Once Was Built for Dating. Now It Is Selling Chat

Dating app Once started with a good idea. It launched in 2015, and promised users one carefully selected match each day. The focus was on quality rather than quantity at a time when swiping was becoming the dominant way to date online. The concept gained traction. Once later claimed more than 10 million registered users and acquired women-focused dating app Pickable. In 2021, Dating Group acquired Once in a deal valued at up to $18 million. At the time, the one-match-a-day concept was still at the heart of the business.

Today, Once is a very different product. Its website now calls it an “Iconic Chat App” and invites users to “Find Your Perfect Chat Partner.” In a recent recruitment post, the company went further, describing Once as a “chatting app and creators platform.”

The business model has changed too. Once now combines subscriptions with an in-app currency called Gems. Users spend Gems on messages and other features. Even paying subscribers need Gems to chat with members Once describes as “popular.” That has become a source of frustration for some users.

On Trustpilot, Once currently has a 1.2 out of 5 rating, with 85% of almost 2,000 reviews giving it one star. Complaints frequently focus on the cost of continuing conversations. Some reviewers also allege that profiles are fake, automated or designed to keep users spending money. Some reviewers also allege that profiles are fake or automated, although there is no independent evidence to confirm this. Once denies using fake or AI profiles.

Mark Brooks: “The distinction is very clear. If users want to chat, they should go to a chatty app or an AI companion app. Once has become a chatty app. If users want to date IRL, go to a dating app. Incentives drive behaviour. Need I say more?”