Key Highlights

  • Total Revenue was USD 891 million, down 3%, while Net Income rose 8% to USD 174 million.
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 14% to USD 344 million, but fell 5% excluding a USD 61 million prior-year legal charge.
  • Hinge direct revenue rose 19% to USD 221 million, while Tinder direct revenue fell 2% to USD 480 million.
  • Year-to-date free Cash Flow reached USD 832 million, and diluted shares outstanding declined 4% year over year.

Quarter in Numbers

Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) reported third-quarter 2026 total revenue of USD 891 million, down 3% and down 2% in constant currency, compared with USD 914 million a year earlier. Payers declined 5% to 13.8 million, while revenue per payer rose 3% to USD 21.19. Net income was USD 174 million, up 8%, a 20% margin. Adjusted EBITDA was USD 344 million, up 14%, a 39% margin; the prior-year quarter included a USD 61 million legal settlement charge, and excluding that item adjusted EBITDA fell 5% on higher Marketing spend at Tinder and Hinge.

Cost of revenue fell 16% to 23% of revenue, helped by savings from alternative payments, while selling and marketing costs rose USD 16 million, or 9%, to 21% of revenue.

Brand Performance

Tinder direct revenue was USD 480 million, down 2%, with payers down 4% to 8.9 million. Chief executive Spencer Rascoff said Tinder's Sparks and Sparks Coverage metrics, which track six-way conversations and the share of users who experience one, delivered their strongest year-over-year performance since tracking began, and that daily active users returned to year-over-year growth in September for the first time in three and a half years. Daily users were down 1% for the quarter, and monthly users declined 5.5%, a one-point improvement from the second quarter.

Hinge direct revenue rose 19% to USD 221 million, with payers up 23% to 2.3 million and revenue per payer down 3% to USD 31.81 on discount optimizations and a lower-priced subscription tier. Everyone Everywhere direct revenue fell 20% to USD 176 million, and management cited headwinds from an app redesign and weakness at other brands.

Capital Return

Through the first nine months the company generated USD 886 million of Operating Cash Flow and USD 832 million of free cash flow. It repurchased 9.6 million shares for USD 336 million at an average price of about USD 35, paid USD 137 million of dividends and spent USD 118 million on net settlement of employee Equity awards, together 71% of free cash flow. The board declared a Dividend of USD 0.20 per share, payable January 21, 2027 to holders of record on January 6, 2027. The chief financial officer said diluted shares outstanding are down 4% year over year and 10% since the start of 2025.

User Trend and Margin Markers

For the fourth quarter, management projects total revenue of USD 865 million to USD 875 million and adjusted EBITDA of USD 327.5 million to USD 332.5 million, which at the revenue midpoint would leave full-year revenue flat year over year. The company anticipates finishing the year slightly above the midpoint of its revenue guidance range.

Looking to 2027, management said in-app purchase fees are a one-point headwind to adjusted EBITDA margin, because Apple raised European fees and a Google Partnership agreement expires in the first quarter. It reiterated a goal of USD 1 billion of Hinge revenue in 2027. Items to track include Tinder payer trends, Hinge growth outside core markets, marketing timing between quarters and fee changes.