American Gen Z is leaving the dating apps for run clubs, but the swing is being re-priced, not set free.
Only 21 percent of young single Americans now call an app their main way to meet people (Kinsey Institute); 58 percent prefer meeting in person. The apps aren't dying, just shrinking and charging survivors more:
- Match Group: paying users down 5 percent, revenue per payer up 10 percent.
- Bumble: payers down 21 percent, net earnings up 165 percent.
- Tinder and Bumble now chase the crowd offline with in-person events and friend groups.
- Strava, valued near $2.2 billion and eyeing an IPO, is the winner: its running clubs grew 3.5x in 2025.
But "free to run" isn't free: it sorts by gear, time, body, and neighborhood. The product just changed into activewear.
