Post Date: January 24, 2020

Tinder is a mobile dating app widely known as a hookup app. But is it just a hookup app? We look at all the features and speculations of Tinder and if it’s just for hooking up.

Tinder is a mobile app that’s used for both dating and hookups. Tinder received an early reputation as a college hookup app; however, it’s evolved over the years as both hookups and dating for single users.

This article will examine why Tinder is known as a hookup app and how people use Tinder Daily.

Learn all about Tinder: Dive into the world of Tinder with The Complete Guide To Tinder, where you’ll find everything you need to know about using the app effectively.

What Is Tinder?

Tinder was launched in 2012 by founders Sean Rad, Jonathan Badeen, Justin Mateen, Joe Munoz, Dinesh Moorjani, and Whitney Wolfe. The company was founded in the startup incubator “Hatch Labs.”

Initially marketing its product to college campuses, founder Sean Rad believed in the “double opt-in” meeting system. This is when both parties accept to meet each other, rather than a random guy just going up to a girl and hitting on her. This scenario ensured that both parties were interested from the start.

Tinder just for hookups

Even though the original Tinder was based solely on looks, you only swiped right or left if you thought the other person was hot. Once you were connected, both parties could communicate with one another, similar to today’s Tinder.

This is why Tinder got the initial rep as a hookup app, as the element of having a detailed profile of hobbies, education, kids, and what you’re looking for were not options. Users started a short bio, put up pictures, and began talking.

Tinder is now used by millions of users. These users come in a wide variety. Some users claim they’re looking for a hookup or an FWB (friend with benefits). Other users claim they’re looking for the real deal and don’t want a hookup.

Tinder is entirely a wildcard app and can be used for any dating purpose. If you’re looking to find true love, it might be beneficial to try other dating apps such as Match.com or Hinge to find a serious relationship. On Tinder, only time will tell the guys or girls’ real intentions, which could ultimately be wasted.

Is Tinder Just For Hookups?

No. Tinder is not just for hookups. Tinder is also an app for finding relationships. In 2019, Tinder reported having over 5.2 million paying subscribers who subscribe to their Tinder Gold features.

More users typically mean more opportunities to find someone to whom you’re both physically and mentally attracted. Tinder is used around the world and can be used pretty much in any country to find love.

Tinder dating app

Tinder is similar to other dating apps in that the user is typically single and is looking for companionship. It’s up to the user to determine if the friendship is short or long-term. Often with Tinder, it’s short-term; however, long-term cases are highly probable.

This is the case with any online dating app. Regardless of the reputation of the mobile app, people with ill intentions can sign up anywhere and try to deceive the other person.


❤️ Better Than Tinder: Tinder is great for casual relationships, but a lot more users are looking for serious relationships on it. Avoid the stress, arguments, and drama if you’re simply looking for something casual.

If you’re looking for a platform with users strictly looking for casual relationships & hookups, we recommend checking out Ashley Madison.

Bad Reputation

Tinder received scrutiny because online dating platforms typically matched people based on information, not physical appearance. Interests, hobbies, kids, and plans were all fields that a user could enter on dating sites before Tinder.

Tinder introduced the swipe feature, and it instantly became addicting. Young adults didn’t need to go to bars anymore to meet girls/guys; they could aimlessly fumble through pictures, swiping yes or no to 100s of users in an hour.

This also gave a gateway for guys and girls to talk to numerous partners in a centralized location. More partners equal more problems.

Tinder paved the way for introverts and people with social anxiety to meet people without going to too loud, crowded places.

Tinder also received scrutiny from famous TV shows like Family Guy. In this episode, Quagmire finds the app Tinder and has relationships with over two dozen women. Peter and the gang eventually can pry away the app and get Quagmire back to normal.

Those who have never heard of Tinder, especially parents who are fans of Family Guy, instantly think bad of Tinder.

Why People Hook Up On Tinder

Famous YouTube videos have also surfaced, giving dating apps a lousy rep of what goes on behind the scenes inside guys’ and girls’ direct messages on Tinder.

For instance, in this video, the YouTube channel “Whatever” did an experiment asking 1,000 girls for casual dating on Tinder.

He waited three days until he got 1,000 matches, sent the same message to every girl, and waited for the results.

What were the results? They were surprisingly unbalanced for a “hookup” app. As most would expect the answer to be yes, he could only get 25 people to say yes.

No responses and other responses were of the majority, as being straightforward about casual dating did not seem to be in his favor.


❤️ Pro Tip: If you’re sick of finding people who are just looking for one-night stands, we recommend trying eHarmony.

It’s one of the highest-rated online dating apps in the world. eHarmony users are actually actively looking for relationships. Give it a try here for free and see if you can tell the difference.

On the flip side, YouTuber Alana Arbucci downloaded Tinder for 20 minutes and got an overwhelming amount of responses from guys.

Alana’s Tinder caught fire after only 20 minutes, and you’re able to see the type of messages she received from a few guys. This is a small sample size from Tinder, but it does give some perspective of how nice and odd guys can be off the initial message.

These are the two different responses that both guys and girls receive on the dating app Tinder. Each person’s experience will be different than the next. It’s not impossible to find love on Tinder, as the amount of users far exceeds other mobile dating apps.

Tinder Hook-Up Recap

Tinder is often known as a hookup mobile dating app. However, users find love on Tinder once they find a match that they connect with. Other dating apps, such as Hinge and Bumble, have better results in dating, but Tinder is not far off.

Tinder users will use the online dating app to both date and for casual dating. Every Tinder user is on the dating app for a relationship or casual sex.

Casual sex can include a one-night stand or hookups. Most will use the Tinder dating app casually so it’s not uncommon to be ghosted.

If you’re looking for love, try Tinder for a short period and see if your experiences differ from those in the videos. The great thing about Tinder and all of these other apps is that they’re entirely free to try and don’t require anything besides time.

The mobile app dating game is all about finding which app best works for you and whatever one you feel most comfortable with.

Tinder Platinum and Tinder Gold can help you get more matches for people who are interested in improving their dating life.

Traditional dating sites like Tinder can still help you get serious relationships for free users and paid users.

If you liked this blog, learn more about Tinder in these articles.

About the Author

Julia has over 10+ years in the mobile dating app space as a consultant and analyst. Her work has been featured on top websites like Mashable and Women's Health Mag. She writes these blogs to help singles find their true love and life long companion!