Hinge is testing a cheaper subscription plan, Match Group said on its third-quarter 2026 earnings call, as the parent company looks for new ways to get users to pay for dating apps at a time when people are increasingly tired of subscriptions and, in some cases, dating apps altogether. The new tier will include features such as additional filters and custom location boundaries.
The new tier will include extras such as additional filters and custom location boundaries, giving users more say over who they see and where they meet people. Match Group didn't share what it will cost.
"It's designed for women in particular, but also for price-sensitive users," said Steve Bailey, Match Group's chief financial officer. He pointed out that Hinge is "one of the highest-priced products we have," with revenue per payer of around $30, almost twice that of Tinder.
That is a notable move for an app that just had a very good quarter. According to TechCrunch, Hinge's global monthly active users grew 12% year over year, direct revenue rose 19% to $221 million, and paying users climbed 23% to 2.3 million. Direct revenue is money earned from subscriptions and in-app purchases.
Tinder tells a different story. It brought in $480 million in direct revenue, down 2% from a year earlier, with 8.9 million paid users, a 4% decline.
Bailey also said Hinge's share of users who pay is only slightly more than half of Tinder's. A cheaper plan is one way to close that gap.
It is also a reversal of sorts. In 2023, TechCrunch notes, Hinge experimented with a more expensive tier for users willing to pay extra to get more out of the app. Now it is testing whether a lower price appeals to a broader crowd.
Early results look promising, according to Global Dating Insights, which reports Bailey said early tests lifted the share of users who pay among both men and women, with stronger results among women. The company expects to expand the offering during the fourth quarter, per the same report.
Match Group is also betting on making its apps feel less like traditional dating apps, with Group Hangouts and Events, which TechCrunch says the company plans to ramp up in the fourth quarter. Real-time adaptive recommendations are set to begin testing then too.