CHINESE DATING APP OFFERED A REFUND IF USERS DID NOT MARRY
In July 2026, a Chinese dating app called Liangpei launched with an unusual guarantee: find a spouse within three years, or get your 2,000 yuan entry fee back. The developers wanted to force users to focus on one potential partner at a time instead of endlessly swiping for better options.
The app, whose name roughly translates to “Good Match,” was built entirely around the goal of marriage. It aimed to avoid the pitfalls of open-market platforms where even the founder of Match.com lost his girlfriend to a man she met on his own site.
Joining the service required a significant upfront commitment. Dexerto reported that the initial sign-up fee cost the equivalent of about $300.
The onboarding process was just as intensive as the price tag. New users had to answer 25 detailed questions about their dating history. They then had to complete a 20-minute voice interview with an artificial intelligence matchmaker before they could see a single profile.
Sixth Tone reported that Liangpei also required rigorous background checks to keep out scammers and married people. Every user had to provide real-name registration, pass a legal marital-status check and submit to live-photo verification.
Once a person finally cleared all the hurdles, the app restricted them to exactly one match at a time. The developers designed the system so that members had to actively communicate and see the connection through.
Users had to officially end things with their current match before the algorithm would introduce them to anyone else.
“One-on-one allows both parties to invest more focus and effort into building a relationship,” founder Zeng Xinxun told Sixth Tone. “Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s a conclusion reached after genuine communication.”
Zeng explained that the three-year deadline was not a random number. His team decided on the timeline after interviewing 150 couples getting their marriage licenses at a civil affairs bureau in Shenzhen. Over 70 percent of those couples told the company they had married within three years of meeting.
Marriage was selected as the ultimate measure of success because, unlike a first date or moving in together, a marriage license is easily verified.
“It’s legally verifiable and undisputed,” Zeng said.
He acknowledged that the app would not work for everyone, noting that the platform could not fix unrealistic expectations or poor prospects. Instead, the company aimed for middle-of-the-road users who simply needed a better environment to connect.
“We want to get the users off the platform as soon as possible,” Zeng said.
The unusual business model generated intense online discussion, with observers wondering how the company planned to handle the inevitable refund requests. Because the app only launched in the summer of 2026, the first wave of eligible users will not hit their three-year mark until 2029.
Sportschosun reported that the company promised to keep the 2,000 yuan entry fees locked in a separate bank account. The funds will not be counted as company revenue until the three-year guarantee period expires for each user.
On November 8, 2026, it was reported that Zeng reiterated his promise to refund any user the app failed to help. However, The Star noted that some logistical questions remained unanswered. The company had not yet clarified how it would handle users who signed up but eventually married someone they met through a different channel.
