Key Takeaways
- AppFigures estimates that Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge have made $4B in user spending since 2024, due in part to high subscription costs.
- Tinder made an astonishing comeback in April 2025 with a revenue boost of 35% since January 2024.
- Bumble and Hinge increased their revenue by 25% and 67%, respectively, in part because of AI improvements and new safety measures.
The word on the street is that dating apps are dying. But according to new data, a resurrection may be underway.
AppFigures recently reported a mind-boggling statistic: Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble have collectively generated $4B in revenue from user spending since early 2024.
Dating app users may not be so shocked by this number. Anyone who has signed up for a dating app in recent years knows that if they want to make real connections, they’ll have to shell out a few bucks for a premium subscription.
Still, uncertainty has gripped the dating app industry since the pandemic. Gen Z daters are seemingly saying goodbye to hookup culture (sorry, Tinder) and hello to authentic and safe connections.
People may not be as enthusiastic about Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge as they once were, but these apps are still considered to be industry leaders. And if their performances in April are any indication, some daters are still sweet on these go-to dating apps.
Higher Subscription Costs Keep Users Invested
Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge’s current success isn’t due solely to their name recognition. All three have become more expensive over the last few years, prompting loyal and casual users alike to choose between various subscription tiers.
Gone are the days when the most you would do on a dating app is swipe. Now, you hop between multiple conversations, type up cleverly-worded responses to prompts, send cheeky badges and emojis to potential matches — the list goes on. And this list gets more expensive as you explore the app.
As AppFigures pointed out, the not-so-secret secret behind the seemingly sudden revenue spikes is how all three apps have allegedly increased their subscription costs since 2020.
With $171M Revenue, Tinder Fights Back
According to AppFigure’s estimates, Tinder takes the cake for highest app revenue in April 2025. Its $171M gross revenue, a 35% boost from January 2024, is both surprising and unsurprising, depending on who you ask.
It undoubtedly surprises those suffering from dating app fatigue, a pseudo-epidemic that has not only made headlines, but sent a chill down the spines of dating app execs everywhere.
And although dating app usage has largely declined across the board since the pandemic, it’s clear that some daters still enjoy the left swipe/right swipe ease that Tinder provides.
Tinder isn’t exactly an underdog in the dating app world. And yet, when its Q1 2025 earnings report showed an alarming 7% decrease in revenue year over year, it wasn’t immediately clear how the app would bounce back.
Tinder’s monthly active users decreased by a whopping 9% year over year, pointing to a worrying question: Is Tinder’s audience of casual daters losing interest?
This question has prompted Tinder to reevaluate its appeal to a new generation of daters. Despite a disappointing Q1, Tinder is reportedly dedicated to “rebuild[ing] user trust on the platform through a cleaner ecosystem; deliver better user outcomes; and re-energize the user experience.”
If you can base future success off one month of revenue, then Tinder may be back on track.
In April, Bumble Temporarily Saw The Light
Whether it’s because of Whitney Wolfe Herd’s return as CEO or because the app has committed to making safety a priority, Bumble users embraced the app in April. Between January 2024 and April 2025, gross revenue grew by 25% to $76M.
A month ago, this improvement would have seemed like a pipe dream.
Bumble’s Q1 2025 earnings report was disappointing across the board, with a 7.7% decrease of total revenue year over year. Interim CFO Ron Fior still had a positive outlook going forward.
“We remain focused on optimizing profitability as we work to reignite sustainable growth and value creation,” he said.
Based on the app’s performance in April, his optimism wasn’t totally unwarranted. Time will tell if this growth is as sustainable as Fior hopes. After all, Bumble has more hurdles to overcome than other dating apps, mainly because of all the C-suite changes and security controversies making headlines in recent months.
Hinge’s Steady Success Managed to Increase
AppFigures estimates that Hinge ended April with a gross revenue of $64M — a 67% spike from January 2024.
Unsurprisingly, Hinge may have AI to thank for this sudden boost in profitability.
Match Group’s 2025 Q1 earnings report highlighted Hinge’s new AI-enhanced recommendation algorithm, which it says led to a “15%+ increase in matches and contact exchanges, demonstrating the ability of our investment in AI to significantly improve user outcomes.”
In fact, Hinge’s Q1 was particularly successful, with its Direct Revenue increasing 23% to $152 million year over year. Notably, Hinge’s paying users grew 19% year over year due in part to the app’s dedication to authentic connections and engagement.
In the report, Hinge explained that the app’s total RPP (revenue per player) increased by 3% in Q1 because of “subscription price optimizations across several core markets.”
Clearly, Hinge’s success — and that of Tinder and Bumble — is due as much to higher subscription costs as it is to optimization efforts and viral marketing campaigns.
‘The Big Three’ Live To Fight Another Day
For all the dating app doomsday predictions, Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, for the first time in ages, have proven their survivability — even if only temporarily.
Dating apps can only raise prices so much before the average user has no choice but to call it quits. But if AppFigures’ estimates show anything, it’s that the dating apps we know, love, and love to hate will almost always find a way to keep daters interested … and some of those daters will always have money to spend.
It seems legacy means something to daters after all.
