Grindr Ramps Up Product Roadmap, Sees Major User Engagement

Grindr is charting a notably different path in the dating app sector, according to comments from CFO Vanna Krantz in a recent discussion with TD Cowen. While many major platforms face growth slowdowns, Grindr has posted strong engagement and expanding monetization, allowing the company to raise its 2025 revenue and EBITDA guidance in its first quarter earnings.

Features like Boost and a weekly subscription tier have performed well, and new monetization tools, such as “Chat AI” and the “right now” location-based feature, are being tested and gradually rolled out. The latter was a contributing factor in Grindr raising its full-year guidance. “We give three or four [sessions] for free and after that you pay,” said Krantz, who described the monetization model as iterative and engagement-first.

Grindr sees substantial room for growth in monthly active users (MAUs) and payer conversion. Currently, the app sits at around 8% payer penetration, well below Tinder’s peak of 21%. To push ahead, the company is primarily investing in talent and infrastructure, with a focus on AI, product development, and international expansion.

Krantz attributed Grindr’s momentum to its broader use case and unique app design, which facilitates open messaging across a grid-based interface rather than a swiping mechanic. “Our metrics specifically with respect to engagement are quite off the charts,” she noted, citing 31 billion chats sent in 2024 and over an hour of average daily user time.