GoodDate is a free, non-profit dating platform designed to help people find meaningful connections. It was conceived after several friends, both men and women, had expressed immense frustration with "the apps". It didn't take long to realize that most dating platforms are built to keep people just frustrated enough to stay hooked — and paying. Did you know that PoF, Match, OkCupid, Tinder, and Hinge are all owned by the same company (Match Group)?

We are convinced it can be done better by consulting with LCPCs and singles, reading articles, researching the existing ecosystem, and using a fair and straightforward algorithm. Our matching system uses a direct, weighted comparison of values and needs, focused on the things that actually matter in a real relationship.

Is our hubris a bit much? Perhaps. The only thing that really matters is whether or not it works, and for the thousands of lonely folks out there looking for love, we sure hope it does.

GoodDate is the public-facing project of the Public Dating Network, a nonprofit organization based in Montana. We founded the nonprofit with a simple mission: to offer a dating app that’s completely free and genuinely good at helping people form real connections. The major reason for the non-profit status is the belief that the profit motive is making dating apps worse. Think about it: if people successfully and quickly find their soulmate, they stop using (and paying for) the app.

Public Dating Network has no other ventures and no profit motive. Hopefully, if people find this service is beneficial, we can accept donations to cover the cost of hosting, and I could even quit my day job to work on the app full time.

GoodDate was created by Aaron Meier, a software engineer with over a decade of experience making web apps that are secure, fast, and (mostly) behave. He built every part of GoodDate himself — including this self-congratulatory paragraph — because he wanted to use his skills for something that helps people connect for the right reasons. That feels especially important right now, when so many people feel divided and disconnected.

When he's not writing code or building systems (for work or for GoodDate), he's probably weightlifting (and loudly avoiding cardio), making knives and tools, diving down rabbit holes on every topic imaginable, or working on self-improvement through therapy and reflection. Mostly, though, he just enjoys spending time with his closest friends and the people he loves.