How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Dating App? A Complete Guide

So you want to start your own dating application business but are confused…

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How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Dating App

So you want to start your own dating application business but are confused if the development cost will fit your budget? & you want to know how to make a dating app. Or you have got the quotation from some companies but wondering if they are charging you too much? This blog is going to be your guide. We are going to cover everything you need to know about the dating app development cost factors. Also, how much does it cost to develop a dating app?

So how do people find love? Until recently the answers ranged from traditional match-making to meeting a partner at work. But now for many, that search starts online.

The days of meeting someone special in parks, cafés, or shopping malls are gone. Today, people just want to save their precious time and find partners online.

Now, numerous websites and apps hold the responsibility of matching people together. And you know what?

They make people’s lives easier, especially for those who have troubles with socialization.

Mobile Dating apps are advantageous not only for their users but also for their creators and developers.

Online dating apps and relationship-building apps are growing faster than you could think of. Top online dating apps have completely transformed the way we meet, greet and fall in love with strangers.

Who Got the Idea of Dating App Development First?

Idea

People have been looking for love online for more than two decades, with the website Match.com launching in 1995 and the gay dating app Grindr launching in 2009.

But advertising for a partner goes back to the 17th century, shortly after the advent of the newspaper, when bachelors ran personal ads looking for a suitable companion.

It’s believed the first woman ran a newspaper ad in 1727, stating she was “seeking someone nice to spend her life with”. Lonely soldiers during the First World War advertised for pen pals.

And in the 1960s technology got involved. Operation Match was a computer dating service invented by Harvard undergraduates in 1965 that paired people up based on a questionnaire.

That all changed in 2012 when Tinder App invented the swipe.

Most Successful Dating Apps : Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid, Match.com and Many More.

People swipe right when they like the look of someone, or left if they’re not so sure. When two people like each other, it’s a match and they can then start messaging.

Another popular dating app, which allows women to make the first move, followed when ex-Tinder employee Whitney Wolfe Herd launched Bumble in 2014.

Its parent company, dating group Magic Lab, is now worth $3 billion. The online dating apps sector as a whole is projected to become a $9 billion industry by 2025.

Does Dating App Development Worth The Investment?

Investment

But what dating apps have done is they’ve changed the way we search. When you get a connection, when you get a match, you get a dopamine hit, you feel good about yourself.

Somebody likes me, that’s great, and dopamine is addictive. Users splurged more than $2.2billion on Online dating apps in 2019, with Chinese app Tantan seeing the fastest growth.

But it’s Tinder that leads the way for overall spending, with its upgrade and subscription options generating the most income.

Users parted with so much money within the app in the past decade, that it came second only to Netflix in terms of consumer spending.

But does all of that money mean people are finding their soulmate? Well according to a 2016 study, more than a third of men on Tinder swipe right on every image they see.

We’re seeing these very extreme behaviors of men fancying everybody and women being very, very picky about who they then actually try and like because otherwise it’s just not working for them.

Match Group, which owns Tinder, Match.com, and OkCupid, is the biggest player in the online dating space.

The company, which is listed on Nasdaq, made revenues of more than $2 billion in 2019. And there’s Lumen, a new dating app for people over 50, which is owned by Magic Lab, the parent company of Bumble.

Tinder App costs around $200.000 in Central Europe, while $60,000-$100,000 in Eastern Europe. The development cost may vary depending on the different conditions.

How much Bumble costs- around US$1,754m in 2020 and is expected to reach US$2,505m by 2024. The annual revenue run rate of Bumble is $200 million.

But How Do These Dating Apps Work?

Well, dating apps may use a wide variety of matching techniques to match up partners who like each other.

It’s always nice to make a new acquaintance within your area — chances of success increase. You are more likely to live happily ever after with someone in your city than on another continent.

No wonder, dating apps tend to employ GPS components in their matching algorithms.

Algorithms to make the app functional

Algorithms

Another technology, which is widely used, is the mathematical algorithm that connects people by finding similarities in answers given to a suggested questionnaire.

Such algorithms are mostly based on the compatibility percentage of answers given for each question separately or all questions collectively.

Algorithms for behavior-based matching are more complicated than mathematical and location-based ones as they operate with data gathered from outside sources like social network accounts.

Data analysis to find the perfect match

Data analysis

Generating and analyzing large datasets requires significant resources. It’s where a Big Data analytics approach helps to increase the chances of the right match.

Dating platforms become smarter. They apply new technological advances to improve user experience and ensure more accurate matching.

Machine learning technology, artificial intelligence, VR & AR — all these influence dating Application evolution as well.

Messaging for smooth communication

Messaging

The next step after matching is jumping into direct communication. Messaging inside mobile dating apps is crucial, let me explain to you why.

When users receive a return interest, they usually write a message to their crush via the built-in messenger.

However, if they face poor user experience, users go elsewhere. There’s a great variety of options, you know. As a result, you can lose engagement.

What’s more, by letting users communicate inside your app, you maintain their privacy. They don’t have to share their phone numbers and reveal their identity if they don’t want to.

It’s quite important at the early stages of introduction and those apps that adhere to anonymity should take this feature into account.

Which apps are using advanced technology?

advanced technology

Pure was developed by Russian entrepreneurs a few years ago and took its place in the niche of Mobile dating apps rather quickly.

Pure is a platform for active and assertive people, who are around the clock. There is no need for vapid conversations; most likely your encounter will write you several lines, send a few photos and get down to business “where and when”.

The OkCupid app. The recipe for their success is the classical approach. Questionnaires and compatibility percentages are the elements of the traditional approach to online dating.

Creating Your Dating App

Although, if you want to create a dating app, you have to understand how dating apps work and what brings them success.

Certainly, there are no two dating apps with identical features and concepts. It’s always a good idea to introduce your app’s functionality to the user.

Most Successful iOS and Android dating apps do not neglect the power of first impressions, and you also shouldn’t.

Something like a sliding tutorial will make the user fall in love with your app at first sight. Some of the popular dating apps keep the identity of users anonymous, but if you want to adhere to a more standardized model, you should consider user registration and login functionality.

Again, for seamless user interaction with your app, you can integrate it with social networks. Don’t forget about users’ security too.

Cases are that users can refuse to bind their social accounts to date apps, so creators may foresee such situations. The main objective of any dating app is to match people together.

How much does it cost to develop a dating app?

cost to develop

The demand for dating apps among youngsters is rapidly increasing. The revenue out of this kind of dating app is surely very captivating.

I would say if you are thinking of investing in such an app, then you should go for it. It will be a wise decision to invest from a business point of view.

The cost lies between $4000-$16,000 depending on the platform. The range may vary depending on several factors that an app development company considers to calculate the app development cost.

The top factors that affect the cost to develop a dating app are:

These are just a few general factors that affect each type of dating app. But the final cost of dating app development can be provided only after analyzing your requirements.

Want to check the cost to build your dating app? We have the app cost calculator for you.

Tight on budget? You can build the MVP version of your app idea

The minimum viable product is the basic version of your app idea where you launch the app with limited features at the beginning.

This helps the business owners to earn some money for the upgrading of the app.

Once the app starts making money, you can invest that money to upgrade the app.

Let’s have a look at the key and minimum viable features for developing a dating app-

These are just a few general factors that affect each type of dating app. But the final cost of dating app development can be provided only after analyzing your requirements. Want to check the cost to build your dating app? We have the app cost calculator for you.

Want to build your dating app?

Now that you know how much it costs to develop a dating app, it’s time to make a decision. Want to start your own dating app business?

Need an expert team to build your apps like Tinder & Bumble in your budget?

We have a reliable team for you. Get in touch with us today and get started on the journey of developing the new dating app in history.

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