We had a weekly product strategy session last week, which turned into the most unexpected and lively internal meeting at the office after so long. While discussing strategies for competitive analysis and user behavior trends, we fell down the rabbit hole of dating apps in the US vs. marriage websites in India.
It was intriguing.
One of our product leads who recently moved in from Mumbai mentioned how their cousin met their spouse on a caste-specific matrimony site. The room was filled with silence and quiet gasps with utterly confused glances; everybody was very curious to know that it persisted. She replied that it’s not just in use; people swear by it to find their soulmates.
This led us into a long impromptu conversation on how relationships are formed across cultures. On one side, there are US dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, or Hinge, where relationships are very casual at first, and people expect to feel the vibe before committing. Then there is the Indian side, a massive, structured, and semi-formal marriage market. Many of these matrimonial sites exist not for dating but exclusively for arranged marriages. Filters aren’t just about height and hobbies—they include caste, religion, family background, education, and sometimes even horoscope alignment.
It’s algorithmic love meets cultural legacy.
What amazed us is how intent shapes the product; in the US, dating apps optimized for engagement and attraction it was merely for something very casual at the beginning. But in India, marriage sites are optimized for compatibility and family fit. One side is about discovery and choices; the other is always about decision-making.
This raised an important question for us as builders: what assumptions do we bring into product design? How can values such as individual freedom vs family alignment shape UX? Can we think to create a global relationship platform, or are these models incompatible? It left us thinking that when there is such a vast difference in cultural perception, how much has it affected people and developers?
Someone joked, “Tinder in India is for rebels. Matrimony sites are for the rest of us.” There may be some truth to that.
We are just watching, listening, learning, and appreciating everything for now. Because behind every swipe, the filter is a story shaped by history, culture, geography, and many more factors. And whether it’s a first date in New York or a match approved by five aunties in Chennai, people are still just trying to find a connection.