Gleeden

What Gleeden does

Gleeden is a dating platform purpose-built for married and committed individuals seeking discreet extramarital encounters, founded in France in 2009 and operated by US-based Blackdivine LLC (headquartered at 60 Broad Street, Suite 3502, New York). The platform is positioned as the first international dating site 'designed by women for women,' with full free access for female members and a credit-based payment system for male members. Core features include profile matching, messaging, instant chat, virtual gifts, public/private photo albums (Private Books with controlled access), a Crush Alert interest-signaling feature, and three discrete safety/privacy mechanisms: a Panic Button that redirects to a neutral site (also ESC-Esc), anonymous payment labeling that ensures 'Gleeden' never appears on bank statements, and PCI-DSS-compliant payment processing. The platform is localized in 10 languages across 150+ countries, with distribution via web, iOS/Android mobile apps, and Paysafecard retail cards in 30+ countries for anonymous cash purchases.

The business model combines freemium, credit-pack, and recurring subscription revenue streams. Men purchase non-expiring credits to initiate communication (e.g., 5 credits for the first private message, 3 credits to read the first reply, 4 credits for chat initiation); credits are charged only on first interaction with each new member, after which messaging is free, which incentivizes broad exploration. Gleeden+ is a cancellable monthly subscription that auto-purchases 110 credits and adds a 10% bonus on additional purchases. Virtual gifts (with optional personal messages) and seasonal promotions (e.g., 40% discounts on VIP packs) provide transactional revenue. Distribution is entirely self-serve product-led growth via web and mobile, supported by a multi-channel marketing stack comprising blog/content, Twitter/X, PR-driven survey partnerships (Ipsos, IFOP), contests (e.g., 'India's Next Ideal Lover' with MakeMyTrip), and the YouTube-based Gleeden Comedy Club. The customer base is global and long-tail: 14 million+ members, with India (4 million, +270% in 2024) as the fastest-growing market, plus notable footprints in France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Colombia, Australia, Singapore, Japan, and Turkey. Geographic exclusions include US states Massachusetts, Michigan, Idaho, and Oklahoma. Gleeden holds five US patents (7,558,807; 7,647,339; 7,873,665; 8,065,333; 8,296,325) and operates as a bootstrapped private company with no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Gleeden

Legal name

Blackdivine LLC

Website

https://en.gleeden.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gleeden is a dating platform for married and committed individuals seeking discreet extramarital encounters, operating in 150+ countries with 14 million+ members. Operated by Blackdivine LLC, it offers free access for women and a credit-based monetization model for men.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Dating Services

NAICS

Information (51)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Dating & Relationship Networks (BPAMABAF)

Keywords

• Discreet dating platform
• Extramarital dating site
• Online dating service
• Married dating website
• Relationship platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Credit-Based Communication Services: Members purchase credits to access paid communication features including sending/receiving private messages, instant chat sessions, viewing private photo albums, and sending virtual gifts. Credits never expire and can be used at member's own pace. Credits are consumed only on first interaction with each new member; subsequent exchanges are free.
2. Gleeden+ Subscription: Optional monthly subscription that auto-purchases 110 credits per month with 10% bonus credits on any additional purchases. Subscription can be cancelled anytime with no binding commitment.
3. Virtual Gifts: Premium virtual gifts that increase chances of meeting someone by up to 30%, with certain gifts free for women and others including personal message options at varying credit costs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gleeden is an online dating platform designed for married or committed individuals seeking discreet encounters outside their primary relationships. The platform operates a credit-based communication system where women receive free unlimited access while male members purchase credits to send messages, initiate chats, view private photo albums, and send virtual gifts. Core features include profile matching, panic button for emergency exits, anonymous payment labels, and 24/7 content moderation across web and mobile applications in 150+ countries.

Product overview

Gleeden is a dating platform for discreet extramarital relationships, founded in France in 2009 and operated by Blackdivine LLC. The platform is built around a credit-based system where women enjoy free access while men purchase credits to use communication tools (messaging, chat, virtual gifts). Key features include Private Book photo albums, Crush Alerts, and a Panic Button for user safety. The platform also offers Gleeden+ subscription for automatic monthly credit purchases. Gleeden operates across over 150 countries with localized versions in multiple languages, and has launched content initiatives like the Gleeden Comedy Club YouTube series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gleeden Comedy Club: YouTube comedy series featuring culturally resonant content about marriage and relationships
• Gleeden+

Quantifiable outcome

• 148% increase in female user sign-ups in India over two years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IFOP (Institut Français d'Opinion Publique)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership with French public opinion research institute for the European Women's Infidelity Observatory 2019 study on female infidelity patterns across Europe, commissioned by Gleeden.
• MakeMyTrip (India)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 November 2018Partnership for the 'India's Next Ideal Lover' contest where Gleeden offered MakeMyTrip gift cards (worth ₹12,600) as prizes for contest winners. The partnership enabled travel-themed incentives for Indian user engagement.
• Coinbase, Trustpay, Netvalve, UnlimitminorOthersThird-party payment processors enabling credit card payment processing for Gleeden credit purchases. These companies have access to payment information as necessary to provide payment processing services.
• PaysafecardminorOthersPrepaid payment card partnership enabling anonymous cash-based purchases of Gleeden credits without credit card. Available in 30+ countries in multiple currencies.
• Blackdivine LLCcoreOthersParent company and operator of Gleeden platform. Blackdivine LLC is registered in Texas with headquarters at 60 Broad Street, Suite 3502, New York, NY 10004. All legal and corporate matters are handled through this entity.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ashley Madison: Ashley Madison is the most direct competitor to Gleeden, operating as an extramarital dating platform with similar positioning toward married individuals seeking discreet encounters. Both platforms share the same core value proposition of enabling infidelity through secure, anonymous connections.
• Victoria Milan: Victoria Milan is a direct extramarital dating platform targeting married professionals seeking discreet affairs. Similar to Gleeden, it emphasizes anonymity, panic-button features, and premium credit-based communication systems for users seeking connections outside their primary relationships.
• Illicit Encounters: Illicit Encounters is a UK-based extramarital dating platform directly competing in Gleeden's core niche. Both platforms target married individuals seeking discreet encounters with similar feature sets emphasizing privacy and anonymity.
• Heated Affairs: Heated Affairs is an extramarital affairs dating site operated by the same parent company as Ashley Madison, directly competing with Gleeden in the discreet encounters niche with similar credit-based monetization and emphasis on anonymity.
• AdultFriendFinder: AdultFriendFinder is a broad adult dating platform that includes extramarital encounters among its use cases. While less specialized than Gleeden, it competes for similar users seeking casual and discreet connections outside committed relationships.
• Seeking: Seeking (formerly SeekingArrangement) is a dating platform focused on relationships with established adults, often involving married or older individuals. Its positioning around explicit expectations and arrangements overlaps with Gleeden's user base seeking connections outside conventional dating contexts.

Emerging players

• Feeld: Feeld is an emerging dating app for non-traditional relationships including polyamory, open relationships, and alternative arrangements. While not extramarital-specific, it addresses adjacent user needs for discreet, alternative relationship structures that overlap with Gleeden's positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Match Group (Tinder, Hinge, Match.com): Match Group operates mainstream dating platforms including Tinder, Hinge, and Match.com. While these platforms focus on conventional dating rather than extramarital encounters, they represent the broader dating market context and potential acquisition partner given Gleeden's niche leadership.
• Bumble: Bumble is a mainstream dating app with women-initiated messaging, sharing Gleeden's women-empowerment positioning. While focused on conventional dating, Bumble's female-centric approach overlaps philosophically with Gleeden's "by women for women" platform design.
• Dating Group: Dating Group operates a portfolio of niche dating platforms including extramarital-focused sites, making it both a competitor and potential strategic acquirer of Gleeden. The company specializes in vertical-specific dating platforms targeting similar discreet encounter use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Gleeden_En
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGqJ5JnwP4J9UJd-qaI5z5w
• Facebookfacebook.com/gleeden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1525998

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gleeden