5 Apps To Find A Date By The Next V-Day

By Edoardo Moreni - February, 15th 2014

Valentine’s day is the day where couples celebrate their eternal love and singles have fun going out. Being single can be a lifestyle for some of us, but for others it might be a problem. That’s why we have selected five companies that are trying to solve your problem and won’t let you spend the next V-Day as single.

The list is pretty obvious, but some of these young startups are changing the way we date today. Yes, we are not talking about Badoo or Match, that have been on the market for the last decade. We are talking about startups that have received million dollar valuations and that are aiming at billion dollar ones.

#1 - Tinder

The first company is Tinder, an app that we have covered several times, which is internationally expanding at a massive rate. When you start meeting people who would have never done online dating, but have dated on Tinder, it means the market penetration is massive. This app, with 600 million ratings and 6 million matches a day, is aiming at a billion dollar valuation and it’s the best way to find someone to date. Why? Because you start chatting only if you like each other. Then, after chatting, you can check the person out on other platforms, such as Facebook, and decide to give it a try by going out. The concept is simple and that’s why it’s disruptive.

#2 - Hot Or Not

Hot or Not is another app that works exactly like Tinder. You just have to rate people and if there is a match, you can start chatting with her or him. The app is not good as Tinder, because it’s not socially connected to Facebook as Tinder, which is able to show your interests, pictures, real name and friends in common. If you want to have a less social experience, because you are shy to public your data, go for it. Even though this app will never reach the way Tinder is expanding, there is a community around it, which means you can still find someone to date.

#3 - Down (Bang With Friends)

Down App is what it was previously called “Bang With Friends”. It’s a revolutionary concept that has had a massive impact in the last year. You connect your Facebook profile with the app, you select who you would like to “Bang” and wait for it. If the person selects you, you will both receive an email notification. Down App is not a dating app, it’s more something that will let you find a “friend with benefit”, but the point is that it’ll never go viral. Even though it had a great success, people are more willingly to upload a couple of pictures on Tinder or on any other rating app rather than select people to bang. Why? Because it makes the whole thing more explicit, while users want to keep it as much implicit as possible, even if they want it.

#4 - Carrot Dating

Carrot Dating counts between 10k - 50k installs on the Google Play store. I’d probably say it’s more an experiment rather than an actual product. The app lets you offer a date, which can be a cocktail, cinema or whatever you want, to a person you like; if the person you invited accepts, you will meet and date. This app will never go mainstream, but it’s actually a great anthropological experiment, which could lead to other apps. What Carrot Dating is missing is that it makes the whole experience more direct; while on Tinder or Hot or Not, you need to rate someone, on this app you randomly invite a person you like. The first rule is to try to get people in touch and then offer them a date through the app itself. This is one of the business plans that Tinder might use in the future. Carrot Dating seems to be an interesting feature that Tinder might implement in the next months to start generating revenues.

#5 - Grindr

The world doesn’t have just one color and that’s why Grindr is also on the list. This app aims to connect the gay community on a single platform. The app counts between 1M - 5M downloads on Google Play. What I have always found interesting about this app is that you don’t rate people, you just see those who are next to you (the app calculates the distance, in meters, between you and others). I have never used the app, but I have seen plenty of people using it. In a community such as the gay one were sexuality is treated on a different level, this app is disruptive. I have seen people exchanging a couple of messages, with selfies attached, and meeting five minutes later. If you are part of this community, you should definitely download Grindr, now.