I’m sure you have noticed that dating apps have premium features available for paid subscribers. But are these premium features worth the cost?
I spoke to 30 online daters about premium features to find out what the experience was across the board to help answer the question: should you pay for dating apps?
Here was the consensus: paying for dating apps magnifies your current results.
Why this isn’t surprising:
Apart from giving you access to more features that make sorting through likes/matches more efficient, these premium features primarily increase your reach online.
Reach is a marketing term used to describe the number of people who’ve seen an advertisement. Paid reach is the term for paying for this exposure (think Facebook ads).
In the online dating world, your “advertisement” is your profile, and the paid reach would be the paid premium features. So in effect, paying for profile “boosts” or “spotlights” is paid reach. More women are seeing your profile every day than before.
However, if only 5 out of 100 women like your profile, that proportion will not change. In marketing, this would be called your “click-through rate” (CTR). CTR is the percentage of people who see your ad and click on it, indicating some level of interest.
So what you want to do FIRST is to optimize your dating profile before you increase your profile reach.
Otherwise, you’re leaving a significant amount of matches on the table.
So which dating apps are worth paying for?
The two best premium dating app features are Hinge and Tinder.
Hinge – The Clear Winner:
Hinge is the top dating app I always recommend. While its premium features Hinge+ and HingeX are more expensive than Tinder or Bumble premium features, it was the highest rated amongst my respondents. Because free Hinge only allows for 8 likes per day and both of the premium tiers give unlimited likes, there is a clear advantage to paying. That’s not where the benefits end, however…
Hinge+
Hinge+ is the basic paid service that takes you beyond many of the built-in limitations that come with the Hinge platform.
Hinge+ Features:
- Send unlimited likes (free accounts only get 8 likes per day)
- See everyone who likes you
- More dating preference filters
- See all incoming likes
- Browse by who’s new or nearby
HingeX
HingeX boldly proclaims at the top of their features page, “Get seen sooner and go on 3x as many dates”. While I can’t personally confirm this claim, the features that HingeX offers are definitely the best on the market.
HingeX Features:
- Send unlimited likes (free accounts only get 8 likes per day)
- Your likes stay at the top (they don’t get buried if someone doesn’t check the app for a while)
- Get your profile recommended to matches
- See everyone who likes you
- More dating preference filters
- See all incoming likes
- Browse by who’s new or nearby
Price Tiers for Hinge:
Hinge+
- 1 Week – $14.99
- 1 Month – $32.99
- 3 Months – $64.99
- 6 Months – $99.99
HingeX
- 1 Week: $24.99
- 1 Month: $49.99
- 3 Months: $99.99
- 6 Months: $149.99
If I had to choose one, I would probably get the 3-month HingeX subscription. That comes out to $33.33/month which is not bad at all for the amount of a boost this would give your profile without having to commit to a 6 month subscription.
Tinder’s edge over the competition:
Tinder is likely the most popular dating app in the world. Because of this, it also gets a lot of hate. I personally think that people take for granted the sheer amount of opportunity that Tinder gives users to connect with new people they’d never have met otherwise. I used Tinder a lot and met my girlfriend of nearly 2 years on there.
Tinder has something they call “Passport” which allows you to choose to show your profile anywhere you choose in the world. This, along with the fact that Tinder is one of the most popular dating apps in the world, provides exceptionally useful benefits for people who are traveling.
One responder said that he used this feature to set up dates in advance before traveling to a location.
Tinder has 3 tiers of premium features, as listed below:
- 1 month – $7.99
- 6 months – $4.00/month
- 12 months – $2.67/month
Tinder Gold
- 1 month – $24.99
- 6 months – $12.50/month
- 12 months – $8.33/month
Tinder Platinum
- 1 month – $29.99
- 6 months – $15.00/month
- 12 months – $10.00/month
Like with Hinge, Tinder Gold and Platinum may be worthwhile options for those who are trying to accelerate their dating life– granted your profile is already generating some matches.
Tinder Platinum’s “Prioritized Likes” feature is especially attractive since it puts your profile towards the top of the stack for the people you have liked. This simply makes it more likely that women you like will see your profile– something that is not guaranteed on the app where ¾ of the users are men.
If you are traveling and just want to set up some dates in advance, paying for a single month of Tinder Plus may be all you need to do.
Conclusion:
While some online dating platforms may have better premium features than others, all tend to magnify your current results. This is important to understand when deciding whether or not to pay for these apps. You first must consider whether your profile is well-crafted and generating some interest, because although premium features might give you 10x more viewership on your profile, 10 x 0 is still equal to 0.
Dating Profile Photography in Austin, Texas
Probably the most essential factor in creating a successful online dating profile is your photos. If your photos aren’t flattering, she’s never going to make it to read your witty bio. Fresh Image is dedicated to bringing high-quality photography at accessible prices to men in Austin, Texas. If you’re interested in elevating your dating profile, schedule your photo session here.