UK Singles’ Dating App Spend Grows by 60%

2nd January 2019 Dominic Whitlock

The amount of money UK singles are spending on dating apps has risen by 60%, according to data from Sky News and App Annie.

In the UK, £23.1 million was spent on the top 10 dating apps during the third quarter of 2018, an increase of £8.7 million from twelve months earlier.

Thierry Guiot, App Annie’s Territory Director for Southern Europe, told GDI that the total UK consumer spend on the same 10 dating apps was $85 million, between January and October 2018.

This significant growth now means that the UK’s dating app spend is higher than the worldwide average.

Tinder is the highest grossing dating app in the UK and often brings in more quarterly revenue than leading entertainment apps – such as Spotify and Netflix.

The increased consumer spend can be attributed to most dating apps operating under a freemium subscription model. This means the app download is free but users can pay for added extras – such as being visible to more singles or having more daily swipes.

Bumble’s most recent freemium feature gives users the ability to filter potential matches by three or more different attributes.

Brian Norgard was responsible for the development of many Tinder Gold features during his time as Tinder’s Chief Product Officer. He recently left the dating app to work with new tech startups.