The times when people used to meet through mutual friends, relatives, colleagues, etc. are now gone. Online dating is the new cool for our tech-savvy generation, whether it’s for serious relationships or just hook-ups or casual ones. Check this blog to know more about the cost and features to develop an app like MiuMeet.
Especially during the pandemic, with the enforced restrictions and social distancing norms, virtual dating has become a major part of youngsters’ lives. It can be witnessed by the vast surge of new users that dating apps have experienced since last year. It shows that online dating platform development companies are on the rise.
With such high demands, dating apps like MiuMeet, Tinder, and others are unable to meet the user’s expectations. Taking it as a great opportunity, you can give it a shot in the industry. But for that, there are certain things you should know about. Let us start with the key features of an online dating app.
Table of Contents
Key Features of An Online Dating App Like MiuMeet
Dating app development contains several features. To make it easier for you to understand, we have divided all the features into four wide ranges:
1. Match-Making Algorithms
A match-making algorithm is the most significant feature for dating portal development. It’s all about using the data provided by the users to find their potential match based on various factors such as:
- Geographical Match-Making
Not everyone is into long-distance relationships. Most people prefer dating a person nearby. Geodata can turn out to be a useful factor for matching people within specified geolocation if they prefer to do so.
- Mathematical Algorithms
Mathematical Matching is match-making based on data provided by the users such as- Characteristics, Personality, Interests, Likes and dislikes, etc.
- Behavioral Analysis
It is a more complex form of a mathematical algorithm. AI Behavioral Analysis can help users find their potential matches based on their interests and preferences, not just the ones mentioned in their profiles but also based on their other social media profiles, search histories, e.t.c. Anyone can easily lie on social media. Social media app development companies can overcome this problem through behavioral analysis.
- Facial Recognition
Other than behavior and personality, looks may also matter for a lot of people. You can add advanced features such as facial recognition for users to find people who look like someone they want, be it a celebrity or just someone they have known.
2. Social & Communication Integration
There’s no point in match-making if you can’t socialize or communicate with the person you matched with. So, it is also an essential feature of dating portal development.
- Feeds & Posts
It is something that most dating apps lack. Allowing users to posts their thoughts, photos, videos, etc. may increase the chances of finding the right ones.
- Swipe Feature
Tinder is one of the most used dating apps. And the biggest reason behind its popularity is its swipe feature. Users can swipe right if they like someone and swipe left if they don’t. It’s like easy and fast sorting of profiles. But it may have some disadvantages as well.
Suppose, you really liked someone’s profile, and by mistake, you swipe them left and poof! Your soulmate is gone forever. Though, Tinder relieved that user activity increased up to 15 times more after introducing the swipe feature.
- Message Editing
Imagine chatting with your soulmate crush for the first time, and you misspell “Hello”. What an awkward situation! Message editing can be a life-saving feature for such cases. Most people believe the first impression is the last impression. So, a typo mistake in the very first text can make someone lose confidence, and the editing feature can be really helpful here.
- Wide Range Of Emoticons And Stickers
No matter how big of a chit-chatter you are, at one point conversations die, and it can be awkward. Animated stickers and emoticons can be your savior in such instances. They help make the conversation more interactive and interesting.
- Like & Comment Feature
If you don’t know how to start a conversation with someone, liking or commenting on their posts can be helpful. You can also add story features like Instagram, as story replies have proved to be a great conversation starter.
- Video Calling Option
Texting is a good option to start with, but meeting someone directly after texting can be a bit awkward. You can add a video calling option to your app so that users can feel more connected to each other. You may also add a live video option using video streaming app development.
3. Security Features
No matter what app you are using, security is a big concern for all mobile app development companies nowadays. You can add these security features to your app to make your users feel safe and secure:
- Profile Verification
Bringing strangers together to meet and greet sounds all fun, but it can be scary too. Ensuring your user’s safety is a significant part of social media app development. To ensure one’s safety, profile verification is a must.
- Data Protection
Protecting user’s data is also one of the most important features of social media app development. You can also add a feature where users can decide what piece of information to keep public and private.
4. Monetization
Most dating apps are free to use. It increases the competition between online dating platform development companies. Now, to increase your revenue, these monetization techniques can be really helpful:
- Advertising And Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is the best option to earn money through a free app. Most brands or companies related to dating (Like Coffee shops, jewelry brands, Archies, e.t.c) are likely to invest in advertising through apps and other dating platforms. You get paid, whenever a user or visitor view, click or make a purchase from the ad. You can also earn money through paid ads in your apps.
- Premium Model
Giving free services may help you stand in competition but you can still provide additional features like unlimited swipes, more super-likes, advanced voice and video calling options through video streaming app development, and a lot more in your premium pack.
Cost And Time To Develop An App Like MiuMeet
Developing dating app like MiuMeet and Tinder can be very expensive and time-consuming. These apps may look simple, but they involve complex technical structures and development processes.
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Time Required
The basic one-platform design may take 1000 hours to develop. Meanwhile, backend development might take up to 300 hours, and design processing along with testing might take up 100-200 hours. On average, developing a Miumeet or Tinder-like app may take 600-1500 hours.
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Cost
Most app startups are either a business in itself or in making, so determining the cost and budget is the most crucial part. But asking how much cost would it take to develop an app like Tinder may not be a wise move since it’s not as simple as it seems.
It includes the most complex and complicated development procedures with a profuse amount of investment. You may start with a simpler but unique form of the app at the initial stage.
The cost of dating app development depends on the hourly rate of the freelancers, outsourcing team, or in-house team you hire.
- Hourly rate for freelancers – $10/Hour
- Hourly rate for outsourcing team – $15/hour
- Hourly rate for In-house team – $20/hour
Hiring an outsourced team can be the best option as they can give you the same output as in-house teams with less effort and cost.
Top 5 Dating Apps Analysis
1. Tinder
Undoubtedly, Tinder is the leading app in the dating industry. With its unique and creative swipe, super-like, and other features it never fails to catch the eyes of users. Tinder is constantly working on the further development of the app by introducing new features like safety alarms, background checks, e.t.c. It may serve as the toughest competition in your journey to the development of a dating app.
2. Bumble
Bumble not just being a dating app but a platform to make new friends or create business contacts is giving a tough competition to Tinder. It introduced a new video option two years ago and is also making constant efforts for further development. They also added a game feature to provide their users an option to interact more effectively on their dates.
3. OkCupid
OkCupid is another popular and tough competitor in the market. It includes straightforward features and just-like Tinder and Bumble, keeps on introducing new and creative features like flavors, personality quizzes, e.t.c., making its appearance more unique and distinct from other apps.
4. Match.com
Match also includes simple features like OkCupid and introducing new features such as a Tinder-like Mixer or safety alarm to alert your friends when you feel unsafe on a date. It recently added a new feature that lets users share their political views. It may be very helpful in finding your potential match.
5. Facebook Dating
Last but not the least, Facebook Dating is the new feature added to Facebook. This feature has extended in the US, UK, and Europe for now. It helps users find their potential matches for long-term serious relationships and not casual ones or hook-ups.
You can use it in the Facebook app only by switching to your separate dating profile. It doesn’t match you up with the people you already have a connection with on Facebook unless you use its secret crush feature.
Tips To Remember
Now that you are well aware of the basic features, structures, cost, time, and your competitors, there are certain things you should take care of while developing an online dating app.
1. The Easy Navigation
No matter what app you are developing, easy navigation is something one should always focus on. No one would like to waste their time on understanding complex features and would immediately switch to other apps. So ease of navigation plays a vital role in the popularity of your app.
2. Observe Your Competitors
To stand out in any competition, one needs to beat their competitor along with performing their best. Keeping an eye on your competitors may benefit you in many ways. You can learn from their mistakes and achievements too. You can note what feature increased their traffic and what feature made them lose and can optimize your app further based on these observations.
3. Individuality
Observing doesn’t mean copying. Copying an already existing product may not serve you well. Users are fond of unique and creative stuff. So launching a simple yet unique product may help you gain popularity.
4. The Perfect Match-Maker
“Billions of people here on this planet and you can’t find a single person with the same interests as you” is the biggest concern for singles these days. As a mobile app development company, you have to keep in mind that no one likes unnecessary feeds.
Helping your users find their perfect matches is the most crucial part of a dating app. As mentioned before, an AI behavioral analysis would be the best option for match-making algorithms.
5. Focus On User’s Needs
To gain the user’s attention, you first need to figure out what they expect from you. It may not always be about creativity but needs. If you can meet your customer’s expectations, you have already won the competition.
6. Ensuring User’s Safety
A perfect app with perfect features is useless if it can’t ensure its user’s safety. Safety is the biggest concern of people today. Especially for females. It is crucial to ensure your user’s safety by running background checks and ensuring data privacy.
7. Advertising
Along with providing the best services, you need to advertise your product well to make people aware of its unique and creative features and offers. A great app may lose the chance to come into the limelight if not advertised well.
8. Testing
The most important step after you’ve developed your app is its testing. Make sure to check on all aspects such as navigation, efficiency, engagement, e.t.c while testing your product as a malfunction may ruin your reputation in the market.
Wrapping Up
Launching a new app in the market may require a lot of money, time, creativity, and effort but with great determination, you can serve people with unique stuff and outshine in the industry. All the above-mentioned information will help you create a perfect dating app.
There are thousands of dating apps or platforms out there in the market but most of them are unable to meet user’s expectations. And with enforced lockdown, it is a great opportunity to introduce a new dating app that can satisfy people’s needs.
A perfect app doesn’t always require complex designs and a good sum of investment but just some skills and a lot of creativity may help you stand out in the competition.