Feeld’s 26% Revenue Boost Signals Growing Interest in Non-Monogamous Dating

Feeld has enjoyed unprecedented growth over the last few years, with revenue jumping 26% to £48.9M ($65.2M) in 2024, according to recent Companies House filings. 

This is partly due to international interest in the app, but also because apps like Feeld have become temporary homes for so-called “vanilla tourists,” or people who seek to dip their toes into relationships involving kink or ethical non-monogamy (ENM). 

Kinky or ENM relationships are not quite in the mainstream, but they’re closer than they’ve ever been: Earlier this year, the 14th Annual Singles in America study released by Match Group and The Kinsey Institute found that 6 in 10 surveyed Gen Xers are interested in more than “vanilla sex.” 

Ana Kirova, Feeld’s CEO and co-founder, confirmed to The Guardian that women over 40 are one of the fastest growing demographic segment on the app, boasting a 16% increase in 2024. 

With dating app fatigue on the rise, people have sought out unconventional means of connection, including on apps like Feeld. The influx of curious daters creates an opportunity for growth for niche apps, but it also presents challenges for the long-term ENM daters who have found fulfillment in a small community. 

ENM Etiquette May Get Lost in the Shuffle 

The rise of vanilla tourists who simply want to experiment with kink or ENM relationships means that Feeld’s non-vanilla users may have a harder time finding experienced, like-minded partners.  

Catering to a niche (and often underserved) demographic fosters a small but vibrant — and engaged — community. The more compact a community, the easier it is for industry leaders to hear and respond to their needs, and to create a meaningful impact.

Adding non-niche voices to the community may help the app grow, but it also runs the risk of making the app’s approach less specialized to the community’s needs, and therefore less meaningful. 

“We look at our growth as yet another opportunity to reflect, adapt and evolve intentionally,” Kirova told DatingNews.

But growth can be tricky, especially for ENM novices who are not versed in ENM etiquette, causing confusion, missed connections, and even inadvertent shame or offense. 

Consent is crucial to the ENM lifestyle; if vanilla tourists are not always aware of this, how can they navigate apps like Feeld in respectful and fulfilling ways? 

“I do think it’s a challenge that [unconventional relationships are] becoming more mainstream in some ways,” Kirova told The Guardian. “How do we welcome people who’ve never heard of Feeld, who don’t understand the list of sexualities and genders [or] who don’t understand what ethical non-monogamy is?”

The Secret to Growth? Listen to the User’s Needs, Feeld Says

But Kirova isn’t so sure that long-term ENM members really are so different from vanilla tourists. Perhaps these tourists are just starting to embrace what Kirova calls an “increasingly fluid” spectrum of gender, sexuality, and relationships.

Instead of denying these tourists entry, Kirova wants to give them ample space to explore, while emphasizing consent. “Feeld reflects that shift by continuing to listen to our members and adapt the platform to their needs, while keeping exploration, curiosity, and consent at the center of everything we do,” she explained.

What really matters, she told us, is that Feeld users from all walks of life have the same opportunity to bond. “As Feeld resonates with more people, our focus remains on creating the conditions where real connection can happen — deep, intentional intimacy grounded in curiosity and consent.”

And Feeld’s mission to provide a safe space for curious dates has officially reached the real world: “Beyond the app … our monthly in-person events and our print magazine, AFM, both [carry] Feeld’s culture of openness and connection in new formats for people to explore,” Kirova said.

For Better or Worse, “Vanilla Tourists” Expand A Niche Demo

Dr. Amanda Gesselman, Director of Sex and Relationship Science at Match, explained how an interest in non-vanilla relationships has spread among middle-aged Americans and even younger generations. 

“All age groups are showing interest in non-monogamy, according to our data, but Gen Xers are particularly leaning in,” she told us. 

Some of these curious Americans (and non-Americans) have flocked to platforms like Feeld, which are designed with non-mainstream relationship dynamics in mind. Feeld’s growth is indication enough that people are seeking non-mainstream representation from dating platforms. 

Feeld’s 26% revenue increase is also a sign that authenticity really does have an impact with modern daters. But when those modern daters include vanilla tourists, does Feeld alter itself to appeal to them, or does it stay connected to its strong ENM roots? For Kirova, the answer is simple. 

“‘What’s the problem with vanilla?’” she asked The Guardian. “Why are we so binary about it – [as if] there is vanilla, which is boring and whatever, and then there is the rest, which is dark and interesting?” Is it possible for apps like Feeld to emphasize inclusivity and exclusivity at the same time? 

“I think there is space for that,” Kirova added. “We don’t yuck anyone’s yum.” 

Feeld’s meteoric success couldn’t have happened without vanilla tourists. Some may only be visiting, but others leave a lasting impression on apps like Feeld, suggesting that marketing authenticity like Feeld appeals to people of all lifestyles.