For young Christian singles, Upward is the top dating and social app on mobile devices.
Tinder, Hinge, and Match.com are owned by the Dallas-based corporation Match Group, which also operates Upward.
Match Affinity’s vice president of marketing and communications, Alexis Ferraro (Luerssen), has served as a key advocate for the company’s expansion and goals.
It was developed after market research revealed that Gen Z and Millennial Christians believed they were frequently penalized by mainstream dating apps for using religious phrases like “Jesus” or “Bible” in their profiles.
It was relaunched as Upward to reflect the “upward call of God” described in Philippians 3:14 after being first introduced under the name FTH (which stands for “Faith”).
In March 2020, Upward (as FTH) was unveiled.
It was the most downloaded Christian dating app in the United States by the end of 2020.
The dating app introduced an in-app Sermon Series with well-known religious leaders in May 2021 to broaden its lifestyle content.
By integrating a contemporary, swipe-based design with required Faith Statements and fine-grained denominational filters that emphasize spiritual depth for younger Christians, Upward sets itself apart.
As a Match Group brand, it incorporates special features like in-app sermon series to promote purposeful, God-centered connections while providing a bigger and more engaged user base than niche competitors.
Who Upward Is Suited For
Christian singles between the ages of 18 and 35 who are seeking committed, faith-based relationships yet prefer a contemporary, mobile-first experience are the main target audience for Upward.
It works best for:
Intentional Believers: 90% of users sign up with the express purpose of getting married after a long-term relationship.
Wide-Ranging Christian Denominations: The app is a dating platform that welcomes people from Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and non-denominational backgrounds.
Swipe-Fatigued Singles: It caters to people who are weary of secular dating platforms where faith is frequently a minor detail or even a social punishment but who appreciate the convenience of dating apps like Tinder.
Younger Demographics: Specifically created for Gen Z and Millennials who want a modern, young setting for networking over the more formal, desktop-heavy settings of older dating websites like Christian Mingle.
Long-Distance Openness: To locate a compatible spiritual companion, more than 60% of its members say they are open to considering long-distance relationships, which are defined as being more than two hours apart.
Who Upward Isn’t Suited For
Seniors and Older Adults: Although the dating app is accessible to all ages, Gen Z and Millennials are the target audience for its high-speed mechanics and swipe-based layout.
Legacy dating websites that better suit their technical preferences, like Christian Cafe or SilverSingles, are frequently more successful for seniors.
People Looking for Hyper-Local Dating: To keep users interested, the glitchy distance filter of the dating app often displays matches hundreds of miles away after nearby possibilities have been exhausted.
Highly Conservative Believers: Because Upward is owned by the secular Match Group, critics point out that its moderation can be loose, occasionally permitting secular-style conduct or immodest photographs that can go against conventional ministry norms.
Those on a Tight Budget: A Premium or Elite subscription, which can be more costly than some competitors, is usually required to access essential features like seeing who liked you or sending messages to prospective matches without a mutual swipe.
Singles Looking for Platonic-Only Relationships: So as to prioritize marriage-minded matching, Upward removed its dedicated Find Friends social tab in late 2025 and returned its attention to romantic dating.
Members of the Latter-day Saints (LDS): In contrast to popular dating apps like Bumble that provide stronger LDS filters, users from LDS backgrounds have experienced being mismatched or debated upon disclosing their denomination, suggesting a less friendly environment for this particular demographic.
User Base of Upward
Young adults in North America make up a significant portion of Upward’s user base, which is distinguished by high intent for marriage.
Core Demographics
Target Age Group: Christian singles between the ages of 18 and 35 are the main target audience for this online dating app, which was created especially for Gen Z and Millennials.
Gender Balance: Upward is 60% male and 40% female.
Male users frequently outnumber female users on many dating sites, which can result in women getting a lot more likes, sometimes hundreds, within a few days of setting up a profile.
Marital Intent: Over 90% of users join with the intention of establishing a long-term relationship that will lead to marriage, according to internal polls, indicating that a vast majority of the user base is marriage-minded.
Geographic Reach
Primary Market: Canada is the second-largest market after the United States.
Growing Reach: Although the dating app was previously only available in North America, it has since spread to Germany, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
Religious Diversity
Denominational Inclusivity: A wide range of Christian traditions, including Pentecostal, Baptist, Catholic, and non-denominational, make up the user base.
Certain Sub-Groups: Catholics make up one of the most active groups on the matchmaking dating app, and adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) are also heavily represented.
Activity Levels
Market Position: Upward has continuously been the most downloaded Christian dating app in the United States.
Engagement: The dating app makes substantial monthly revenue and receives about 60,000 downloads globally, showing a steady stream of new users.
How to Register and Set Up a Profile
Upward registration is a mobile-only process that focuses on confirming religious intentionality and identification.
Registration Steps
Download and First Signup: The matchmaking app is only available on mobile devices, and users register with their phone number, email address, or social media login.
Identity Verification: Before users can communicate with others, they must undergo a mandatory phone verification by SMS code.
To confirm that users are at least 18 years old, Upward additionally uses automatic age detection technology and Selfie Verification, which is a liveness check and 3D face scan.
Basic Information: Users enter their name, gender, and birthday, among other pertinent details.
Be aware that after you register, you cannot change your name or birthdate.
Setting Up the Profile
A whole profile is made up of various aspects that highlight personal and spiritual values:
The Faith Statement: This required or strongly advised section acts as a firsthand account of your own beliefs, enabling potential mates to quickly grasp the depth of your spirituality.
Photos: Users are required to post recent, high-quality images.
To get past automatic face checks, the first image should be a solo shot with a distinct, natural smile.
Personal Bio and Prompts: Interactive icebreakers and an About Me section are included in profiles.
To display their individuality, users can choose from prompts like “Favorite Bible Verse” and “Ideal Sunday.”
Lifestyle and Preferences: In-depth inquiries address lifestyle values, interests, and background.
Additionally, users on the mobile dating app customize their search parameters, such as age range, distance, and particular Christian denominations, e.g., Baptist, Catholic, and Non-Denominational.
Administration
By touching the profile symbol in the upper right corner of the Discover page and choosing the pencil icon to save changes, users can view and modify their profiles.
Maintaining profile exposure in the discovery deck requires active involvement, such as frequent liking and chatting.
Matching and Search System on Upward
The faith-first algorithm used by Upward’s matching and search system favors spiritual compatibility while adhering to the contemporary double opt-in swipe mechanic.
The Matching Mechanic
Mutual Consent: A match is only made when two users swipe right on each other’s profiles.
This opens the chat feature and initiates the “It’s a Match!” notice.
Direct Interaction (Notes): Prior to a mutual match, users of the matchmaking mobile app can now communicate Notes, which are brief remarks linked to a Like.
This characteristic, which is intended to boost intentionality, is frequently mentioned as a more successful strategy for males to differentiate themselves in a competitive pool.
Super Likes: Using a Super Like (star icon) to instantly let someone know they’ve been liked enhances the chances of a match by five times.
Search and Discovery Filters
Users can prioritize their deal-breakers by using the following criteria to optimize the discovery deck:
Denominational Granularity: Users can filter by more than a dozen distinct Christian traditions, such as Baptist, Catholic, Non-Denominational, Pentecostal, Orthodox, and Seventh-day Adventist, thanks to the search system’s greater sophistication compared to popular dating apps.
Important Filters: Users can filter by distance (1–500 miles) and age (18–99) for free.
Advanced Elite Filters: Elite Filters are available to paid users, letting them sort prospective matches according to:
Activity Status: Only users who have been active for the past 24 hours are visible.
New Members: Giving profiles that joined within the last seven days priority.
Profile Completeness: Filtering for users who have finished their Faith Statement.
Algorithmic Characteristics
The Extended Reach Logic: One distinctive feature of Upward’s search system is that, instead of displaying an empty screen, the algorithm will automatically start displaying persons from farther away, often across the nation, if you have exhausted all profiles within your designated distance radius.
This meets the needs of the large number of Christian singles who are willing to pursue long-distance relationships so as to be spiritually compatible.
Verification Prioritization: To make sure users are interacting with genuine, verified believers on the online dating platform, profiles that have finished the Selfie Verification process are given priority in the discovery deck.
Pros and Cons of Upward
Pros of Upward
Upward is well known for bridging the gap between traditional Christian principles and contemporary dating technology.
The following are its main benefits:
Faith-First Intentionality: In contrast to popular dating apps, Upward either mandates or strongly promotes a Faith Statement, enabling users to evaluate their own testimony and spiritual depth before swiping.
By building a spiritual foundation right away, this lessens the small talk stage.
Large, Young User Base: Compared to smaller specialty dating websites like Salt or Higher Bond, it offers a much wider pool of Gen Z and Millennial individuals as the most downloaded Christian dating app in the United States.
Granular Denominational Filters: Unlike the broad Christian tag found on dating apps like Hinge or Bumble, the search system allows users to filter by specific traditions, such as Baptist, Catholic, Non-Denominational, and Pentecostal.
High Marriage Intent: More than 90% of users are marriage-minded, fostering a culture of serious intent as opposed to lighthearted hookup activity.
Modern, User-Friendly Interface: The Match Group-owned dating app avoids the cumbersome, antiquated interfaces of traditional religious dating websites with a superior, swipe-based design that appeals to young folks.
Enhanced Safety Features: To provide a safer environment, the dating platform prioritizes confirmed Real Believers in the discovery deck by using strong selfie verification and automatic bot-detection algorithms.
Special Interaction Tools: The Sermon Series offers in-app spiritual growth content to promote wholesome, God-centered relationship habits, while features like Notes let users express direct notes with a Like.
Cons of Upward
Despite its widespread use, Upward isn’t perfect in its pricing, user behavior, and technical performance.
Geographic Limitations & Distance Glitch: The frequent disregard for distance filters on the dating app is the most frequent grievance.
It is challenging for people who are unwilling to consider long-distance relationships because the system automatically displays matches hundreds of miles away once you have exhausted local profiles.
High Subscription Costs: Many of the most helpful features on the matchmaking service, like the ability to see exactly who liked you, rewind an inadvertent swipe, and send more than one note every day, are restricted to Premium or Elite levels, which users frequently find to be more costly than the limited free version.
Technical Stability Issues: App crashes, failed messages, and ghost notifications, where the dating app notifies the user of a match that does not show up in their inbox, are just a few of the faults that users commonly experience.
Lax Moderation of Christian Standards: The moderation is not stringent enough because the secular Match Group owns the service.
Profiles frequently have immodest photos or persons who identify as Christians but don’t follow traditional biblical standards, giving them a secularized vibe.
High Gender Imbalance: Men frequently experience fierce competition and low response rates due to the roughly 60% male to 40% female ratio, while women can feel overburdened by a large number of poor-quality matches.
Account Deletion Difficulties: It can be confusing to delete an account because doing so does not cancel a paid subscription or remove the profile from the discovery deck.
This can result in zombie accounts that clog search results.
Limited Real Interaction on Free Tier: For ordinary male users without the visibility enhancements offered by paid tiers, communication can only occur after a mutual match, which can make the experience feel like a waiting game if you don’t pay.
Free Features on Upward
Although daily limits are in place to encourage upgrading, Upward’s free edition offers basic dating features that let users browse and communicate without a paid commitment.
1. Profile & Visibility
It is free for any user to create a presence on the mobile dating platform.
Complete Profile Setup: Free users can choose personal hobbies, write a thorough bio, and submit several images.
The Faith Statement: You can write about your individual relationship with God in this required part.
Selfie Verification: You can use the identity verification tool for free, and it will give you a blue checkmark to show that your profile is real.
2. Interaction & Matching
Although there are caps, everyone can use the basic swipe and match experience.
Daily Likes: A certain number of profiles, usually 50 likes, can be swiped right on by free users each day.
Mutual Matching: Any user who swipes right on you can match with you.
Unlimited Messaging: There are no restrictions or fees for sending and receiving text messages within the dating app after a mutual match has been found.
Daily Note: The majority of free users are given one free Note every 24 hours, which lets you message someone briefly before you’ve matched.
3. Search & Discovery
Fundamental filters can be used to improve the basic discovery deck.
Standard Filters: You can filter possible matches based on gender, age range, and distance radius, up to 500 miles.
Denominational Filters: You can freely sort profiles according to particular Christian traditions, such as Pentecostal, Baptist, Catholic, or non-denominational.
4. Community Content
To maintain the focus of the matchmaking dating service on spiritual development, Upward offers lifestyle features.
In-App Sermons: Watch videos of well-known religious leaders offering relationship guidance and access to the Sermon Series.
Global Chat: The capacity to engage with a larger group of Christian singles by taking part in public or semi-public community discussion boards.
5. Free Tier Limitations
The following limitations apply to the free tier, despite its functionality:
No Rewind: You can’t get someone back if you inadvertently swipe left (pass) on them.
Blurred Likes: When someone likes you, you will be notified, but unless you swipe right on them in the deck, their profile will remain blurry.
Advertisements: As you swipe, third-party advertisements will occasionally show up.
Paid Features on Upward
The three subscription tiers of Upward’s paid features, Premium, Elite, and Platinum, are supplemented with A La Carte choices for distinct visibility boosts.
1. Upward Premium (Entry-Level)
The primary goal of this tier is to eliminate the free version’s fundamental restrictions.
Unlimited Likes: This eliminates the daily cap on the number of profiles you can swipe right on, which is usually 50.
Unlimited Rewinds: This feature lets you reverse an unintentional pass (left swipe).
Ad-Free Browsing: The discovery deck is free of third-party ads.
Weekly Benefits: One profile boost every month and five super likes per week.
2. Upward Elite (Mid-Tier)
Because it allows you to see interest up front, the Elite tier is the most popular choice.
All Premium Features: Contains all of the features mentioned in the Premium tier.
See Who Liked You: Unlocks the Likes You grid, which lets you rapidly connect with people who have already swiped right on you.
3. Upward Platinum (Highest Tier)
The Platinum tier is intended for those that desire direct communication and the highest level of visibility on the mobile dating platform.
Everything from the Premium and Elite tiers is included in All Elite Features.
Priority Likes: Increases your chances of being viewed by making sure the individuals you have liked see your profile first.
Complimentary Notes: Gives you three notes every week so you can message a prospective match before they ever swipe on you.
Read Receipts: See when a match has read your message by using the Read Receipts feature.
Advanced Filters: Enables users to filter by “New Members” (those who joined within the past seven days) or “Activity Status” (those who have been active during the last 24 hours).
4. “A La Carte” Power-Ups
These tools are available for individual purchase by users without the need for a regular subscription:
Boosts: For 30 to 60 minutes, your profile is promoted to the top of the local deck.
Super Likes: Purchased in bundles (5, 25, or 60), they let a user know right away that you are interested.
Note Packs: You can purchase extra “Notes” packs to send more direct messages in addition to a “Like.”
Pricing on Upward
Pricing for Upward is based on a subscription plan that varies greatly depending on the length of the commitment.
The majority of the advanced capabilities on the dating app are restricted to three main tiers: Premium, Elite, and Platinum.
However, the dating app is free to download and use for basic matching.
Upward Subscription Pricing
Upward Elite:
1 Week: $17.99-$21.99
1 Month: $19.99-$29.99
3 Months: $44.99 ($14.99/month)
6 Months: $71.99 ($11.99/month)
Upward Platinum:
Depending on the duration of the plan, it costs between $30 and $50 per month and contains all Elite features along with priority visibility and sophisticated filters.
Upward Premium:
Usually, entry-level plans on the dating service begin at $9.99 a month.
“A La Carte” Power-Up Pricing
Additionally, users do not need to have a monthly membership to purchase specific boosters or engagement tools:
Super Likes: 5-pack for $2.99–$4.99.
Super Likes (Bulk): $0.60 per unit in a 25-pack; $0.40 per unit in a 60-pack.
Boosts: Although they can be bought separately for about $19.99, single boosts for profile promotion are frequently included in subscriptions.
Key Billing Information
Auto-Renewal: Unless disabled in settings, all subscriptions are billed to your Google Play or Apple App Store account and will automatically renew within 24 hours of the current period expiring.
Regional Variance: Although prices are stated in US dollars, they could differ in different nations.
Safety and Security
Match Group oversees the multi-layered safety and security structure of Upward, which shields users from fraud, harassment, and fake profiles.
1. Identity Verification Tools
Selfie Verification: Using 3D face-mapping technology, users can confirm their identity by sending in a real-time selfie that is matched to profile pictures.
A blue checkmark is applied to verified profiles, indicating to other users that they are real.
Age Detection: To make sure users are at least eighteen years old, the matchmaking mobile service employs automated technology to scan profile photos.
Accounts that are thought to be underage are sent to human moderators for potential ID checks and manual scrutiny.
Phone Verification: To prevent automated bot accounts, a mandatory SMS-based verification is required at signup.
2. Content Moderation & Monitoring
Safe Message Filters: Automated mechanisms look for trends that point to dangerous, unlawful, or predatory activity in in-app messaging and video calls.
Human Oversight: Trained agents examine flagged contacts and have the authority to issue warnings or impose permanent bans.
Zero-Tolerance Policies: Nudity, sexual content, harassment, hate speech, and physical threats are all absolutely forbidden at Upward.
A ban from Upward and the full Match Group portfolio, e.g., Tinder and Hinge, is frequently the consequence of violations.
3. User Protection & Reporting
In-App Reporting: Users can report any profile or chat for questionable behavior or policy infractions in an anonymous manner.
Permanent Blocking: When a member is banned, their profile is no longer visible to them, they are removed from your matches, and their prior communication history is erased.
Sex Offender Screening: Upward has the right to compare user information with state sex offender registers, albeit this is not always the case.
If any offenders are found, they will be banned.
4. Security of Data
Encryption: Secure Socket Layers (SSL) encryption is used to safeguard financial and personal data while it is in transit.
Data Retention: Upward keeps user data for a three-month safety window after account deactivation to look into possible reports of harmful or unlawful behavior.
Proactive Vulnerability Scans: To stop unwanted access, the internal security teams of the online dating platform and other companies routinely examine systems for weaknesses.
Customer Support
Technical problems, payment disputes, and safety reports are all handled by Upward’s centralized help system.
1. Primary Support Channels
Upward does not provide a direct customer care phone number.
Rather, assistance is made possible by:
The Help Center: A searchable library of frequently asked questions about typical problems, such as managing subscriptions, recovering accounts, and fixing bugs on the dating app.
Email Support (Contact Form): The Upward Support Form allows users to formally make a request.
This is the main method for fixing technical issues or billing inconsistencies.
In-App Reporting: Users should use the Report button on the profile or in the chat window if they have any urgent concerns about harassment or questionable profiles.
2. Handling Subscriptions and Refunds
Since Upward is a mobile-only app, third-party app stores handle the majority of financial transactions instead of Upward:
iOS Users: The Apple App Store must handle all requests for refunds and subscription management.
Android Users: The Google Play Store is used to handle transactions.
Cancellation Policy: You must cancel your subscription at least 24 hours prior to the renewal date to avoid unintended costs.
Your paid subscription is not terminated if you delete the app from your phone.
3. Safety and Security Reporting
Response Time: Match Group’s moderation team prioritizes safety reports and usually responds or takes action within 24 to 48 hours.
Data Requests: Through the support portal, users on the internet dating platform can request a copy of their personal data or have their account records permanently deleted in accordance with privacy regulations.
Note: A significant drawback is the absence of phone or live chat help.
When utilizing the online contact form, providing comprehensive screenshots and transaction IDs is the most efficient approach to receive a response for complicated issues.
The Verdict
For Gen Z and Millennial Christians seeking a high-volume, contemporary dating experience without the hookup culture of other dating apps, Upward is the best choice overall.
However, a user’s readiness to deal with a pay-to-play model and possible long-distance matches frequently determines how effective it is.
Why It Wins (The Pros)
The Goldilocks of Intentionality: It perfectly balances the high-pressure marriage focus of heritage dating sites with the low-effort swiping of Tinder.
Its greatest feature is the Faith Statement, which enables instantaneous spiritual compatibility screening.
Safety & Authenticity: Compared to smaller, independent religious dating apps, it is far safer because of its superior selfie verification and bot-detection capabilities as a Match Group property.
Vibrant User Base: This is the place to be if you’re under 35.
Compared to other Christian-focused dating platforms, this one has more active, local profiles.
The Principal Drawbacks
The Distance Glitch: For users looking for a church-pew-neighbor kind of romance, the propensity of the dating app to display matches 500 miles away if you run out of locals is annoying.
Paywalled Features: The experience is greatly hindered without a subscription, even if you can match and talk for free.
Many users find the waiting game that results from not being able to view Who Liked You without purchasing Elite to be tedious.
Technical Stability: The dating app still experiences sporadic notification slowness and ghost messages that can interfere with early connections.
Final Recommendation
Use Upward: You’re a Christian between the ages of 18 and 35, you want a big population of dating options, and you feel at ease using a swipe-based, mobile-first app.
Skip Upward: You’re a senior (try Christian Cafe), have no money (try Hinge with a religious filter), or are adamantly against long-distance dating.
Pro-Tip: Start with the free version of the matchmaking app and finish your selfie verification right away.
The free Daily Note is frequently sufficient to establish a relationship; just upgrade to Elite if you notice that you have more than ten blurred likes waiting for you.