Both Hinge and Tinder are high-quality dating apps, but being sites that aim to connect single people, they are different in how they have gone about their business.
Dating apps are essential facets of human relationships today. They charge up your dating prospects exponentially. They give you access to different kinds of people and remove the limitation that often seems to be the dating world’s theme. Hinge vs.
Tinder compares these two platforms to help you understand what the difference lies between both so that you can make an informed decision in your choice of either.
Hinge vs. Tinder
Comparison of History
In 2012, Justin McLeod launched Hinge, which he tagged as a ‘relationship app.’ Justin set the tone for Hinge to be relationship-focused, which means the app was optimized to ensure users ended up having a relationship via the app.
On the Hinge website, it is described as ‘the app to be deleted’; because why else would you be on a relationship app after you have found a relationship on the app. Right? In its early years of existence, the dating site almost failed.
The relationships Justin, the founder, made at that crucial point in time saved the dating platform from folding up; maybe that is why it is big on establishing relationships. In 2017, compared to other big-name dating sites, Hinge received the most mentions in the Weddings section of the New York Times, which solidified its intentions as a relationship-based app.
Seeing how successful it was, the same company that owns Tinder, Match Group, acquired Hinge. But, it is still very different today from Tinder. Hinge is still growing, and its annual revenue is currently $11M.
Originally, Tinder was called MatchBox. It was built by Sean Rad and Joe Munoz for a startup incubator. Startup incubators were popular in the tech world at the time, with engineers struggling to develop the next Facebook or Twitter.
The app MatchBox was renamed Tinder in August 2012. It aimed to make it easy for strangers to approach each other and establish relationships. It is impossible to tell who invented the swipe-based system, but Tinder did make it famous when it built its entire matching system around the action of the swiping motion.
Tinder’s success can be attributed to that feature also. It was a shiny new feature, and people loved it. Today, Tinder is one of the biggest dating sites globally regarding the number of paying customers any dating site can have. They once reported annual revenue of $1.2 billion.
Key Features
On Tinder, you are given access to some features when you register. These features are supposed to help make it easy for you to establish relationships on the app. Access to these features is separated into paid features and free features.
You, of course, get access to all of the free features when you register on Tinder. As expected of dating platforms, you can register an account for free and download the app for free too. You also get access to the matching feature, but you are only allowed to make left swipes.
You can upload a profile picture so that other users may see you. You can find members near your location for free, and you get on super like a day. Hinge also has the same structure of operating. Account creation and app download are all free on the platform. Hinge works differently from Tinder.
When you register on Tinder, you can view other users’ complete profiles, send messages to people you have been matched with, and see who sent you likes on your profile.
Signup process
Tinder’s signup process is blazing fast compared to Hinge’s. To create a new account on Tinder, you only have to provide some necessary information plus a little extra about yourself. You can skip that process by signing up with Facebook. In 5-8 minutes, you should be done signing up.
Hinge works a little differently. It has one of the longest signup processes of any dating app. This is because the platform tries to know a lot about you to find you something serious. You can signup using Facebook, but you will still need to go through the step-by-step procedure of providing the required information.
On Tinder, you are required to upload a single picture so that other users can see what you look like. You can upload more if you want, but one picture is usually enough. On the other hand, Hinge requires a total of 6 photos from you. You also have to verify that your phone number is yours.
User Base
Hinge has a number of about six million active members per month. Its primary service areas are the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and other international countries. The number of men and women on Hinge are almost equal, with a percentage of men reaching 55% and women being 45%.
Tinder has more users than Hinge. It has up to 50 million users in the world and about 28 million worldwide. There are more men on Tinder than there are women. Women make up 37% of the user base, and men make up the rest.
Ease of Use
Using Hinge is a straight-forward and easy process. The app was redesigned when Match Group acquired it. It has a clean and minimalist interface.
Tinder is one of the best-designed dating apps out there. It is also one of the few you can access anywhere; on the web, on your phone as an app, or in your web browser. Its interface is clean and easy to use.
Success Rate
Tinder is very successful at short-term connections but not as successful as Hinge when it comes to long-term ones. Hinge has more matches relating to marriage than Tinder does.
Pricing
Hinge’s plans
- 1 Month: 9.99 USD
- 3 Months: 20.97 USD
- 6 Months: 29.94 USD
Tinder Monthly Plans
Tinder Gold under 28
- 1 Month: 14.99 USD
- 6 Months: 52.99 USD
- 12 Months: 82.99 USD
Tinder Gold over 28
- 1 Month: 29.99 USD
- 6 Months: 112.99 USD
- 12 Months: 149.99 USD
Tinder Plus under 28
- 1 Month: 9.99 USD
- 6 Months: 34.99 USD
- 12 Months: 54.99 USD
Tinder Plus over 28
- 1 Month: 19.99 USD
- 6 Months: 60.00 USD
- 12 Months: 80.00 USD
Pros and Cons
Tinder Pros
- You can use Tinder as an app on your phone or the web.
- It has a fast signup process
Tinder Cons
- You don’t have access to enough information on matches
- The gamification of the platform gives it a superficial feel
Hinge Pros
- Establishes serious relationships
- There is plenty of information to go by on matches
Hinge Cons
- Long signup process
- Isn’t as fun to use as Tinder
Bottom Line
Tinder has an image of being a hookup app. This is not to say you cannot get a serious relationship off Tinder because many people do. Still, many people are mostly interested in casual sex when it comes to Tinder. If this is what you want, Tinder is better at that.
If you want a relationship that could lead to marriage, you are better off trying Hinge. The dating platform makes sure to let any user coming onboard know that they better be there for something serious, which sets a ‘serious’ tone for the platform.
Both platforms are great, and the ball lies in your court on which platform to use.
