SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. – – 

Tech startup GripHeart Inc. announced the release of ManipuMatch, a dating app designed to help users find partners whose expectations, boundaries, and decision-making styles are “highly adaptable.” 

The company behind the app, GripHeart, describes ManipuMatch as a response to what it calls “decision fatigue” in modern relationships. According to promotional materials, the app prioritizes matches in which one partner demonstrates a “low preference for conflict” and a “high tolerance for external direction.”

“Many people say they want an equal partnership,” said GripHeart founder Trevor Lank in an interview. “What they often mean is that they want fewer discussions.”

Unlike most dating platforms, ManipuMatch does not emphasize shared interests or values. Instead, it analyzes user behavior during onboarding questionnaires, including how frequently users change their answers, how they respond to disagreement prompts, and how long they take to apologize during simulated arguments.

Users who consistently select responses such as “I guess that’s fine,” or “I don’t want this to turn into a thing,” are given higher visibility within the app.

GripHeart says this approach increases relationship efficiency. Internal testing, the company claims, showed that pairs matched through ManipuMatch reached “stable routines” faster than users on conventional dating apps, largely because fewer decisions were revisited once made.

The app also includes optional tools that allow users to set preferences for income differences, living arrangements, and communication frequency. One setting allows users to filter out matches who indicate they are “working on boundaries.”

Early adopters say the app does what it promises. Jason M., a 29-year-old user from Phoenix, Arizona, said he appreciated how quickly conversations progressed. “We didn’t really talk about what she wanted,” he said. “We just kind of fell into a pattern, which was nice.” 

Another user, who asked not to be named, said she initially thought the app was “the worst idea for a dating app anyone could possibly imagine,” but then when she downloaded the app, realized “all my relationships started out with a few hiccups here and there, and all the guys had things I didn’t like about them, but slowly I was able to work those out, and eventually they became the guys I wanted.” 

Relationship researchers have raised concerns about the app’s premise. Dr. Elena Morrison, a psychologist who studies power dynamics in relationships, said tools that reward compliance can encourage unhealthy patterns.

“When one partner’s needs consistently override the other’s, that can lead to long-term distress,” Morrison said. 

GripHeart disputed that characterization, saying the app does not create imbalances but identifies them. “These dynamics already exist,” Lank said. “We’re just being honest about them.”

ManipuMatch is currently available on iOS and Android. GripHeart said it plans to introduce additional features later this year, including a subscription tier that allows users to see how often a match has previously “gone along with things.”