What Tinder offers
Introduced when the app launched in 2012, that card-by-card mechanic has been imitated across the dating world, but it still drives the experience — now inside a busier, more social interface than the original.
Owned by Match Group, the service reports 55 billion matches to date and availability in 190 countries. Profiles stay deliberately light: photos, a short bio, lifestyle tags and interests, an optional photo-verification check, and a Relationship Goals badge with several intent choices ranging from something casual to something long-term. Social formats have been layered on top as well — Double Date lets you team up with friends and match with another pair as a group, while Music Mode puts what you're listening to directly on your profile.
Getting started means an account and an 18+ age check; swiping, matching and messaging cost nothing, but Tinder Plus, Gold and Platinum subscriptions add unlimited likes, rewinds, a view of who has already liked you, Incognito browsing and Passport, which relocates your search to another city or country. The main limitation: free usage caps your likes and keeps the most convenient tools behind subscriptions, so how far you get often depends on whether you pay for volume and convenience.