Consumer spending on dating apps hit $4.2 billion in 2021

According to App Annie, global consumer spending on dating apps reached $4.2 billion in 2021, up 30% since 2020 and 95% since 2018. 

Per the study, dating apps, which saw an increase in consumer spending in all 17 regions studied, saw the highest growth in Indonesia. Mobile dating market in the country had tripled to $11 million in 2021 as compared to $4 million in 2018. 

In 2021, Tinder remained the market leader by far, ranking #1 for downloads in all 8 Americas markets, 6 of 13 APAC markets, and 5 of 7 EMEA markets. The popular dating app also maintained its dominance in consumer spending, with a record-breaking $1.35 billion in consumer spending in 2021, up 35% year-over-year. 

The UK dating ‘super app’ eHarmony has also recorded a significant milestone, surpassing $100 million in consumer spending, with the majority of the spend coming from its iOS app.

The report also found that, in general, users in the Americas and EMEA regions choose big brands like Tinder, while APAC consumers choose local dating apps like China’s Momo and Thailand’s Omi. 

Per a recent report, cost-per-install (CPI) for dating apps averaged $2.65 across all regions. At $2.06, it’s almost 2x cheaper to acquire users for dating apps on Android, while the cost per install is $3.70 on iOS.

Although iOS users cost more to acquire, they are 2 times more likely to make a purchase than Android users.