What is the social carbon footprint of dating apps?

Sep 4, 2024

When it comes to dating in the modern world, you’ll probably be hard-pressed to find anyone who hasn’t tried the online dating scene. From Tinder and Hinge to Bumble and Badoo, there are plenty of options out there to try.

However, while modern dating has become more readily accessible to everyone, this increase in usage also means that the energy costs associated with operating such apps have started to grow, with many names in the space leaving behind a surprisingly large carbon footprint – but which app’s footprint is the biggest?

As energy comparison experts, we used data provided by Greenspector (a website that tracks and assesses the environmental impact of apps and websites) to estimate the total carbon footprint of the world’s top 10 dating apps, per 30 minutes of use.

Not only that, but we’ve even taken the time to pull together a few dating tips you can try if you’re looking to take dating ‘offline’ and have more organic interactions while also being environmentally conscious while searching for your perfect partner.

Take a look below to see each dating app faired!

Which dating apps have the lowest carbon footprint?

Starting with the apps with the lowest carbon footprint, it would appear that Bumble is the most environmentally friendly, scoring 10.0 out of 10.0 with an incredibly low carbon emission rating of 7.8 – an excellent score and six times less than the most carbon-heavy dating app on our list!

Already one of the more popular dating apps available thanks to their ladies-first approach, Bumble’s low emissions is just another reason why you should take this app for a whirl if you’re looking to dip your toe in the dating scene once again.

Next up, we have the dating app that’s really responsible for modern dating trends – Tinder! Boasting a score of 9.8 out of 10.0 and a carbon impact as low as 8.4 per 30 minutes, Tinder is another great example of environmental app usage done right, helping you to stay eco-conscious and guilt-free while looking for love.

Following on from Tinder, our third-place slot goes to Happn, which scored 9.1 out of 10.0 thanks to a carbon impact rating of 11.7. Most widely used in France and South America, Happn is an ideal alternative for those outside Australia, the UK, and the US, blending popular features from other apps.

As for our fourth-place app, this position goes to Adopte un mec. Another French dating app, Adopte scored 9.0 out of 10.0 overall, falling just shy of third place with a carbon score of 11.8. Much like Happn, Adopte is another good alternative for international audiences seeking a change from more mainstream dating apps.

And finally, in fifth, we have possibly the most in-depth dating app on our list – Hinge. With a carbon impact rating of 12.4 per 30 minutes, Hinge scored 8.9 out of 10.0 overall. Loved for its encouragement of asking other users questions and promoting easy communication, it’s nice to see the team at Hinge working hard to keep their carbon footprint low as well.

Which dating apps have the highest carbon footprint?

Now that we’ve looked at the dating apps with the best carbon footprint, you’re probably interested in finding out which have the highest, and for that, we’ll kick things off with the worst dating app for environment-conscious users.

Coming in last, we have Lovoo, one of Germany’s first apps. Released back in 2011, Lovoo has pretty much dropped off the dating radar for most users. Even so, this decline in popularity hasn’t stopped Lovoo users from producing a staggering carbon score of 49.8 per 30 minutes of use!

And it’s not that much better news for Grindr users either. One of the more popular LGBT+ dating apps, Grindr only scored 3.7 out of 10.0 overall due to its carbon rating of 34.3. Needless to say, those in the LGBT+ community who are also environmentally conscious may want to keep an eye out for other apps that have a distinctly lower carbon output.

Finally, for the last of our high carbon-producing dating apps, we have OKCupid. With over two decades in the dating scene, you would have thought that OKCupid might have found a way to properly offset their carbon footprint. And while they did score 7.6 out of 10.0 overall, their carbon rating of 17.8 is still not ideal compared to other apps.

How to reduce your energy consumption and take your dating offline

Regardless of which dating apps you prefer, it’s clear that regular use is going to contribute more to your overall carbon footprint than if you simply stayed off the apps altogether – and such use certainly contributes to the global footprint as a whole when you consider that 337 million users equate to roughly 4.1% of the world’s total population.

So, with this in mind, how can you take your dating life offline and instigate a more traditional and organic dating experience? Below are just a few suggestions you can try your hand:

Try a new hobby or experience – starting off with a classic suggestion, there simply is no better and easier way of meeting people than by trying out a new hobby or experience. This could be anything from volunteering at a local charity to attending smaller gigs and craft classes. The choice is yours; just remember to have fun and talk to those around you.
Go on a solo date – the idea of going on a solo date might seem strange to our modern sensibilities, where group trips are everything, but there really is something to be said about doing things by yourself. For one thing, it’ll help you get used to your own company, removing the anxiety from situations where you may have to do something on your own (such as asking a stranger out on a date), and it’s also a great way to instigate a spontaneous date or interaction with someone else who could be doing the exact same thing as you.
Use ice breakers to approach new people – an intimidating piece of advice to be sure, but the truth is that everyone is a stranger before they meet. So, whether it’s in line for a coffee or during your commute to work, take the time to talk to those around you to get comfortable doing so. Learning a few common ice breakers can really help with this, and even simple small talk won’t hurt. And the more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll become chatting with new people.
Don’t focus on romance – our last piece of advice might seem counterintuitive, but there’s a method to such madness. Putting it bluntly, focusing too much on any interaction resulting in a romantic outcome can strip the fun out of things because of the pressure you’re placing on yourself. Instead, make the goal of any new or subsequent action to have a good time. More often than not, you’ll likely find that romantic attraction you’re after without even realising it.
Take rejection gracefully – there are many reasons why someone may decide to turn down a date. It could be that they’re simply not feeling the same connection as you, or they may just be having an off day. Either way don’t take a rejection personally and take pride in the fact you took the opportunity to ask them out to begin with.

Naturally, all of these tips are great ways to meet a potential romantic partner organically. However, if you want to get the most out of your dating life, then you might want to blend these with reduced use of dating apps, allowing you to get the best of both worlds while reducing your own carbon footprint and energy usage.

And speaking of reducing your energy costs, Compare the Market’s Head of Energy, Meredith O’Brien, said comparing and switching energy plans could result in cheaper household bills, too.

“There are several ways in which we can reduce our average carbon footprint, while potentially saving money on household bills,” Ms O’Brien said.

“The easiest is to compare and switch to a carbon neutral or GreenPower energy plan to offset or reduce your environmental impact.

“To further reduce your environmental impact, consider recharging your phone and other devices during daylight hours if you have solar, using smart plugs to manage the time you leave devices to charge, and where possible turn off or unplug appliances from the wall when not in use.

“By being sustainable, you can counteract cost-of-living pressures by saving money on your energy bills, too.”

So, there you have it, those are the most popular dating apps with the lowest and highest carbon footprints! We know that dating can be hard, especially in a growing online world, but by combining limited dating app use with organic dating tips, you could have a much more exciting and enjoyable dating experience.

And, naturally, if you want to sort out your own energy sustainability goals first, then be sure to compare your energy plan options so you can make them a reality.

Methodology

This dataset ranks 10 dating apps, based on their carbon footprint. To do this, we analysed the carbon emissions produced by 30 minutes of use, per user, for each app.

Once the data was collected, this factor was then normalised to provide each app with a score between 0 and 1. If data was not available, a score of 0 was given. The normalised values were then multiplied by 10 to give each location a total score out of 10.0.

These apps were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their total scores.

The factors used are as follows:

Carbon Impact – The carbon impact, in gEqCO2, of using each dating app for the recommended time of 30 minutes.

The factors were indexed as follows:

Low values get a high score. High values get a low score.

All data is correct as of 30/07/24. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regard to the sources provided. To calculate 30 minutes’ worth of carbon emissions for each dating app, we calculated the carbon impact per second and multiplied by 1800.