Why Women Thrive More on Tinder: Analyzing the Dating App Dynamic
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Chapter 1: The Tinder Landscape
Over the past ten years, Tinder has transformed the online dating landscape. It has gained immense popularity among younger demographics, with around 75% of individuals aged 18 to 24 having used the app at some point. In comparison, Bumble trails significantly, with only 31% of users.
Tinder's primary innovation was its straightforward swiping mechanism, which has been imitated by many other apps. This model contrasts sharply with earlier dating platforms like eHarmony, which demanded extensive questionnaires to match users based on personality. However, despite Tinder's user-friendly approach, securing a date through the app can be quite challenging.
In collaboration with Kristian Bø, the creator of Swipestats.io (a platform enabling users to visualize their data and benchmark against others), we examined data collected from Tinder users. Participants downloaded their Tinder data and shared it with us, allowing for a closer look at the app's dating ecosystem. Surprisingly, we found two distinct experiences: one for typical male users and another for typical female users.
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Section 1.1: Male vs. Female User Experiences
While women tend to find matches more readily, men face a more difficult path. This disparity is particularly evident in swiping habits. Although women swipe more frequently than men overall, they are notably more selective. Women only swipe right on about 5% of profiles, whereas most men swipe right more often than they swipe left.
Ultimately, while women may swipe right on only a few men each day, men tend to be less judicious. This creates a highly competitive atmosphere, making it difficult for many men to secure matches consistently. Interestingly, despite their selectiveness, women end up matching more often than men do. On average, a female user receives around 2.75 matches daily, while male users only average about 1.1 matches.
For a woman to expect a match, she typically needs to like just three men, while a man must like over 50 women.
Section 1.2: Communication Dynamics
After matching, men also tend to send more messages. The average female user receives approximately seven messages daily while only sending five.
Why is there such a significant imbalance on Tinder? Although it has been widely acknowledged that women generally have an easier time on the app, our data substantiates these observations. The simplest explanation relates to supply and demand dynamics. Studies indicate that men utilize dating apps more frequently than women—both in terms of user numbers and usage patterns. For instance, estimates suggest that over 70% of active Tinder users in the U.S. are male, a ratio reflected in our collected data.
Chapter 2: The Impact of User Imbalance
This imbalance results in a large number of men vying for a comparatively limited pool of women, granting women the luxury to choose their potential matches with great care. Unfortunately, men with less appealing profiles often find themselves overlooked.
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The data also points to significant disparities for both genders. Users within the top 10%—those receiving the most matches—often see a minimum of five matches daily, and some may even experience dozens. Conversely, men in the bottom 10% might only see one match weekly, while even the least successful 10% of women typically manage to match about once a day.
However, a match does not guarantee an actual date. Previous research has indicated that achieving one meetup requires an average of 57 matches, and significantly more for a relationship or intimate encounter. In practical terms, a typical man might need to swipe nearly 6,000 times over two months just to secure a date.
Despite this challenging landscape, many individuals still find success on Tinder. One survey revealed that over 20% of millennials reported having met someone through the app. Notably, men were more likely to use the platform and to have found a match.
The evidence clearly shows that men and women encounter vastly different experiences on the app. While most women can secure matches with relative ease—even when they are selective—most men must adjust their expectations downward. Additionally, some men may struggle to secure dates on Tinder even after extensive swiping efforts.
Kristian Elset Bø is a full-stack developer and the founder of Swipestats.io, a platform that simplifies the process for users to submit and visualize their Tinder data. For instructions on how to access your Tinder data, please visit this page.
The Bold Italic is a non-profit media organization supported by GrowSF, dedicated to sharing personal narratives from San Francisco and the Bay Area. Consider donating to support our mission.
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