Match Group Reports Strong Quarter with Improving User Trends and Revenue Growth
Match Group, the parent company of popular dating apps Tinder and Hinge, reported a strong third quarter for 2026 with significant improvements in user trends and revenue growth. The company's CEO, Spencer Rascoff, and CFO, Steve Bailey, highlighted key highlights from the quarter during their conference call on November 2nd.
One of the biggest stories to emerge from the quarter was the continued improvement in user outcomes at Tinder. As Rascoff noted, a year ago, the big question asked by investors was whether they could turn around the app's fortunes. The company knew it had to start by improving user experiences, building better recommendations, and enhancing trust and safety. And it appears that those efforts are paying off.
Tinder reported its strongest quarterly year-over-year performance in both Sparks - six-way conversations - and Sparks coverage - the percentage of users getting a Spark - since they started tracking these metrics. In September, global daily active users returned to year-over-year growth for the first time in three and a half years, and the company cut year-over-year declines in monthly active users nearly in half over the last year.
The improvement is broad-based, spanning women and men, age groups, and geographies. As Rascoff noted, Tinder is seeing growth again in parts of the business where trends were moving in the wrong direction not that long ago. In October, markets representing nearly 70% of Tinder's DAU and 50% of its revenue had growing or flat DAU year-over-year, with the U.S. crossing into positive territory exiting the month.
But while progress has been made, there is still work to be done, particularly with the youngest Gen Z users. Rascoff noted that the next step is reconsideration - giving people a reason to come back or try Tinder for the first time. This is where the company's Better with Friends roadmap comes in, designed to create more social and lower-pressure ways for users to meet, often with friends and in real life.
Meanwhile, Hinge continues to deliver strong user growth and double-digit revenue growth year-over-year. Rascoff sees clear opportunities ahead too, targeting these deliberately with more relevant marketing. The early results are strong, as registration trends across all genders and age groups improved as they exited Q3, and the company thinks Q4 U.S. new registrations will be up year-over-year.
Overall, Match Group's third quarter report is a positive one, with improving user trends and revenue growth at both Tinder and Hinge. While there are still challenges to be addressed, the company appears to be on the right track, driven by its mission to make Tinder the most fun way to spark something new with someone new.
