Wondering why are dating apps so expensive? You’re about to find out why.
The most obvious reason is the law of supply and demand. The fact is: there are enough people willing to pay the subscription fees on dating apps for the businesses to justify the prices. Dating apps ultimately only exist to make its owners money, after all.
In this article, we’ll explore the law of supply and demand, plus why so many people are willing to spend big money on dating apps.
How Much Do Dating Apps Cost On Average?
Most dating apps make their money from a monthly subscription model. Mainstream apps typically charge their users between $15 and $30 per month.
However, there are other premium apps aimed at rich people that charge a lot more – then there are some dating apps that are completely free to use.
In fact, most mainstream apps use the ‘freemium’ model, where they have a free version and encourage users to upgrade to a paid subscription for extra reach and more privileges. These free editions are designed not to attract you too much success. Their entire existence is to tempt you to upgrade.
Not Everyone Considers Dating Apps Expensive
I’m not saying this to rub it in. It’s important you remember this so you understand the other points in this article.
For some people, i$29.99 is a drop in the ocean for Tinder Gold, especially once they consider the amount of time they’ll save trying to land a date.
Ultimately, there are enough people willing to pay $29.99 a month for Tinder Gold and that’s why it’s priced like that.
It’s the same reason why a Bugatti Chiron costs well over $3 million. There’s enough people who don’t consider it ‘too expensive’ who are willing to pay the price. This is what they call the law of supply and demand.
If you earned more money, you wouldn’t bat an eyelid at the cost of most dating apps.
Why Are People Willing To Pay So Much For Dating Apps?
It’s true that dating apps cost more than most of the popular apps on iOS and Android.
Netflix, and the hours upon hours of entertainment it provides, costs just $9.99. Social media and messaging apps are completely free to use.
The difference is: dating apps are offering something that everyone desperately wants and many people struggle to find; love and intimacy.
A lot of young adults struggle to make romantic opportunities for themselves in the real world, either because they don’t have time to go out and socialize or because they’re afraid to flirt with people.
Tinder and other mainstream dating apps market themselves as the solution to this problem – and it’s a solution people are desperate enough to pay decent money for.
There are plenty of people out there willing to pay north of $20 for entrance to a nightclub every weekend, plus a lot more on drinks and travel, to try and solve the same problem.
When you consider that, dating apps are a steal. They get you access to more singles for less money and without all the hassle of having to dress up, queue to get in, find the bravery to start a conversation etc.
Dating Apps Save You Time And Effort
You can charge people money for any service which saves them time. You can charge them A LOT if you save them from doing something they really don’t want to do.
Many people consider the use of dating apps as a more time-efficient way to land a date, compared to meeting someone in the real world. So, maybe now you see why so many people are willing to pay good money to use dating apps. Instead of mingling in bars and clubs, they can swipe on their phone during their toilet breaks at work and maybe land a date.
You might enjoy going and flirting with sexy people at the weekend, but it strikes fear into the hearts of a lot of men and women. I’d imagine there’d be plenty of guys who’d pay double whatever their dating app of choice currently charges if they felt the alternative was having to approach women in real life.
The premium editions of free dating apps usually offer a service where you see who has already swiped right on you. This means you don’t have to swipe endlessly on people’s profiles yourself to land matches, saving you even more time! Some premium editions promise you more reach for your profile, attracting you more matches with even less effort on your part!
If you’re a half-decent entrepreneur, you could surely earn enough with an extra hour of time to pay for a month of Tinder Gold or other similar services.
Exclusivity Is Important When Creating Premium Experiences
There are some dating apps that charge eye-watering monthly premiums, such as Luxy, The League or Millionaire Match.
The reason they do this: they want to create an aura of exclusivity.
Women sign up to Luxy because they want to meet the men who can afford it. Men sign up to these apps because they want to show off their riches and have less men to compete with. It’s no different to a high-end nightclub in this respect.
The price of Tinder Platinum is so high because it needs exclusivity to work. The main selling point of this feature is that it puts you towards the top of the Tinder pack, meaning your profile gets seen by a lot more people. But if most users found this feature affordable, its advantages would be null and void.
EHarmony is one of the more expensive dating apps available today, but the exclusivity this creates is part of why it’s the most successful website for pairing members with their future spouses. The price of eHarmony means it only attracts people who are serious about finding true love. The cost of entry keeps out people who are only looking for a casual fling or validation from strangers. It increases the overall quality of the user base and people are willing to pay a premium for that. That’s no different to a high-end nightclub either.
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide helped you realize why dating apps charge as much as they do.
If you consider dating apps expensive, it’s either because you don’t have a lot of money or you don’t consider it worth the money to save time finding a date online.
There are plenty of people who don’t consider dating apps too expensive – and that’s why the online dating industry is estimated to be worth around $8 billion dollars. In all honesty, the price of these apps will probably continue to grow in the future.
Im Joe, and I travel the world working as a dating expert, confidence coach, and writer. I have written articles for the web’s most popular dating advice blogs and published two well-received books on dating and relationships. The Thrill Of The Chase is one of the books i’ve written.