Online dating has come a long way in just a few decades. Match.com launched in 1995 — three years before Google — and became a pioneer in a new way to meet people. In those early days, it wasn’t clear online dating would be successful.
The idea that singles could find love on the internet was met with skepticism and derision by the general public — at first. By 2007, online dating had become the second-highest industry1 for paid content. How did this dramatic shift take place? Let’s start from the beginning and go through the timeline of online dating’s highs and lows.
1993: Match Group Pioneered Online Dating
In the 1990s, online dating wasn’t the talk of the town. In fact, a lot of people were against the whole idea. Meeting a romantic partner through the internet was seen as strange and a sign of desperation, only for those sad saps who couldn’t find love the normal way.
But that didn’t stop Match Group from moving full steam ahead by founding its company in 1993 and coming up with the world’s first dating site, Match.com, which was launched in April 19952.
It wasn’t an immediate hit. People were still figuring out how emails worked, so the idea of searching for a soulmate online was daunting, to say the least.
But the Match Group looked forward! And thank God for that, because its matchmaking system has changed countless people’s lives.
Some of today’s most popular dating apps are Match Group properties. I’m talking about Tinder, OkCupid, Hinge, and of course, Match.com.
What started out as a bold attempt to bring singles together has grown into what we now know as swipe life.
2000: eharmony Takes a Psychology-Based Approach to Love
Dr. Neil Clark Warren has had a long and impressive career as a relationship counselor, clinical psychologist, Christian theologian, and seminary professor, but in 2000, he added online dating entrepreneur to his résumé when he founded eharmony.
eharmony’s psychology-based compatibility quiz formed the foundation of its matching features. To this day, the platform relies on the questionnaire to generate match suggestions.
Originally, the dating site’s questionnaire had 450 questions3, but it has since been winnowed down to a mere 65 questions.
eharmony’s rigorous quality-first approach has gotten results. Today, the site claims responsibility to 2 million relationships4.
2003: ProxiDating Uses GPS-Based Matching Tools
Contrary to popular belief, mobile dating has actually been around long before Tinder and iPhones. In 2003, ProxiDating became one of the first dating services5 to use Bluetooth to alert singles when someone with a matching profile was within 50 feet.
“There may well be 1.7 billion mobile phone users in the world, but it’s the number of ProxiDating users that counts, and right now there aren’t many.” — New Atlas
Mobile dating wouldn’t become mainstream until about a decade later, but some pioneering dating companies, including ProxiDating, Match, Webdate, and Lavalife, began to explore the utility of mobile phones when it comes to matchmaking.
New Atlas wrote a profile of ProxiDating6 in 2005 and predicted (correctly) that it would soon fizzle out. “It’s a cute idea though,” the article says, “and perhaps gives us a glimpse of the future of new forms of electronic matchmaking that will evolve as technology advances and offers new possibilities.”
2004: OkCupid’s Questionnaire Calculates Compatibility
The early 2000s was a exciting time for the online dating industry. Some of today’s largest and most successful dating brands launched during this time. It was a fundamental shift in dating culture. Early on, researchers linked the increased popularity of online dating to a rise in interracial marriages7 in the United States.
OkCupid jumped on the online dating bandwagon in early 2004 — and its formulaic approach8 to love intrigued singles looking for a budget-friendly alternative to Match and eharmony.
OkCupid’s free matching tools relied (and still rely) on a questionnaire designed by four Harvard math majors9. This questionnaire has over 5,000 questions, but daters only have to answer a handful to generate a compatibility rating with other users.
These questions remain one of the most unique features of OkCupid and set the standard for how smart matchmaking algorithms could predict relationship success.
2006: Badoo Connects Dating Profiles to Social Networks
A Russian entrepreneur named Andrey Andreev founded Badoo in November 200610. It began in Spain, but is now headquartered in London. The app tapped into the power of social networks to draw an audience.
Badoo spearheaded the concept of “social dating” by creating a casual chatting platform for singles. Within a year, it had over 12 million members11.
Today, over 386 million people12 have used Badoo, and the app sees over 300,000 new signups every day.
2009: Grindr Becomes the First Gay Geosocial App
On March 25, 2009, Grindr launched and became the first gay dating app13 for men only. The app was designed to help gay and bisexual men meet and flirt in a safe and private space.
Grindr was also among the first apps to use geolocation to pinpoint nearby matches. “Zero feet away” is the tagline that became a way of life for gay singles.
A lot of people mistakenly think Grindr is an offshoot of Tinder, but Grindr actually predates the swipe app by three years. They aren’t connected at all, despite the fact that their names sound similar.
Now a household name, Grindr dominates the queer dating realm. The app has something like 27 million users14, and its network reaches 192 countries.
2012: Tinder Introduces Groundbreaking Swiping Features
Tinder needs no introduction. They invented swiping, for crying out loud! When it launched in 2012, the app’s one-of-a-kind mutual matching system tempted singles who wanted a quick way to search for dates.
It made waves right away. TechCrunch named Tinder the Best New Startup of 201315 at its annual Crunchies Awards. “We hope to live up to this award,” the Founders said. “Thanks for swiping right.”
The timing was perfect as mobile usage was exploding in popularity, and the phrase “there’s an app for that” began defining daily life.
In 2012, Match.com reported that 40% of its logins came from mobile devices16, and experts estimated that over 14 million people used dating apps17.
By 2014, Tinder was seeing over 1 billion swipes every day18. Today, it’s been downloaded 630 billion times and seen 97 billion swipes.
2015: Ashley Madison’s Data Breach Raises Security Concerns
Of course, online dating has its drawbacks, and not every headline has been favorable for the industry. In July 2015, Ashley Madison got on people’s radar in a bad way when the website was hacked.
As a dating site for cheaters, Ashley Madison has a vested interest in keeping user data private, so the data breach was disastrous. Cybercriminals calling themselves Impact Team targeted Ashley Madison and stole the personal data of over 37 million users19.
When Ashley Madison refused to give in to the ransom demand, the hackers posted names, email addresses, passwords, and even credit card data onto the dark web.
The exposure led to a slew of identity theft, harassment, blackmail, divorces, and even, tragically, two suicides20.
Ruby Corp, Ashley Madison’s parent company, paid a $1.66 million settlement21 in response to charges from the Federal Trade Commission and 13 states that they did not properly protect sensitive user information.
The dating company also agreed to allow the FTC to oversee its network security for the next 20 years. Talk about paying penance!
2018: Facebook Dating Tries to Disrupt the Space
Just when you think online dating has run out of surprises, Facebook throws its hat into the ring. In April 2018, Mark Zuckerberg took the stage at F822, the company’s annual developers conference, amid a flurry of bad press regarding the social networking site’s privacy policies — and he promptly changed the subject.
Mark announced the launch of a free dating feature in the Facebook app. Facebook is all about building and maintaining relationships, he argued, so it made perfect sense for the social media site to use its tools to help singles meet.
“The world would lose is Facebook went away.” — Mark Zuckerberg, Founder of Facebook
Match Group shares dipped 22%23 following the news that the biggest social networking website ever would take a swing at online dating.
“I started building a service…to put people first and at the center of our experience with technology because our relationships are what matters most to us,” Mark said. “That’s how we find meaning and how we make sense of our place in the world.”
For all the flurry and headlines at the time, Facebook’s app hasn’t been such a game changer. It does offer free chatting and has some interesting features, so our experts give it a lukewarm thumbs up.
2020: Online Dating Signups Soared During Lockdowns
Fast forward to the year 2020 –– a year that changed everything for so many people.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a dramatic increase in online dating signups. Social distancing and lockdowns forced people to step out of their comfort zones to meet people. Traditional dating methods, such as going to a bar or hanging out with friends at the club, just weren’t feasible anymore.
But online dating apps were ready to fill that gap…and offer video features.
Many major dating apps, including eharmony, Hinge, Match, and Tinder, raced to install video features24 in the chat window so that singles could stay connected.
The shift in 2020 made online dating more viable and more valuable. Dating profiles became a lifeline to the outside world and gave hope to single people stuck at home with little to no in-person contact.
During this time, online dating apps raised their game and introduced an array of unique features such as video calls, voice notes, and even virtual speed dates.
2022: AI Profiles Become Common Hacks
ChatGPT-3.5 released in November 202225 with free AI tools for everyday people to use as they please. People jumped on the chance to come up with recipes, write tedious emails, and even generate pick-up lines to use on dating apps.
Out of the blue, AI became the ultimate dating assistant.
Singles began using ChatGPT to create engaging bios that sounded like them but with more polish. This was a game changer for folks who aren’t the most eloquent writers.
Dating apps like Tinder have integrated AI tools to make smart photo recommendations26 and spot fake profiles. AI is the new buzzword in the online dating industry, and I’d say it’s led to some interesting innovations so far.
2025: Gen Z Is All Over the Apps
Now we’ve caught up to the present. In 2025, young people are getting maybe too familiar and slightly burned out27 with the whole online dating scene. Gen Zers grew up with smartphones as an extension of their social lives, and that comes with benefits and drawbacks.
Swiping on a match online is Gen Z’s new normal. This generation is not afraid to use online dating, but they are uncompromising28 in their desire for real results. Because of this, modern dating apps have adapted features to integrate more video, voice, and match assistance to get users off their phones and onto IRL dates.
Gen Zers are more vocal about important topics such as mental health and emotional safety in the dating world. They are demanding better safety features and reporting tools. Time is up on apps using its members as bait
For Online Daters, the Future Looks Bright
In the 1990s, Match.com was just about the only game in town, but now all that has changed. Online daters have so many choices — including over 8,000 dating sites and apps29 — that it can seem downright overwhelming, but the key is to move with intention.
When sorting through where to go and how to swipe, I suggest you think about what you really want and target dates by your preferences in lifestyle, interests, and background. If you’re deliberate, you can use technology to improve your experience and identify commonalities that matter to you.
Once upon a time, singles who used dating sites were stigmatized as lonely or desperate, but now millions of people go online to make friends, find dates, and build long-term connections. Go join them!
- https://www.huffingtonpost.com/susie-lee/timeline-online-dating-fr_b_9228040.html ↩︎
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Match.com ↩︎
- https://www.eharmony.com/history-of-online-dating/ ↩︎
- https://www.eharmony.com/about/mission/ ↩︎
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_dating ↩︎
- https://newatlas.com/go/3685/ ↩︎
- https://www.businessinsider.com/online-dating-interracial-relationships-2018-2 ↩︎
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OkCupid ↩︎
- https://www.datingadvice.com/online-dating/okcupid-pioneers-business-principles-in-online-dating ↩︎
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badoo ↩︎
- https://www.wired.com/story/sexual-network/ ↩︎
- https://baltimorewatchdog.com/2020/05/17/during-the-covid-19-pandemic-swiping-right-and-then-what/ ↩︎
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grindr ↩︎
- https://www.datingsitesreviews.com/staticpages/index.php?page=grindr-statistics-facts-history ↩︎
- https://techcrunch.com/video/tinder-wins-best-new-startup-of-2013-crunchies-awards-2013/ ↩︎
- https://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-spira/online-dating_b_1674878.html ↩︎
- https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/mobile-dating-apps-connecting-more-people-looking-for-love/2034204/ ↩︎
- https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/fashion/tinder-the-fast-growing-dating-app-taps-an-age-old-truth.html ↩︎
- https://thehackernews.com/2017/07/ashley-madison-data-breach.html ↩︎
- https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34044506 ↩︎
- https://www.reuters.com/article/technology/ashley-madison-parent-in-112-million-settlement-over-data-breach-idUSKBN19Z2F3/ ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHC5BnKnThI ↩︎
- https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/01/facebook-is-launching-a-dating-app.html ↩︎
- https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/4/3/21198794/coronavirus-video-dating-tinder-hinge-grindr ↩︎
- https://www.searchenginejournal.com/history-of-chatgpt-timeline/488370/ ↩︎
- https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/17/tinders-new-ai-tool-will-curate-your-dating-profile-pictures-for-you-.html ↩︎
- https://www.forbes.com/health/dating/dating-app-fatigue/ ↩︎
- https://www.lvc.edu/news/gen-z-and-dating-prioritizing-mental-health-authenticity-and-meaningful-connections ↩︎
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinzwilling/2013/03/01/how-many-more-online-dating-sites-do-we-need/#7c1a8a357882 ↩︎
