The dating app landscape is undergoing a significant transformation as AI-powered matchmaking services emerge to challenge industry giants like Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and Grindr. With dating app fatigue reaching mainstream levels, a new wave of startups is leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to revolutionize how people find romantic connections.
Dating startups raised $121 million in 2024, according to PitchBook data, signaling strong investor confidence in AI-driven alternatives. Several prominent AI matchmaking apps have launched since 2020, each offering unique approaches to solving common dating frustrations like ghosting, endless swiping, and matches that never lead to actual dates.
Amata, launched in the US in fall 2025 by French dating app founder Ludovic Huraux, uses large-language models to power a matchmaker chatbot that finds matches and sets up dates. The app prevents ghosting by not allowing messages until two hours before a scheduled date.
Ditto, founded by UC Berkeley dropouts Allen Wang and Eric Liu, raised $1.6 million in pre-seed funding and takes a novel approach by skipping the app interface entirely. Instead, it uses AI matchmaking delivered via text messages to college students at California universities.
Known, founded by Stanford students Celeste Amadon and Asher Allen, recently raised $9.7 million for its AI-powered dating service. Users verbally interact with an AI matchmaker and pay a $30 fee for dates. The service gives users 24 hours to accept an intro and helps arrange the actual date by recommending venues and making reservations.
Sitch, cofounded by Nandini Mullaji, has raised $9 million from investors including A16z. The app features an AI matchmaker chatbot instead of traditional swiping, with users paying for “set-ups” bundles starting at $90 for three matches.
Keeper takes the premium approach, charging men $5,000 per date and requiring a “marriage bounty” of typically $50,000, payable only upon marriage. The AI-powered matchmaking service recently announced it raised $4 million.
Left Field, available only in New York, uses AI to calculate users’ compatibility based on overlapping details like mutual friends, hometowns, and favorite spots. The app pivoted from location-based matching to this AI-driven approach in 2025.
These AI-focused dating apps represent a broader trend away from algorithm fatigue and endless swiping toward more curated, intentional matchmaking experiences powered by advanced artificial intelligence technology.
Key Quotes
Dating startups raised $121 million last year, according to PitchBook data.
This figure demonstrates significant investor confidence in AI-powered dating alternatives and represents substantial capital flowing into the sector as entrepreneurs seek to disrupt traditional dating apps with artificial intelligence technology.
The app sets up the date, and users can’t message each other until two hours before the date — a tactic to prevent ghosting and get people off the app.
This describes Amata’s AI-powered approach to solving common dating app problems, showing how artificial intelligence is being used not just for matching but for managing the entire dating process and user behavior.
Ditto is an AI matchmaking service that skips the dating app experience and meets Gen Z where they’re at — in their text messages.
This highlights how AI matchmaking is evolving beyond traditional app interfaces, with the $1.6 million-funded startup using artificial intelligence to deliver matches directly via SMS to college students.
Known users verbally talk to an AI matchmaker and pay a $30 fee for dates.
This describes the conversational AI approach taken by the $9.7 million-funded startup, demonstrating how natural language processing and voice AI are being integrated into matchmaking services.
Our Take
The proliferation of AI-powered dating apps signals a critical inflection point where artificial intelligence moves from backend algorithms to front-facing matchmaking assistants. What’s particularly noteworthy is the diversity of AI applications—from LLM-powered chatbots to compatibility calculation algorithms—each attempting to solve different pain points in modern dating.
The substantial funding rounds, particularly Known’s $9.7 million and Sitch’s $9 million from A16z, indicate that sophisticated investors believe AI can genuinely improve matchmaking outcomes. However, the premium pricing models (Keeper’s $5,000 per date, Sitch’s $90 for three matches) suggest these services are targeting users willing to pay significantly more for AI-curated matches than free swiping apps offer.
This trend also reveals how conversational AI and LLMs are being commercialized in consumer applications, providing valuable real-world testing for these technologies in high-stakes personal decisions. The success of these ventures will likely influence AI adoption in other relationship-driven sectors.
Why This Matters
This wave of AI-powered dating apps represents a significant shift in how artificial intelligence is being applied to solve real-world social challenges. The $121 million in funding demonstrates that investors see substantial potential in using AI and machine learning to improve matchmaking outcomes beyond what traditional algorithm-based swiping apps offer.
The emergence of these startups challenges the dominance of established players whose stock values have tumbled, suggesting the market is ready for innovation. More importantly, it showcases practical AI applications that directly impact millions of people’s lives—from LLM-powered chatbot matchmakers to AI compatibility algorithms.
This trend reflects broader patterns in AI adoption: moving from simple recommendation algorithms to sophisticated conversational AI and personalized matching systems. The success or failure of these ventures will provide valuable insights into consumer acceptance of AI in intimate decision-making and whether advanced AI can truly improve upon human connection. For the AI industry, dating apps serve as a testing ground for natural language processing, personality analysis, and predictive matching—technologies with applications far beyond romance.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/new-dating-apps-tinder-hinge-bumble-alternatives-2025-12