Sparks vs Tinder vs Hinge vs Bumble vs Feeld: what's actually free
Every big dating app says it is free to download. The real question is what you can do without paying: match, message, see who liked you, and how many likes you get. We checked each app's own help pages and subscription pages on October 9, 2026, and compared them with Sparks, the free 18+ site we run in Eugene & Springfield, Oregon. Where a price is not published or sources disagree, we write "varies" instead of guessing. Sources are listed at the bottom.
A fair warning up front: Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and Feeld are established apps with large communities. Sparks launched in October 2026 and is small. Free does not help much if nobody near you is on it, so weigh both.
The side-by-side
| Match & message free? | Free like limit | See who liked you | Paid tiers | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparks | Yes, any member (up to 10 new chats a day) | No paid limit (anti-spam cap of 5 ads a day) | You see mutual matches; passes stay private | None right now | $0 |
| Tinder | Yes | Limited (number not published) | Gold and Platinum | Plus, Gold, Platinum | Varies |
| Hinge | Yes | "A select number" per day | Free: one incoming like at a time. Hinge+ / HingeX: all at once | Hinge+, HingeX | Varies |
| Bumble | Yes | Daily allowance, refreshes 24 hours after you hit it | Premium and Premium+ | Boost, Premium, Premium+ | Varies |
| Feeld | Yes | Limited daily likes | Majestic | Majestic (its only tier) | Varies by location |
"Varies" means the company sets prices by location, age, platform or plan length and shows yours in the app. Third-party price reports are noted below where we found them.
Sparks
Free: profile, Smash or Pass, messages to any member (up to 10 new conversations a day, with Block), and free personal ads on the classifieds board. Paid: nothing right now; if that ever changes, it will be announced on the About page first. Good to know: it runs in your browser (nothing to install), is 18+ only, blocks commercial ads, and is fully live only in Eugene & Springfield so far. It does not verify identities, and it is small. Sparks also has a kink glossary and is open to kink-friendly and ENM daters, which is the main overlap with Feeld.
Tinder
Free: create a profile, swipe, match and chat with matches. Likes are capped on the free tier. Paid: Tinder Plus adds unlimited Likes, unlimited Rewinds, Passport, hidden ads and Incognito. Gold adds See who Likes You, weekly Super Likes and a monthly Boost. Platinum adds Prioritized Likes. Price: varies; third-party 2026 guides cite U.S. one-month prices of about $24.99 (Plus), $39.99 (Gold) and $49.99 (Platinum), with dynamic pricing. Best for: the biggest pool and the fastest pace. More in is Tinder Gold worth it?
Hinge
Free: match and message, a limited number of likes per day, one free Rose a week, one Undo Skip a week, and incoming likes shown one at a time. Paid: Hinge+ adds unlimited likes, all incoming likes at once, unlimited Undo Skips and advanced filters (height, family plans, politics, drinking and more). HingeX adds "See Compatible People Sooner", an always-on boost and Priority Likes. Roses and Boosts are also sold separately. Price: varies. Best for: people who want prompts and conversation over fast swiping.
Bumble
Free: swipe within a daily like allowance, match, send opening messages and chat, use video and audio calls, and one free Extend a day. As of August 2026, both people get one opening message, and a match expires if no one messages within 72 hours. Paid: Boost adds unlimited likes, weekly SuperSwipes and a Spotlight, Extends, Rematch and Backtrack. Premium adds the Liked You queue, advanced filters, Incognito and Travel Mode. Premium+ adds photo insights, faster likes, feed priority and weekly Notes. SuperSwipes, Spotlights and Notes are also sold one at a time. Price: varies; Bumble shows prices in the app. Best for: mainstream dating with a nudge to message quickly.
Feeld
Free: Feeld says its core features, connecting and chatting, are free for everyone. Free members have a limited number of likes a day and can see profiles they liked in the last 24 hours. Pings can be bought. Paid: Majestic, Feeld's only paid tier, adds unlimited likes, seeing who liked you, one Ping a day, Incognito, private photos, desire and "recently online" filters, Last Seen, a 7-day likes history and undo. Price: varies by location, per Feeld; the U.S. App Store listing showed $29.99 for 30 days in early October 2026. Best for: open-minded, kink-friendly and ENM daters who want a big international community. Our Feeld alternative page explains how Sparks differs.
So which is "actually free"?
- All five let you match and message without paying. That part of "free" is real everywhere.
- The paywall is usually around likes and visibility: how many people you can like, whether you can see who liked you, and whether your profile gets boosted.
- Sparks has no paid tier at all right now, but it is new and local, so its free tier has fewer people behind it.
Our suggestion: if you are in Lane County, use Sparks alongside one national app, and only pay for an upgrade if a specific feature solves a specific problem. For more no-paywall options, see free dating apps with no paywall.
Frequently asked questions
Which dating app is completely free?
Of these five, only Sparks has no paid tier right now. Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and Feeld are free to match and message but sell upgrades for extras like unlimited likes and seeing who liked you.
Can you message for free on Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and Feeld?
Yes. All four let free users message their matches, according to their own help pages. Limits apply to likes and some visibility features, not to messaging matches.
Which app shows who liked you for free?
None of the four big apps show your full list of likes for free: it is part of Tinder Gold, Hinge+, Bumble Premium and Feeld Majestic. Hinge free users see incoming likes one at a time. Sparks only shows mutual matches, and passes stay private.
How much do Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and Feeld cost?
Prices vary by location, age, platform and plan length, and each app shows your price in its settings. We list only the figures we could source, and they may not match your quote.
Is Sparks a Feeld alternative?
For Oregon adults, partly. Sparks is free, 18+ and open to kink-friendly and ENM dating, with a glossary and personal ads. It is much smaller than Feeld and is starting in Eugene and Springfield.
Try Sparks locally
Sparks is fully live in Eugene and Springfield, and early in Albany and Salem. It is free, with no paid tier right now.
Sources
- Tinder Help Center, "Tinder subscriptions" (page shows updated Oct 1, 2026): help.tinder.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004487406. Tinder, "Subscription Tiers": tinder.com/feature/subscription-tiers. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Tinder prices (third-party): Android Authority, "Tinder subscription plans compared"; SwipeStats, "Tinder Subscription Guide (2026)". Checked Oct 9, 2026. Tinder uses dynamic pricing.
- Hinge Help Center, "Subscription and Purchase Benefits" (updated Aug 24, 2026): help.hinge.co/hc/en-us/articles/38014282744595. Checked Oct 9, 2026. Third-party Hinge+ prices disagree, so we list "varies".
- Bumble Support, "Understanding Bumble's paid features and subscription plans" (updated Aug 10, 2026), "Pricing information for paid features" (updated Aug 3, 2026), "How conversations start on Bumble" and "Expired matches" (updated Aug 10, 2026); bumble.com help, "Do I have to pay for Bumble?". Checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Feeld Help Center, "Majestic membership explained"; feeld.co/the-app/majestic; feeld.co Ask Feeld, "How to get the most out of Majestic". U.S. App Store listing via AppTracker (apptracker.ai/app/887914690). Checked Oct 9, 2026.
- Sparks: our own About, rules and privacy pages.
Compared October 9, 2026. Apps change features and prices often; check each app before you decide. Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and Feeld are trademarks of their owners. Sparks is not affiliated with any of them.