How Dating Apps Are Monetising Your Loneliness

For dating apps, the past few weeks must have been frantic. Valentine’s Day might be over, but the aftermath still lingers. While some couples were basking in the commitment bliss, others were realising their cuffing season fling wasn’t meant to last. I can’t help but think about how I spent the days leading up to February—swiping with the kind of cautious optimism that maybe, just maybe, something real would come out of it.

Spoiler alert: It didn’t. Instead, I’m right back where I started, sitting here with my phone in hand, wondering if I should open Hinge for the twentieth time today. It’s like I’ve got this hope that somehow, the next match is going to be different. Like this time I won’t end up in yet another situationship where things are fun and casual, but never actually lead anywhere. 

For the single and/or the lonely, the last few weeks probably enhanced the feeling that except for you, everyone has found love. The classic Fear Of Missing Out has struck deep. However, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one going through this.

Now that the gravitas of the problem is established, should one be worried? Not at all. Like for all problems, there’s an app to the rescue. An app for helping you ‘find the one.’ Actually, there are many apps, all promising to help you find the one (or at least someone to split an overpriced dinner with). The catch? These platforms have figured out how to make money off your search for love. And they’re really good at it.

That doesn’t mean dating apps don’t work. They do! Plenty of people have found meaningful relationships (even marriages) through them. But as these apps have evolved, so has their business model—one that increasingly revolves around keeping you engaged (and sometimes, making you pay for love).

Gone are the days when dating apps were just about setting up a profile and hoping for the best. Today, they function like mini marketplaces, where attention, visibility, and even conversations come with a price tag.

Vidya Madhavan, founder of Schmooze, observed, “What most women want is a deeper connection. They want to meet someone who makes them laugh, but what they’re doing is swiping based on looks.”

The predominant model is ‘freemium,’ where basic services are free, but premium features come at a cost. For instance, Tinder offers free swiping but charges for perks like ‘Super Likes’ and ‘Boosts’ to enhance profile visibility. Similarly, Bumble provides free matching but offers paid features to see who has swiped right on you.

These strategies have proven lucrative. For instance, Tinder's revenue has seen significant growth over the years, reaching $1.918 billion in 2023, according to a study by BusinessOfApps. The app had 10.4 million subscribers in 2023, far surpassing other online dating platforms.

In 2024, a study by Grand View Research found that the online dating application market in India generated a revenue of approximately $547.9 million and is projected to reach $1,015.4 million by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9.2%. This surge indicates a significant increase in users willing to pay for enhanced features in their quest for companionship.

For the uninitiated, here’s how they’re making money in 2025.

However, beyond the swipes and super likes, a pressing question arises: Are we paying to forge genuine connections, or merely feeding into a system designed to keep us hooked?

We need to talk about something that no one likes to admit: a lot of us are swiping not because we’re looking for a soulmate, but because we’re straight-up bored. We’ve all been there—scrolling through profiles like it’s just another round of mindless doomscrolling. It’s the classic problem of plenty. The truth is, sometimes dating apps are less about finding love and more about killing time between lunch and your next coffee break.

Able Joseph, founder of Aisle and Jamm, hit the nail on the head: “People are confusing boredom and loneliness. Dating apps are great for boredom, but they’re not doing much to solve the issue of loneliness.”

Think about it. You match, you chat, maybe things fizzle out, or maybe you meet someone once and then never see them again. It’s the digital version of small talk—momentarily entertaining, but ultimately forgettable.

Take Arjun, a 28-year-old software engineer based in Bangalore. Like many young professionals, Arjun turned to dating apps hoping to meet someone special. He started with the free versions of Tinder and Bumble but quickly felt like his profile was getting lost in a sea of endless swipes.

Feeling frustrated, he decided to upgrade to Tinder Gold. “I thought it would increase my chances of getting matches, but it ended up making me feel worse,” Arjun confessed. “I’d spend money on boosts and super likes, but the results were the same. I’d get a few matches here and there, but the conversations rarely led anywhere.”

Arjun isn’t alone. According to a 2024 study by Hinge, over half of the male users reported feeling more lonely after spending extended time on the app, despite having paid for premium features. This trend is backed up by research from Pew that found that men are more likely to feel frustrated by dating apps, citing low response rates as a key factor.

On the other hand, for Neha, a 27-year-old marketing professional in Mumbai, the dating app experience has been a rollercoaster. “It’s exhausting. I get a lot of matches, but the conversations often go nowhere,” she explained. “I’ve tried using Bumble’s premium features to filter based on interests, but it still feels like a numbers game.”

Neha also shared how dating apps can impact self-esteem: “There are days when I feel great about myself, but then there are days when the lack of meaningful connections makes me feel like I’m not good enough. It’s like a cycle of validation and rejection.”

Here’s where it gets interesting. Studies show that over half of dating app users are there for reasons that have nothing to do with romance. According to a 2024 report by Tinder, 52% of their users admitted to using the app just to pass the time. That’s right—more than half of us are swiping with the same enthusiasm we have for scrolling through memes or checking Instagram Stories.

Even more telling, Bumble found in a 2024 survey that 41% of its users primarily use the app to meet new people or expand their social circle, rather than looking for a romantic partner. And let’s not even get started on Hinge, which markets itself as the “app designed to be deleted.” It’s cute marketing, but if we’re being real, a lot of people are using it more like a chat app than a bridge to lifelong love.

Madhavan pointed out an interesting challenge specific to India. “Not even 15% of the single population in India is on a dating app. Compare that with the US, where over 80% of singles use dating apps. The issue is that most dating apps have brought their American solutions to India without solving for Indian-specific problems,” she said.

So, if you’re feeling like dating apps are leaving you unfulfilled, it’s not because you’re doing something wrong—it’s because you’re not the only one just swiping for the sake of swiping.

According to a 2024 study by the University of Mumbai, nearly 67% of dating app users reported feeling lonelier after spending extended time on the apps.

Dating apps are engineered to keep you engaged, not necessarily to help you find lasting love. Joseph described this phenomenon as “dating app fatigue,” where the gamified nature of swiping becomes more of a chore than an enjoyable experience.

“There’s dating app fatigue due to gamification, and that’s why people are shifting to activity-based stuff,” Joseph explained. “There’s no incentive to settle down if the world is available to you at a fee.”

This sentiment is echoed in recent global trends as well. In the UK, approximately 1.4 million people have left dating apps in the past year, with usage of the top 10 apps dropping by nearly 16%. Users report feelings of disconnection, viewing virtual dating as a tedious task rather than a pleasurable activity.

Consequently, many singles are gravitating towards alternatives like run clubs, book clubs, and social mixers. These platforms offer organic connections rooted in shared interests, moving away from the transactional nature of traditional dating apps.

Madhavan believes that humor is a powerful connector. “If you’re swiping based on memes, it feels like fun. It’s a different vibe than just endless profile pictures,” she said.

Schmooze, her platform, leverages this by matching users through humor, fostering connections that go beyond superficial appearances. This approach resonates with a significant portion of users; a survey conducted in August 2024 found that about 40% of Indian respondents felt more comfortable making the first move on mobile dating apps, and around 36% appreciated meeting people they wouldn’t have encountered otherwise.

Joseph’s platform, Jamm, emphasizes activity-based dating. “We want people to meet through shared experiences. It’s less about endless swiping and more about creating genuine connections,” he noted.

So, what does the future hold for dating apps? Madhavan has a vision. “At the end of the day, we believe there’s someone for everyone,” she said. “It’s about finding that person who’s likely to vibe with you—and making it fun along the way.”

At the end of the day, dating apps aren’t bad. They’ve helped millions of people find love (or at least a great first date). And for busy professionals or introverts, they offer a convenient way to meet new people.

But they are businesses, and their goal is to keep you engaged (and sometimes, paying). That’s why more people are looking beyond the app store—whether it’s through hobby clubs, IRL events, or just sliding into DMs with a well-placed meme.

So, whether you’re swiping, running, reading, or partying—just remember: love isn’t about algorithms. And if an app wants you to pay ₹699 a month to find it? Well, that’s your call. 

As they say, delusion is truly the key to staying happy.