Online dating is a $4 billion market that is likely to grow in the future years as more individuals turn to technology to find love and casual hookups.
With the demand so high and the market so unsaturated by viral apps, can there be a place for businesses and startups to have a foothold in the dating sector, and perhaps, make it? If you have decided to take a shot in the dating industry, then let’s discuss dating app development.
In this post, you’ll be looking into the benefits of developing a dating app like Tinder, its must-have features, and figuring out how to make a dating app and how much it cost to develop it.
How do Dating Apps Work?
Social dating apps are the best way to find and meet people online. Dating mobile apps like Tinder allow users to find their perfect match by selecting standard categories: gender, location, age, interests, etc. Some apps allow you to fill out lengthy forms with questions in order to find the best match for you.
An app like Bumble provides an immediate chatting option to fix a date with the match. Hinge works based on connections and allows users to find a match that is either a friend or a friend of a friend.
A Few Interesting Stats
According to research, the Global Dating Apps Market is expected to exceed $8.4 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of over 6%, with yearly profits continuously growing with each passing year. Match Group, Badoo, and eHarmony are some major players working in the dating app market.
Concerning dating app industry trends, the key ones are again linked to transformations in human communication that we all experienced in 2020, all of which are linked to the use of new technology. We’re referring to video chats and other video-related services that all of the large enterprises have added in the recent year.
Every business and individual thinking about benefiting from dating app development should consider how to capitalize on these and other trends. Businesses want to think more creatively in an age where swiping functionality is no longer sufficient. It’s tough to outperform Tinder with a clone, but you can do it with essentially the same functionality but with some distinct benefit. The best example is Bumble, another popular dating app. All thanks to its strategy that offer more power to women and its latest feature ‘5 Love Languages’.
There are an increasing number of dating apps that cater to certain interests ranging from religion and sexual orientation to hobbies, occupations, and political convictions. App developers argue that their products provide a more meaningful connection between like-minded people and are better suited for those looking for long-term partnerships.
How To Make A Dating App Like Tinder?
While there are so many dating apps available in the market but Tinder is still a star. Wondering, what made Tinder so popular? Let’s figure out the basic concept before you decide to build a Tinder clone app. So what makes online dating app development successful?
Started in 2012, Tinder is a free dating app that changed the popular view of dating applications. Previous experiences with dating websites and apps necessitated continual interaction, which was incredibly inconvenient in the face of rejection.
Tinder revolutionized everything by just using physical proximity as a profile pitch component and the swiping logic where the right swipe says “Yes” and the left swipe says “No”. If somebody swipe left, then he/she won’t see that profile again, sparing you some unrequited love.
Despite the competition, Tinder gets billions of swipes per day due to several reasons. And one of the prime reasons is Tinder’s feature set that almost every dating app development company is adopting.
Must-have Features of Dating App
Social Login
Users can log in to the dating app with their social media accounts such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. A dating platform allows users to integrate their social media accounts with it which makes this platform more trustworthy.
Matches
Matching is an important aspect of dating applications. People join into your app hoping for a favorable outcome, and if you’re creating a dating app, you’ll need to include a match-making/swiping feature.
Real-Time Chat
The next feature of a dating app is in-app messaging. The real-time chat option is essential since couples with mutual interests can simply interact on chats. As a result, the first priority should be to have a match, and then a chat option should be available to keep people engaged with the app.
Geolocation
The geolocation feature is a key strength of your dating app development. The basic idea behind integrating this feature is to find people within a certain radius. When you assign your mobile app development team the project, make sure that the geolocation API and Core Location are implemented.
Push Notifications
The app sends push notifications to users on their registered contact number or email id. Notifications are gentle reminders to keep users updated on matches, profile suggestions, messages, etc. Users do not have to waste time waiting for the activity to be detected by the app. These are the key characteristics that will encourage frequent returns and user engagement with the dating app.
These are various features that come as part and parcel of Tinder. You can include other features to your Tinder clone app and it would add up to dating app development cost.
Technology Stack of Tinder
Tinder’s visual simplicity is a result of the extensive work done by developers of different technologies. Tinder’s bundle includes a website and an API in addition to the main app. When it comes to Tinder’s performance, it is its key asset like any other complicated solution containing vast quantities of user data and it has to be implemented using the advanced technologies available.
Developing a Tinder clone app needs more than just the technology stack, APIs, and even source code. It is more about the intense knowledge of technologies capable of creating a dating app. So, look for a dating app development company with proficiency in mobile and DB technologies.
Backend/API Stack:
- Node.js
- HTML5
- JavaScript
- MongoDB
- Elastic Search
- AWS
- Redis
- Bash Scripting
- Python
- GoDaddy SSL
- Mapbox
Android/iOS Mobile App Stack:
- Objective C
- Swift
- Rubymotion
- Java
- Ruby/Cucumber
Website Stack:
- jQuery
- Nginx
- Node.js
Tinder App Design
Simple design is probably the primary visual aspect that catches the eyeball. Users don’t want to waste time while dealing with the app. They expect the app to be user-friendly and intuitive. Tinder’s initial popularity was due in part to how simple it was to carry out activities connected to normally tough concepts. Tinder transformed the process of making a pass into something natural and straightforward, similar to swiping through photographs.
The primary notion of a dating app design, including both UI and UX features, must be the real-life experience. It cannot take you away from each other by being overly sophisticated; rather, it must lead you to the final objective, which is to get out in person!
Keeping the app design and functionality simple can help users get hooked on the goal-driven experience. Also, it is better not to use templates to outperform the competition and offer a reliable, authentic product.
How Much Does It Cost To Develop A Dating App?
The total development cost for a dating app might depend on several factors – complexity of the app, technology stack, functionalities, features, level of design, and any specific requirement you might want to add. The bare fact about dating app development is that if you want to create a dating app like Tinder, you’ll need a serious budget.
The architecture of a cross-platform app needs a complicated technological solution that might take a long time to develop. Some of the components, which form the foundation of the app’s performance, are invariably more expensive and time-consuming. The mobile app is the heart of a project.
Timescale
- It would take up to 1000 hours to create a single-platform app version.
- To develop a backend, it would take 200+ hours.
- Nearly 100+ hours would need to build UI/UX design.
- For testing and launch, it would take 50+ hours.
Direct Cost
The cost of developing a dating mobile app is directly related to the hourly rates of the developers. You have three options: either hire freelancers and sync their work, engage a local dating app development team or go all-in on development outsourcing.
- Freelancers – $15-$35/hour
- In-house development team – around $50/hour
- Outsourced team – approx $60/hour
Total Dating App Development Cost
- iOS Dating App Development – $10, 000+
- Android Dating App Development – $8, 000+
Perks of Developing a Dating App
Building a dating app has numerous benefits that would help businesses to generate better revenue. Take a look at some benefits of developing an online dating app:
Versatile Audience
Dating apps have versatile users across the globe – people of different age groups, gender, and locations. Most of the users use these apps to meet their perfect matches in a few swipes.
Wide-Scale Demand
The dating app industry is expanding at an exponential rate, resulting in high demand for online dating apps. According to Statista, total user penetration might rise from 4.9 percent in 2021 to 5.7 percent in 2024. You might see a substantial rise in consumers from 44.2 million in 2022 to 53.3 million in 2025.
Multiway Earning
Businesses can make money in several ways with dating apps. In essence, there is no primary source because they can make any amount of money from either source. It is the reason why this sector is developing at such a rapid and sustainable rate. Here are some ways entrepreneurs can make money by developing dating apps:
- Subscription
- In-App purchase
- Advertising
- App Monetization
Summary
This blog gives you an adequate understanding of the key features and development costs of developing a feature-packed online dating app. If you are planning to build the one, then our developer team can take your online dating business to the heights of success.
iApp Technologies is the best dating app development company that has an excellent track record of building robust, scalable dating apps. Contact us to discuss your project requirements.
Jagwinder Singh
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