Tinder, Bumble and Hinge Show Surge in Americans Looking for Love Online

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, more Americans are spending more time online looking for love.

Dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble and Hinge recorded a surge in users and time spent online last year. Overall, eight of the largest dating apps in the U.S. saw a 12.6% year-over-year increase in monthly active users in the final quarter of 2020, the biggest such jump in nearly two years, according to data tracker Apptopia.

Match Group Inc., which operates five of the larger dating apps, registered big gains in its Hinge app, which emphasizes long-term relationships; Tinder, the largest dating app; and Match, the company’s namesake app.

The growing interest in dating apps is leading to more downloads and more time spent on them. In all, downloads of the eight apps increased 7.4% year-over-year in the fourth quarter; in comparison, downloads in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased 8.5% year-over-year.

Meanwhile, time spent on the apps rose 13.4% in the fourth quarter, up from 4.1% in the prior year.