How to Make an App Like Tinder: Things to Know and Costs

Modern technologies have drastically changed lots of spheres of our lives. Romantic relationships are not an exception. Dating apps continue to conquer the market. In case you’re interested in creating such a platform, there are some basic points you should know.

Tinder cost

The rough estimation due to average hourly rates in Eastern Europe ($50/h) shows that the price varies from $50.000 to $55.000 depending on the app’s functionality. The creation for both iOS and Android will require more than $100.000.

So how does the algorithm of such apps work?

Algorithm behind Tinder

A recent Statista’s research showed the rising popularity of dating apps.

Tinder’s popularity statistics illustrate that the intuitive interface accompanied by a simple, pleasant design engages users. The far-famed swiping left or right feature allows liking or skipping others. In the case of a mutual like, the app forms a match.

Another benefit is the opportunity to link other social networks, such as Instagram or Facebook. This way, potential partners can find out more about each other’s lives and share pictures on both platforms.

Development challenges and how can they be solved

Laconic and pleasing to the eye interface works with the help of complex algorithms.

  • An enormous number of users can swipe left or right at once.
  • The sequence of offered people is diverse for every user. For this, the developer needs to sort people by categories.
  • A system sets a particular time to show a certain person for a possible match.

Java, .NET, and React are commonly used for providing these functions invisible for users.

Tinder app features and technologies

Tinder-like apps incorporate a wide range of essential features, so let’s consider each of them.

Registration and signing in

It is highly recommended to allow signing in with Facebook, using open authorization protocol, like OAuth. In a nutshell, a readymade social media account safely enables authorization in an app without providing login data.

After the authorization stage, it would be useful to acquaint a user with the app functionality briefly. If you want to learn more about this topic, here’s our open-source library SlidingTutorial.

Profile editing

Profile editing is also an indispensable part of the account. The user edits his personal info, whereas the server saves these changes.

You can also set up a web profile with Tinder. By tapping “like me on Tinder” users will be offered to download the application if it’s not on the phone yet.

Here’s how it works: the system receives and saves the request from a user who wants his photo to be shown. Then it creates the link, which will forward to this photo.

Settings and push-notifications

Obviously, customization of push notifications is available on Tinder. It notifies users about matches, likes, and messages. Settings allow you to select distance measurements, convenient for you.

This function is provided with the help of the server(Apple/Google, depending on your device), which delivers the notification to the application. For this feature, FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging) is used for Android, and APN (Apple Push Notifications) are used for iOS.

The rich functional of Tinder enables you to filter people by gender, age, and distance, make your profile visible for others or conversely hide it.

Location service and communication

Geolocation is a vital service, which makes the app relevant by searching people locally.

Geolocation API and Core Location provides apps with users’ location. CLLocation class and Map Kit framework are suitable for iOS, whereas MapView and Android.location package work with Android.

Tinder chat is unavailable without a match. RESTful or HTTP are responsible for this feature. To avoid platform overloading, permanent socket connections are not used. The polling interval is adjusted to how often the messages are sent.

Paid subscription and purchases

The New York Times article discussed the paid opportunities of Tinder. There are three subscription plans available in Tinder (Plus, Gold, and Platinum). Available features vary due to the price. In-app Billing API for Android and Store Kit framework for iOS are used for purchases in apps.

There is also a list of essential things for app development, such as database structure, data access object (DAO) layer, Rest API, etc. They can be identified during analysis and discovery made by business analysts.

Tinder app design

The laconic design makes the app usage understandable and pleasing. The interface design should be intuitive and user-friendly. So search for UI/UX designers whose experience meets these requirements.

Tinder’s development team

App development teams differ from country to country. There are lots of them on the market; therefore, you need to select them for the best cost-benefit ratio carefully.

To avoid overpaying, try to search for the development team in Eastern Europe, not Western or the USA. As proof, the average hourly rate in Ukraine for dating app development is $50/hour.

There is a list of teammates needed for the Tinder-like app development:

  • 2 Backend developers
  • 1 UI/UX designer
  • 2 Android developers
  • 2 iOS developers
  • 1 Project Manager
  • 1-2 QA engineers

What is Tinder‘s cost made up of?

The creation of each feature requires the number of hours. You can find out the time for the development of each function below:

  • Signing up – 22 hours
  • Geolocation – 7 hours
  • Settings – 60 hours
  • Profile – 85 hours
  • Matching system – 90 hours
  • Notifications – 25 hours
  • Communication – 125 hours
  • 3rd party services integration – 30 hours

It’s important to mention that the project realization may raise the cost.

Here’s the rough estimation of the time and cost for the whole project development due to the average hourly rate in Eastern Europe ($50/hour).

Types of work iOS  Android  iOS&Android
Web (back-end, admin tools) 670h (equal for both platforms)
Mobile development  619h                    622h           1241h
DevOps and meetings  122h                    122h                    244h
Demo preparation 90h                      90h                      180h
Release to production 22h 22h 44h
Design 100h 100h 190h
Total time 1623hours           1626hours    2559hours
Total cost  $81,150 $81,300 $127, 950

Let’s consider another successful example of the dating apps: Greenlight.

The app principle is likewise traffic light: Greenlight indicates superlike, Yellow like is the ordinary one, and the Red implies dislike. What is more, there’s a chat in an app where users receive questions to learn more about each other.

Here’s the list of technologies used for this project below:

  • Swift
  • C#
  • .NET
  • Moya
  • MySQL
  • TypeScript
  • Angular
  • Firebase
  • Twilio

The final point

We’ve considered the functionality and the price of popular dating apps.

To calculate the cost of the app development flow, you should come up with the functionality kit and features of your future product since the price entirely depends on them. Also, enlist the support of a software company and start developing a star of dating apps.

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