If you’re thinking about creating a startup in the dating niche, you’re wondering will a dating site bring more profit than a dating app. This article will answer that question. You’ll also learn about your potential clients, so stick with us.
Pros and Cons
Dating apps and dating sites have similar pros and cons overall. Still, dating sites have some pros and cons compared to dating apps. Let’s check them out.
Pros of sites compared to apps:
- Your clients can use them on laptops or PCs and your phone (if you create a mobile mobile-friendly site). They can use apps only through apps on Android and IOS.
- They are older, so they had more time to prove they’re legit. Sites that have been active for decades work. Most dating apps are newborns compared to that, so users can’t be sure if they work. That means you’ll win the trust of your clients with less effort on dating sites (especially if your target audience was born before 1990).
- Sites usually work based on paid membership – while apps earn their money on ads, sites make a living by selling memberships and special features. From a business standing point, it’s much easier to make a person pay for the solution of their problem (B2C) than making a company pay for advertising (B2B). You also need less traffic on your site to sell features than you need on a dating app because companies will ask you for traffic statistics.
Cons of sites compared to apps:
- Younger generations prefer apps over sites because they think sites are for older adults who don’t know how to use smartphones.
- Apps have been making a lot of noise in the last couple of years, so many people have friends who tried them. As an entrepreneur, you know a client will trust her friend’s recommendation more than any advertising campaign.
The Target Market for Dating Sites and Apps
According to Britannica, by the start of the 21st century, 1 out of 5 Internet users tried dating sites. Since then, online dating is constantly growing, so you have to know your market if you want to get any clients. Deciding your target market might be the most difficult decision before making a dating app or site. Some sites cover a lot of niches. Let’s take a look at Maturedating, there are many categories, and they attract a specific audience. Sites and apps like that cover many more markets because almost everybody can find a category they like. That sounds great at first, but competition is harsh there, so choosing a specific audience can help you reach more people who need your exact site.
Also, you have to know your potential clients as well as possible. You have to know that most users of dating sites and apps are people younger than 45. Dating sites for mature people are exceptions. In that case, all the users are 50+. In that niche, dating sites work much better than apps for the reasons mentioned.
Who Has More Share of Profit?
Making a profit through dating apps and sites seems simple. It happens in one (or more) following ways:
- selling memberships
- selling ads
- selling premium features
Most sites start selling memberships and advertising space when they reach a certain milestone in daily or monthly traffic. And now the big question – do apps make more money than dating sites? Yes. Apps are getting more profit because millions of young people use them.
It’s clear from this article that dating apps are catching up with dating sites. In some areas, apps are in front of sites. But before creating an app, remember that one big app is ruling a big portion of the market, so a dating site might be a better solution.