Frustrated with dating apps, singles are are shelling out for high-end matchmaking.

“We had our biggest month of sales in the history of the company last month, and we’ve been around for 15 years,” Adam Cohen-Aslatei, CEO of the matchmaking service Three Day Rule says. “Our business is not shrinking.”

And he’s not alone. Demand for personalized dating services is growing, according to companies interviewed by Bloomberg, with clients citing “app fatigue” and a desire for meaningful connection as the motivation for ditching the swipes.

Matchmakers aim to find compatible romantic partners for serious relationships or marriage. Members are vetted before a first date, with checks on criminal and marriage records, and often get paired by preferences such as height or religion.

The service is back in the cultural zeitgeist with A24’s "Materialists," a film about a high-powered matchmaker (Dakota Johnson) torn between a wealthy suitor (Pedro Pascal) and a poor one (Chris Evans) in her own love life. The film was written by director Celine Song, who once worked as a matchmaker in New York City.

Opening weekend for "Materialists" brought in $12 million making it A24’s third largest box office after "Civil War" and "Hereditary."

Online dating, with its endless swiping and the possibility of someone better just around the corner, is increasingly frustrating to some users. And in-person meetups often don’t match digital expectations.

“It’s a hellscape,” New York City resident Christine Russo says about dating apps. “It’s exhausting especially if you’re really putting the time and effort and energy into it while working full-time.”

Paying users at Match Group Inc.’s Tinder has declined for eight consecutive quarters, and the business isn’t expected to return to revenue growth until 2027.

Former Three Day Rule user Elliot Galpern met his now wife through the service and has no regrets on the four-figure price tag. His matchmaker helped with first date outfits and confidence-boosting tips. “You know, you can’t get dating advice from people nowadays,” Galpern says.

However, the service isn’t guaranteed to work, and failure can be made extra frustrating by the expense. “If one of the matches, or if all of the matches don’t work out you’re kind of screwed,” says Paige, an elementary school teacher who paid $7,000 dollars for nine months at one service and is onto her third. “It’s a lot of money for a boyfriend. It’s weird.”

The hefty price also comes with a higher expectation. “If I only am given a certain number of matches for this service I’m paying for, I’m gonna be pretty scrupulous,” Lizzie Guarino told Bloomberg. Guarino was once quoted almost $8,900 for six months and $5,900 for three months at Three Day Rule. She chose a lower-cost rival, though met her now fiancé elsewhere.

Though matchmaking is a premium service, it’s been largely unaffected by the economic hurdles facing luxury spending. Top-tier brands such as Hermes International SCA and Gucci owner Kering SA are losing customers who are reigning in their spending, while mid-tier brands like Ralph Lauren Corp. are performing well by providing quality at more affordable prices.

Costs for matchmaking services can reach as high as six figures. In contrast, dating apps tend to offer less expensive, multitiered subscriptions. Hinge offers packages from $29.99 per month, while Tinder’s most expensive subscription costs $500 per month. Match has tried getting in on the high-price action with its acquisition of The League, a matchmaking service that targets young professionals, in 2022.

“There is a huge difference between a dating app, which is self-selected, filter your way into perfection, a wild wild west,” Cohen-Aslatei says. “Versus matchmaking, where someone gets to know you.” The more they get to spend time with a client and uncover who they really are, the better they are able to do vetting. “They interview people for you and they really go on first dates for you,” he adds.

A nurse who worked with Three Day Rule was willing to reallocate some personal funds to find a match. “She always goes on a yearly trip with her girlfriends to Hawaii,” Cohen-Aslatei says, adding that instead she now “saves five or six thousand dollars and gets an entry-level package.”

Signups have noticeably ticked upward among men age 23 to 30, according to NYCity Matchmaking owner Michelle Frankel, who attributes the shift to missed dating opportunities during the pandemic. The trend is unfolding alongside discussions of a “loneliness epidemic and, you know, men experiencing that” Chief Strategy Officer Greg Johnson at matchmaking company Kelleher International said.

NYCity Matchmaking had to hire three additional matchmakers over the past three months to meet up with demand. “I could see the trend and I just knew we were getting busier and busier,” Frankel says. “And you know, with this movie coming out, I’m sure we’re gonna be even busier.”

—With assistance from Natalie Lung and Rachel Phua.

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