Finding love doesn’t have to be expensive…but it can be. When it comes to the price of a premium membership on a dating app or site, costs range anywhere from around $10 per month all the way up to packages that cost nearly $100,000 with premium matchmaking services. And the options you have range from memberships (subscriptions) to credits to combinations of the two and everything in between.
And if you look at the news of late, you can see that many apps are playing with the idea of higher-tier (and priced) memberships.
While the average one-month cost is somewhere around $30-$40, that can be a misleading number as most dating apps give you a steep discount if you purchase more than one month, which can drive that average price down.
If you’re looking for up to date and accurate pricing for all paid online dating memberships, you’ve come to the right place. Below you’ll find links to full breakdowns of every app/site and what it costs to be a member.
In addition, we’ll share some things worth noting when it comes to dating app prices like the longer term discounts, the prevalence of price hikes, auto-renewals, and refunds.
The Types of Pricing Models You’ll See
When it comes to how you pay for a premium membership on a dating app or website, there are a few different types of pricing models you’ll see most commonly. Here is a quick look at each so that you’ll understand what your options are.
The All-In-One or Tiered Subscription Model
By and far, the most popular dating app pricing model is the subscription model. This is where you pay a fixed amount monthly or annually for generally unlimited usage of the available features. Often, there are two choices you’ll need to make with a dating app subscription.
One—how long of a term do you want? Most all-in-one options come in varying commitment lengths where you will save money if you purchase a longer term.
For example, take a look at these purchase options from Bumble. Notice that there are several different length options for the same membership level.
Two—which tier of service do you want? Some dating apps offer only one tier of service, but varying term lengths. With this model, no matter what you buy, you get all the features. However, many dating apps have different service tiers where the more you pay for the higher tier, the more features you get access to.
Looking at that same example from Bumble, notice that they offer a Premium and Premium+ option. These are two different memberships that offer differing levels of service.
The Freemium Model (a la carte)
The second payment option you’ll see is the freemium model. With this model, you’re given the ability to use most (if not all) of the features on the app for free—but only in limited quantities. Usually, it’s a daily limit. But—if you want to get more access, you can pay a la carte for more access or features that help you to get better resutls.
The most popular example of this is with Tinder. You can use the app for free, but there are a million and one add-ons you can purchase. Here’s an example of boosts you can purchase.
Note: As you’ll see in our Tinder pricing guide linked at the top of the page, Tinder also offers subscriptions for purchase that include a handful of the different add-ons.
The Credit Usage Model
The last option that you see less often is the credit usage model. With this model, you purchase a number of ‘credits’ that you can use for things like sending messages, unlocking images, etc. Generally, these credits don’t expire and you can save them until you need them.
Sites like Cougar Life and What’s Your Price are a few examples of options utilizing this model.
Dating App Cost Price Hikes are Happening
Our team works hard to keep our pricing guides up to date. That said, we’ve had to work in overdrive lately because a large number of apps are increasing prices or rolling out higher-priced tiers to cash in on the growth of online dating.
While sometimes this means more features and a better experience for you, it’s often just viewed as a money grab. For most users (especially with mobile apps), you’ll be “grandfathered in” to the original price you’re paying as long as you don’t cancel. In other words, you won’t suddenly start paying more unless you cancel and come back later.
Here are a few of the most recent news headlines about price increases, overall pricing, and price hikes with dating apps:
- Tinder expands offering of invite-only $499 monthly membership
- Hinge is rolling out its $50 per month subscription on Thursday
- Dating app fees can quickly add up. Many are willing to pay the price.
- People are spending hundreds a month on dating apps as free versions turn ‘borderline unusable’
Things to Consider with Pricing and Purchase Decisions
It’s almost scary how many people immediately want to find the cheapest or free option when it comes to online dating. We’d like to encourage you to take a step back and see what you’re actually doing here. You’re not shopping for a new pair of shoes. You aren’t looking for a new shirt you’re going to wear for a year. You’re looking for someone that you may very well end up spending the rest of your life with!
Choosing a mate is a bigger decision than even buying a car or a house. You’re looking to find someone that you will be happy with for the rest of your life. Now, we’re not trying to make you nervous or scare you away. We just want to make sure that you realize that online dating can lead to something that very well may stick with you forever.
You’re Making an Important Investment
Because of that, it shouldn’t be something that you are looking for the cheapest option available. You should be looking for the app or site that offers the best matches and the best chance for you to find exactly what you’re looking for. Invest the money, and you will reap the rewards you are looking for. While we still advise finding the app where the cost gives you the best bang for your buck, it should not be the deciding factor.
Longer Terms Can Save You Money
One thing that is true about the costs of most online dating sites is that you can get things a lot cheaper if you sign up for a longer term. Typically, you can save over 50% off the monthly fee by signing up for more months. Now, this does mean that you’re going to be paying more money up front, but if you can swing it, you might as well save the cash.
For example, Catholic Match is just under $30 if you purchase one month only. But if you purchase a 6-month plan, you’re only paying $12.49 per month. AND if you buy their 6-month plan, they will give you an additional 6 months for free if you don’t find someone special in the first 6 months. That means that you’re actually only going to be paying about $6.24 per month. $6.24 is A LOT less than $30 a month.
We’re not saying that you have to take the longest plan right off the bat, but it may be smart if you are seriously committed to finding love.
Be Careful of Auto Renewals
One thing to be aware of is that a lot of online dating apps are set up to renew automatically. This means that if you don’t set it to cancel, you will automatically be charged again for the term you signed up for.
For example, here’s the policy on eharmony:
IN ORDER TO PROVIDE CONTINUOUS SERVICE, EHARMONY AUTOMATICALLY RENEWS ALL PAID SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR THE SERVICES ON THE DATE SUCH SUBSCRIPTIONS EXPIRE UNLESS YOU CANCEL AT LEAST 24 HOURS BEFORE THE END OF YOUR CURRENT TERM.
This might be ok with you, or you might not be ready to commit to a longer term. The good news is setting your account to cancel and not auto-renew is easy and just takes a few settings in your member area.
While it is easy to fix, it still requires you actually to do it. We’ve had too many daters tell us they forgot to cancel and end up getting charged again. A lot of these daters had already found love and had absolutely no need for the membership anymore.
You can usually cancel your online dating account right after you join if you want to be sure. It won’t cancel immediately but will set to cancel at the end of the term you selected.
Then if you want to extend, you can always go back in and set that up. They will happily take your money again 🙂