The state of online dating in 2020

As many of you know, online dating has been my go to for meeting women and I have had more success with it than any other method. Now since the days of Tinder from back in 2012, dating apps have come a long way. I have seen the game transform in ways overtime that I am just witnessing now. So where do we stand?

The major players.

As of right now, there are four major players in the space of online dating: Tinder, Bumble, Coffee Meets Bagel, and Hinge. The other apps such as The League are very niche and if you are in NYC, you might be familiar with Bounce. Some people bring up Match but I have not used it much. Outside of the major players though, you are dealing with very small numbers and a lot of inactive apps overall.

For Tinder and Bumble, you may as well pay.

You either start over from time to time to get the much needed boost although Tinder has made it very hard to do this, you risk getting banned. With Bumble, it is more of the same, tough to start over. Without paying for boosts or spotlight on the two apps, you are fighting for scraps. The ratios are already terrible on online dating apps and favor women by a lot. You will notice how with Bumble and Tinder, they will take forever for you to match with the women who have liked you if you do not pay. The apps have become money grabbing machines at this point.

Some hope with Hinge and Coffee Meets Bagel but there is a catch.

I have had more success with Hinge and Coffee Meets Bagel, they seem to be more authentic and less overrun by robots. Hinge has seen a lot more cam girls come on during lockdowns from what I observe but I have also had quality dates. I’ve probably got the best quality from these two apps these days than I get from either Tinder or Bumble. Bumble will occasionally throw me good matches and opportunities but Tinder is a lost cause.

Now as for the catch, I do think that women on Hinge and CMB have a ceiling. The women are more relationship oriented as a whole so less of a hookup opportunity. I also notice CMB attracts nerdier and quirkier women compared to Bumble and Tinder. Compared to Bumble in terms of just hot girls, I don’t think Hinge or CMB can really compete. You will get a lot of above average looking women on Hinge and CMB but Bumble is where the best looking women are at.

Cultural differences between the apps.

I notice that CMB and Hinge do draw in more academic women and women that are a far cry from the party girl. Bumble draws in a lot of your typical sorority girl types and party animals. You are more likely to find the hot blonde from the club or fancy rooftop bougee girl on Bumble while Hinge and CMB are full of girls who see the former as shallow and vain.

Even look at the colleges listed on apps, Bumble is more of your state schools with big party scenes while CMB and Hinge are more Ivy Leagues and academically prestigious universities. You will also find a lot more grad school and professional school women on CMB and Hinge.

So where are we at?

As of 2020 and probably moving forward in 2021, I think men that want to succeed on Bumble and Tinder will need to either pay up or find a way to game the system’s algorithms so their profile does not get buried. Meanwhile, men who go on Hinge and CMB can see success but it might be with specific groups of women.

I think CMB and Hinge are safe for now because they have not become as famous as the two major players in the market. Due to not having that fame, the two apps have not been hit as hard with fake profiles, bots, and cam girls who screw up the entire app. Hinge is starting to see some signs of this lately which I hope is something they can get on top of.

What I do think needs to happen is that we need another player to come on to the market and cause some disruption. With lockdowns going on and our society moving more online, I think online dating will only become more and more dominant.