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Dating in 2026: Singles Prioritise Commitment, Clarity, and Long-Term Potential

Posted on January 15, 2026
Dating in 2026: Singles Prioritise Commitment, Clarity, and Long-Term Potential

PARSHIP – According to a study conducted by Parship in cooperation with the market research institute INNOFACT AG, dating in 2026 is becoming more committed: 7 out of 10 singles (70%) only want to date people with whom there is a realistic chance of a long-term relationship. The study, based on a survey of 1K singles in Germany, also shows that 65% of singles feel ready to start a new chapter in their love lives. Early clarity plays a central role, with 79% wanting to quickly determine whether core values and future plans align and 76% wanting to clearly communicate their relationship expectations from the beginning. Previous dating experience strongly influences current behaviour, as 61% of singles say they have learned from past experiences and 51% plan to date or approach relationships differently than before.

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Top Dating Apps by Press Coverage in 2025

Posted on January 15, 2026
Top Dating Apps by Press Coverage in 2025

OPW – In 2025, we selected and summarized over 600 of the top news items mentioning 212 companies from the online dating industry. Tinder took the top spot, followed by Match Group and Hinge. Here’s the full list of dating companies that received the most press coverage last year:

1. Tinder – CEO Faye Iosotaluno was replaced by Spencer Rascoff who took over the brand in an attempt to reinvent it for Gen Z through safety tools, AI, and product experiments.
2. Match Group – hired a new CEO, Spencer Rascoff, but lost several long term C-level execs, acquired Her and Salams, and pivoted to AI and emerging markets.
3. Hinge – reached 15 MAU worldwide, launched in Mexico and Brazil and also launched new features, but ended the year with it’s founder and CEO Justin McLeod stepping down, being succeeded by the CMO, Jackie Jantos.
4. Grindr – saw a year of growth, with numerous new features launched, mostly AI and safety oriented. At the end of the year, he company experienced a buyout attempt, which ultimately failed due to financing uncertainty.
5. Bumble – Whitney Wolfe Herd returned as a CEO in an attempt to revive the company which lost over 90% of it’s market value in the last 4 years. The company announced major layoffs and shut down two previously acquired apps, Fruitz and Official. It launched Bumble BFF as a standalone app.
6. Happn – was acquired by Hello Group, introduced flexible relationship options, and launched AI powered “Perfect Date” tool.
7. Matrimony.com – invested in AI in and attempt to boost the growth, however later financial results showed rising costs and a year-on-year profit decline in Q2 FY2026. In December, the company announced a share buyback.
8. Three Day Rule – launched a “$1 Million Matchmaking” service, secured an investment from Palm Venture Studios. Later in the year, it introduced Tai, an AI-powered matchmaking app.
9.-10. Chapter2, Match.com, OkCupid, Sitch, Tea
Chapter 2 acquired M14 white label dating platform last year. Match.com released another Singles in America study in June. OkCupid was usually mentioned alongside other Match Group’s app and we also used several of OKCupid’s studies for posts last year. Sitch raised $6.7M and announced the U.S. expansion. Tea was first mentioned as a fast growing app that should help women spot red flags before a first date, but their news coverage quickly turned to negative with two hacks that exposed user data. In October, the app was removed from AppStore by Apple.

Read the full version of the article

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Grindr Plans Four New Consumer Businesses Targeting up to $120m in Revenue by 2028

Posted on January 15, 2026
Grindr

BUSINESS INSIDER – Grindr plans to build four new direct-to-consumer businesses by 2028, each targeting $15–30M in revenue (up to $120M total), according to an internal roadmap. After launching ED-meds brand Woodwork in 2025, the company aims to expand into areas like wellness and personal care, while scaling AI across the app beyond existing features. CEO George Arison says these ventures will start small with lean teams, marking a rare move for a dating app to diversify beyond subscriptions.

See full article at Business Insider

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Announcing LTR 48 With Ophir Laizerovich, President and Co-Founder of LeadThink, and Mark Brooks (Courtland Brooks)

Posted on January 14, 2026

OPW – Edition 48 of the LTR (Love, Tech, Relationships) online experience will be on Wednesday, January 28th, at 12 pm (noon) EST (New York time).

In this edition of LTR, Mark Brooks will sit down with Ophir Laizerovich, President and Co-Founder of LeadThink. Ophir will talk through tactics and best practices for Google pay-per-click and Facebook paid acquisition for dating companies. He manages millions of dollars a month in lead spend for the dating industry and has been working with dating companies for over 15 years.

Following the interview, Mark will be talking about the Courtland Brooks influencer system. This is a system of ensuring that an influencer integration has the best possible chances of succeeding. Four years of influencer marketing experience wrapped up in 20 minutes.

If you hold a full-time leadership role at an online dating company, you are welcome to join LTR events for free.

Why attend LTR?

🏠 Flexible: Attend from anywhere – no travel required.
⏰ Convenient: Live session. 90 minutes.
💰 Free: No registration fees.

See the LTR Edition 48 speakers and invite page here.

Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com to RSVP.

Image of two business professionals, Ophir Laizerovich and Mark Brooks, with a blurred audience in the background. The image is promoting the LTR US event and features the logos of LeadThink and Courtland Brooks.

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Hinge Became the Dating App for People Who Hate Dating Apps

Posted on January 13, 2026
Hinge

FAST COMPANY – Hinge is growing while most major dating apps are shrinking. In 2025, Hinge reached ~15M monthly active users, 1.87M paying users (+17% YoY), generated $550M in 2024 revenue, and ~$500M in the first nine months of 2025. Hinge’s CEO Justin McLeod attributes its performance to a focus on outcomes, not engagement. The app is designed to help users meet in real life and delete the app, even if that means adding friction. Users must upload multiple photos, answer prompts, and engage more deeply, which Hinge says increases the likelihood of going on dates. Features like “Your Turn Limits” reduce ghosting, and AI nudges users toward setting up real-world dates.

See the full article at Fast Company

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Julie Spira Releases The Valentine’s Dating Playbook 

Posted on January 13, 2026
Cover of 'The Valentine's Dating Playbook' by Julie Spira

PRESS RELEASE – Julie Spira, a longtime online dating expert and creator of the Digital Matchmaker brand, released The Valentine’s Dating Playbook, a free 60-page guide to help singles navigate dating apps around Valentine’s season. It focuses on clarity, helping people assess real progress, avoid ambiguous connections, and date more intentionally.

See full article at PRWeb

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Surf Dating Partners With HYROX Americas

Posted on January 13, 2026
Logo of SURF HYROX indicating their status as a National Partner.

PRNEWSWIRE – Surf Dating has been named the official dating partner of HYROX Americas, becoming a national partner across North American events in 2026. The partnership integrates Surf into HYROX races by allowing users to filter for HYROX athletes and trainees in the app, hosting on-site activations such as singles wristbands, pre-race runs, recovery events, and official after-parties, and encouraging offline connections among fitness-focused singles.

See full article at PRNewswire

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Dating Options Reports £2.19M in Sales in 2025

Posted on January 13, 2026
Logo of a dating options platform featuring a red heart symbol and the text 'dating options'.

PRESS RELEASE – UK Matchmaking agency Dating Options reported £2.1M in sales in 2025. The company was founded in 2003 by Mike Parker and is currently led by Managing Director Andrew Parker-Dennis. It operates nationally across the UK, with its head office located near Stratford-upon-Avon. During 2025, Dating Options facilitated 2,222 new relationships. Its service model requires clients to be personally interviewed and then assigned a dedicated matchmaker who provides curated introductions; many packages also include professional coaching.

See full article at OpenPR

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2025 Was a Year of Execution for Feels

Posted on January 10, 2026
Logo of Feels, a mobile dating app, displayed on a gradient background of blue and black.

LINKEDIN – 2025 was a year of execution for Feels, a mobile dating app built around short video profiles and personality-first discovery rather than static photos. The company generated $8.5M in revenue, up from $4.7M in 2024, an increase of 80% YOY. EBITDA margin improved from -22% to -6%. Feels expanded into three new geographies during the year and reached 8M total downloads.

See full article at LinkedIn

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Breeze Launches in the UK With Campaign Focused on Meeting in Person

Posted on January 10, 2026
Logo of the Breeze dating app featuring the word 'breeze' and a stylized graphic with the tagline 'Dating, for real' against a dark background.

THE DRUM – Breeze, a dating app designed to move matches quickly from the screen to an in-person date, is launching in the UK. The launch is promoted with a national campaign created by Cloudfactory that focuses on the moment of agreeing to meet rather than prolonged messaging.

See full article at The Drum

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