The only NCMO we’ll be endorsing in 2025 is…
The Numbers, Connections, and Match Outcomes report… What were you expecting? 🤔
In case you’re not in the know with current dating vernacular, a NCMO is usually used as an acronym for a Non-Committal Make-Out. (Hey! So that is actually insane!) At Mutual, however, we’re very committed to you and your dating experience. That’s why every year, we bring you the raw data about dating, the people of Mutual, and, most importantly, what YOU can do to improve your dating experience in the upcoming new year.
So what’s new this year? The biggest and most exciting change is the kind of data we’re giving you. Usually, you’ll get a post about the people of Mutual as a whole–what people think about first dates, messaging, who’s using the app the most, etc. But this year, we’ve taken it a step further and given you your own personal NCMO report.
To get your personalized report, go to your profile tab at the bottom right of your screen and tap on the NCMO Report option. There, you’ll find information about how you’ve used the Mutual app this year.
Don’t worry; this isn’t a report about how likable you are. When it comes to dating, so much is out of your control. No matter how attractive or charming you are, you can’t control how many people talk to you, go out with you, or even like you. That’s why your NCMO report is completely centered around what you CAN control–how selective you are to giving people a chance, how often you message the people you match with, how often you send Notes with your likes, the kinds of people you tend to like, etc.
But as promised, we still have some fun data about Mutual as a whole this year. So, without further ado, here’s what we learned about Mutual this year.
You hate spooning
No, we don’t mean the cuddling position. When we asked whether you prefer to use a fork or a spoon when eating mac and cheese, 73% of you said a fork. To the 27% of you who said spoon, you’re telling us that you don’t try to stick the noodles on the end of the fork and make a mac and cheese hat for your utensil? Barbarians, all of you.
96% of people feel safe on Mutual
96% of survey respondents reported feeling safe using Mutual. This is a big deal to us because we work hard to make sure you can date with more confidence using Mutual. Big shout out to you guys for making the Mutual community what it is, along with our amazing support team, who works tirelessly to keep it that way.
When asked what makes them feel safe on Mutual, people responded with answers like “the community guidelines, visibility, and settings,” “knowing that the majority of the people on the platform believe in the same way as I do,” and “the people on this app tend to have clearer/better intentions than some others. I feel better and more confident about the people I match with on there.” And, if things ever do start to feel unsafe, Mutual takes measures to help make things better. “It’s easy to use, and if anything really does progress to that stage, I think the reporting feature is great,” said another response.
Remember, no matter what tools we build in the app to keep you safe, it’s important for you to remember basic dating safety when meeting and communicating with people you’ve never met before. Learn more about basic dating safety in our article here.
Mutual has your best odds of making a match
Unlike Tinder, where the male-to-female ratio is 76% men, 24% women, or Hinge, where the ratio is 64% men, 36% women, Mutual’s community sits at 53% men, 47% women. On the other leading dating apps, you’re bound to either be outnumbered and overwhelmed or fighting some tough competition, but on Mutual, your odds of finding a match are much more even for both men and women. We love a gender equality moment.
In fact, 90% of profiles on Mutual have one or more matches! Don’t feel like you’re getting very many matches? Check out your personalized NCMO report in the app to see where you might have opportunities to get more out of Mutual.
We’re making connections worldwide
In 2024, Mutual continued to bring people together from all over the globe. We heard stories of people being brought together from opposite corners of the earth, like this story about Tilly in Germany and Lloyd in Zimbabwe, or this story about Pina in Australia and Brian in Ireland. We heard stories of people meeting from all over the world, and stories of connecting with someone just down the street but never having a chance to cross paths with.
Here are the top countries with the most accounts created in 2024:
- USA
- Brazil
- Philippines
- Mexico
- Peru
- Canada
Here are the top states within the United States:
- Utah
- Idaho
- Arizona
- California
- Texas
- Florida
- Washington
- Nevada
Most of you are waiting for someone else to make the first move
When you get that exciting “It’s Mutual!” notification, you may feel one of two ways: either you’re ready to get the conversation started and send the first message, or you’re anxiously waiting to see how the other person intends to kick things off.
For women, there’s a good chance that you fall into the second category. 62% of women think that guys should send the first message no matter what, while 65% of men believe that whoever got the “it’s Mutual” notification first should send the first message.
So if a girl gets the “It’s Mutual!” notification and is waiting for the guy to message her, but he thinks that whoever got the “It’s Mutual!” notification first should message first, then both sides are sitting around waiting for the other person to message them. This leads to matches without any messages, which we call “missed opportunities.”
The bottom line is that people can’t read your mind, and there’s no way to drop a hint on an app that you’re expecting the other person to make the first move. Don’t be afraid to be bold and say something first. You never know what could happen!
The pics vs. bio debate continues
People constantly ask us, “What can I do to improve my profile? What’s the most important part?” Truthfully, the answer is “all of it.” Effort in and of itself matters! It shows you care and are intentional about dating.
You are infinitely more amazing and complex than can ever be captured in a dating profile, but the more you can give people a glimpse into your life and who you are, the more likely something might stand out that creates a connection. That’s why 63% of you said a good bio is just as important as good pictures.
That being said, when we split the answers by gender, we get a glimpse into what the opposite gender considers most when making a decision. We asked, “What’s more important, good pictures or a good bio?”
The majority of guys, 57%, said that a good bio is just as important as good pictures. This was even more important to girls, 71%! This should be a wakeup call to everyone, especially guys, that people are reading your bios. Make them good. Want to see some bad bios? Check out some of our bio reviews on instagram for examples of what NOT to do..
So here’s our advice:
Guys, 2025 is the year that we completely fill out our bios. Answer some prompts and throw some pictures in there while you’re at it. Girls want more than just your Instagram handle. THE LADIES LOVE EFFORT. We know it can be scary to put yourself out there, but if you don’t try, the only one you can blame when things don’t work out is yourself. And really, it only takes a few minutes. You can do hard things. 😉
Girls, 2025 is the year we stop putting selfies on our dating profiles, or at least exclusively using selfies or highly filtered photos. Fun fact: having the camera close enough to your face to take a selfie distorts your face, so it doesn’t even look like you. And that doggy face filter is cute, but YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL and don’t need to hide behind a filter. The majority of the photos on your profile should show who you are, what you like to do, and what you really look like. Let us see a glimpse of the real you, queen!
It’s time to put the dogs to bed
We asked if you think wearing socks to bed is a red flag, and 85% of you said no.
We would like the record to show that we agree with you AS LONG AS THE SOCKS ARE CLEAN. If you’re wearing your dirty, sweaty socks to bed, that might be why you’re still on Mutual… just saying. 👀
Dating doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming
Some people complain that they don’t have the time or money to spend on dating. Listen, we get it. Life is busy, and nothing is cheap these days, but luckily, dating doesn’t have to break your piggy bank or take you away from all your other passions and pursuits. It’s as simple or as complicated as you make it out to be.
When we asked how much you should spend on a first date, 89% said you should spend $40 or less. 52% of people went even further and said you should spend less than $20.
When we asked how long a first date should last, 88% of people said that a first date should last 2 hours or less. 39% of people said that you should spend 1 hour or less.
“But what if I’m a broke college student? I don’t have a grown-up job yet, and I have finals to study for,” is not an excuse anymore. We broke it down even further and looked at the age groups. Most college students in the United States graduate by age 24, so we added two years to account for LDS missions and looked at the expectations of college-aged daters.
The results? 60% of 18-26 year olds think you should spend $20 or less on a first date and 90% of 18-26 year olds say you should spend two hours or less on a first date. So, as long as you have $20 in your wallet and two free hours in your calendar, you have all you need to go on a first date. (Except, of course, a date, but that’s why you’re here, right?)
Need some budget-friendly date ideas? If you’re in Utah, we have just the app for you! Check out Tonite: the app full of deals on date night activities!
It’s okay to take things slow
With phrases like “ring by spring” floating around, it’s easy to feel pressured to rush into a relationship or marriage. Please know that there’s no set timeline for when you should start dating someone exclusively or get married, and there’s nothing wrong with doing these things when you’re fresh into adulthood or well-seasoned. Your timeline is yours, and your timeline is not wrong.
That doesn’t mean that people don’t have expectations, though. We asked how long you think you should be dating someone before defining the relationship and how long you should be in a relationship before getting married.
Keep in mind that these answers are from a pool of people who have not found their person yet. It only takes one person to change your expected timeline, so there’s nothing necessarily wrong with moving faster or slower than this. Move at whatever pace you feel most comfortable.
So, when should you DTR? Well, the answers aren’t super clear. 49% said you can DTR any time between the 2nd and 4th date, while 47% said you should wait until at least the 5th date or later. So, any time after the 2nd date, there’s a near 50% chance you’re in the clear to make things official, but there’s also a near 50% chance that you’re moving too fast.
The truth is, it will vary from person to person and even from relationship to relationship. Two dates might be enough with one person, but you might need four or five or even six before you’re ready to commit to someone else, and that’s okay.
One thing is clear, though: first dates are NOT the time to DTR. Only 3% of you said that it’s okay to DTR on or before the first date.
And when it comes to marriage, 59% of you said it’s okay to get married after being in a relationship for less than 1 year. 37% said 1-2 years is okay, while 4% said 2 years or more are necessary before committing for the long haul.
You love to drink… soda! 🥤
With all the attention Utah and its infamous soda shops have received this year, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to talk about it!
When we asked what our favorite soda is, we were shocked that the winning answer was water, with 20.7% of the votes. 🤯But Dr. Pepper was directly behind water with 20.6%, so our faith in humanity, or at least the soda-drinking portion of it, was restored.
Amongst the “other” options, we got some fun answers like Cream Soda, Coke Zero, Fresca, Fanta, Ginger Ale, and Lemonade.
Hopeful for 2025
Every year, we like to ask you what one word you would use to describe your dating expectations for the next year, and every year so far, we get the same top answer: hopeful.
We are so hopeful for you, too. Hope is the reason we created Mutual–hope that we could help connect people with other people like them and help them find their happily ever afters.
We hope that your personalized NCMO report gives you hope by showing you that you don’t have to take a back seat and let your dating life just happen to you. You can do this!
We hope that you also know just how incredible you are. Regardless of how old you are, how long you’ve been in the dating game, or what life has thrown at you, you are so loved and are worthy of love.
Thanks for a fantastic 2024.
Looking forward to an even better 2025.
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