Catch of a Data report · Verified 17 August 2026
The state of
outdoor dating.
Dating-app fatigue is measurable. Outdoor participation just hit a record. Here's the sourced data on both trends, and where the gap between them is heading.
The short version
Dating apps are losing people to burnout, not just to each other: 78% of Gen Z report dating-app fatigue and most downloads are deleted within a month. At the same time, outdoor recreation just posted its ninth consecutive record year, and activity-based groups — hiking clubs specifically — are growing faster than almost anything else in social software. The two trends are moving in opposite directions at the same time, and the data below is why.
The headline numbers
Six numbers, three trends.
of Gen Z report dating-app burnout
Source: Forbes Healthof dating apps downloaded in 2025 were deleted within a month
Source: AppsFlyerAmericans did outdoor recreation in 2025 — a record 9th straight year
Source: Outdoor Industry Associationgrowth in Strava hiking clubs during 2025
Source: Strava Year in SportAllTrails accounts, up 20% year over year
Source: AllTrails 2025 Impact Reportrunners has dated someone they met at a run club
Source: FortuneDating apps, losing people
Tinder's paying users, 2022 → 2025.
Match Group-reported paying subscriber counts. Only the two points we could independently source are shown — no interpolation.
And the downloads that remain don't stick
Share of dating-app downloads deleted within a month.
AppsFlyer mobile analytics, as reported by Fast Company.
Where each app sits
The positioning map behind the numbers.
Scroll the map sideways →
What the apps in that gap charge
Cost, side by side.
Headline paid tiers, verified 16 August 2026. Bar length is the monthly equivalent so annual plans are comparable. Full sourcing on each product's own comparison page, linked below.
Questions
The report, answered.
Why are dating apps declining in 2026?
Is outdoor recreation actually growing?
What are people doing instead of dating apps?
Who compiled this report?
Disclosure
This report was compiled by Catch of a Lifetime, an outdoor-first social platform launching in 2027. We have an obvious interest in the trend described above — weigh that accordingly.
Every statistic in this report is third-party research, independently sourced and dated below. None of it is Catch's own data, and none of it is a claim about Catch itself. If you want to read where we're specifically making the case for our own product — including where competitors beat us — that's on our comparison pages, not on this one.
The waitlist
See where this goes.
Catch of a Lifetime is betting the gap between these two trends is real. Join the waitlist to find out — free for founding members, opening metro by metro in 2027.
Free for founding members · No spam, ever ·
Sources
- Survey: 78% Of Gen Z Report Dating App Burnout — Forbes Health
- Gen Z is ghosting dating apps: Could AI win them back? — Fast Company
- Gen Z is changing dating apps as Bumble and Tinder move beyond swiping — Fortune
- Outdoor Participation Hits Record Levels for Ninth Consecutive Year — Outdoor Industry Association
- Strava dives into the hiking-app market — The Inertia
- Strava IPO: CEO Michael Martin on Gen Z, running clubs and dating apps — Fortune
Verified 17 August 2026. All figures are as reported by the cited outlets and organizations at that date; some are themselves citing earlier primary research (Match Group, Strava, the Outdoor Industry Association, AppsFlyer). Check the original source for the most current figure.