Dating apps shift toward real-world meetups amid user burnout

A new wave of dating applications is moving away from the traditional swiping mechanism in favor of facilitating real-world meetups and shared activities. This shift comes as established platforms face declining engagement and subscription numbers.

Match Group, the parent company of Tinder, reported a 6% year-on-year decrease in paid subscribers, totaling 13.3 million across its portfolio, which includes Hinge and OkCupid. Similarly, Bumble saw its paid user base drop by 16.4% to 3.2 million in August.

Market trends suggest that approximately 78% of app users report burnout related to digital dating, leading to a surge in in-person dating events. New apps like Surf are capitalizing on this by allowing users to match based on specific lifestyle interests, such as fitness, rather than through endless swiping. Surf, for example, utilizes a grid-based profile system and has partnered with the indoor fitness event Hyrox to connect users through shared physical activities.