Tinder hits top grossing app in the App Store on heels of Tinder Gold launch
Tinder has hit number 1 in the App Store's top grossing category for the very first time. — Claiming top spot in the App Store likely has to do with the global launch of Tinder Gold, which lets users …
Context & Ripple Effects
Tinder has a repeatable playbook here: when Tinder Plus rolled out in 2015, the app leapt from #969 to #26 in iOS revenue rankings and never left the top 100. The new Tinder Gold tier at $4.99/month — which shows users who have already liked them — is now doing the same trick one rung higher, pushing Tinder to #1 in the App Store's top grossing chart for the first time.
First-order effects
- Tinder converts its existing free user base into a second paid tier, with Gold layered on top of Plus so subscribers pay incrementally more for the same core product.
Second-order effects
- The revenue proof point justifies further Gold-exclusive features — a year later Tinder ships curated Top Picks globally as a Gold subscriber perk, deepening the tier's value proposition.
Third-order effects
- By 2019 the subscription ladder compounds into category leadership: Sensor Tower puts Tinder's quarterly store revenue at $260.7M, up 42% YoY, making it the top-grossing non-game app worldwide ahead of Netflix.
The trend: Dating apps are monetizing through stacked subscription tiers that price certainty and convenience rather than access, with Tinder's Plus-to-Gold ladder as the template.