How To Create A Dating App in 2022? (Features, Cost, Time, and Lots More)

App Development

Dating App Development Services

Love, at first sight, is a thing of the past. With social media taking over how we socialize and network amongst peers and family, with time, technology will overtake how we meet new people and fall in love.

There are already too many applications in the market that are doing this successfully in the dating industry. To stay competitive and relevant, you need dating app development solutions that fit your budget and requirements.

Highlights of the Content

To create an application for meeting people online, you need to have an estimate, budget, features, and a brief idea of how to go on about things. This post will help you with just that. It will guide you through the various steps it will take to create a dating app like Tinder, Bumble, and OkCupid.

You can launch your application and help connect people in your community, country, or business. Here are some tips and tricks for creating a dating app. Continue reading to find out more.

Before we analyze dating app development solutions, let us look at some numbers…

How Much Money Do Dating Apps Make?

According to Statista, revenue from the online dating industry will reach USD 3,241 million in 2021, worldwide. This is increasing at an annual growth rate of 9.3% between the years 2021-24. This will result in a market value of USD 4,230 million by 2024.

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    • According to their report, the number of users of the online dating sector will increase to 441.8m by 2024. The user penetration rate will climb from 4.9% in 2021 to hit 5.7% by 2024, worldwide.
    • According to Statista, the Average Revenue Per User (or ARPU) of the online dating sector will increase to USD 8.76 in 2021 worldwide.

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  • The United States will be the global leader that will generate the most revenue if USD 674 million in 2021. India is in second place with USD 454 million and China third with USD 444 million.

These numbers show that online dating will be quite the hype in the coming future. You can invest in this sector and be sure to be part of a global industry that is going to be successful and take you to new heights.

How to Create a Dating App?

  • Examine Market Need and Understand Your Competition
  • Select On A Technology Stack That Suits Your Business
  • Decide on The Must-Have and Trending Features
  • Select Mobile App Design (UI/UX)
  • Choose On A Monetizing Strategy

Step 1: Examine Market Need and Understand Your Competition

You need to know what are the latest trends in the market. It will help you create something unique and better than the competition. All the information is available on the internet or in public forums.

  • You can start by creating a report on all of your research. First thing on your list must be to understand the current market. Research all you can and find out different online dating sectors and types.
  • Then determine the purpose of your application and the target audience. This will help you narrow down your research to a specific dating sector.
  • Now, look for the competition in this sector. There must be many similar apps for your chosen type.
  • Start in-depth research about each competitor. Look for minute features you can improve upon and figure out what they lack. Learn all about what makes them unique and so successful.
  • Find out all the information you need and mention it all in your report.
  • After the research is complete, put the report into action.

With all the information, you can analyse the market correctly and use it to create a user-friendly app. Share the details with your dating app development company for better collaboration. You can let them know your requirements and expectations from the project. Use the intelligence to create an exceptional application that both people and investors alike.

Step 2: Select On A Technology Stack That Suits Your Business

To create something unique and creative, you need to select technologies that will help you achieve that goal. It can make a lot of difference between the success or failure of your application.

You can start by choosing the platform where you want to distribute your mobile app. You can think of deploying your application only on Native Android or iOS platforms. This you can later change to create apps for both platforms which may cost dearly to your budget.

The best way is to choose a hybrid model for developing your application. This way you can start with one platform initially and later upgrade to another platform, as the app becomes more successful.

Tools and technology recommendation for dating application development:

  • Programming Languages: Java, Swift, and Kotlin
  • Framework: React, NodeJS, or ExpresJS
  • Web Server: AWS or Nginx
  • Database: SQL, Redis, or MongoDB
  • Payment Gateway: PayPal, CCAvenue, Stripe

These are just some technologies that you need to be familiar with. These will help you in creating a new dating app. It is very important to know a little about each before going forward with app development.

There are more technologies like these that you may have to use. Find out about all as they may differ based on the type of dating app you are creating and its feature list. You can talk to a mobile app development company to get more information. But we recommend you do your research as well.

Step 3: Decide on The Must-Have and Trending Features

There are several features you can add to your dating application. You can even use modern technologies like AI, ML, and chatbots to add more uniqueness to your app. Here is a list of the common features that will help you create an MVP and get feedback from users:

1. User Registration/Sign-Up:

Via email, phone number, or Facebook. This is a basic feature that verifies and allows a user to access your application.

2. User Profile:

A section to view the personal data of the user. You can collect this information from the social media account or have users add their information individually.

3. Messaging:

A section to communicate with others on the app selectively, or publicly. You can also set an expiration date to communication and allow users to restrict other users from contacting.

4. Search Capability:

Allow users to search others based on different criteria such as age, gender, and interests.

5. Geolocation:

To help find a suitable match within their location radius. This is also one of the most common dating app features you can add to your application.

6. Push Notifications:

To inform you about any updates, new messages, or other information. You can even allow users to customize push notifications categories.

7. Admin Panel:

A panel to manage all activities, users, and features.

8. Recommended Algorithm:

It is a sort of mathematical analysis to determine partners based on their interests, age, gender, and physical characteristics. It is an optional feature you can add to your application. Most of the time the information people provide may be fake, which may destroy the purpose of the logic.

Trending features that are a must-have for your dating application:

1. Behaviour Analysis:

This is more complex than the usual mathematical algorithm. It is based on a user’s digital footprint like searches, playlists, social media, pages visited, etc. This type of analysis is now possible with Big Data solutions.

2. Advanced AI Algorithms:

Use of artificial intelligence can get you matching based on complex data analysis. Using machine learning, your app can analyse the biological data, facial patterns, and behaviour analysis of the users. This will make matching more efficient.

3. Risk Score:

Make a dating application more trustworthy. It can reduce catfishing and make the dating environment more secure for users.

4. Spam Detection:

Making sure that users do not receive any spam is essential to the success of your application. An application should allow users to report and remove spam messages.

5. Food and Lifestyle Preferences:

This is one of the new dating app features. It allows users to match and meet others with similar taste in food and lifestyle. It is difficult to find someone like that in your locality.

Step 4: Select Mobile App Design (UI/UX)

It must be your priority to give precedence to the design of your application. A visually appealing app attracts more audiences and enables more sign-ups. If your app is not user-friendly and difficult to navigate and understand, there is a high rate of user abandonment all over the world.

You need to pick colours and designs that increase the traffic of your mobile app. Choose ones that are easier to implement for your android or custom iOS app development and take the least amount of time.

Step 5: Choose On A Monetizing Strategy

There are lots of ways to profit from your dating app. Here are some recommendations that can help you with monetizing your new app:

  • Paid Subscription: You can collect income from users who want to use your application on a monthly or yearly basis. Promote the additional features, advantages, and functionality a lot, so users do not unsubscribe from your application.
  • Free and Premium Versions: This will allow users to access some features for free and pay for other advanced features. You can allow a user to expand their geographical search radius or send gifts directly through your app in a premium version.
  • Advertisements: This way you can get money from every user click, views, or transaction.
  • In-App Purchasing: You can monetize by making some dating app features paid and gaining money from built-in purchases like icons, stickers, and smileys.

These are just some ways to monetize your app and make profits. Many business models use a combination of different strategies to be profitable. The success of your application depends on its popularity. The more you are popular, the more profitable you will be.

You need to promote your application regularly to remain on top. This will create a good user base who will be likely to stay on the app and spend their money on it.

How Much Does It Cost to Create A Dating App?

The overall dating app development cost in the United States is $100,000 to $110,000 for a single platform (Android or iOS), considering a developer charges $100 per hour. The overall price doubles if you are creating both platforms simultaneously.

The overall cost of development depends on several factors. This includes the number of platforms, features, complexity, location of the developer, and cost per hour of the developer. You can check out our blog What Does It Cost to Hire A Mobile App Developer? for more information.

How To Build A Dating App Like Tinder, Bumble, or OkCupid?

  • Turn the dating process into an enthralling game
  • Attract the women audience first
  • Make it easy-to-use, youthful, and secure
  • Promote the app heavily
  • Make clear, easy-to-manage, and visually appealing
  • Make sure that both parties mutually like each other
  • Easy onboarding
  • Keep adding additional features

How Long Does It Take to Create A Dating App?

Feature Time Taken
UX/UI Design 120 to 240 hours
MVP Development ~6 Months
Average Complexity Up to 8 months
Highest Complexity Up to 1 year
Backend Development 200 to 400 hours
PM and QA Help 350 to 500 hours

Dating App Development Cost In India

The overall dating app development cost in India is anywhere between the US $50,000 to $55,000 for a single platform, i.e. iOS or Android. This is considering that mobile app developers charge USD 50 per hour here.

You can see the difference between hiring developers from India and the United States. The charges are almost half for both native or hybrid app development. You can rely on services from developing nations in eastern Europe or Indian subcontinent to be much affordable as compared to developed nations.

SunTec India – A Perfect Dating App Development Company

With the latest technology, you can now get a complete solution without having to worry all about development cost, deployment, post-deployment maintenance, and support. SunTec India is a one-stop-solution for all your cross-platform app development services needs. We are an industry leader in creating apps that are economical, cost-effective, and user-friendly. We make applications that are simple, powerful, easy-to-navigate, creative, and feature-rich. Our services extend to businesses of startups and enterprises alike, irrespective of the industry vertical. Here are some more benefits of choosing SunTec India:

  • 20+ years of experience working in the industry
  • ISO 9001 and 27001-certified establishment
  • 100% money-back guarantee
  • Overall cost reduction of up to 70%
  • Flexible engagement models
  • Scalable teams according to budget and needs
  • 100% accurate, secure, and high-quality solution
  • Free demo consultation available

Conclusion

With some luck and preparation, you can create something that helps people meet and fall in love. This post will help you understand the various steps, cost, and information you need to create a successful dating app. For a more concrete and well-managed solution, you can check out our mobile app development company in India, SunTec India. We are popular in the industry as a global brand that understands the client requirements and offers bespoke solutions. For more information, you can reach out to us 24*7 at info@suntecindia.com.

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