Comparison

Lunch Actually vs Merlin Dating

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Lunch Actually

This service connects verified, working professionals for personalized dating experiences. It offers matchmaking services, dating advice, and aims to facilitate meaningful connections leading to successful relationships.

Highlights
  • Verified professional singles
  • Personalized matchmaking
  • Dating consultants
  • Date and appointment tracking
  • Dating advice and articles
  • High date satisfaction rate
Features
Read full description

Asia's pioneer and trusted dating service - Lunch Actually is now on an app! 100% REAL SINGLES No more fake profiles or people with dubious intention here. All profiles in Lunch Actually dating app are working professionals and verified by dating consultants, making your dating experience safe and efficient. PERSONALIZED DATING SERVICE It's never been easier to keep track of your matches, dates and appointments. Feel like talking? Our matchmakers are there to chat at the click of a button! We'll also help you keep up to date on the latest dating trends and provide personalized articles and advice for managing your relationships. BETTER, QUALITY DATES AWAIT 86% of the dates that we arranged are rated excellent by our members! Our matching is done to ensure compatibility in values with singles who share the same goals as you! That's why we have high date satisfaction rate and we've created over 4,500 successful marriages! AS SEEN ON Bloomberg, Forbes, CNN, CNBC, CNA, The Straits Times, Mashable, Business Insider, TechinAsia, The Business Times, The Peak, and more. TESTIMONIALS “Definitely beyond a five-star service!" "“I do believe Lunch Actually is the best dating agency out there!” "Tired of traditional dating apps and shady men, I joined Lunch Actually!" 19 YEARS OF PROVEN SUCCESS RECORD Lunch Actually is the brainchild of co-founder Violet Lim, lawyer turned banker turned matchmaker, who was inspired to help single professionals find love over simple lunch dates. Together with her husband, Jamie Lee, they launched Lunch Actually in Singapore in 2004, followed by Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand. Lunch Actually’s clients are successful and eligible professionals who are seriously searching for their soulmate. We are passionate about helping singles find love and happiness by working alongside them in navigating today’s complicated dating scene and finding the right one.

About

Merlin Dating

This AI-powered dating assistant analyzes photos to predict compatibility and relationship potential. It offers personalized dating tips to help users navigate conversations and dates, aiming to reduce anxiety and build confidence for successful relationships.

Highlights
  • AI-powered compatibility analysis
  • Predicts relationship potential (flirting, short-term, long-term, family)
  • Personalized dating tips
  • Analyzes personality from photos
  • Reduces dating anxiety and boosts confidence
  • Works across other apps
Features
Read full description

Merlin Dating is a truly unique dating service! It is an artificial intelligence that will help you find your perfect partner and tell you how to successfully meet people in real life and what to do on a date to start a relationship! You no longer have to search for the right person yourself, make mistakes and be disappointed again because our smart algorithm will do everything for you! Now you can immediately understand who you can build a serious relationship with, and who will not be something more than just a friend or a casual date! You will learn who will be a good company to spend some time with or who will be the perfect match for starting a family in just a few easy steps! Merlin has done everything for you by analyzing thousands of images. Now there is no need to read the pickup lines handbook and think about what to write and how to answer, how to act and what to say. You'll come on a date and feel like you've known each other for ages! Less fear and anxiety and +100 points to your self-esteem! All you have to do is take a screenshot from any website or app, or just upload a picture of someone, then send it to the app and.... get your results! You will learn about: - your compatibility rate %; - the potential for your relationship: flirting, short-term or long-term relationship, family; - working dating tips: how to start a conversation, how to attract someone, what to do on a date and how to start a serious relationship. Whaaat? What dating tips? The very real ones! Artificial intelligence will give you personalized dating tips based on our image algorithm! You can tell from the photo the personality of your future partner, friend or acquaintance, as if you had known them since you were a child. Merlin will explain what to say and how to act so that he or she is happy while you feel confident! - Soo... another knight in shining armor? - No, but it was a valuable experience… - Wanna hang out with him again? - Nope, it turns out we are just friends… Merlin Dating will help you build the perfect relationship! You used to waste your time? Tried to find someone special and then failed? Now it would be great to enjoy a nice conversation between two people who know each other very well! Do you doubt your choice of partners? Are you afraid that they are not right for you? Merlin knows who will be the perfect match for a long-term relationship! AI will tell you all about their character traits and help you build the relationship you want! Stop wasting your time on people who are not right for you! Our app will tell you with certainty who is the right person for YOU! Merlin Dating displays on top of other apps and runs in the background. There's no need to put dating off: date, chat and fall in love when it's convenient for you! Analyze someone’s photo just by uploading it to the app! Dating has never been this effective! Merlin AI knows how important it is to have a relationship as part of your life! How does this work? 1. Open the app 2. Sign up with your phone number 3. Choose someone you are interested in 4. Take a screenshot or ask for their photo 5. Send the photo by clicking SHARE or just upload it to the app 6. Wait for the image analysis report 7. Check your love compatibility % and get your dating tips. Now you know if you're going to have a good time with them or if you can expect something more serious! Rate photos, get AI personalized dating tips and choose the people that suit you best. We hope that the relationship formed with Merlin's help brings you what you most need at this point in life!

Screenshots

Lunch Actually4 screens
Merlin Dating4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Merlin Dating at 5.0 against Lunch Actually's 1.0. Merlin Dating also leads on ratings volume (7 vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). Lunch Actually's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and review sentiment (64% vs 31%). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Merlin Dating sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Lunch Actually asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Merlin Dating holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 7 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Lunch Actually's written reviews are positive against 31% of Merlin Dating's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lunch Actually ships an update every 3 weeks, Merlin Dating every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Lunch Actually versus Merlin Dating: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLunch ActuallyMerlin Dating
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.9% of reviews — better30.8% of reviews
Number of ratings27 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB174 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperLunch Actually Pte LtdIvan Limarev

Customer experience

Lunch Actually

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive63.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative36.1%

Merlin Dating

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive30.8%
Neutral21.8%
Negative47.4%

Bugs and requests

Lunch Actually

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Merlin Dating

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • App hangs on loading screen indefinitely
  • Bio questions cause app to freeze completely
  • SMS verification codes not arriving
  • Code length mismatch (6-digit request vs 4-digit SMS)
  • Photos rejected despite meeting requirements
Show 11 more
  • Face recognition analysis stuck in infinite loop
  • Black screen when opening camera
  • App crashes during face detection after photo upload
  • Settings reset after closing app
  • Photos not loading on second attempt in same session
  • Gallery permission errors despite enabled permissions
  • Validation errors with gray screen
  • Inconsistent compatibility percentages for same person
  • App logout requiring re-authentication
  • Menu and personal account access broken
  • Update notification loop even with latest version

Requested features

7 requests
  • Swipe-based photo navigation instead of scrolling
  • Descriptions for personality trait characteristics
  • Profile deletion option
  • Ability to view previous analysis without re-uploading
  • Improved language and account persistence across sessions
Show 2 more
  • Better photo upload permissions handling
  • More personality traits in analysis (previously 4, now 3)

In-app purchases

None

Lunch Actually

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

Merlin Dating

Subscriptions11
  • PLUS for a month$1.991 Month
  • GOLD subscription for a month$6.991 Month
  • PLUS for a year$7.991 Year
Show 8 more
  • PLATINUM -50% for a month$7.991 Month
  • GOLD subscription for a year$14.991 Year
  • PLATINUM for a month$14.991 Month
  • PLATINUM -50% for a half year$24.996 Months
  • Half-year subscription GOLD$24.996 Months
  • PLATINUM for a year$29.991 Year
  • PLATINUM -50% for a year$29.991 Year
  • Half-year PLATINUM subs.$49.996 Months
One-time1
  • Celebrity compatibility$0.99

Questions

Is Lunch Actually free?
Lunch Actually is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Merlin Dating free?
Merlin Dating is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lunch Actually or Merlin Dating?
Merlin Dating is rated higher. Lunch Actually averages 1.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Merlin Dating averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Lunch Actually or Merlin Dating have ads?
Neither Lunch Actually nor Merlin Dating shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lunch Actually or Merlin Dating?
Lunch Actually ships an update every 3 weeks, and Merlin Dating every 2 weeks. Most recently, Lunch Actually was updated on October 24, 2026 and Merlin Dating on October 24, 2026.

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