Technology has transformed many aspects of our lives, especially how we meet new people, date and build relationships.
Today, it might be challenging to find a millennial without a dating app installed on his or her smartphone. In fact, millennials have accelerated the online dating trend.
According to a January 2018 Statista survey, 12% of 18-29-year-olds revealed that they found and met their partner online.
While there are more than 1,500 dating platforms, Tinder which works on the simplest business idea of “Swipe Right” to like or “Swipe Left” to dislike grabs the highest market share in the USA.
With the rising popularity and usage of online dating apps showing no signs of going back, it’s not hard to digest why more budding entrepreneurs want to invest in dating app development.
Through this comprehensive post, we are going to extend a helping hand to those entrepreneurs by illustrating the steps to build an app like Tinder.
Let’s first take a peek at more facts and figures that signify the promising future of the online dating app industry before you get into how to make an app like Tinder.
Online Dating App Market: Stats and Facts to Watch Out
Take a look below at some of the latest online dating stats testifying the boom of the online dating industry worldwide.
- The online dating market size is anticipated to reach $10.87 Billion by 2028 from $7.35 Billion in 2020, at a CAGR of 5.11% from 2021 to 2028.
- The number of online dating users is expected to reach 440.9 Million users by 2027.
- According to a survey, more than 27% of committed relationships started online.
A Quick Overview of Tinder
Launched in 2012, Tinder is an online dating app that enables users to “swipe right” to like or “swipe left” to dislike photos of other users on the app. When a match happens, users can chat with each other.
Today, Tinder has a solid presence in over 90 countries worldwide with 75 Million monthly active users and 6.2 million subscribers as of 2020.
With more than 6.5 Million monthly downloads as of May 2021, Tinder is the most downloaded online dating app in the world.
Tinder: Key Highlights, Features & Offerings
Unlike other dating apps that rely on traditional personal details of users for matchmaking, Tinder is a location-based dating app with the following set of admired features:
- Login via Facebook or phone number
- User profile
- Geolocation to find matches in a nearby area or a particular city
- Search functionality based on filters such as distance, age and sex
- Swipe and matchmaking
- Real-time chat
- Push notifications
- Social media integration (Snapchat and Instagram)
- Boost
- Unlimited Rewind
- Top Picks
Choose Business Model to Create an App like Tinder
To get things off the ground, you need to decide on a particular niche and business model you want to focus on within your dating app.
When it comes to dating apps, the primary business model that popular dating apps like Tinder use for matchmaking and making money is the freemium business model.
In this model, the dating app enables users to sign up and access basic features for free but charges a premium for advanced features. For example, Tinder charges a premium for features such as Boost and Unlimited Swipes.
Revenue Model of an App like Tinder
Below is a breakdown of the monetization models of dating apps:
- Paid subscriptions
- In-app purchases
- In-app third-party ads
- Digital gifts and third-party services
- Affiliate marketing
How to Create an App like Tinder?
It all begins with assembling a development team featuring a project manager, business analyst, app developer, UI/UX designer and QA engineer to transform your online dating app idea into a reality.
Once the team is deployed, you can initiate the development process that involves the following key steps:
Strategy & Planning
The first stage is to come up with a detailed and actionable project roadmap through product discovery workshops that emphasize identifying the target audience, pain points of the target users, competitor analysis, technology stack, app features, budget and timeline.
UI/UX Design
It’s time to engage with UI/UX designers who can help you curate super engaging user interfaces for your dating app.
Development
In this stage, designers and app developers work collaboratively to build the front-end and back-end components of the dating application using the predefined tech stack in the planning phase.
If you decide to go with a native app development approach, you need to hire an individual Android developer and an iOS developer to target both platforms.
If you consider a cross-platform mobile app development approach, you can work with developers with expertise in Flutter, React Native or Ionic.
Testing
This is the part where you engage with QA engineers to rigorously test your dating app for usability, compatibility, performance and UI before the launch.
Launch
It’s time to launch your glitch-free app to app marketplaces such as Apple App Store and Google Play Store. After successfully launching the app, it’s crucial to focus on regular bug fixing and upgrade the app based on user feedback.
How Much Does It Create an App like Tinder?
The cost to develop a dating app with features like Tinder can start from $40,000. Nevertheless, this is a rough estimate. There are a number of factors that influence the cost to build a dating app like Tinder, which include:
App Complexity
If you are looking to include a Tinder-like app design, features and functionality, you should know that the development cost is going to be on the higher side.
And the rule is pretty straightforward; as the complexity of the app increases in terms of design and features, the overall cost as well. If you want to begin things on the right foot, you should give a thought to the MVP (minimum viable product) approach.
In fact, from Amazon to Airbnb, there are many successful MVP examples to look at to build your own MVP for a dating app.
Technology Stack
The technology stack you choose depends on the development approach you decide to go with. If it’s a native development approach, you need to hire an individual Android developer and an iOS developer to target both platforms.
Thus, this approach is going to be relatively higher.
On the other hand, you can target both Android and iOS platforms with a cross-platform development approach using technologies such as Flutter and React Native.
This will not only reduce development costs but also accelerate the time to market.
Development Team
Whether you decide to build an in-house team or outsource and hire dedicated offshore developers also influences the cost quota.
Moreover, the location of your developers and experience and expertise level also plays a crucial role in determining your dating app development cost.
What InfoStride Can Do for You?
InfoStride’s team of experts can help turn your dating app like Tinder into a reality with end-to-end development support from technology consultation to launch.
No matter how you engage with us, we ensure to bring the following advantages to you:
- Access to pre-vetted fully managed developers with expertise in dating app development
- Flexible and affordable engagement models to choose from
- Agile development approach for faster development
- Time-zoned aligned developers and resource scalability on demand
- A dedicated account manager and daily reporting to ensure transparency
Interested? Reach out to us with your project requirements and get the developers you need to build an app like Tinder today!
Conclusion
That was our take on how to build an app like Tinder.
Well, the competition in the industry is cutthroat with many strong players like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge already making every effort to attain a high market share.
However, you can still disrupt the industry with the innovative online dating app idea and the right development partner to help give life to your idea.
