Matchmaking Firms Are Hot. What Gives?
For the better part of a decade, dating apps promised efficiency. Swipe faster. Match more. Optimize romance the way you optimize playlists or flights. And for a while, it worked. Or at least it felt like it did.
Now the mood has shifted.
And if there is a season when people finally admit that something is not working, it is the stretch leading into Valentine’s Day. Not because anyone suddenly becomes sentimental, but because the calendar has a way of forcing clarity. February has become a decision point, particularly in cities where time, visibility, and opportunity cost are taken seriously.
Recent surveys from 2024 and 2025 point to what researchers are calling a dating app reckoning. Reports from Forbes Health, Pew Research, and The Guardian show widespread burnout and disillusionment, particularly among Gen Z and Millennials. The numbers are no longer subtle.
Between 78% and 79% of Gen Z and Millennial users report experiencing dating app burnout sometimes, often, or always.
Fifty-eight percent say dating apps bring more frustration than fulfillment.
Match Group, the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, lost more than 700,000 paying subscribers in a single year as users logged off permanently.
This is not a rejection of dating.
It is a rejection of how dating has been engineered.
Logging Off Is Officially In
- Gamification and the Endorphin Loop
This is not just “admin.” For many users, swiping becomes a pastime that delivers a short-term rush with very little follow-through. The design encourages repetition, the occasional match functions like a reward, and the habit starts to feel productive even when it isn’t. People keep “playing,” but fewer are actually meeting. - The Illusion of Abundance
Despite thousands of profiles, the most common source of exhaustion is the inability to find a meaningful connection. Roughly 40% of respondents cite this directly. Endless low-effort profiles lead to lukewarm dates and a creeping sense that the system rewards breadth over depth. - Safety and Harassment
A 2025 Australian Institute of Criminology survey found that three-quarters of users experienced some form of sexual violence or harassment through dating platforms. Women, in particular, cite unsolicited sexual images and persistent unwanted contact as primary reasons for deleting apps. - Burnout from Ghosting and Flakiness
Sixty-two percent of active users report being ghosted. The low-stakes nature of a digital match makes people feel disposable, which compounds emotional fatigue over time. - Financial Frustration
As apps hide basic features behind increasingly expensive subscriptions, users feel they are paying more for worse outcomes. The perception is that companies are monetizing loneliness without materially improving results.
The result is not romantic cynicism.
It is strategic withdrawal.
The Shift Back to Real Life
As digital fatigue sets in, there is a measurable move toward offline dating. Run clubs, curated dinners, invitation-only events, and third spaces have re-emerged as viable alternatives to endless digital sorting.
In New York and LA, where careers are demanding, social circles overlap, and reputations travel quickly, the shift has gone further. For professionals with public profiles or limited tolerance for randomness, dating has become less about exploration and more about risk management.
They are hiring professionals.
We spoke with a leading matchmaking firm to understand what is actually happening inside this market. What emerged was not nostalgia, but a disciplined return to discretion, curation, and human judgment—qualities that tend to matter more in dense, high-stakes social environments.
And this is not a single-firm claim. As Maclynn International puts it, “as matchmakers, it’s our privilege to uphold the discretion our clients want and deserve,” describing a client base of busy professionals who prefer to “go under the radar” while dating.
The Standard Agency, based in Newport Beach, California, is now in its third decade of operation. Its roots trace back to the 1990s era of discreet introductions for bankers, executives, and high-performing professionals, with early work concentrated in New York and Los Angeles—markets where results without spectacle have long been a requirement rather than a preference.
The name was literal.
The approach was simple.
Quality over volume.
Let’s Get Real. Matchmaking is Hands On
Luxury matchmaking is often discussed as a monolith. In practice, it is a stratified ecosystem, with meaningful differences in philosophy, process, and outcome.
To bring clarity to a category that thrives on mystique, we assembled a buyer’s guide that maps the market into functional tiers. Not to crown winners, but to make trade-offs visible.
Clarity, not hype, is the point.
February plays an unusual role in this world. Not as romance, but as reckoning. Valentine’s Day functions as a deadline for certain people. In cities like New York, where calendars are booked weeks in advance and personal time is scarce, it marks a decision season. Not because people suddenly believe in fate, but because they are no longer willing to outsource their personal lives to systems that do not improve with increased effort.
High-end matchmaking is experiencing a quiet resurgence.
Not as vanity.
As craftsmanship.
The Return of the Human Matchmaker
Swiping is out. Strategy is in.
What affluent clients are buying is not romance on demand. They are buying relief from noise. Human curation has become the luxury.
At the high end, matchmaking replaces chaos with a controlled process that feels more like concierge service than a numbers game. Clients pay for discretion, for vetting that extends beyond surface traits, and for fewer, better introductions.
Insiders describe a consistent shift. When human judgment returns, people relax. They stop performing. They show up as themselves instead of optimizing for an algorithm.
The Luxury Matchmaking Market, Broken Into Tiers
Super Premium
Global elites. International reach. Extreme discretion. High formality.
Premium
Accomplished professionals in major metros. Structured but personalized.
Boutique Premium
Smaller client bases. Highly personal. Deep emotional intelligence.
Accessible Luxury
Curated introductions at lower price points. Less customization.
Understanding the tiers makes decisions clearer.
The Five Matchmaking Firms You Should Know About
While the firms below operate nationally and internationally, their strengths tend to be most visible in major metropolitan markets where client density and candidate quality intersect. (This section is presented for market clarity, not endorsement.)
KELLEHER INTERNATIONAL
Website: https://kelleher-international.com
Tier: Super Premium
Best for: Global elites seeking long-term partners
Typical cost: $60,000 to $150,000
Signature strength: International reach with an emphasis on serving both female and male clients, plus in-person interviews and high discretion
Trade-off: Very high cost, traditional experience; critics and past legal complaints have alleged mismatched introductions and pressure to accept “fit” based on the firm’s internal pool dynamics
Human detail: Matches often occur while clients are traveling internationally
THE STANDARD AGENCY
Website: https://professionalmatchmaking.com
Tier: Premium
Best for: Accomplished men seeking their ideal match, serves women as well
Typical cost: $35,000 to $80,000
Signature strength: Prides itself on being male owned, male perspective, modernized legacy, nationwide presence with strong metros, “profile review before dates” transparency, feedback loop after intros
Trade-off: Strongest in major metros, smaller-city options can be limited
Human detail: Clients review profiles before dates, reducing anxiety and misalignment
MACLYNN INTERNATIONAL
Website: https://maclynninternational.us
Tier: Boutique Premium
Best for: Busy professionals and high-profile clients who prioritize discretion and global reach
Typical cost: Pricing is typically quoted in five figures, with entry points reported around $22,000 and pricing often listed as “price on application” depending on scope
Signature strength: Boutique, psychology-forward matching with a strong emphasis on discretion and international search capability
Trade-off: Higher barrier to entry, less price transparency upfront
Human detail: The firm explicitly frames privacy as part of the value, built for clients who prefer to date “under the radar”
IT’S JUST LUNCH
Website: https://www.itsjustlunch.com
Tier: Accessible Luxury
Best for: Professionals seeking curated introductions without ultra-premium pricing
Typical cost: $2,000 to $15,000
Signature strength: Convenience and predictable pricing
Trade-off: Less transparency and customization
Human detail: Often used as a gateway to higher-tier services
How to Choose Without Losing Six Months
Ask these five questions before committing:
- What are their discretion norms and privacy protections?
- Do you review profiles before dates, or are blind dates standard?
- Can I review sample singles or potential matches prior to signing up?
- Where is their network actually strongest relative to where you live and travel?
- Which trade-off are you willing to accept: cost, speed, control, or breadth?
The Quiet Comeback of Intentional Dating
Across every tier, one truth remains consistent.
People are tired of dating like data.
Chemistry still matters.
Elite matchmaking does not sell romance.
It sells discernment.
And discernment has become the rarest commodity in modern dating.
