Once Shifts from Dating to Chatting: What Founders Need to Know
Once now focuses on chat, using Gems for messaging. Founders should note the shift from dating to chat and its impact on user satisfaction.
Dating app Once began with a compelling premise in 2015, offering users one carefully curated match per day instead of endless swiping. The quality-over-quantity approach resonated with users tired of the superficial nature of mainstream dating apps. However, nearly a decade later, Once has undergone a dramatic transformation that has left many users frustrated and confused about what the platform actually offers.
From Dating App to Chat Platform
Dating app Once started with a good idea. It launched in 2015, and promised users one carefully selected match each day. The focus was on quality rather than quantity at a time when swiping was becoming the dominant way to date online. The concept gained traction.
Once later claimed more than 10 million registered users and acquired women-focused dating app Pickable. In 2021, Dating Group acquired Once in a deal valued at up to $18 million. At the time, the one-match-a-day concept was still at the heart of the business.
Today, Once is a very different product. Its website now calls it an "Iconic Chat App" and invites users to "Find Your Perfect Chat Partner." In a recent recruitment post, the company went further, describing Once as a "chatting app and creators platform."
The New Business Model
The business model has changed too. Once now combines subscriptions with an in-app currency called Gems. Users spend Gems on messages and other features. Even paying subscribers need Gems to chat with members Once describes as "popular."
That has become a source of frustration for some users.
On Trustpilot, Once currently has a 1.2 out of 5 rating, with 85% of almost 2,000 reviews giving it one star. Complaints frequently focus on the cost of continuing conversations. Some reviewers also allege that profiles are fake, automated or designed to keep users spending money.
Some reviewers also allege that profiles are fake or automated, although there is no independent evidence to confirm this. Once denies using fake or AI profiles.
Industry Perspective on the Shift
Mark Brooks: "The distinction is very clear. If users want to chat, they should go to a chatty app or an AI companion app. Once has become a chatty app. If users want to date IRL, go to a dating app. Incentives drive behaviour. Need I say more?"
- The transformation from a dating-focused app to a chat platform represents a fundamental shift in Once's purpose and user experience, moving away from its original mission of facilitating real-world connections
- The dual payment system requiring both subscription fees and in-app currency (Gems) for basic features like messaging has created a pricing structure that many users find exploitative and frustrating
- Industry experts emphasize that apps optimized for chatting create different user behaviors and incentives than those designed for actual dating, suggesting Once may be serving a different market than what many of its original users expected
Key takeaways
- 01Once pivoted from dating to a "chatting app and creators platform."
- 02The app now uses subscriptions and in-app Gems, even for paying members to message.
- 03User satisfaction declined significantly, shown by a 1.2 Trustpilot rating.
- 04Dating Group acquired Once for up to $18 million in 2021.
- 05This shift changes user incentives and behaviors from dating to chatting.
Reviewed by an operator. Last updated September 24, 2026. High Intent is led by founder and CEO Bill Alena, backed by a team of industry experts with over 100 years of online dating experience between them.
Questions operators ask
Once launched in 2015 with a "one-match-per-day" model focused on quality, aiming to provide users with carefully curated daily matches instead of endless swiping. The app grew to over 10 million users with this approach before its model changed.
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