Match Group Tests Cheaper Hinge Tier as Paying Users Grow 23%

Match Group said Monday, Nov. 2, that it is testing a lower-priced Hinge subscription with added filters and custom location boundaries after the app’s paying base grew 23% year over year in the third quarter.

Chief Financial Officer Steve Bailey said the tier is aimed particularly at women and users who are sensitive to price. Additional filters and custom boundaries would give users more control over the profiles they see and the locations they choose. Match Group has not disclosed a price for the test.

Hinge ended the third quarter with 2.3 million paying users, up 23% from a year earlier. Revenue from subscriptions and in-app purchases rose 19% year over year to $221 million. Global monthly active users increased 12% year over year.

Tinder generated $480 million in direct revenue, down 2% year over year, and had 8.9 million paying users, down 4%. Hinge grew in both revenue and paying users, while Tinder remained larger on both measures: its revenue was more than twice Hinge’s, and its paying base was nearly four times as large.

The test follows a 2023 experiment with a more expensive Hinge subscription tier. The earlier plans took a higher-priced approach; the new test explores a lower price point.

Match Group plans to ramp up efforts to give users ways to connect beyond one-on-one matching in the fourth quarter. Group Hangouts is among the initiatives Match Group plans to ramp up in the fourth quarter.

Tinder is also scheduled to begin testing adaptive recommendations in real time during the fourth quarter. The feature is designed to respond to user activity within seconds rather than hours, with the aim of tailoring recommendations to how people use the app.