If you clicked this link via Google searching 'is paying for Tinder Gold worth it?' - Welcome!
My name is James Langton, I was on the Tinder official most 'Right-Swiped' on the platform as of 2019. I started Dater Help with the sole intention of helping dating app users improve their profiles. I also give dating coaching via Zoom. I worked directly with Tinder, but all opinions on this post are my own.
If you're a regular on Tinder, you'll understand how often you are bombarded with notifications on why you should sign up to their premium features, plus you'll see how many features are dangled in your face but you are not allowed to use. Being prodded with a stick to 'buy buy buy' has lead you down the path of finding out whether it's worth paying for. Strap yourself in - let's go!
Here are some quick facts about Tinder:
. 5.9 million Tinder subscribers pay for a premium Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold
. Tinder users go on one million dates per week
. Tinder revenue stood at $1.15 billion in 2019; 56% of total Match Group revenue of $2.05 billion
It sounds obvious, but Tinder is a business. They rely on people paying for extra features to generate revenue. Tinder monetizes in other ways, such as adverts directly on their app, but the majority of their revenue is from premium users.
Tinder offers three types of profiles - Free, Gold, and Plus. This post is about Tinder Gold, but I'll be writing blog posts on the other two profile types reeeeeal soon.
How much does Tinder Gold cost?
The price is £4.66 per month, but if you sign up for 12 months it's £3.50 a month.
It's also worth mentioning that Tinder got in trouble a few years ago for charging users over 30 years old DOUBLE what someone under 30 would pay (sneaky, huh?). The lost in court and have changed their pricing structures.
Tinder also seems to change the price, depending on your age and location. There have been many reports of users paying different amounts for the same service, even today.
What are the Tinder Plus features?
. No ads
. Passport feature
. 1 boost per month
. 5 Super Likes a day
. Rewind
. Unlimited likes
No ads
Pretty self-explanatory. You aren't shown any adverts on Tinder when you sign up for Gold. Not a make or break deal, but nice to have.
Passport feature
The passport feature is amazing if you travel regularly. Planning on going to London in 2 months but currently live in LA? No problemo, you can simply place the 'Pin' in London, and get swiping on people who are based in London. This feature is amazing!
1 Boost Per Month
Tinder's algorithm places your profile at the top of the swipe deck for users within your age and location range. Tinder claims you can get 10x more matches, but I don't think this is true. They could be selling this feature on a data set that isn't that great. E.g, 100 users who had only 1 match now has 10, being selective with who the claim got more matches. Again, not a make or break feature, but nice to have.
5 Super Likes a day
Every 24 hours you are allowed to 'Super Like' a profile. This is a great way to tell someone you really, really like them. I find this a little intense and it gives the dynamic of the match very much one-sided rather than equal attraction. You react and speak to someone differently knowing they really like you. Quite a cool little feature, but I wouldn't miss it if it disappeared.
Tinder Rewind
Rewind is basically where you can 'rewind' a swipe. If you accidentally swipe left on someone but wanted to swipe right, you can simply press the little yellow Rewind button, and you'll get a second chance. I feel this feature is not that valuable, I wouldn't miss it if it disappeared, that's for sure.
Unlimited Likes
Ding ding ding! This is the main reason why users purchase Tinder Gold. It means you can keep swiping! With the free version of Tinder, you are limited to roughly 50 for a guy and roughly 100 for a girl.
It's worth mentioning that Tinder does what's called A/B testing.
Example: 500k Tinder users are allowed 100 swipes a day, and then another 500k Tinder users are allowed 60 swipes a day. With this data, Tinder will see how many conversions (basically, how many people get fed up and pay for a premium account).
It's not sneaky for dating apps to do this, because you are using a free version of their service. Google, Facebook, eBay, and Amazon all do this to its users.
(pppst, check out this profile we recently selected photos + retouched)
Want us to do yours? Check out the service we offer here
Is Tinder Gold worth it?
I'm going to go with 'No' when it comes to using Tinder Gold.
I feel they have fluffed out the features (no ads, rewind, and boost) to make you feel it's good value, but the only features actually useful on the app are the Passport Feature and Unlimited Likes.
Tinder has super-complex computer algorithms that rank your profile, choose who your profile is shown to, etc. Tinder Gold does not address any of these issues, other than your curiosity for who finds you attractive and who doesn't. Passport feature is useful if you plan to go traveling and want to get to know people from the area before you go, but your location will change when you move around anyway. Your profile is shown to users when you move location so this isn't such a big deal.
The Unlimited Likes feature is the main reason why people purchase this version of the app. Only purchase if this is the feature you'd value.
Thanks for reading up to this point!
I started Dater Help with the sole intention of helping dating app users improve their profiles. I also give dating coaching via Zoom. I worked directly with Tinder, but all opinions on this post are my own.
Thanks for reading!
James
p.s, check out this video I made about how to tell whether you've been shadowbanned on Tinder.
Comments