When Spring is in the Air, So is Dating App Engagement

Valentine’s Day is over, but the love in the air just beginning to show. Though you might associate February as the peak month for romance, the Liftoff Mobile Dating Apps Report proves that just isn’t so.

According to the report, which analyzed user acquisition and app engagement data from some of a the leading online dating services from January 2015 – January 2016, February is actually the third worst month of the year to acquire new daters.

The report found that the spring months of March through May were the best months for attracting users to dating apps, as they were 131.7% more likely to subscribe than any other time of year. Mobile advertising dollars also went further in the spring, as the cost to acquire a new subscriber decreased 51.8% compared to the rest of the year.

We also analyzed the differences between male and female app engagement and user acquisition costs. Our research shows that men were 6.5% more likely to register for a dating app than women. In addition, the average cost to acquire a male subscriber was $291.68, 18.2% less than females.

Women’s dating app engagement increased significantly in April, with subscription rates 2.3 times higher than any other time of year. In fact, a full 70% of women who installed a dating app in April went on to register.

The mobile operating system that people use also influenced dating apps costs and conversion rates. Android was more cost effective than iOS in both the cost per install and cost per registration. Yet iOS users installed and registered for a dating app (63.4%) at a higher rate than Android users (47.9%), suggesting a greater interest in using dating apps.

For generating subscriptions, iOS was more cost-effective than Android. The average cost per subscription on iOS was $283.69, 43% less than on Android. iOS users were also 3.4 times more likely to subscribe to a mobile dating service than Android users.

While love may be on the public’s mind in February, it isn’t necessarily the best time of year to spend on user acquisition. But when spring comes around and the weather gets warmer, dating app engagement goes up and user acquisition costs go down.

Download the Liftoff Mobile Dating Apps Report to learn more about the latest industry benchmarks and insights.