Our Verdict
Our Tinder review explores the popular dating app that entered the scene back in 2012 and has steadily grown in popularity over the last decade due to its famed “swipe right and left” feature.
The online dating app, which is available in over 190 countries in more than 40 languages, is geared toward anyone 18+ looking to find connections that may lead to a romantic match.
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eHarmony, Your Journey to Lasting Love
- Provides users with a curated selection of matches based on their compatibility
- Have complete confidence that all of your compatible matches are looking for the same thing you are, love that lasts
- Align with individuals who desire deeper and more meaningful relationships
- Millions of couples have found lasting love
On eHarmony's Website
Key Features
- Swipe: Swipe right to match and left to dislike a profile. This is free on the basic version.
- Passport: Tinder subscribers can search for a match in other destinations around the globe. This premium feature may be useful when traveling and exploring connections outside of your hometown.
- Cost: Three individually priced tiers each offer special features. Choose from a one, six or 12-month subscription.
Tinder launched with its famed “swipe right and left” feature as a fun and simple way to connect with others and potentially meet your long-term romantic partner. It has undergone many changes over the years, including adding the ability to find matches abroad, “rewind” a previous like or dislike (which means you can reverse those decisions) and enhanced safety features, such as photo verification.
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Tinder at a Glance
- User Base: According to 2022 survey results by Pew Research Center, 46% of all online dating users, as well as 79% of online dating users under the age of 30 say they’ve used the platform, making it the most popular in the U.S., compared to other dating sites and apps[1]Key findings about online dating in the U.S. Pew Research Center. Accessed 1/8/2024.
- Matching algorithm: Based on users’ activity, interests, similar photos to profiles a user has liked before and location
- Features: Profile prompts among your profile photos such as adding ‘songs I’m singing while I wash my hands’ to highlight personality, Dark Mode (for night-time or when using in low-lit environments), Passport (Premium), Rewind (Premium) and Boost (Premium)
How Does Tinder Work?
Tinder is an online dating app that uses location-based technology to connect matches based on a set of preferences. Profiles are customizable with personal information, such as an “About Me” section, height and relationship goals. You can add a selection of photos (you can opt in to photo verification that uses facial recognition technology to verify it’s you in the picture) alongside Loops—a two-second looped video of your choice. The app also gives you the option to filter potential matches based on certain preferences, such as age limit and radius for matches.
“There are no detailed questionnaires and sophisticated profiles, so it’s a quick process that allows users to move faster toward a match,” says Venetia Leonidaki, doctor of clinical psychology, a consultant psychologist based in London. “The presence of the swiping feature gives users a feeling of empowerment, allowing them more control of the matchmaking process.”
How Much Does Tinder Cost?
Tinder’s cost depends on whether you wish to use the app for free or if you’d rather sign up for a paid plan. While the basic version is free to match and chat, there are three subscription tiers the app offers that unlock access to additional features, as well as incur a cost:
| Tinder Plus | Tinder Gold | Tinder Platinum | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Features Included | Unlimited Likes, Unlimited Rewinds, Passport to any location and ad-free | Additional benefits of 5 Super Likes a week and 1 Free Boost a month | Allows messaging before matching, prioritized likes and see the likes you’ve sent in the past seven days |
| One month | $7.99 | $24.99 | $29.99/month |
| Six months | $4.00/month | $12.50/month | $15.00/month |
| 12 months | $2.67/month | $8.33/month | $10.00/month |
FEATURED PARTNER OFFER
Partner Offers feature brands who paid Forbes Health to appear at the top of our list. While this may influence where their products or services appear on our site, it in no way affects our ratings, which are based on thorough research, solid methodologies and expert advice. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services
Elite Singles
- 381,000+ new monthly members
- Intelligent matchmaking for quality connections
- Time well spent with tailored matches in 25 minutes
- Thousands of singles find love with Elite Singles every month
- Daily profile quality checks to ensure safe dating experience with real people
On Elite Single's Website
What Experts Say
As of May 2023, Tinder’s Future of Dating Report reveals that the platform is popular among younger generations—Gen Z specifically—with over 50% of users falling between the ages of 18 and 25[2]Future of Dating Report 2023. Tinder. Accessed 11/30/2023. . It also remains a dating app where everyone is welcome, notes a Tinder spokesperson. Over the past few years, LGBTQIA+ members have been the fastest-growing group of users, and people who identify as non-binary have increased by 104% in the last year.
Tinder is committed to ensuring that the platform provides a safe space where users can make real connections, says the spokesperson. “Over the past three years, Tinder has invested heavily in product development across trust and safety, bringing its total set of features to more than 15,” he notes. These features include the monitoring and removal of inappropriate behavior—impersonation and harassment included—as well as automatic scans of profiles to red-flag inappropriate language and images. Furthermore, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including NO MORE, the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) and GLAAD, included) actively advise and guide the app on security measures, according to the spokesperson.
How well Tinder serves its purpose depends on how it’s used, says Dr. Leonidaki. Its effectiveness is based on how users perceive each other’s attractiveness, as well as their preference for age and location. “It therefore imitates the experience of walking into a bar or a party and gravitating towards individuals you find physically attractive around you.” Whether this encounter results in a hookup or romantic love depends on each person’s intention, compatibility and circ*mstances, she adds.
The Experience
“Tinder is constantly rolling out new features in both product and security,” says a spokesperson for Tinder. In terms of recent highlights, the app provides users with additional protection against online abuse with developments to its features, including its ‘Are You Sure?’ feature which uses AI to detect potentially offensive messaging and gives a warning to users to re-think their opening line.“‘Tinder Matchmaker’ is a new feature that lets friends and family asynchronously access Tinder to recommend profiles for a user,” he adds.
When it comes to user reviews, they tend to be a mixed bag of good, bad and the in-between. Tinder is currently ranked 2-out-of-5 stars on ConsumerAffairs, based on more than 200 reviews and ratings. One review of the app states, “I met my wife through Tinder! I owe them that! Good service and I liked how easy it was to use. It’s more of a dating app now than a hookup app that it started out as.” Other reviews describe instances of fake profiles, spam messages and unsuitable matches.
Tinder’s Trustpilot rating is also fairly poor, with a current score of 1.2-out-of-5 stars, based on just over 3,000 reviews. More than 85% of reviews are 1-star reviews, including complaints surrounding being unfairly banned from the platform, paid subscription concerns and as stated above, fake accounts. “After signing up they insist on you paying for packages to be able to use it. Three times I made payment and it still didn’t give me the package or access,” states one reviewer. One 3-star review wrote “It does work but just look out for the usual scams. I get 10 matches a week without paying.”
Another 3-star review explains: “There’s a ton of fake profiles now. Had some good matches but timing is everything. Most matches go nowhere. A friend plays the numbers game and in that they’re successful.”
Get Who Gets You
We understand it can be difficult to find a match with whom you share a similar background, goals, or beliefs, and regardless of who you may be looking for, eHarmony wants to help you find the love of your life.
On eHarmony's Website
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Tinder for dating or hookups?
Tinder is an online dating app for making connections, whether for hooking up or long-term romantic entanglements. It all comes down to how you use the app and what you’re looking to get out of it.
Is Tinder dating free?
When you open an account in free mode, you can match, chat and meet new people. To unlock additional features, you’ll have to upgrade to Tinder Plus, Tinder Gold or Tinder Platinum.
Is Tinder good for over 50?
While Tinder is open to all ages, a large pool of its users are 25 and under. That’s not to say love or friendship is not on the horizon for 6% of users who fall into the 35 and over category.
