Today, more people than ever are searching for like-minded individuals to love, and dating apps remain the leading way to find partners. Online dating market trends are inspiring. Revenue in the dating services market is expected to reach $8.29 billion in 2025, with an annual CAGR of 1.65% from 2025 to 2029.
Globalization and greater mobility, combined with busy lives, make online dating the most likely option. The global revenue of online dating services was rated at $2.98 billion, and the stats are only expected to grow. In 2028, the number of users relying on online dating will peak at 452.47 million, demonstrating a significant increase from 2018.
And what is the best dating app? Tinder remains the leader in the market, with 105.813 million average monthly visits registered between 2022 and 2024; Badoo follows suit with its 90.561 million monthly visits. Although other companies have generated less evident revenue, the numbers for mobile dating app development are still high.
And yet, many people express disappointment with dating apps. Half of the users admitted to having negative experiences with online dating. This dating apps decline demonstrates that, despite all the efforts and revenue generated today, there’s a potential target audience that remains discontented with the services they receive. Tapping into this potential and finding the solution is possible, and we’ll tell you how.
We will explain how to create a dating app from scratch and what new dating app ideas you can apply to attract new users.
Why people are fed up with dating apps
The lingering question is: if online dating is so popular, how come we’re witnessing the decline of dating apps?
Superficial matches
Today’s online dating market makes this matchmaking process the leading one despite its many flaws. Let’s be honest: most photos people upload to dating apps demonstrate them at their best, but they hardly look like that every day. Plus, a couple of pictures and a short bio don’t tell much about the person on the other side of the screen.
Most dating apps don’t include anything beyond these. This contradicts the ultimate goal of dating apps: casual dating didn’t generate as much revenue ($930 million) as matchmaking ($4.05 billion), meaning people look for long-term relationships much more often.
This requires a different approach instead of simply allowing swiping left or right based on a shallow matching process.
The illusion of endless options
One of the problems when building a dating app is that users can begin to develop the false belief that there are always more options to choose from. As a result, this promise creates a distorted view that the next swipe will be “the right one,” making it almost impossible for many to narrow their focus to a single person.
The variety of alternatives leads to frustration, making users feel lost about what they really want from the experience. The constant availability of new profiles creates an illusion of abundance, but it can also hinder long-term commitment, as users continuously wonder if there might be someone better just around the corner.
Lack of engagement
Contemporary dating app development doesn’t account for the “fast food” sort of communication. Perhaps in style with how matching works, conversations with a large number of people also remain superficial.
Quite often, chats lose their spark (or any genuine effort) in a few days or even hours when individuals receive simple requests for casual encounters or have to deal with ghosting. For some, it can even create a feeling of simplified, fleeting interactions without any genuine desire to connect. This can cause a cycle of continuous excitement that’s quickly replaced with disappointment.
Safety issues and scams
In 2022, almost 70,000 people reported an Internet romance scam, with the losses approaching $1.3 billion. The Federal Trade Commission even compiled a list of the most common scammers’ lies, from “I cannot meet you because someone in my family is sick” to “You can trust me with your private pictures.”
Many lose finances by investing in cryptocurrency, gift cards, or simply transferring money. Such concerns remain a severe issue for many people, making them afraid of ever returning after the first painful scam.
On top of that, many can receive harassment or catfishing because anonymity makes it sometimes impossible to trace back to the perpetrator. And don’t get us started on rude comments many people face from unknown numbers—this issue can be severely traumatizing.
What the next generation of dating apps needs
Moving to a more positive note, how do you build a dating app and address the existing users’ concerns? We’ve got a few ideas to reverse the dating app trends of the past.
AI-powered matching systems
Creating a dating app with AI can replace the overly generic matching approach existing today. It can use data analysis and its algorithms to assess personality traits, values, and genuine compatibility.
In addition, such apps can require more information and combine it with users’ behavior, communication patterns, and preferences to find meaningful matches. Even if it considers such factors as appearance, it can still suggest users connect with someone based on other, more essential, characteristics.
Such a switch would encourage more people to trust the matching process and recognize that those presented by the apps’ algorithm have something in common with them and can fit their vibe and likes.
Advanced user verification
In the future of dating apps, security will be an even greater problem. Advanced user verification can be a significant step in reducing safety and privacy concerns and, hopefully, add a new level of accountability among users.
While anonymity is a definite perk of online dating, it can have drawbacks. Implement multi-step verification, connections with social media, or even video confirmations. Such a step addresses the existing users’ concerns and builds community trust, thus encouraging more people to try the app and share it with others.
Interest-based communities
Most people looking for a long-term relationship want to find those who share their interests, and it works in romantic and friendly perspectives.
Developing a dating app based on this can be revolutionary. Apps can gather users into smaller groups based on shared hobbies, lifestyles, or passions, thus creating more narrow units. Consequently, individuals will know how to start a conversation without an awkward “Hi, how are you doing?”
These niche communities allow for more organic interactions and the possibility of meeting compatible individuals.
Interactive features
Online dating app development can move toward more interactive communication channels. Chatting doesn’t give many people the same spark as video or voice calls. Some people have trouble relying only on text, while others prefer seeing the potential partner before meeting in person.
Voice calls give a better understanding of the other person’s tone of voice and manner of speaking, and video provides a better glance at the non-verbal cues and individual quirks. For some, it can be the decisive factor as many red flags or simply “icky” behaviors can be deal-breakers but aren’t evident when simply chatting.
Integrating live events
It’s frustrating to chat with someone for several weeks only to never speak with each other again. True, many people can get enchanted when chatting online and become anxious to meet each other, so dating apps can artificially reinforce this barrier.
Create a dating app that will bridge the gap between virtual interactions and real-world connections. Users are encouraged to participate in different experiences offline, either in groups or in a date-like manner, and have a chance to meet in person.
Dating apps can initiate specific curated experiences and events to diversify and enrich dating. For example, an app can feature a specific music-based challenge and suggest different locations depending on the users’ music tastes. Adding this feature as a must will bring a new instrument to break the online wall and move into the real world.
Alternative dating app ideas
How to create a dating app that doesn’t replicate the old errors? Here are just a few original dating app ideas to get you inspired.
Experience-based dating app
Instead of simply chatting online or calling, such a dating app can push users to try outdoor activities or events to enjoy together. Users can get paired based on their interests (such as a love for vintage French movies or hikes in nature) and bring them close together with the help of location data.
This will also provide recommendations for local events or holidays, encouraging those who regularly travel to meet new people and expand their horizons.
By shifting the focus from digital conversations to actual experiences, you can develop a dating app with more organic connections and reduce the anxiety often associated with first dates.
No-swiping dating app
Alright, swiping can get boring and redundant. Many users don’t want to be rated on their looks—so give them an alternative. Instead, build a dating app that uses compatibility quizzes and personality tests to find the correct matches relying on personality features, values, or relationship goals.
Users would complete a comprehensive quiz that helps the app’s algorithm assess personality compatibility and interests. This way, people trust their matches more and don’t dive blindly into communication. It’s also helpful to provide follow-up questions to refine matches if the priorities change or the app can pursue further personalization.
Interest-based app
This alternative dating app can concentrate on shared interests, hobbies, and intellectual pursuits. Users will find people who have something in common with them as opposed to simply using basic demographics such as age, weight/height, or location. It can encourage building connections on firmer ground and develop shared pursuits.
To illustrate, this app can provide users’ profiles with their portfolios, latest projects, or something else showcasing their interests visually. Such programs can even create smaller groups, like book or cooking clubs, and suggest private messaging as one of the communication channels.
The future of dating
Now, you’ve got a better understanding of how to build a dating app that will stay relevant and address the mistakes of other platforms. People need something that will ensure deeper connections beyond simple swiping based on looks.
As you dive into the process of custom dating app development, you will need to narrow down your ideas, identify your target audience, and assess your resources.
Feel like you need assistance in creating the best dating app and making it stick? Our company has experience with bringing innovation and emotional intelligence to create applications with a long-term vision. Reach out to us, and we’ll help you get your dating app idea to life.
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About the author:
Alexey Shalimov, CEO at Eastern Peak
As CEO at Eastern Peak, a professional software consulting and development company, Alexey ensures top quality and cost-effective services to clients from all over the world. Alexey is also a founder and technology evangelist at several technology companies. Previously, as a CEO of the Gett (GetTaxi) technology company, Alexey was in charge of developing the revolutionary Gett service from ground up and deploying the operation across the globe from New York to London and Tel Aviv.
