Hinge Hits 1.8M Paying Users While Rival Dating Apps Sink

While the dating app industry bleeds users, Hinge is swimming against the current. The app now boasts over 1.8 million paying subscribers and keeps gaining ground where competitors are stumbling.

Leading the charge is Jackie Jantos, who stepped up from CMO to CEO in December 2025. Her playbook? Double down on people who actually want relationships, not casual swiping.

Jantos isn't sugarcoating the product either. In a Financial Times interview, she drew a sharp line between Hinge and passive entertainment platforms. "It's not TikTok, you need to put in effort," she said.

That philosophy — demanding real engagement from users rather than optimizing for infinite scrolling — appears to be paying off. As the broader dating app market contracts, Hinge's focus on intentionality is turning into a genuine competitive moat.