China US$300 dating app ‘marriage-or-refund’ guarantee sparks intense online buzz

In China, a novel dating app named Liangpei AI has gained popularity with its unique promise: provide true love or your money back. Founded by Zeng Xinxun, the app was launched in July with a yearly membership fee of 2,000 yuan, which is fully refundable if a user remains unmarried after three years. The app's business model is a departure from traditional online dating, which thrives on keeping singles engaged.

In 2024, China's online dating market reached 22.6 billion yuan (US$3.4 billion), catering to approximately 280 million users. Unlike competitors, Liangpei AI matches users exclusively one at a time, requiring them to end their existing match before engaging with another candidate. During registration, users must input their real name, profile picture, and confirm their unmarried status.

Initial screenings filter out more than 150 married individuals in their first month. To create a tailored profile, users complete a 20-minute AI chat, which delves into family background, education, career, interests, personality, lifestyle, and expectations of a partner. The app’s founder, Zeng Xinxun, previously developed AI search technology for Kimi, a chatbot by Moonshot AI.

Motivated by a matchmaking product suggested by an interviewee, Zeng saw AI’s potential in information retrieval and reasoning to aid people in finding love. Having resigned to start Liangpei AI, he relinquished stock options later valued at tens of millions of yuan. According to Zeng, traditional dating apps merely display profiles, leaving the matchmaking process to users.

He believes modern dating apps lack a deep understanding of their users, which AI can address. By engaging users in lengthy introductory conversations, Liangpei AI aims to understand the person behind the screen. The app's one-to-one matching rule and the AI Strategist tool, which evaluates relationship issues using user profiles and chat logs, position it as a potential game changer in the dating landscape.

Currently, the app boasts over 35,000 registered users, a 9% conversion rate, and has received 15 million yuan (US$2.2 million) in angel funding. However, its actual match and marriage rates are yet to be determined, as the app is relatively new. Analysts predict that AI-screened matches could lead to harmonious marriages, potentially improving society's currently subdued outlook on romance.