Key Takeaways
- Matchmaking is making a bold comeback, and the dating industry needs to pay attention.
- Matchmaking has evolved into a personalized, ethical, and outcome-driven service that offers what dating apps can’t: real connection, accountability, and emotional growth.
- The dating industry needs to balance tech with human insight.
- If done right, matchmaking could transform dating apps — but done wrong, it risks losing what makes it meaningful.
For over a decade, the dating industry as we know it has been run by technology. The revolution of matching instantly with someone down the street instead of meeting on a blind date started once users of Craigslist’s Missed Connections turned to new — sometimes sexy — dating sites. The dating industry promises efficiency, access, and above all, the ability to scale connections at an unprecedented level. But as dating fatigue intensifies, a centuries-old tradition is making a modern comeback: professional matchmaking.
And the comeback is not a quiet one. Shows like “Millionaire Matchmaker,” “Jewish Matchmaking” and the ever-classic “Married At First Sight” are capturing the public imagination. Even HBO’s “The White Lotus” gave a nod to matchmaking when two of the show’s characters admitted they met through a service — drawing knowing chuckles about the perceived taboo of needing help to find love.
It’s not just a TV fad, either. Something bigger is happening. Matchmaking is stepping firmly into the mainstream conversation (and hearts) of those on the prowl for their next partner(s). They watch and think: “I wish I could do that.”
That’s our cue. The dating industry’s, I mean. Matchmaking is poised for a huge breakout, and if the online dating industry can understand its evolution, it can take matchmaking to the next level and connect with and for users, creating an entirely new and, dare I say, unprecedented dating experience.
How Matchmaking Has Changed the Dating Industry
Matchmaking has historically carried a certain stigma — a service for the ultra-wealthy or (I even hate saying this) the socially desperate that couldn’t meet someone otherwise. Let’s be clear: We’re long past those old and worn-out stereotypes. Especially in the past few years, matchmaking has begun a new modernization that more and more real folks are interested in.
Today’s matchmakers aren’t simply brokers of introductions. They are coaches, strategists, and advocates, offering daters a curated, highly personalized path to connection that no algorithm can replicate.
“Matchmaking gives modern daters something they desperately need: structure, support, and truth,” ethical matchmaking advocate Arlene Washburn tells DatingNews.com. “We hold up a mirror.”
As a sex and love writer, I’ve come across my fair share of matchmakers — one being Dr. Viviana Coles. The matchmaker and intimacy expert spent several seasons on “Married At First Sight” and has since started her own matchmaking process for those looking for The One. I even considered trying to get my single dad in on it.
While dating apps define success by engagement metrics — the number of swipes, messages, and matches — Matchmakers define success by outcomes: commitments, relationships, and marriages. For dating app users, that distinction really matters.
“Ethical matchmakers don’t just pass on leads,” Washburn says. “We help people grow, identify patterns sabotaging their love lives, and challenge them to date better — not just more.”
After all, daters in 2025 may be craving something deeper than just a swipe and message. Perhaps they’re looking for guidance, emotional safety and accountability. Matchmaking offers exactly that. It humanizes the dating experience.
“We don’t feed into fantasy,” Washburn adds, “We guide people toward emotionally healthy relationships. When done right, it’s transformational.”
So imagine what we, in the dating industry could do, with such an intentional approach. Personalized services, mental wellness, intentional living, self-help in the dating process. The list goes on. Today’s singles aren’t just looking for someone — they’re looking to become someone ready for a real relationship, too.
Where The Dating Industry and Matchmaking Meet
Of course, some of the smartest players in the industry have already picked up on this. Companies like Three Day Rule, LUMA, and Tawkify are already blending their tech with matchmaking.
Mainstream apps are experimenting, too. Bumble is working ond “concierge dating” services, and the word on the street is that others are exploring premium tiers offering curated introductions, too. But according to Washburn, not everything labeled “matchmaking” actually is — and if the dating industry really wants to make it work, we collectively need to do it right.
“Unless there’s deep vetting, real accountability, and someone taking responsibility for outcomes, it’s not matchmaking. It’s marketing,” she says.
If the top-of-the-top dating sites and apps can find the right balance between automation and human insight, they’ll have a huge leg up in the next phase of the dating game.
“We’re entering a trust revolution — people are tired of feeling like commodities,” says Washburn. “In five years, I believe matchmaking will be the gold standard for serious daters.”
As dating app users look for more, the level of professionalization in the industry needs to rise, too. For example, with new ethical standards, formal training, and accreditation initiatives like those championed by the International Matchmaking Certification Board (IMCB), industry experts can make matchmaking a real experience for users, one that continues to pique the interest of those sitting in front of their TV (remember “White Lotus”).
What Happens If Dating Apps Offer Matchmaking Services?
If major dating platforms — think Tinder, Bumble, Hinge — were to integrate matchmaking services, it could transform the entire industry in a good way.
On one hand, matchmaking could truly change industry standards, especially if apps commit to real vetting, ethical practices, and outcome-focused services.
On the other hand, if it’s done wrong, it could dilute what true matchmaking actually is.
“[Apps] might water it down and confuse the public even more,” Washburn warns.
Washburn said she views most dating apps as designed to keep people single. Matchmakers, on the other hand, are the opposite. They want you off the market for good. Washburn believes that unless dating apps fundamentally shift their business models, matchmaking offerings may remain more lip service than true service.
Again, though, there is a real opportunity here for change — and success. After years of swiping and matching and being ghosted by their matches, dating app users are craving something more. More intentional, more personal, more human. So let’s answer the call.
Matchmaking isn’t about endless browsing. It’s about curated compatibility, emotional growth, and building real relationships. As the dating industry evolves, we need to evolve, too — investing in hybrid models, championing ethical matchmaking, and real human connection — to really make waves.
The breakout is coming.
The only question is: Will we be ready?
