Tinder vs OkCupid: how the two apps match people

How matches are made

OkCupid builds matches from answers. Members answer questions (500+ in the app, 15 required at sign-up) and set dating preferences, and the algorithm combines what each person wants with their answers to shared questions into a Match % score. Cupid's Picks adds a daily selection. Preferences such as age, location, gender and orientation can be set as deal breakers, and the gender and orientation ones work as deal breakers on a free account.

Tinder is built on Likes. Tinder's description says "You can only match and chat when both people are interested," and the app says it learns your type with every swipe. Intentions can be set on the profile.

Chat on both apps follows a match. OkCupid adds the Intro, a message to someone who has not liked you yet, which they see in an Intros tab. Tinder puts a message ahead of a match behind a subscription: its Google Play text reads "Feeling flirty? Send a compliment before you match." In-app video chat and voice messages are not confirmed for either app; video chat across apps covers the ones that list them.

What a free account does

OkCupid's help center states "Using OkCupid is completely free," and describes a free account that can answer questions, match and message. Paid plans add seeing who has liked you, unlimited Likes and Dealbreakers, the setting that shows only people who meet a preference. How many Likes a free account gets is not stated. Incognito Mode is listed as a paid upgrade, in text from an archived copy dated September 28, 2026: only people you have liked can see your profile, and ads are removed.

Tinder's free tier covers sending Likes, matching and chatting. Subscriptions add unlimited Likes, weekly Super Likes, compliments before a match, unlimited Rewinds and monthly Boosts, and the listings do not say which of Plus, Gold or Platinum holds which item, so none is assigned here. The daily free Like limit is not stated either. Google Play names Incognito Mode and Passport Mode without saying which plan includes them, and advanced filters are not mentioned in Tinder's listings at all. For the wider field, see apps with search filters.

Tinder vs OkCupid prices in the US and UK

Lowest listed on the US App Store: Tinder Plus at USD 9.99 and Tinder Gold at USD 13.99. The US App Store also lists OkCupid Premium from USD 7.99 (six rows, the highest USD 59.99) and A-List at USD 9.99.

On the UK App Store, Tinder Plus is listed at GBP 3.99 and Tinder Gold from GBP 7.49. The UK App Store also lists OkCupid Premium from GBP 5.99 (six rows, the highest GBP 44.99) and A-List at GBP 7.99. None of these rows states a billing period, so the gaps between an app's own rows cannot be explained.

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.

The order of the cheapest rows flips between the two countries. On the US App Store, the lowest listed OkCupid Premium price (USD 7.99) is below the lowest listed Tinder Plus price (USD 9.99). On the UK App Store the lowest listed Tinder Plus price (GBP 3.99) is below the lowest listed OkCupid Premium price (GBP 5.99), and Tinder Gold from GBP 7.49 sits just under A-List at GBP 7.99. A Tinder Platinum price is not recorded for either country. The full price lists are on Tinder pricing by country and OkCupid pricing. Deleting an OkCupid account or the app does not stop store billing, and Tinder store subscriptions also have to be cancelled in the store; subscription cancellation guide has the steps.

Who each app speaks to

OkCupid's App Store subtitle is "The Best Dating App for Matching on What Matters to YOU". Google Play names casual dating and a serious relationship as reasons to be there. Serious relationships, marriage and love are listed next to casual dating and friendship, so the app is not described as relationship-focused or as casual-only. Google Play also calls it an LGBT dating app and names lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer and straight singles. Orientation-based searches are covered in LGBTQ+ hookup and dating apps; Tinder's listings do not address orientation.

Tinder's Google Play text gives three aims: a date, a serious relationship or new friends. Its App Store text describes a "fun, relaxed" dating experience, and casual dating is not named as a goal. No Tinder listing and no OkCupid listing or help page describes the app as a hookup app, and none rules it out. How either handles non-monogamy is not stated in the pages checked.

Tinder's own claims include "the preferred dating app for singles under 30" and over 100 billion matches. OkCupid has 50M+ downloads on Google Play and about 290K ratings on the App Store, which are store counts, not active users. The help center says the service is available in over 180 countries.

Verification, reporting and blocking

OkCupid's Photo Verification is a video selfie with a Liveness Check and 3D Face Authentication, and it earns a verified status. A newer help article on Face Check describes a scan used for age and photo checks, and a separate article describes age assurance from a solo face photo. Profiles and chats carry a Report User link, and OkCupid names blocking. The terms add that OkCupid does not run criminal background or identity checks on users.

Tinder's Google Play listing names Photo Verification, and its App Store text mentions "multiple ways to verify profiles"; the listings leave open whether verification is optional or required. Beyond verification, Tinder lists Share My Date, blurring of inappropriate-looking chat messages, unmatching, message flagging and a confidential Report User link. Its terms and guidelines cover reporting and unmatching and say nothing about blocking, so OkCupid is the one that documents it. More apps that check profiles are in apps that check photos.

Data collection

OkCupid's privacy policy, read from an archived copy dated October 14, 2026, lists several kinds of data. Sensitive details such as sexual orientation and sexual life are collected if members choose to provide them. Precise geolocation is collected only with device permission. The policy describes advertising partners, Facebook tools (Login, Pixel and the SDK) and sharing with other Match Group companies, including information about banned users. Photo Verification involves face geometry data. Outside the EEA, UK and Switzerland the responsible company is Match Group Americas, LLC; see the OkCupid privacy policy.

For Tinder, the policy says latitude and longitude can be collected if you grant permission, and that features built on precise location do not work if you decline. It says certain information goes to third parties, advertising partners among them, and points to an opt-out toggle for sale, sharing and targeted advertising. The Tinder points above rest on a summarized copy of its privacy page from November 5, 2026, not the full text, so check the policy for exact terms. Comparisons across more apps are in what dating apps collect.

Platforms, ages and reach

OkCupid runs on iPhone only, on Android (50M+ downloads, an Editors' Choice badge on Google Play) and on the web. Tinder runs on iPhone and Apple TV, on Android (500M+ downloads) and on the web at tinder.com. Across the App Store storefronts checked, Tinder turned up in all 45 and OkCupid in 44, missing only South Korea. Neither app has an official country list on the pages checked.

Both apps carry 18+ in the App Store and Mature 17+ in Google Play, and both sets of terms set the minimum age at 18. Tinder LLC is the operator named for Tinder, and the contracting party varies with the member's location.

Where each app fits

Tinder fits readers who want the larger audience by store count (500M+ Google Play downloads against 50M+), the full set of 45 storefronts, and the lower lowest listed row on the UK App Store (GBP 3.99 against GBP 5.99).

OkCupid fits readers who want answers and preferences to steer matching: the Match % score, the Dealbreakers setting, the Intro message, documented blocking, casual dating named in its listing and an LGBT label on Google Play. On the US App Store its lowest listed row is also the lower of the two (USD 7.99 against USD 9.99).

The Tinder review and the OkCupid review go through each app alone, and OkCupid alternatives and Tinder alternatives sort other options by need. Hinge is set against Tinder in Tinder vs Hinge and against OkCupid in Hinge vs OkCupid.