How Much Does It Cost to Make an App Like Tinder: All Price-Driving Factors Revealed

Tinder is a revolutionary dating app known for its simple and intuitive swipe-based interface, allowing users to quickly browse and match with potential partners. Its success lies in its gamified user experience, extensive user base, and advanced matching algorithms.

Now, let’s delve into the details of its algorithms and the current state of the online dating app market.

Apps like Tinder have revolutionized the field of dating and finding romantic partners. Their popularity is undeniable, with millions of users worldwide searching for potential partners. But are digital matchmaking platforms really so popular? Let's look at the statistics to find out:

• Forbes Health survey showed that online dating industry is the top place to find relationship with 45% of answers among respondents
• According to Pew Research Center more than 40% of US adults claim that online dating applications has made dating easier for them
• Business of Apps revealed that Tinder revenue for 2023 reached $19.18bn
• The research from Statista shows that online dating market is projected to reach 452.5 million users by 2028 and grow to US$3.46bn in revenue with a CAGR of 2.62%
• Dating app market research by Business of Apps showed that over 300 million people globally use dating apps, with approximately 20 million users paying for premium features

The statistics indicate that investing in creating dating application is a lucrative opportunity. With the market continuously growing and these solutions gaining popularity, the cost to build an app like Tinder will likely recoup quickly.

Despite the fact that the Tinder functionality may seem very simple at first glance, it hides fairly complex algorithms invisible to users. Consider these peculiarities to create app like Tinder:

• Users can only see one person at a time but there are thousands of users swiping simultaneously
• Each user (or at least particular groups of users) sees people in a different order
• A specific algorithm must be in charge of defining who and when to show to create a match

Tinder's success is partly driven by its sophisticated matching algorithms, which consider user preferences, location, and activity to suggest potential matches. Creating a Tinder-like app you may combine the Elo score system and machine learning techniques to improve the quality of matches over time continuously. This personalized approach keeps users engaged.

The algorithms are not the only points that you should pay attention to when considering how to make a dating app like Tinder. Creating Tinder-like solution involves implementing key functionality to ensure a seamless user experience. Below, we discuss the main features and their approximate costs based on the time required on their creation and $50 hourly rate typical for CEE region.

To build an app like Tinder or Bumble, incorporate a robust user authorization system. Common methods include social media logins (e.g., Google, Apple), email registration, and phone number verification. These options provide flexibility for users while ensuring secure access. After authorization, it is crucial to onboard users by showcasing the main app’s functionality. For instance, using an open-source library like SlidingTutorial can enhance the user experience.

Don’t forget to make a Tinder-like app’s profile editing fucntionality to allow entering or editing data such as gender, bio, and photos. Along with the usual settings described above, you can adjust Tinder-specific settings, like enabling/disabling discovery so that other users could or could not find a profile, choose to show men, women, or both, and specify the search distance and the age range of the users to be found. So, if you want to estimate the cost to build a dating app like Tinder, choose customization level you aim to provide.

Like any other app, Tinder allows adjusting settings for the convenience of users. For example, you can enable or disable notifications for new matches, receiving messages, likes, and super likes. Receiving notifications can be implemented via the interaction of your application with Apple / Google servers. The server sends push notifications to the app. To create app like Tinder, your development team can use FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging) for Android and APN (Apple Push Notifications) for iOS.

Geolocation is the basis to create app like Tinder. Without it, the application would be ineffective, as its core functionality revolves around finding and connecting people in close proximity. To implement geolocation, Tinder app developers can use various tools and frameworks depending on the platform or use cross-platform APIs.

In Tinder, users can chat with each other only when they have mutual likes. Otherwise, the chat is disabled. This function is generally implemented via the RESTful API or HTTP. Permanent socket connections are not involved to avoid overloading the server. The polling interval is set up depending on the frequency of the messages being sent.

How to make an app like Tinder? The key feature is the swipe mechanism, a defining element of Tinder, enabling users to browse profiles quickly and intuitively. Users swipe right on profiles they are interested in and left on those they are not, with the app instantly recording their preferences. A match is created if both users swipe right, indicating mutual interest and allowing them to start a conversation. This simple yet effective mechanism leverages touch gestures for a seamless user experience, making it easy to engage with potential matches and enhancing the app's overall usability.

Now that we've explored the essential features required to create an app like Tinder, it's important also to understand the associated costs. Here's the approximate time to make a basic functionality of a dating app like Tinder:

These features are important to implement when building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) version of a dating app. On overage, the time to develop them is $20,000 - $27,000+. You can expand this list later by adding advanced functionality to improve the experience and engage new users.

Here are some references to cutting-edge features to make an app like Tinder:

• Video profiles
• AI-powered matchmaking
• Augmented reality (AR) dating experiences
• Voice and video chat capabilities
• Social media integration

Tinder app development cost comprises many factors, each determining the final investment amount. The price can vary based on the app features, developer rates, design complexity, and more. Let's explore the aspects and their affect on the cost of building an app like Tinder.

The number and complexity of features directly affect the total cost to develop a dating app like Bumble or Tinder, as it is directly related to the time developers spend on it. A simple app with basic features such as registration, profile creation, viewing, and messaging will cost less. Adding more advanced features will increase Tinder-like app development time, resulting in higher costs.

Here is a rough calculation of the price and development time for different types of dating apps:

Interface design and user experience are key to make your own Tinder app that attracts users. A simple design with a clean and intuitive interface, branding, and minimal animations will cost less while remaining engaging. A more complex design with features such as 3D elements, motion graphics, and AR/VR integration will be more expensive and make your app stand out from the competition. Moreover, the gamification of online dating increases the amount of time spent in application.

On average, the cost of UI/UX design to create an app like Tinder is $5,000 - $30,000+.

The choice of mobile app development platforms directly affects the cost to make a dating app like Tinder. Developing a native app for iOS and Android platforms is significantly more expensive than for a single platform. However, by turning to cross-platform app development services using tools like Flutter or React Native, you can save up to 60% of the cost. These tools allow developers to create apps that run on both platforms with the same code, reducing overall costs and expanding the target audience.

How much does it cost to make an app like Tinder? On average, $80,000 - $90,000+ for one platform. To calculate the dating app cost for two platforms, you should double this price.

The choice of technology stack significantly impacts the cost of developing an application. It includes programming languages, frameworks, databases, and other tools to build and maintain the application. For example, using popular frameworks can reduce development time and costs. However, more expensive technologies and cloud services may be required for highly loaded applications. Choosing the right stack optimizes the Tinder-like dating app development process.

The picture below shows an example of tech stack the Cleveroad team uses to develop a dating app. However, keep in mind that this is just an example. The exact choice of tools and technologies to make your own Tinder app will depend on your unique goals and needs.

Team composition plays a crucial role when determining how much does it cost to make an app like Tinder. The number of professionals involved in dating software development and their level of experience directly affect the final cost of the project.

Here is an example of a typical team composition for a dating app development:

• Business analysts
• Solution architect
• UI/UX designers
• Mobile developers
• Web developers
• QA engineers
• DevOps

The location of the development team significantly affects the cost to build an app like Tinder. The price of developer services can vary considerably depending on the region. We have researched global hiring platforms such as Upwork and Glassdoor and collected for you the hourly rates of IT professionals in the most popular outsourcing regions:

Choosing the right cooperation model particularly impacts the overall Tinder app development cost. Understanding the pros and cons of each model can help you make an informed decision and optimize dating app development cost.

Here's an overview of the most widely used collaboration options:

Hiring in-house specialists involves assembling your own team through local platforms and providing control over the process. Still, cost to hire app developers, office space, equipment, and insurance require significant time and financial investment.

Outsourcing allows you to benefit from dedicated development team services. You can hire a mobile app development company to create a dating app like Tinder, taking full-cycle product development and project management. You avoid extra expenses and free up time for core tasks by leveraging an outsourcing vendor.

Staff augmentation let you hire particular specialists needed for Tinder-like app development through an outsourcing company. IT staff augmentation services allow remote specialists integrate into your app development team, providing the required expertise without the overhead of full-time employees.

Before proceeding to estimating cost to make a dating app like Tinder, let's first review the key steps required to build your own application:

It is crucial to identify a specific target audience or unique features to create a dating app like Tinder and differentiate it in a crowded market. Conduct thorough market research and analyze popular dating apps to find gaps and opportunities, then define your target demographics and psychographics, such as age, interests, and lifestyle. Create user personas to tailor your app to meet their needs. To make your own Tinder app even more successful, you can focus on people with shared interests or cultural backgrounds, like apps for pet lovers or fitness enthusiasts.

Choosing the right monetization strategy is crucial to paying back the cost to create an app like Tinder. Here are some popular models you can consider:

• Paid subscription: Charge users a recurring fee for access to premium features like extended messaging timelines, advanced filters, incognito mode, read receipts, expiring texts, etc.
• In-app purchases: Offer users the option to pay for specific features or add-ons within the app, such as super likes, gifts, or additional profile visibility.
• Advertisements in the app: Utilize freemium access with ads displayed through platforms like Google AdSense. Users can opt for a premium subscription to remove these ads, providing a continuous revenue stream and a choice for an ad-free experience.
• Custom advertisements: Allow external companies to place custom ads in your app. This can include geo-targeting and specific promotional designs tailored to the app's user base, similar to Grindr's model for high-investment advertisers.

How to create a dating app like Tinder and succeed? Finding the right developers is crucial. When choosing, pay attention to reviews of potential development partners to gauge their reputation and reliability. Look for a social media app development company with extensive experience in the industry and expertise in creating custom dating apps, as this ensures that they understand all the nuances of the industry. Also, browse through their portfolio to assess their apps' quality and functionality. It is also worth paying attention to the location of your potential IT partner, as it has a big impact on cost.

And how much does it cost to make an app like Tinder in the most popular outsourcing regions? We have created a rough estimate of cost to create a dating app in various areas:

• Central and Eastern Europe: $40,000 - $80,000
• Western Europe: $80,000 - $140,000
• North America: $100,000 - $200,000
• South America: $30,000 - $60,000
• Australia: $80,000 - $150,000
• Asia: $20,000 - $50,000

When discussing app requirements for Tinder-like app development, engaging in a detailed dialogue with your development vendor is essential. This initial phase focuses on aligning your business goals and vision with the application's UI/UX design, feature set, and functional specifications. Your vendor will analyze your brand identity to propose a design that resonates with your target audience and outline core features. Together, you'll validate these elements to ensure they meet operational needs and enhance user experience, setting a solid foundation for iterative development and refinement.

After defining all the requirements, Tinder app developers build the code for your solution. Developers translate design layouts into code, using programming languages and frameworks to create the user interface. They consider the platform's specifics to ensure the app works optimally on the chosen devices. At the same time, backend developers build the app's server side, develop APIs for frontend-server interaction, manage databases to store user information, and ensure data security.

When the frontend and backend are ready, developers integrate them so that all components of the application work cohesively. To build a successful dating app, the QA team conducts automated and manual tests to identify bugs and ensure the application is reliable.

Depending on the complexity and number of features, the cost to make a dating app like Tinder at the development stage can range from $25,000 - $50,000+.

When your dating application is ready, your IT team will release it on the Apple App Store and Google Play Market to allow users access to your solution. But how to make a dating app like Tinder successful? When launching and promoting a dating app, the key points are proper market positioning and attracting the target audience. This includes careful development of marketing strategies to differentiate from the competition, the use of digital advertising channels, and PR activities to establish the app in the market. Campaign optimization and data analysis help to adjust strategies and achieve effective engagement of new users, but they also affect the overall cost of dating app development.

On average, expenses on an initial marketing campaign for a dating app like Tinder can add to the cost from $5,000 to $50,000 or more, depending on the scale, target audience, and advertising channels you have been using.

How much does it cost to make an app like Tinder? The price is defined by multiple aspects, and one of the most influential is the time spent to create application’s functionality. The table below shows how many hours developers need to deliver the basic functionality of a Tinder-like dating app.

However, it's never enough to know the time and cost to make a Tinder-like app features. The project delivery process covers points that significantly add up to application costs. Underneath, we’ve estimated an approximate time required to build a Tinder-like app. The total price is based on an average hourly rate in Central and Eastern Europe — $50/h.

Roughly, the basic Android or iOS app may cost you $50,000-$55,000+ based on average hourly rates of $50 in Central and Eastern Europe. If you want to build apps for both platforms simultaneously, your budget will strike and exceed $100,000. To receive a detailed estimation of a cost to build an app like Tinder, feel free to contact our experts for a consultation.

We at Cleveroad know firsthand how to calculate the dating app development cost, as we have 12+ years of experience creating such solutions. One of them is a Tinder-like social network called Greenlight. This solution helps people to find a soulmate or a friend in the US. This application is focused on those regions of the USA where Tinder is not very popular.

The app works on the principle of a traffic light. Green light means super love, yellow light means normal liking, and red light means antipathy. Users can only date if they have given each other a green or yellow light. If users have matched, they can start a full chat and offer to answer everyday questions so users can get to know each other better.

To get an estimate of the cost of building their own dating app, the client contacted us by leaving a request on our website. Our experts contacted him to clarify the details and started working on a solution phase rough estimate based on our experience in building similar solutions.

After starting work on Greenlight, we came up with a Discovery phase rough estimate. It included business process details, drawing up a more precise feature list, determining the main nuances of development, and working out non-functional requirements and architectural solutions. It corrects the previous one, and all requirements and team composition become more accurate.

Here is what our client Yeremia Nakhaima, Co-Founder of GreenLight, says about cooperation with Cleveroad on dating app development:

The Cleveroad team has provided Social Media App Development services for over 12 years. The solutions we develop include social networks, media-sharing platforms, consumer review networks, blogging portals, messengers, dating apps, etc. We use advanced tools and integrations for social media software to optimize development time and budget, such as Google Maps, MasterCard, Visa, Apple/Google Pay, Stripe, Blockchain, GPS, Twillio, and others.

We ensure top-notch service quality and data security, backed by our ISO 9001:2015 certification for Quality Management and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification for Information Security Management. These credentials reflect our dedication to delivering exceptional, high-quality service.