Hingevs
Bumble
Bumble: Women-message-first dating app with similar relationship focus, more control for women users
Hinge
Designed to be deleted
As of 30 August 2026, Hinge has a free plan and paid plans start at $16.99/month. Hinge is a relationship-focused dating app designed to be deleted once you find a meaningful connection. Softwr lists it under Dating. Hinge is made by Match Group, launched in 2012, available on iOS, Android, Web.
Overview
What Hinge does
Hinge is a relationship-focused dating app designed to be deleted once you find a meaningful connection. Unlike swipe-based apps, Hinge encourages users to engage with specific parts of profiles through likes and comments. The app uses a sophisticated algorithm to learn your preferences and suggest compatible matches.
What people use it for
- Dating app designed to be deleted
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Hinge.
- Pricing varies significantly by age and location, making costs unpredictable
- Algorithm changes in 2026 added 'Vibe Check' feature that some users find intrusive
- User base is smaller than Tinder or Bumble, limiting matches in smaller cities
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Hinge
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- HingevsMatch.com
Match.com: Classic online dating platform with larger user base and diverse age groups, less algorithm-driven matching
- HingevsOkCupid
OkCupid: Question-based matching system focusing on compatibility, freemium model with optional paid features
Pricing
What Hinge costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Free
Free
- 8 daily likes
- 1 rose per week
- Basic matches
Hinge+
$16.99 /month (varies by age)
- Unlimited likes
- See who liked you
- Advanced preferences
- Advanced sorting
HingeX
$49.99 /mo
- All Hinge+ features
- Priority likes
- Skip the line
- Exclusive features
Capabilities
Features
Profile Prompts
Like and Comment
Most Compatible
Video Prompts
Voice Prompts
Standouts
Spotify
Integration with Spotify
Instagram
Integration with Instagram
Ios support
Available on ios
Android support
Available on android
Web support
Available on web
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Is Hinge free to use?
Hinge offers a free tier with 8 daily likes and one rose per week. Premium tiers (Hinge+) start at $16-$32 per month depending on commitment length, with HingeX at $49.99 per month.
SourceWhat does 'designed to be deleted' mean?
Hinge positions itself as focused on helping users find meaningful relationships and delete the app once they're in one, emphasizing quality matches over quantity of swipes.
SourceHow does Hinge match people differently than other apps?
Hinge uses the Gale-Shapley algorithm to predict mutual compatibility based on preferences and engagement patterns, not just one-sided attraction like pure swiping apps.
SourceCan women message first on Hinge like on Bumble?
Yes, but Hinge's model is different: anyone can like with a comment on specific photos or prompts, and there's no time limit like Bumble's 24-hour requirement. This gives Hinge more flexible messaging initiation.
SourceDoes Hinge have a location limit?
Hinge shows matches within your preferred radius. The app adjusts matches based on location preferences you set during onboarding.
SourceBehind it
Who makes Hinge
- Company
- Match Group
- Based in
- New York, New York
- Founders
- Justin McLeod
Timeline
Hinge over time
- Milestone2026-01-01
Hinge AI Labs introduced to help write profile prompts and implement Vibe Check feature
Source - Acquisition2019-02-01
Match Group acquires Hinge in full acquisition deal
Source - Launch2013-02-01
Hinge mobile app launches for iOS in Washington DC
Source - Founded2012-01-01
Hinge founded by Justin McLeod as relationship-focused dating app in Washington DC
Source
Keep looking
Where to go from Hinge
- Hinge alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Hinge pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Hinge badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Dating softwareThe full category
- Best Dating softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Dating software for
Compare Hinge with
- eHarmony
- Feeld
- Threads
- Lox Club
- Salams
- Thursday
- Bumble
- Taimi
- Coffee Meets Bagel
- Geneva
- Lunchclub
- Mastodon
- Christian Mingle
- Lox Club
- JDate
- EliteSingles
- JDate
Other Dating software
A members-only dating app for Jews with ridiculously high standards
From $36/mo8 researched notesA members-only dating app for Jews with ridiculously high standards
From $36/mo8 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Hinge, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on Hinge
Hinge alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
Hinge pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare Hinge
Put it head to head with anything we hold
Hinge badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best Dating software alternatives
Quality over quantity
Make the first move