Hinge is testing a cheaper subscription tier as Match Group confronts declining interest in paid dating app features. The new plan will include additional filters and custom location boundaries, targeting women and price-sensitive users, according to Steve Bailey, Match Group's chief financial officer.
Match Group did not disclose the pricing for the new subscription. Bailey noted that Hinge currently commands high prices relative to peers, with revenue per payer around $30, nearly twice that of Tinder. Despite strong performance overall, Hinge has lower payer penetration than Tinder at slightly more than half the rate.
Hinge delivered strong results in the third quarter of 2026, with global monthly active users growing 12% year over year, direct revenue increasing 19% to $221 million, and paying users rising 23% to 2.3 million. Tinder generated $480 million in direct revenue but declined 2% year over year, with paid users falling 4% to 8.9 million.
The lower-priced tier represents a shift from Hinge's 2023 strategy, which tested a more expensive premium option. The move aims to convert more free users into paid subscribers without requiring high upfront spending.
Match Group is addressing broader user fatigue through other initiatives. The company rolled out Group Hangouts and Events to offer connection methods beyond one-on-one matching. In the fourth quarter, Match Group plans to test real-time adaptive recommendations on Tinder, allowing the app to respond to user actions within seconds rather than hours to deliver more personalized suggestions.