Does Tinder really work as well as paid dating sites?

So does online dating really work for real relationships or is it better for short-term “hooking up” purposes? The answer is: both.

I’ll get to the research and stats later on, but first I’d like to give you a background story.

As a 21-year-old in Charlotte, living with my parents in Ballantyne and commuting to Winthrop in Rock Hill daily, I wasn’t really in the prime situation for finding a boyfriend (no offense, mom and dad).

I wasn’t at school long enough during the week to make connections with people. I work at Be Yoga, where there are some men but the majority of people are female. I’m not really a regular bar-goer. So, I turned to online dating. How bad could it be?

I started with Tinder. Good choice, right? Free. Easy access to many singles. My strategy was to swipe right a pretty significant amount and not be too selective or picky. I believed that starting a conversation and seeing where it went from there was the best way to get to know people and boy, was I right.

In a period of three months, I went on dates with about 10 different men. Some relationships quickly ended and some continued a little longer. I am still friends with a few of the guys that I met (Hey, Ben!). After the most “successful” of these relationships ended after about four months, I decided to take a break.

In thinking about all of those relationships, I saw a common denominator.  Few of the guys were serious about developing a lasting relationship. (Note: I don’t regret any of them.)

After a couple more months of single-hood, I decided to give Match.com a shot.

I figured that since it is a paid dating website, people would be more serious about wanting a committed relationship. I started with just a one-month membership, then upgraded to a three-month plan. I instantly started talking to someone who I thought was a perfect fit for me and we began dating.

He was looking for something serious, as was I. We dated for about a month until deciding that we weren’t right for each other, so we parted ways but remained friends. The next person I met was in for the hookup, so I said farewell a week later.

A month later, I went on a coffee date with someone who didn’t meet my main criteria, but who piqued my interest anyway. After meeting for several more dates, I realized that I found my guy, my match, my person. We’ve been dating seven months and our relationship is beyond anything I could have imagined.

I have to think — would I have met someone like this on Tinder? Someone this ready for a serious relationship? Maybe. Maybe not.

Naturally, as a psychology undergrad student interested in research, I wondered about the correlation between free dating apps/websites versus paid dating apps/websites and the level of seriousness desired in the relationships.

Thus commences my independent research of online dating and the nerdy statistics in a very broken down form. (Note: HUGE shout-out to Dr. Darren Ritzer, Psychology Professor at Winthrop, who helped me with my research and life in general.)

How I did it

• Recruited 221 participants (ages 18+) from college classes, social media and other online postings from majority Charlotte-area residents for an online survey
• Represented the majority of all free dating apps/websites (can you believe there are over 25 total?) and paid dating apps/websites (8 total)

Participants

• Average age: 24.86
• Females: 78%
• Males: 22%
• Race and sexual orientation were not significant in the results

Results

Free sites:

• 64% expected to see their dating options and then date as many people as possible

• 28% expected to meet their perfect match on a free site
• 8% expected to only hook up once

Paid sites:

• 40% expected to see their dating options and then date as many people as possible
• 60% expected to meet their perfect match on a paid site
• Less than 1% expected to just hook up once 

So, my gut feeling about Match.com vs. Tinder was correct. More people expected to find their perfect match on a paid site, while the expectation of free sites was to hook up more.

Here are some other fun, statistically significant results that I found

• The more free sites an individual used, the more frequently that individual reported engaging in risky behaviors, such as binge drinking, using drugs and having unprotected sex.
• More men used free dating websites/apps than women.
• There was a significant positive correlation between age and number of paid sites used, with older participants reporting having used a higher number of paid sites in the past.
• Individuals that engaged in risky behaviors (binge drinking, using drugs and having unprotected sex) were more likely to prefer someone who is “good in bed.” (Not earth shattering, but definitely LOL worthy.)
• Individuals that engaged in risky behaviors were less likely to prefer someone who doesn’t have sex on the first date. (Again, not that surprising, but LOL).

Overall, it seems that free sites may be used for fun or “thrill seeking” and that the users of these types of sites are not as commitment focused.

So, what does this mean for you? If you’re looking to hook up, chances are you’ll probably find someone with those similar interests on a free site. If it’s time for you to settle down with one person and calm your wild, raging hormones, then your best bet is a paid site. I promise it is worth it — even just to meet new people and experience new things.

This research has been accepted for presentation at a professional conference.