The story
DateHookup rode "totally free" to tens of millions of visits in the late 2000s, with rowdy forums that were half the appeal. Match Group bought it in 2010 and quietly shuttered it by 2017, folding users into its paid brands. A reminder that free sites rarely die of unpopularity; they die of acquisition.
What it did well
- Genuinely free in a paid era
- Huge working-class reach
- Lively community forums
Why it faded
- Closed in 2017
- Absorbed by Match Group
- Design was never the point
