Hinge vs OkCupid: two ways to build a match

What each app says it is for

Hinge's App Store description puts its pitch in one line: "Hinge is the dating app for people who want to get off of dating apps." Google Play also makes room for people "unsure about your dating goals" and describes the app as "The Dating App for Adults to Match, Flirt, Meet and Date New Singles in the USA." The listings do not name casual dating as a goal.

OkCupid's App Store subtitle reads "The Best Dating App for Matching on What Matters to YOU". Google Play names casual dating and a serious relationship in one sentence and calls the app an LGBT dating app, naming lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer and straight singles. Serious relationships, marriage and love appear in both stores, always next to casual dating and friendship, so relationships are not the headline the way they are on Hinge.

Neither app uses the hookup label. Hinge's own wording points the other way ("designed to be deleted"), and OkCupid's store listings and help center describe casual dating without calling the app a hookup app. A list built around that search starts at apps for casual dating.

The size figures are store counts, not active users: 50M+ Google Play downloads for OkCupid, 10M+ for Hinge, and about 290K ratings on OkCupid's App Store page. For Hinge, no official user count, gender ratio or age split was found, and OkCupid's audience figures are store counts only. A separate list for older daters is dating apps for over 40.

How matches form

A Hinge match always starts with a like or comment aimed at one specific part of a profile. The App Store says "We quickly learn your type", drawing on prompt answers, photos and profile fields, and the homepage cites an "acclaimed Nobel-Prize-winning algorithm", which is a company claim.

OkCupid starts from questions. Members choose from 500+ in the app, 15 of them required at sign-up, and set dating preferences. OkCupid's algorithm weighs what each person wants against the questions both have answered, and the result is a Match % score; Cupid's Picks adds a daily selection. On the free plan, gender and orientation preferences already work as dealbreakers.

Messaging

Hinge chat opens after a match that started with a like or comment. The app suggests openers (Convo Starters) drawn from prompt answers and photos, and a Match Note passes information to a date before they match. In-app video calls and voice notes inside chat are not mentioned, though the App Store says profiles can show personality "through text, photos, video, and voice".

On OkCupid, matched members message each other. An Intro lets you write to someone who has not liked you yet; the recipient finds it in an Intros tab. Video chat and voice messages are not mentioned in the OkCupid pages read either.

Free features and what costs extra

The Hinge App Store listing says "The app is free to use." Hinge+ adds seeing everyone who likes you and sending unlimited likes, and HingeX adds recommendation upgrades and priority likes. The listings are silent on message limits for free accounts.

OkCupid's help center says "Using OkCupid is completely free" and that matched members can message each other. Paid plans add seeing who has liked you, unlimited Likes and Dealbreakers, which show only people who meet a preference. The number of Likes a free account gets is not given. Incognito Mode is a paid upgrade: the only people who can see your profile are people you have liked, and ads disappear (text from an archived copy dated September 28, 2026).

Hinge's listings do not mention incognito mode, advanced filters or a travel feature, and a travel feature on OkCupid stays unconfirmed. More apps with these features are listed in incognito mode across apps, apps with search filters and travel mode apps.

Verification and safety tools

Hinge's App Store listing says Selfie Verification makes it easier for daters to be sure people are who they say they are. The privacy policy says it involves face geometry data, deleted within 30 days, and mentions Face Check in regions where it is required. Other listed tools: anonymous reporting, after which reported people never see each other again; a We Met survey that follows once two members exchange phone numbers; and blocking of offensive language in incoming likes.

On OkCupid, Photo Verification means a video selfie with a Liveness Check and 3D Face Authentication, which earns verified status. Separate help center articles describe a Face Check scan used for age and photo checks. A Report User link sits on profiles and in chats, next to a block option, and the Safety Tips article is published. OkCupid's terms add that it runs no criminal background or identity checks on users.

Neither says how well its tools work. For scam patterns see our scams guide; dating apps with profile verification lists other apps that verify profiles.

Privacy and location

With permission, Hinge collects latitude and longitude, and features that rely on precise geolocation are unavailable if you decline. The privacy policy says data is shared with advertising partners and that US users can opt out of targeted advertising. After account closure Hinge keeps data for a three-month safety window, and transaction data for 10 years.

OkCupid's privacy policy says sensitive details such as sexual orientation and sexual life are collected if members choose to provide them, and precise geolocation only with device permission. The policy lists advertising partners, Facebook's Login, Pixel and SDK, and data sharing with other Match Group companies, banned-user information included. Those points come from an archived copy dated October 14, 2026, because OkCupid's own legal pages could not be read directly, so check the live wording. For more, see privacy on dating apps.

Platforms, ages and availability

Hinge is on iPhone and on Android (10M+ downloads on Google Play). The terms mention "the Website or App" for purchases, and a web dating app is unconfirmed. Hinge is listed in 32 of the 45 App Store storefronts checked and missing from 13, among them Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Hinge, Inc. is named as operator, with MTCH Technology Services Limited for users located in the European Union.

OkCupid is on iPhone (seller Match Group Americas, LLC), on Android (50M+ downloads, Editors' Choice) and on the web: the help center says accounts can be reached by app, mobile web or desktop. It is listed in 44 of 45 storefronts, the gap being South Korea. The help center says over 180 countries, and no official list was found.

Both apps carry the same store ratings, 18+ in the App Store and Mature 17+ in Google Play, and both sets of terms put the minimum age at 18.

Hinge vs OkCupid prices in the US and UK

On the US App Store, the lowest listed Hinge row is Hinge Subscription at USD 14.99, and the lowest listed Hinge+ row is USD 16.99. The US App Store also lists OkCupid Premium in six rows from USD 7.99 to USD 59.99, and A-List at USD 9.99.

On the UK App Store, the lowest listed Hinge+ row is GBP 12.99 and the lowest Hinge Subscription row is GBP 14.99. On the UK App Store, OkCupid Premium runs from GBP 5.99 to GBP 44.99 across six rows, and A-List is GBP 7.99. No row on either store states a billing period.

Prices as listed in the store on November 5, 2026. They change by country, platform, account and promotion.

Prices as listed in the store on November 5, 2026. They change by country, platform, account and promotion.

OkCupid's cheapest listed row undercuts Hinge's in both countries: USD 7.99 against USD 14.99 on the US App Store, and GBP 5.99 against GBP 12.99 on the UK App Store. With no periods and a Premium spread that wide, that compares listings and says nothing about the cost of a month. Hinge's listing names HingeX, and no row by that name is recorded. Prices on Google Play and the web are outside these rows. Full lists are on Hinge pricing and OkCupid's price page.

Which app fits whom

Pick Hinge for a relationship-first label, profiles built from prompts and photos, and a follow-up survey after members swap numbers. The Hinge review has the rest.

Pick OkCupid for question-based matching with a Match % score, casual dating and serious relationships under one roof, free messaging between matches and a web version. Dealbreakers and Incognito Mode cost extra. The OkCupid review goes through the rest, and lgbtq hookup and dating apps sorts the field its Google Play description names.

If neither fits, Hinge alternatives and OkCupid alternatives list other apps by need. Other pairings include Tinder vs Hinge and Tinder vs OkCupid, and more are in dating app comparisons.