Tinder vs Hinge: Which One Is Better?
It’s an age-old dating app question: Is Tinder better than Hinge? In a world where love is potentially just a swipe away, choosing the right platform can mean the difference between staying home alone or cuddling on the couch with your new flame.
Both of these apps aim to help their users make connections, but how that happens will be quite different with each of them. In this blog post, we’re looking at what sets Tinder and Hinge apart from one another – and which is better based on your dating needs.
Single and ready to mingle? PIA VPN can help you meet the one. It lets you change your IP address to the location of your choice, so you can meet potential matches on the apps in every corner of the globe.
Table of Contents
Tinder vs. Hinge: Full ComparisonTinder or Hinge: Which Is Best for You?
How to Change Your Tinder Location with a VPN
Why PIA Is the Best VPN for Online Dating Apps
FAQ
Tinder vs. Hinge: Full Comparison
Both Tinder and Hinge are both owned by MatchGroup, but these dating apps couldn’t be more different.
Tinder’s fast-paced, photo-centric approach encourages quick connections and tends to appeal to a younger crowd. Hinge, on the other hand, attracts users looking for deeper engagement and relationships through detailed profiles and thoughtful prompts.
Interface and User Experience
When you open either the Tinder or Hinge dating app, you’ll be met with an image of a potential match. The bottom navigation bar on both platforms is relatively similar too, giving you quick access to the discover page, see and message your matches, and view your own profile. That’s about where the similarities with the interfaces stop, though.
Tinder puts the emphasis on pictures. Users’ profile pictures fill the screen, with basic info and a small amount of bio text overlaid on the image. There’s also a photo up front and center on Hinge profiles, but a little scrolling will reveal much more about your potential match – everything from their age to religious views and their answers to the prompts they’ve chosen.
A key difference between the two is that Tinder only allows you to see matches when both parties have swiped right on each other. On the flip side, Hinge lets you see the profile of a person who’s liked you, allowing you to accept or decline the match.
Matching Algorithms
If you’ve used both of these apps, you might have asked yourself, “Why do I get more matches on Hinge than Tinder?” Well, that’s down to the algorithm.
Tinder uses AI to identify patterns during your swiping sessions and will adjust the profiles it suggests based on those it thinks you’ll prefer. It also ranks your profile based on user interactions. You’ll need to swipe regularly to teach Tinder what you like, but beware of swiping too much as this can decrease your match quality and overall visibility.
It’s a little less about looks over on Hinge. The platform is driven by an adaptation of the Gale-Shapley algorithm, which is focused on finding “stable” matches. It optimizes who you see based on your preferences and interactions to create meaningful connections rather than just physical attraction.
User Base and Demographics
As the original swiping app, it’s not surprising that Tinder has a much bigger user base than Hinge. The platform has around 75 million users swiping left and right each month in almost every country in the world. Hinge has only about a third of the number of users spread across the world.
The apps’ user demographics aren’t so different, though. Around three-quarters of Tinder users and almost two-thirds of Hinge users are men. It’s a similar story with age: about 60% of Tinder users are under 35, while 42% on Hinge fall into the 24 to 35 bracket.
These demographics, in combination with the user experience, make Tinder better suited for those looking to dive into a deep pool of potential matches. Hinge is best for those looking for a more curated and serious online dating experience.
Communication and Interaction
Swiping is basically synonymous with dating apps and we have Tinder to thank for that. The app uses intuitive gesture-based commands to help you explore potential matches’ profiles. You can tap on either side of your screen to scroll through the collection of photos. If you’re keen on the person, you’ll swipe right. If not, you’ll swipe left.
On Hinge, things are a little different. You can like any element on a potential match’s profile by clicking the heart icon in the bottom right corner of the module – or you can skip by tapping the ‘X’ at the bottom left of the screen.
One big difference with Tinder vs Hinge communication is that you’re given the option to write a message to a potential match on Hinge. On Tinder, you’re only able to communicate with matches – i.e., when there’s been mutual right-swiping. Once that’s done, you have messaging and even video chat options to interact.
Pricing and Subscription Models
Both Tinder and the Hinge dating app have a free tier that allows you to swipe right a certain number of times (up to 100) or send a limited number of likes (just 8) in a day. Fortunately, you can get around these restrictions by signing up for a subscription.
Tinder has three subscription tiers: Tinder Plus, Tinder Gold, and Tinder Platinum. They range from $4.50 to $26.99 per month depending on the duration, and will get you unlimited likes, rewinds, passport to change location, and an ad-free feed. The Gold and Platinum tiers will also let you see who likes you before you swipe and allow you to message before matching.
Hinge offers Hinge+ and HingeX to let you send unlimited likes, see everyone who likes you, set more dating preferences, sort your incoming likes, and browse by who’s nearby. With HingeX, you’ll also get enhanced recommendations and have your likes prioritized in other users’ feeds. These plans range from $14.99 to $149.99 and change based on duration.
Privacy and Safety Measures
Is Tinder better than Hinge when it comes to security? It seems like both platforms are pretty evenly matched in terms of the privacy options that they provide to users.
Tinder has privacy features like incognito mode and profile blocking to prevent unwanted users from seeing your profile or appearing in your match queue. It also delivers real-time prompts like “Does This Bother You?” and “Are You Sure?” in messages to help minimize unwanted communications. Plus, its photo verification feature is intended to curb catfishing.
Hinge also uses photo verification to ensure authenticity and provides reporting and blocking mechanisms. The platform has a unique We Met feature, which collects post-date feedback to refine future matches for everyone and enhance your safety without compromising user privacy.
Success Rates
About 10% of all adults with partners met their current significant other on a dating app. This is a whopping number if you consider that swiping only became a thing in 2012. That said, it’s not very helpful when you’re trying to figure out which is better between Tinder and Hinge.
Hinge users view more than 1 billion profiles on the platform every day. Men will usually like one in every three profiles, but will probably only get one match for every 40 likes they send during their sessions. On the other side of the coin, women like one in 16 profiles but will get a match for every two likes.
Women on Tinder are also more selective – and successful. They swipe right just 5% of the time, but they achieve higher match rates than men. This skews the median match rate between genders on Tinder, with women reaching 36% and men a measly 1.8%.
Tinder or Hinge: Which Is Best for You?
When weighing up Tinder vs. Hinge, deciding which one will be better for you will really depend on your dating preferences and goals.
Tinder has a huge user base of under-30s and global reach, with an image-first gamified interface. This makes it ideal for anyone looking to have an array of dating experiences. Although it’s usually pegged as a hookup app, about one-third of past app users say that they met their fiance or spouse on the app.
Hinge is usually seen as the place to be for people looking for serious, long-term relationships. Detailed profiles, which include extensive biographic information and answers to prompts, are aimed at facilitating meaningful connections from the get-go. The platform’s tagline, “Designed to be deleted,” is testament to this.
How to Change Your Tinder Location with a VPN
Changing your location on Tinder will allow you to see profiles of potential matches outside of your area. Doing this with a VPN is a great idea if you’re planning on traveling to a new place and want to get a head start on swiping without paying for a premium subscription.
It’s super easy to change your Tinder location with a VPN. Just follow these steps:
- Get PIA VPN.
- Download the PIA app and connect to a server in your preferred location.
- Download a GPS-spoofing app and change your GPS location to the same place.
- Open Tinder and start matching with potential partners.
Why PIA Is the Best VPN for Online Dating Apps
The first thing that most dating apps use to serve you relevant profiles is your location. PIA VPN lets you change your virtual location, so if you use it in tandem with a GPS-spoofing app, you can explore the dating scenes in different countries and increase your chances of finding a match.
When you’re actually traveling, you might find that dating apps don’t work in the country that you’re visiting because it’s blocked by the government. PIA VPN helps you get around these and other website blocks by encrypting your internet connection. This hides your dalliances from government censors and anyone else who might be spying on your activity.
Another plus of our strong encryption is that all of your data will be kept safe and secure. You might share a lot of information on your dating app profile, and it could be viewed by third parties while in transit. With PIA VPN’s super strong encryption, you’ll be able to swipe safely everywhere – even on public Wi-Fi.
Try PIA risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee.
FAQ
To change your region on Tinder, you can subscribe to Tinder Plus, Tinder Gold, or Tinder Platinum and adjust your location on the app. Alternatively, you can get PIA VPN and connect to a server in a different country to virtually relocate yourself. If you also use a GPS spoofer, your region will change automatically when you open the app.
PIA is the best VPN for Tinder. Its server network is spread across 91 countries, so you can change your virtual location to match one of those locations and expand your reach. PIA also gives you super fast connection speeds, so you can have voice calls or video chats with potential matches with no lagging or freezing.
Whether Hinge is better than Tinder depends on your dating goals. Hinge is designed for deeper connections and serious relationships, while Tinder is often used for a wider range of dating from casual to long-term relationships.
Hinge claims that it’s “Designed to be deleted.” This tagline gives users the hint that the app is geared towards long-term relationships rather than hookups. According to a survey from The Knot, nearly 35% of Hinge relationships turn into marriages.
Each of these apps has its own benefits for daters. Tinder has a huge user base that’s mostly men under the age of 30, making it great for women looking to date that demographic. Women make the first move on Bumble, which means it works for people who like strong, independent ladies. Hinge, with its unique algorithm, is great for those seeking something serious.
You can use Tinder to start dating and find hookups. The platform’s focus on images and location to help users find potential matches makes it a great tool for finding relationships of all kinds in record time.
Tinder’s trademark swiping mechanism encourages users to put looks first, which means that it’s become known as a hookup app. Hinge, which has more in-depth profiles that are designed to encourage connection, is geared more towards relationships.
Some research suggests that at least 50% of users on Tinder have used it to hook up with others. That said, other surveys indicate that around 30% of past users have found long-term love on the app.
Loads of people get dates on Tinder, but you’re more likely to be successful if you’re a woman than if you’re a man. Statistically, users will have to make 57 matches before they get the chance for a real-life meeting.