Thursday Review 2026: Legit or Waste of Money?
Thursday is legit, but it is no longer a dating app. The Thursday dating app that only opened one day a week shut down in January 2025, and the brand now sells tickets to singles-only events (bar nights, mystery match parties, run clubs) through a free app. If you live in one of its cities and would rather meet people face to face than swipe, a ticket (about $11 to $45, most around $18) is worth one try; if you want online matching, use a real dating app instead.
Is Thursday still a dating app?
No. Thursday launched in London in 2021 as a dating app you could only use on Thursdays: you matched and chatted that day, and unconverted matches disappeared at midnight. In August 2024 TechCrunch described the free plan as 10 matches a day, with a $19 a month subscription to lift the cap, in 26 cities across six countries.
On January 9, 2025, City AM reported that Thursday was shutting the app, citing "rapidly declining consumer interest", after about two million users. The company moved everything to Thursday Events, a separate ticketing app that had already been running alongside it. So reviews from 2022 to 2024 that talk about matches, boosts or a subscription describe a product you can no longer download.
What is Thursday now?
Thursday today is an events company for single adults. Its About page calls it "the world's largest IRL singles movement" and says it hosts singles-only events every week in 150+ cities. The app on the App Store and Google Play is a listing and ticketing tool: you browse events in your city, buy a ticket and show it at the door. There is no swiping and no profile browsing.
The official site is thursday.com.
Who runs Thursday?
Thursday's terms of use say it is a trading name of Honeypot Dating Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (number 11560147). Both app store listings name the same developer. City AM names the founders as George Rawlings and Matthew McNeill Love. The terms are governed by English law, which matters if you ever have a dispute: the refund policy cites UK consumer law, not US state law.
Who Thursday is for
- Good fit: singles in their 20s, 30s and 40s in a large city who are tired of apps and comfortable walking into a bar of strangers. Many events are age-banded (25 to 35, 30+, 35+, 40+ appear on US listings) and some are for LGBTQ+ singles, such as sapphic socials in Washington DC and Salt Lake City.
- Poor fit: anyone in a small town (no events nearby), people who find loud bars draining, and anyone who wants to screen people before meeting them. You learn nothing about the other guests before you arrive.
- You must be 18 or older, per the terms, and many venues are 21+.
How a Thursday event works
According to Thursday's FAQ, you pick an event in your city, pay online and get your ticket by email. Entry is by name, so you can just give your name at the door. Most events are evenings at bars, but the FAQ also lists running clubs, gym classes, dance studios, art galleries and sports games. Thursday says about 40% of attendees come alone.
Formats vary a lot. A typical US listing in October 2026 included a plain singles mixer, "mystery match" nights where you fill in a questionnaire and get a match revealed later (the New York Halloween edition at The Delancey uses a matching tool called Matchbox), karaoke and line dancing nights, and a singles dinner club. Thursday says it caps singles-event ticket sales at a 50:50 gender ratio (developer reply on Google Play, September 30, 2026); the New York event page says it "aims" for 50/50 and cannot guarantee who shows up.
The app added "Side Quests" in September 2026, in-app games meant to start conversations at events (App Store version notes, 6.0.3).
Where Thursday runs
Thursday claims 150+ cities worldwide. When I checked the city picker on its events page in October 2026, it listed 56 US cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Miami, Austin, Denver, Seattle, Phoenix and San Diego, plus smaller spots like Boise and Albuquerque. How often a city gets events varies: a Google Play reviewer in May 2026 complained of only four events a month in her city, with early bird tickets already gone.
How much Thursday costs
The app is free and there is no subscription: the App Store listing shows no in-app purchases. You pay per event. The terms say every price shown on Thursday already includes its booking fee. Drinks are not included unless the listing says so.
| Example US event (October 2026) | City | Ticket from |
|---|---|---|
| Singles Halloween party (25+) | Salt Lake City | $11.25 |
| Singles Halloween party | Los Angeles | $18.00 |
| Mystery match night, ages 25 to 35 | New York | $23.63 |
| Pitch Your Friend night (25+) | Washington DC | $28.13 |
| Singles dinner club | Fort Lauderdale | $33.75 |
| Full moon cemetery tour | Richmond | $45.00 |
Prices checked October 2026 on Thursday's event listings, all-in "from" prices. Across 60 upcoming US events I looked at, the cheapest tickets ranged from $11.25 to $45, with $18 the most common, and 50 of the 60 were $25 or less. Early bird tickets are cheaper but limited; one Google Play reviewer said only a handful are released per event.
Searching for a discount code? The only discount in Thursday's own terms is a refer-a-friend credit: when a friend signs up with your link and buys a ticket within 365 days, you each get 10% off one ticket (ticket price only, not fees, and not combinable with other codes).
Refunds: what happens to your ticket
This is the part most people miss. Thursday's refund policy (updated June 17, 2026) says all tickets are non-refundable, however early you ask. The exceptions depend on who changes the plan:
- Thursday cancels: you are refunded automatically, including booking fees, to your original payment method. The policy says to allow 5 to 10 business days.
- Thursday reschedules: your ticket moves to the new date. If you cannot make it, the email about the change includes a link to claim the face value back (fees are not refunded).
- You cannot go: no refund. You can give your ticket to someone of the same gender without telling Thursday, or ask through its chat, before the event, for a credit toward a future event. Credit is at Thursday's discretion and never covers fees.
- Event cut short by a venue problem or emergency: Thursday reviews it case by case and may offer a partial refund or credit, but says it is not obliged to.
Questions go to hello@getthursday.com, which Thursday aims to answer within 5 business days.
Safety and verification
Meeting in a staffed venue with a hundred other people is safer than a first date with a stranger from an app, and there is no in-app chat where a scammer can work on you for weeks. But be clear about what Thursday does not do. Its event incident policy says plainly that Thursday "does not conduct criminal background or identity verification checks on its Event attendees" and is not responsible for anyone's conduct during or after an event. Its privacy policy says it may ask for a selfie and ID photo at registration to confirm age, but that is a "may", not a promise that the person next to you was checked.
What exists:
- A code of conduct with 10 rules (consent, no persistent unwanted attention, no filming other guests, no excessive drinking). Thursday can remove or ban anyone who breaks it.
- During an event, tell venue staff first. If a crime happens, call the police, then report it to Thursday.
- After an event, report harassment or threats through the Issue at an Event form or hello@getthursday.com with the date, venue, names or descriptions and any screenshots. Thursday says it acknowledges reports within 7 days and may warn or permanently ban the person. It does not tell you the outcome.
Practical rules still apply: give your number or Instagram only when you want to, arrange any follow-up date in public, and never send money to someone you met, however the story goes.
One inconsistency to know about: Google Play's data safety section says the app collects no data, while the App Store label says purchases and contact info are linked to you, and the privacy policy describes ID checks and fraud screening. The privacy policy is the one to believe.
Complaints and app store reputation
On the App Store, Thursday has 4.5 stars from 413 ratings. On Google Play it has 3.6 stars from 598 reviews and 100K+ downloads, last updated October 7, 2026 (both checked October 2026). The written reviews repeat the same few complaints:
- Gender balance: several App Store reviews say events skewed male, despite the 50:50 cap.
- Noise and structure: loud venues that make conversation hard, late starts, mixers with no structure, staff running out of name tags.
- Price for what you get: paying $15 to $30 (or £18 to £25 in the UK) to enter a bar with no drink included.
- Fewer events for older singles: one reviewer saw no 30+ events for weeks and no way to filter by age or orientation.
Thursday's team replies to most reviews. Nothing in the public record suggests fake events or a billing trap: the risk is a dull or lopsided night, not a stolen card.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Real people in a real room: no fake profiles, no catfishing.
- Free app, no subscription, all-in ticket prices.
- Huge US footprint (56 cities in its picker) and varied formats, including age-banded and LGBTQ+ events.
- Clear, written refund and incident policies.
Cons
- Tickets are non-refundable if your plans change.
- No background or identity checks on attendees.
- Gender balance and noise depend on the night and the venue.
- No way to meet people before or between events: the old dating app is gone.
- A UK company under English law, which can make disputes slower.
How to delete your Thursday account
There is nothing to cancel, since there is no subscription. To close your account, Thursday's terms say to tell it in writing: email hello@getthursday.com from the address on your account and ask for the account and personal data to be deleted. The privacy policy gives you the right to have your data erased and, for California residents, CCPA deletion rights. Unsubscribing from emails is a separate step: use the link at the bottom of any Thursday email. Deleting the app from your phone does neither.
Thursday alternatives
If you want in-person, Thursday is one of the easiest ways in. If you want to choose who you meet, go back to an app built for relationships:
- Hinge: in my Hinge review I rated it 4.5 out of 5, my first pick if you want a relationship from an app.
- Bumble: it scored 4 out of 5 in my Bumble review.
- Coffee Meets Bagel: also 4 out of 5 in my Coffee Meets Bagel review, for a slower pace than the big swipe apps.
For more options, see my ranking of serious dating apps, and LGBTQ+ dating sites if Thursday's queer events are thin in your city.
How I rate it
I rate Thursday 3.5 out of 5. The rating is based on public information, not on attending its events: Thursday's own pricing, event listings, terms, refund, privacy and incident policies, its App Store and Google Play ratings and reviews, and press coverage, all checked in October 2026. I scored five things from 1 to 5. Value for money: 3 (cheap tickets, but non-refundable and no drink). Safety and verification: 2.5 (clear code of conduct and reporting, but no attendee checks). Evidence of an active user base: 4 (56 US cities and a busy weekly calendar). Features for its audience: 3.5 (varied, age-banded formats, no way to filter or meet in between). Transparency: 3.5 (all-in prices and a written refund policy, but conflicting data labels and an English-law contract).
Frequently asked questions
Is Thursday no longer a dating app?
Correct. The Thursday dating app, which only opened on Thursdays, was shut down in January 2025, with the company citing declining interest in dating apps. Thursday now runs ticketed singles-only events, sold through a free Thursday app.
Is Thursday a good dating app?
As an events service it is decent: it is a real company, tickets are cheap (most US events start around $18) and you meet people face to face. App store reviews complain about male-heavy rooms, loud venues and non-refundable tickets, so treat the first event as a trial.
Is the Thursday app free?
The app is free to download and has no subscription or in-app purchases listed on the App Store. You pay per event: US tickets checked in October 2026 started between $11.25 and $45, booking fee included, usually without a drink.
Can I get a refund on a Thursday ticket?
Only if Thursday cancels (automatic full refund, fees included) or reschedules and you cannot make the new date (face value back). If you simply cannot go, there is no refund, but you can transfer the ticket to someone of the same gender or ask for a discretionary credit before the event.
Which dating app is the least scammy?
No app is scam-free, but scams thrive where strangers chat for weeks before meeting. Thursday has no in-app chat at all, since you meet at a staffed venue. If you want an app, a large mainstream one like Hinge, with its own reporting tools, is a safer bet than small unknown sites.
Is there a Thursday discount code?
Thursday's terms only describe a refer-a-friend reward: when a friend you invite buys a ticket, you each get 10% off one ticket price (not fees). Early bird tickets are also cheaper but sell out quickly.