Facebook Dating review: Who is actually using it?

Facebook Dating, Meta’s dating service that launched in 2019, apparently boasts 21.5 million daily active users as of November, a spokesperson told Mashable. Furthermore, the US leads the way in terms of most daily active users and has an astonishing 1.77 million users aged between 18 to 29, which suggests that the platform is becoming quite popular among the cool kids.

However, these numbers raised my eyebrows. Who are these people? Realistically, no one in my social circle of Gen Z and Millennials has touched Facebook Dating, which is an extension of the existing Facebook app. When I told some of my friends that I planned to try it, I got dramatic eye rolls. Sure, some of those reactions match my history of serial dating and app reviewing, but still, judging by this reaction, is Facebook Dating really that popular among young adults?

According to Newsroom, Tinder has 50 million users who use it every month, while Hinge has about 15 million users, the CEO of Match Group — which owns Tinder, Hinge, and several other apps — shared on LinkedIn. While daily active users and monthly active users are different metrics, Facebook Dating’s statistics show that it is one of these giants. So, as any journalist does, I created an account to see what the hype was about, and the results were honestly a surprising “I can’t believe I spent my week like this” kind of thing.

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facebook dating experience

First, the pros. Facebook Dating is not a standalone app. It is part of the Facebook app along with other popular services like Marketplace and Reels. This makes it incredibly easy to create an account because you’re already logged in, just like when Meta launched Threads as an extension of Instagram.

Like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, it also features similar profile-building features. When setting up your profile, you can add a biography, answer prompts, select music that matches your interests, and fill in your religious beliefs, work experience, education, and more. The most interesting tool is the AI-generated bio based on the information you enter. I tested it, and it gave me: “Chicago transplant, gym rat, and trivia buff looking for a partner in crime.” Honestly, this isn’t the worst resume I’ve ever written.

The special thing about Facebook Dating is that there is no monetization of the experience. All filters are free to use, however there is a daily swipe limit of approximately 70-80 likes, And once you hit it, you have to wait until the next day to swipe again. It also helps that Meta’s “family of apps” (Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp) are projected to generate more than $162 billion in revenue in 2024, so perhaps there’s no need to monetize these features like other apps once the venture capital runs out. (Meta did not respond to Mashable’s request for comment before publication time.)

Mashable Trend Report

Curious about the 18 to 29 year old claim, I set my age range to within a 0 to 5 mile radius of my area, which is a dense center of several universities and thus a lot of young adults. Still, my line leans more toward the older late twenties rather than the younger ones. In fact, if you’re 18 to 23 on the app (at least in my area), it’s quite a small selection. As a 27-year-old man who is approaching 30, anyway, I’m not thinking about dating anyone younger than 24, but I was surprised to see the user statistics of Facebook Dating.

Now, the opposition. Facebook Dating offers dating preferences that you can set in your profile, including making them hard preferences similar to Hinge. But they don’t work.

Even with my dating preferences prioritizing profiles within 10 miles of me and an age range of 24 to 100, it’s not unusual to see potential matches who don’t even live anywhere near Chicago. I’ve seen profiles in Colombia, Quebec, deep inside Georgia, and even a few hundred miles away in Wisconsin. In fact, while writing this sentence, I opened the app and my suggested match lives in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin – 130 miles away from me. I’m unsure if this is a glitchy app issue struggling to find exact matches for me or simply a lack of active users.

There are users on Facebook Dating, and if you’re over 40, it looks like it’s the right place for you. Between digging through Reddit threads and scrolling through the many profiles offered by the app, it’s pretty clear that the 35+ crowd shows up far more often than anyone in the 18 to 29 bracket. At least, those profiles appeared more consistently in my suggested matches.

And statistically, it tracks. According to Statista, more than 57 percent of Facebook’s total user base is 35 or older by June 2025, so it’s no surprise that this demographic will dominate the dating side as well. But based on data previously sent to Mashable, which is known as the go-to destination for those over 40, it doesn’t seem like that’s the company’s goal.

What’s even more annoying (and extremely embarrassing) is that I haven’t received any matches or likes in about two weeks since my profile opened on Facebook Dating. I’m not really blaming the app for this, but as a somewhat average-looking 20-something (to be polite), I at least got matches on Raya. So maybe it’s a case of try, try, try, since my profile is just the standard six photos and my AI bio, along with the usual fillers like work, education, and religious beliefs.

Overall, it was a very eventful experience. As for my experience with Facebook Dating, as a person in the target age range of 18 to 29, it was not the dating app for me. This is a great place for older online daters, which, you know, is good for them. That makes me happy, but not the glitchy filter. I guess I’ll see what’s happening on the field.