dr. Phil McGraw” as a celebrity spokesman. In July 2009, Match.com acquired People Media, which powered AOL Personals and operated BlackPeopleMeet.com and OurTime.com, from American Capital. In 2022, Match Group released a dating app for single parents called Stir. If you are looking for a life partner, Match is the best, and an Editors’ Choice winner.
3. Bumble
Bumble is an online dating application. Profiles of potential matches are displayed to users, who can “swipe left” to reject a candidate or “swipe right” to indicate interest. Bumble was founded by “Whitney Wolfe Herd”. She has described Bumble as a “feminist dating app”.
The company headquarters are in Austin, Texas. According to Forbes, by 2017 the company was valued at more than $1 billion. Bumble is the second-most popular dating app in the U.S. after Tinder. In 2019, Bumble launched its own lifestyle magazine called “Bumble Mag”. As of 2020, Bumble has more than 100 million users worldwide. In 2021, Bumble raised $2.2 billion through its IPO and the company had a valuation of more than $7 billion. It was the first dating app to include photo verification in the US.
4. Clover
Clover is a mobile dating app that connects with a user’s Facebook account or email address. It is available for download for Android and iOS devices. Users can interact with each other by liking each other, sending text and multimedia chat messages, sending gifts, requesting dates using the “On Demand Dating” feature or setup chat groups or group events using the “Mixers” feature.
On 17 March 2014, Clover launched on the Apple iTunes store. The app is free to download and most features in the app are free to use. Apart from that user’s can also dislike other users which will remove them from future search results. The app also gives suggestions for locations based on price and popularity. Clover did a survey and it was found that 52% of women preferred to meet at a coffee shop and 51% of men preferred to meet at a restaurant.
5. OkCupid
OkCupid is a U.S.-based, internationally operating online dating, friendship, and formerly also a social networking website and application. It features multiple-choice questions to match members. In 2007, OkCupid was listed in Time magazine’s Top 10 dating websites. OkCupid was originally owned by Humor Rainbow, Inc.
In January 2018, OkCupid appointed ‘Ariel Charytan’ as CEO who was formerly senior vice president of audiobook and podcast company Audible. In May 2021, the company launched a monthly blog series, called Dating Data Center. OkCupid is owned by Match Group, which also owns Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and many other popular dating apps and sites. It became the first dating app to create a dedicated space on profiles for LGBTQ daters.