Jennifer Lopez might have sung “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” more than 20 years ago, but these days, it’s not uncommon to drop some cash in the hunt for a partner.

Others like Hinge, Tinder, Grindr and Bumble have free versions along with paid tiers or features that banish ads, allow messaging prospective dates before matching or show the user’s profile more prominently.

Not necessarily, say matchmakers and Canadian daters, who have found an open-minded attitude and the right profile are the biggest indicators of success on paid and free dating apps alike.

“It’s really about thinking about what you want to put that money into and doing your research rather than being like I’m going to join Match and pay whatever,” said Shannon Tebb, the Toronto dating expert behind boutique matchmaking service Shanny in the City.

“Do you have a good profile? Do you have good photos? If no, I don’t know why you are already joining the membership.”

There has been little recent public research specific to success with paid dating services, but shopper advocacy publication Consumer Reports studied user experiences on dating apps in a 2017 survey of 115,000 subscribers. Read more