Is Tinder Worth It for Guys?

Yes, as a free two-week test, and only then as something to pay for. Tinder is worth it if it produces conversations and dates for the time you put in, and you can find out in about two weeks without spending a cent. A paid tier is worth it only if the free version already gets you matches, because paying multiplies what you have and multiplies nothing if you have nothing.

Men ask this as if it were a yes or no about the app. It is a ratio. What do you put in, and what do you get back?

Your costs are time, a little money if you pay, and the feeling of being ignored. What you get back is conversations, plans and dates. Measure those, and the question answers itself. A man who spends thirty minutes a few times a week and gets two dates a month has a different answer from one who spends the same time and gets none.

a dating coach is blunt about the starting point. In his experience the typical man on Tinder gets no matches at all, which means a plain page earns a typical result. That is no judgment on you. It is the usual outcome for a man who uploads a few snapshots, adds two lines, and then takes the silence personally.

He also says Tinder is not equally good everywhere. In the United States, he says, it has a lot of fake profiles and Hinge tends to be better in a lot of major cities. In parts of Europe, he says, Tinder is nearly the only app people use. And it carries more of a hookup reputation, though relationships begin there as well.

So if you live in a US city and Tinder gives you nothing in two weeks, you have learned something about Tinder, not about yourself. Try another app with the same photos.

Before you pay, run Tinder free with your best photos in place. Keep a tally for two weeks: women you liked, matches, replies to your first message, plans made.

a dating coach's rule for any feature is to test it. If the free version gives you at least some matches, you have something a paid feature can multiply. If it gives you almost none, the problem is your page or your city, and a subscription will not change either.

a dating coach does not hold with the idea that a man should never pay. His view is that paid features often help. The apps are businesses, and they want their paying members happy, so they tend to show them to more people and to more attractive people.

He says Tinder's top tier was worth it from his own experience, that boosts are worth trying because they are cheap enough to test, and that tiers change over time. Take that as one man's report at one moment. The names and what each tier includes shift, so read the screen on the day you buy.

His rule is to try a feature for a short stretch, count your results, and drop it if nothing moves. We would add one thing. Put a reminder in your phone before the renewal, so a two-week test does not quietly become a year.

Tinder is a poor use of your time in a few situations.

You hate swiping. If every session leaves you worse off, a different format may suit you. Hinge asks you to react to something a woman wrote, and some men find that easier.

You want something steady and Tinder gives you only casual chats. You can say what you want on your page, but if the women who write back are all looking for something else, another app may fit better.

Your page is the weak part. If your photos are poor, Tinder is not the problem and switching apps will not fix it.

Most men who say Tinder is not worth it have not given it a fair page. When someone writes to a dating coach about getting nothing, he looks at three things: the photos, the writing, and how many of the right women see the page.

Start with the photos. Put a clear daylight shot of your face first and vary the rest. Then add one specific line a woman could ask about, and send a short first message about something on her page. Do that for two weeks and count again.

If the numbers rise, Tinder is worth it. If they do not, you have your answer, and you have only spent a few weeks to get it.