Dating apps defined the pursuit of romance in the digital age for over a decade. From Tinder to Bumble, these platforms represent a cultural fixture. But something has shifted lately as young people are increasingly switching off their dating apps.
According to a report cited by the BBC in February, Tinder users decreased by 594,000 while Bumble and Hinge lost 368,000 and 131,000 users, respectively. Tinder’s parent company, Match Group Inc., itself reported an 8% decline in subscriber numbers for many quarters.
Meanwhile, AI companion platforms like Candy AI and EVA AI are seeing user growth and forming emotional bonds. Could these digital companions siphon the emotional core that dating apps rely on? Let’s see if that’s possible and how it could ever happen.
How Dating Apps Are Falling
Dating apps are slowly losing traction, not because people have given up on building connections. Here are some of the actual reasons why:
Swipe Fatigue
The endless swiping that comes with these dating apps now feels like a chore, as users are complaining of burnout from repetitive motions that rarely lead to connections. It does look like the algorithms are optimised to keep people swiping, not matching meaningfully.
As a user wrote on Reddit, “I get really tired of swiping, I’ve noticed a lack of matches has made my standards drop.”
High Effort, Low Reward
The gender dynamics of dating apps remain uneven. Studies have shown that men send more messages, like more profiles, and receive far fewer responses. As revealed in a Hinge study by Roast, men average 1 match out of 40, compared to 1 match out of 2 likes for women.
Ghosting
Modern dating apps seem designed for short attention spans. Ghosting has become so normalised that it rarely surprises anyone anymore. According to a study, 35% of dating app users have been ghosted or ghosted someone else.
Rising Costs
Subscription models are becoming more and more expensive on these platforms. Tinder Gold now costs over $39.99/month, and Bumble’s premium tiers are priced at $29.99 and $19.99 monthly.
Considering how these subscriptions do not even guarantee finding love or connection, it’s like users are paying more to feel less connected. “It’s like paying $15 a month to find a needle in a haystack,” said a Reddit user who complained of not getting matched with guys she is “enthusiastic about.”
Gamification
Dating apps use UX tricks from mobile gaming, and many users feel stuck in a loop that’s designed to be addictive but not emotionally fulfilling. These dating apps also gamify human interaction: there’s always someone new, someone potentially better, just a swipe away.
This leads to an unspoken message that emotional accountability is optional, and this is bound to make the platforms tiring for some users.
Why AI Companions Are on the Rise
The most popular AI companion, Replika, reportedly has over 10 million users, with 500,000 paying for premium features. Candy AI, a newer platform that invites users to create and connect with a virtual AI partner who listens, responds and appreciates you.
These aren’t just digital pets. They’re marketed as companions capable of simulating love, intimacy, even conflict resolution. On Nectar, people can even create their own AI partners through Image Creation and Roleplay.
True to how they’re marketed, AI companions offer something many dating apps can’t – guaranteed emotional availability. Users interact with characters that remember past conversations, do not reject, and offer consistent affection. They never ghost either! This consistent emotional availability is a major reason why AI companions are thriving today.
Another thing they have going for them is that they provide a judgment-free space for people who have felt burned by human interactions. While many users do not expect to build real romantic attachments to these characters, they use them as emotional buffers.
It also helps that people are allowed to customise their AI companion to their taste, from the appearance to the personality and even texting style.
Are the Audiences Overlapping?
AI partners are not just being sought out by lonely people or fringe users. Hence, the demographics of dating app users and AI companion users are increasingly overlapping. Men aged 18–35, particularly those who feel left out on traditional platforms, are turning to AI as a safe fallback.
Neurodivergent users also find AI companions less overwhelming.
In various online forums, users describe how AI helps them “practice” conversations or experience closeness without pressure. The intimacy is simulated, yes, but it’s also responsive and affirming.
Interestingly, there is no major pivot to AI companions from dating apps yet, as some aren’t choosing between the two at all. Some use AI as “training wheels,” building confidence before re-entering human dating. On the other hand, some maintain both, keeping their AI companions while also swiping in the background.
How the Dating‑App Industry Is Responding
The dating app industry isn’t ignoring this shift, as many of the platforms are increasingly leveraging AI. Tinder incorporated AI last year in the form of a tool that helps users select images for their dating profiles.
The feature, called Photo Selector, takes users’ photos and recommends up to 27 photos that would help them make a good first impression. The company also rolled out an AI-powered practice feature in the U.S. this year, but hasn’t moved toward companion-style interaction.
On its end, Bumble is experimenting with AI-powered prompts and conversation starters, but again, no full-blown simulated intimacy yet. That may be intentional, as embracing AI companions completely could blur the point of these dating apps or spook users. Still, the potential threat is clear. A world where AI partners offer more emotional ROI than dating apps could disrupt the revenue model of swiping altogether.
Will AI Kill Dating Apps?
It’s unlikely that AI companions will “kill” dating apps. But they will certainly pressure them to evolve. We may soon see dating apps fully integrate AI companion characters, maybe as relationship simulators that would help users rehearse real‑world romance or heal from heartbreak. As AI emotional intelligence evolves, so too will user expectations.
So, dating apps have a call to evolve beyond the swipe into emotionally intelligent platforms that match or even surpass the allure of AI companionship. If they don’t adapt, not even the criticism that AI is replacing real intimacy will stop the characters from stealing everyone’s heart.
