Dating Apps Offer New Discount, Premium Tiers in Effort to Court Paying Users

  • New weekly subscriptions are driving Gen Z subscription growth
  • Premium tiers are also planned as paying user growth stalls
Photographer: Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg
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Dating apps are embracing AI and expanding their subscription plans, hoping new premium and discount tiers will court more paying users — particularly Gen Z — as growth slows.

Match Group Inc. has seen “significant demand” for its new weekly subscriptions — the number of UK-based Gen Z women switching to a paid Tinder plan jumped 73% since the April launch, and the boost to Hinge was similar. Match is also exploring a $500-a-month version, due to launch in the fall. Bumble Inc., which already has a weekly offering, will start testing a premium tier later this year, alongside a cheaper option specifically aimed at Gen Z. Grindr Inc. said its new weekly option is also driving monetization, and it’s looking at cheaper options and a premium tier.