Tinder Review

By Emily Thompson Updated on: December 12, 2023 Fact Checked by Aleksandra Gojkovic

2022 statistics show that Tinder, a location-based dating app, had 75 million monthly active users. This high number of participants justifies its label as one of the most successful dating sites in the world. The simple setup of letting you swipe left or right to say ‘Like’ or ‘Nope’ is fun. And yes, you can even use it for free. Still, your dating needs may be unique, so use our review to determine if it’s what you need to improve your love life.

We tried out the app on multiple platforms, as this dating resource is now accessible on PC and mobile. Our research covered topics like features, security, and user-friendliness. We especially wanted to see if it’s valuable to join one of the three subscription tiers or whether free membership is sufficient to find your soulmate, or at least a match.

Tinder sets a standard for many online dating features, from fun elements to providing robust information on matches so you get an idea of who you’re talking to. Still, we will provide a detailed comparison with other dating sites so you can identify the most suitable option for your current dating needs.

✅ What We Like

• User base: The Tinder app can quickly create an extensive portfolio of potential matches for you, thanks to a considerable user base. Because it’s a popular tool around the globe, it’s very likely to find matches close to you. And if there are too few to your liking, simply request the app to show you profiles from a larger radius. 
• User experience: The Tinder developers created a very user-friendly application that is intuitive, so you quickly feel comfortable using it. The icons, like a heart, cross, and star make sense, so there’s no need for tutorials to start having fun.

• Profiles: User profiles show you a lot of information about an individual, so people looking for something serious can make informed decisions about who they swipe right on. It may not have an integrated personality test as is the case with platforms like eHarmony, but by covering topics ranging from zodiac signs to dietary preferences, you can learn a lot about someone by scanning their profile. 
• Free version: The free version offers many helpful features, from viewing profile details to using incognito mode. You do have limits on your profile, like not being able to block your age or distance, though.
• Verification: You can easily create more trust in your profile by verifying your photo, and you can see whether potential matches have verified theirs. This happens with the help of 3D Face Authentication. The app will capture an image of your face after you give it camera access and, based on facial geometry, it can verify it’s the same face as in our photos – within seconds. Do this and a blue tick mark will appear on your profile.

• Onboarding: You’ll be ready to use Tinder within minutes because profile creation is quick and tools are immediately ready to use. Most users don’t even need a user guide to get them to use it with confidence. So, if you’re new to dating sites, Tinder won’t be too overwhelming.
• Privacy: You don’t get messages from anyone you didn’t approve by swiping right. This makes one feel safe and protected, as you stay in control of who can send you messages. Also, if you no longer want to chat with someone, simply unmatch.
• Helpful tools: Click on the badge sign on your profile screen, and you’ll see an extensive menu navigating to safety tools, privacy tools, ‘How to topics’, and more. We found the navigation intuitive. There’s extensive information, but they limited it to important topics, so the section isn’t cluttered or too overwhelming to find useful info.

❌ What We Didn’t Like

• Lack of customer service: Tinder provides email support, but getting feedback takes hours. There’s no contact number to phone for emergency queries, such as an issue with account payments. Luckily, there are dedicated tools, such as a menu item on each profile you view, to report someone if you notice anything inappropriate, rude, or concerning.
• Subscription needed for tools: Boosts and Super Likes can help you get the attention of individuals you really like, but unfortunately, they are only available on paid contracts – or you have to pay for them individually at a rather high rate. 
• Fake accounts: Unfortunately, research has found that between 10% and 20% of profiles tend to be fake. This shows the importance of only engaging with individuals with verified images.
• Expensive contracts: The cost of a contract depends on how long you commit to it. For more affordability, you’ll have to sign up for a 6- or 12-month contract. If you want to stay flexible in case you meet your soulmate within the first few weeks of Tinder use, the month-to-month options are expensive.
• PC version: It’s an innovative approach to make Tinder accessible on PC and mobile, but we feel the desktop version is a bit disappointing. The layout is less intuitive and much different than the app. If you’re used to the app, the PC version may take time to get used to. Only a small part of the screen is used for viewing profiles, resulting in a lot of wasted space, so there’s a lot they can do to optimize this version.

💡 Features

Feature	Details
User Base Size and Diversity	Large and Diverse
Age Range	18-55+
Matching Algorithm	Similar Photos, Location
Ease of Use and Interface	Very easy, Very easy
Safety and Privacy Features	Safety features: Photo verification, Two-factor authentication Privacy features: Incognito Mode
Communication Tools	Swipe, Speech Bubble, Heart Tap
Price and Subscription Options	Tinder+, Tinder Gold, Tinder Platinum
Mobile App Availability	iOS and Android
Special Features	Super Like, Super Boost, Rewind, Passport
Customer Support	Email
Cancellation and Refund Policy	No refunds
Community and Social Aspects	Social events, Group chats
Inclusivity	High: including LGBTQ+

💰 Tinder Pricing

Tinder is a dating app that is still very valuable, even if you prefer not to pay. You can just create a profile and immediately start viewing possible matches, without committing to pay.

The free version allows you to see a significant amount of information about possible matches close by, helping you make informed decisions.

Millions of people do opt for paid subscriptions, as each tier provides access to more perks you may feel are necessary to increase your chances of meeting the ideal partner:

Membership Tier	Options & Costs	Features
Free	No payment Available for an unlimited period	– Matching – Messaging – Photo verification – Explore
Tinder+	1 month 6 months – save ~30% 12 months – save ~50%	– No ads – Unlimited Likes – Unlimited Rewinds – Passport – See who likes you – More control over your pr ofile and who you see
Tinder Gold	1 month 6 months – save ~30% 12 months – save ~50%	– All Tinder+ features – Free BoostsFree Super Likes
Tinder Platinum	1 month 6 months – save ~30% 12 months – save ~50%	– All Tinder Gold features – Message people you haven’t matched with – Priority Likes that are seen first

📱 Tinder on Mobile

Originally, Tinder was designed specifically as an online dating app for mobile use. Therefore, all features, such as swiping to match, are relevant for use on your mobile phone. This explains why we found the desktop version less impressive.

The app is very responsive, with all information clearly displayed and easy to scroll through and click on. You should find it user-friendly whether you’re using one hand or two.

The navigation bar stays visible across the bottom of the screen at all times, so it’s quick to navigate to your profile for updating, jump to messages, or return to the swiping interface.

🤔 How To Use Tinder

You can sign up to Tinder within just a few minutes, as registration only requires your mobile phone number or using your Facebook or Google account. Using your number, you’re sent a verification code by SMS, but the numbers usually fill automatically, and then you’re good to go.

You’re required to upload a minimum of two images. Then starts a fun process of creating your profile and apart from writing a bio, most of it just requires clicking on relevant options.

The topics include:

• Interests
• Relationship goals
• Height
• Languages
• Zodiac sign
• Lifestyle preferences
• Career and school
• Gender
• Sexual orientation

They implement user-friendly tools, such as the slider, to indicate the distance the app should scan for your matches. This makes the onboarding process quick, and then you can start matching.

Tinder stays relevant to the current dating environment, so you can indicate your sexual orientation, preferred pronouns, and whether you want them displayed on your bio at all times. There’s an extensive list to pick from.

The platform then creates your profile from this information, and you can edit details at any stage.

Your profile will indicate the percentage of information you’ve completed, but it’s up to you how much you want to share. You can start matching even if you only entered basic details.

Making Matches

To start swiping, press the flame icon that’s always on the bottom right of your mobile screen or the far right of your PC screen.

The app will compile a library of potential matches that fall within the radius selected during setup. You’ll see their first profile photos and some information like age, relationship goal, and bio. It’s up to you to swipe left or right, based on the limited information, or open the profile further to learn more about them.

Use the provided red and green buttons, or use a finger to swipe left to say ‘No’ and right to say ‘Yes’. The arrow icon will open the profile so you can gain insight into the person behind the image.

And yes, on PC it’s also fun to use. You don’t even need your mouse – use the arrow buttons and a few others to quickly browse through your options.

Communicating With Matches

If someone you liked also liked you (swiped right), that will enable messages between the two of you. This feature works similarly to modern messaging apps, but everything happens on Tinder.

Optimize Your Tinder Experience

To optimize your chances of finding good matches and manage your expectations of each match, we suggest you get familiar with using these add-on features too:

• Get Read Receipts: Know if someone has read your message, so you know if you’re being ghosted.
• Boosts: For 30 minutes you’ll be a top profile in your area, which increases the chances of being seen.
• Message Before Matching: Take the opportunity to be bold and get yourself into someone’s inbox.
• Rewinds: Have a second chance to view a profile if you accidentally swiped left.
• Explore: Easy navigation to view profiles with a specific feature, such as ‘Sporty’ or ‘Nature Loving’’. Also, find others that have made themselves available for categories like ‘Free Tonight’ or ‘Coffee Date’. You’ll find this page by clicking the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen.

• Recently Active: Know who has been online lately, so you target active users.
• Super Like: Increase your chances of getting noticed.
• Discovery Settings: Mark details you like in a partner, so Tinder matches you with profiles containing those features.
• Passport: You can make international matches.

Some of them are available to free users too, while others require a subscription. 

👥 General User Experience

Tinder is a winning platform in terms of user experience, especially on mobile. You can access important features with minimal clicks and the menu options are intuitive, so we quickly became comfortable navigating through the options.

The desktop platform isn’t as well laid out as the mobile app though, so hopefully they can improve this. One fun and helpful feature on PC is an icon (look for the briefcase) which will put the page in ‘Work Mode’. It opens a screen containing text and graphs, so it seems like you’re working. This helps people enjoy Tinder at the office because you can quickly switch to this screen if someone walks in while you’re browsing profiles or chatting with matches on your computer.

🔐 User Safety & Security

Tinder makes users feel fairly safe using the platform, thanks to:

• Apart from Likes that people can send, you only receive messages from people you swipe right on.
• Incognito Mode means your profile will only be seen by people you liked first.
• Verified images on accounts.
• Clear display of the ‘verification badge’.
• Quick links to report a profile, whether directly from a profile or the ‘Report’ section on the Safety page.

They also share practical information on how to stay safe while using dating sites, which empowers newbies to not fall victim to scammers and online predators.

Although we’re not very impressed with the lack of customer support, we do appreciate the extensive resources displayed on their Dating Safety Tips page. From sexual violence resource centers to internet complaint centers, you’ll find helpful contact information there. 

☎️ Customer Support

If you want to contact Tinder, you have the following options:

• Email one of the dedicated inboxes, such as ‘success stories’
• Send a fax
• Complete an online form

We received a confirmation email immediately, but the reply with the advice we needed only reached us hours later. The feedback was very general but did include multiple tips to help us solve our problem.

In an age where online chat support has become the norm in many industries, it’s surprising that Tinder hasn’t initiated such a feature. There’s not even a chatbot to talk to about basic topics.

🎖️ How Does Tinder Compare?

Tinder clearly caters to almost all types of dating, since you can clearly state in your bio whether you want casual or serious relationships. For eHarmony, another popular dating site in today’s online dating world, it’s a proud fact that they’ve helped millions find love, and serious relationships are their focus.

Tinder mostly matches based on location, and it’s fun to browse Tinder profiles and like the ones you think will be exciting to talk to. This places the responsibility to identify people who are possibly compatible with you, on your shoulders.

In contrast, eHarmony offers the handy feature of a personality test, and they use the data to suggest profiles with a high likelihood of compatibility with yours, making them very valuable for users looking for long-term partners, rather than just friends or hookups.

Here’s a quick comparison so you can weigh up your options.

Swipe Right, Spark Instant Connections

Visit Tinder

Tinder Review

Enjoy Compatible Matches, even on Free Membership

Visit eHarmony

eHarmony Review

🏆 Final Verdict: Is Tinder Right for You?

We saw many features that make it clear why Tinder is still so popular in today’s dating world. From safety and anonymity to fun features like ‘swiping’, it’s a practical and exciting tool. Also, it caters to hookups, serious relationships, and everything in between, so almost anyone may find it useful.

Those looking for something serious may benefit from considering other platforms, like eHarmony, that empower users through the use of personality tests. Still, thanks to free access to many features, there’s nothing that should keep you from trying out Tinder for yourself.

❓ FAQ