Tinder App Review + How To Build A Good Dating App Profile

Commonly known as a dating app for hookups and casual relationships, Tinder is one of the longest-standing dating apps in the world. It launched in 2012 and was later acquired by Match Group, which owns several other dating apps, such as Hinge, OKCupid, The League, and Plenty of Fish. I've used Tinder for years and can confidently say there's way more to it than meets the eye. Scroll on to read my full Tinder review and to gain some insight on how to see more success on dating apps.

Setting up a Tinder profile is akin to many swipe-based apps. I find the setup most similar to Bumble. To create your profile, you'll first upload photos (up to nine) and add a bio of 500 characters or less. You will then be asked to provide a job title, company, school, location, and sexual orientation.

Not sure which photos to use on your dating app profile? Tinder has a "smart photos" feature. If selected, the app picks out which photos will perform best and displays them first.

In addition to the basic information, you can also add up to five interests, along with your preferred pronouns, height, relationship goals, languages, zodiac sign, education, and family plans. There's an option to display whether you have the COVID vaccine, your personality type, communication style, and love language.

To tell a bit more about your lifestyle, you can fill out more details on pets, drinking habits, smoking, cannabis, workout frequency, dietary preference, how frequently you use social media, and your sleeping habits.

Lastly, you have the ability to link your Instagram or Spotify account. Linking these accounts will not show your user information. For Instagram, it will show a few frames of your most recent posts. If you link Spotify, your profile will display your top artists. You can also choose an "anthem" song from Spotify.

Once your profile is set up, it's time to see what's out there. Head to the main interface to browse profiles and begin sending out likes. There are a few ways to match with other users. Swiping right will initiate a typical like, while swiping up will send a Super Like. If you're not interested in the person, you can swipe left to move on to the next user. Once you match with someone, either one of you can choose to start the conversation (as opposed to Bumble, where the ball is in the woman's court).

You can curate your experience even further by adjusting location, distance preference, age preference, and global status. There's also an option to "verify" your profile. To do this, you'll need to submit a real-time photo, which the app will use to confirm that you are who you say you are. Verified profiles will have a blue checkmark on them.

Anyone can use Tinder for free, but there are a few premium memberships available, too. Each premium membership can be purchased in either a one-month, six-month, or 12-month subscription. See below for the cost details on each.

Tinder Plus:

One-month subscription: $8

Six-month subscription: $24

12-month subscription: $32

Tinder Gold:

One-month subscription: $24

Six-month subscription: $12.50 per month

12-month subscription: $8 per month

Tinder Platinum:

One-month subscription: $30

Six-month subscription: $15 per month

12-month subscription: $10 per month

Tinder's premium features include unlimited likes, the ability to control whether your age and location are visible, incognito mode, an ad-free experience, and unlimited rewinds (the ability to go back to options you might have accidentally swiped left on).

As outlined below, certain premium memberships give you the ability to see who likes you, boost your profile to make it visible to more users, and swipe through users outside of your area.

A few of my favorite premium features are prioritized likes and the ability to message before matching with every Super Like you send. See below for more detail on the perks of each premium membership.

An even higher premium version of Tinder called Tinder Vault has also recently been teased. The new premium service will cost $500 per month or $6,000 per year. This version of Tinder is expected to add another extra premium service similar to Match Group's other dating property, The League.

Whether you choose to enroll in a premium membership or not, you can cancel your subscription any time. Android and Apple users can cancel within the "subscriptions" portion of their settings and click "cancel." Your subscription cancellation will not be prorated for previous months. Your membership will stay active through the remaining days.

As someone who has spent a lot of time in the online dating world, I'm constantly evaluating which dating apps are worth it. Tinder has given me some great experiences and some not so great. Despite the less-than-stellar experiences, Tinder remains one of my favorite dating apps. I've made some incredible connections over the years—plus, I love being able to use the app when I'm traveling.

Again, Tinder gets a lot of grief for being strictly a hookup app. Personally, it's been my personal favorite app for meeting folks casually and even casually with consistency. Granted, I have met a few folks who misled me about their intentions—but this could happen on any dating app. 

The most unfortunate experiences I've had on Tinder have been with people who have very opposing political and social views to my own. Because of this, I've started to avoid users who do not list political affiliation on their profile.

I had one on-and-off relationship from Tinder, which lasted for multiple years. He was hyperlocal originally until distance became a factor. I've had several dates and connections since then. Aside from those few people who keep their profiles vague, I've discovered most users on Tinder are pretty "what you see is what you get." Tinder users are generally more upfront about what they want.

One of my favorite aspects of Tinder has been the ability to use it while traveling. Most recently, I had some fun conversations while visiting San Francisco—although my trip was too short to coordinate a date. Previously, I swiped and went out with several folks on a different trip in the Pacific Northwest. While some people may be opposed to this form of dating, I've truly enjoyed my casual dating experiences on Tinder. As long as you are both upfront about your intentions and what you are looking for, dating can be a great way to experience a new city while traveling.

If you do date in one area for an extended period of time, it's a little more difficult. You may end up seeing people you've swiped left on multiple times coming back into your matches because you've swiped on so many over time on the app. I personally find higher-quality matches in other cities and locations than in my home city.

Despite the reputation it's developed, many people have found long-term relationships on the app—including one of our mindbodygreen editors! That said, Tinder is a great option for casual dating and has become my favorite app for getting back out there after a relationship ends. While it can absolutely lead to serious connections, it's really about empowering yourself and enjoying the dating experience as a whole for the totality of everything.

If you're taking the time to create a dating app profile, you want it to be one that users will swipe yes on. Licensed relationship and sex therapist Nikquan Lewis gave us her expert opinion on what she believes makes for a solid profile. According to Lewis, your photo gallery and bio each require intention and authenticity. See below for a few expert tips for both sections:

Your photos are your first impression. If your pictures are cheesy, inappropriate, or just not a good representation of you, users will likely not even continue to your bio. Lewis encourages app users to showcase their personality through pictures by prioritizing these tips:

"Avoid posting poor-quality pictures, pictures of scenery, selfies, cutoff pictures, a bunch of pictures with sunglasses, hats, or anything getting in the way of seeing you—and thirst trap pics," Lewis adds.

Once you've made that first impression with your pictures, users will move on to your bio. This is where you can really show your personality in a short, succinct way. You will have 500 characters to tell potential matches more about yourself, your interests, and what you're looking for on Tinder. 

This is where being clear about your "why" is critical. What is your motivation for joining Tinder? Are you just hoping to expand your social network and meet friends? Looking for someone to chat with to pass the time? Or are you on the app to hook up and have casual sex? Perhaps, you are in search of a committed romantic relationship. Regardless of where you fall, your "why" should dictate what you include in your bio.

A few more tips for your Tinder bio:

While you'll find a ton of Tinder profiles (including mine) incorporate tips such as the ones above in their profiles, you'll also find several that unapologetically do not. Whatever you decide to do on your own profile, remember it is meant to showcase your personality and how you look. Swipe-based apps rely heavily on photos, but that doesn't mean your bio doesn't matter. Curate carefully and intentionally.

"Red flags related to a person's bio include not having one at all, having one that really isn't saying anything or one that doesn't showcase your personality," Lewis adds. She suggests making your profile "Clear and to the point because people are not taking the same time and effort that dating used to require."

While I haven't had many long-lasting committed romantic relationships from my time on Tinder, it's actually one of my favorite dating apps. Tinder is hands down the best dating app for traveling. I love the range of experiences I'm able to have on the app and the fact that you can use it for friendships, hookups, casual dating, or something serious. If you are looking for an app that focuses more on commitment, check out our guide to the best dating apps for serious relationships.