Why do just about all dating apps charge excessive amounts for their features/usage?

[0nloop]

Thankfully I stopped using them as soon as I met DP 3 years ago, but I am always hearing from single friends that it's more expensive then it used to be to connect with other people on these dating apps and there are many bots/scammers/catfish then there were before, sounds frustrating especially if you are genuinely looking for a connection.

What has your experiences been like?

Quite a handful of the big name ones, used to be free or low cost to use. I know the developers and staff need to make money but it's just ridiculous how much of a paywall they put up for those who are real and looking for someone special.

You've answered your own question.

How many of your bills are paid because you helped someone real find someone special? How many people would accept that as payment?

Plenty of HUGE tech companies don't even break even. Spotify has never made a profit.

Of course they need to charge.

Keeping people's info private and them safe online via mobiles or laptops is increasingly expensive. You need to pay geeks that actually know stuff. They charge loads.

Because they're a business. Back in the day, when costs were lower, they could rely on ad revenue, that's no longer the case.

Most dating sites use fake profiles and have to employ some staff to respond to users. This is because the business model only works if people think there are sufficient numbers of users to be in with a chance of actually meeting anybody. If the site had only a dozen genuine users, nobody would pay to join it. Gake profiles and messages really are a thing in that business, and the cost of running those fake profiles is built into the business model.

Fair enough, but there is also a dark side to dating apps - such as catfishing, scammers and bots (fake profiles) and some tactics used to keep users on the apps - without users there'd be no market therefore no money coming in.