Is Upward Still a Christian App?

What happened to Upward

Most Upward reviews describe a Christian swipe app, and that’s how it began. Match Group launched it in March 2020 as FTH, short for Faith, and renamed it Upward later that year. On September 22, 2026, it relaunched as “the home of modern courtship”. Upward says it “remains grounded in its faith-based roots”, but it now welcomes anyone who sees marriage as the goal (Upward press release). Global Dating Insights reports that members no longer have to identify as Christian (GDI).

So is Upward still a Christian dating app? In its roots, yes. In who you’ll meet, not necessarily. Its current App Store listing talks about values, faith, family and marriage, and doesn’t use the word Christian at all. If you need everyone around you to share your faith, read profiles closely, or use a specialist site.

How the Upward dating app works

Upward is an app for iPhone and Android, and we found no website version for dating. It works like other swipe apps: swipe right to like, left to pass, and once you both like each other, you can chat. It’s now only for dating, because the old tab for finding friends has been removed (Upward).

The relaunch added three things:

• Core Values. Show what matters most to you, and compare with someone else’s priorities.
• Marriage Timeline. Say when you hope to marry, and see whether a match’s timeline is similar.
• Chivalry Mode. An opt-in mode with a badge, for people who want traditional courtship and a no-ghosting standard. You need a complete, photo-verified profile with Core Values filled in. Men are expected to make the first move, but Upward says that’s a norm rather than a rule: anyone matched can start the conversation (Upward).

You also get Spotlight, a daily list of eight popular profiles, where you can send a Gem with a message before you’ve matched. Community group chats are still there, but they’ve moved to the profile edit page.

Who you’ll meet on Upward

Upward doesn’t publish an age breakdown. Its relaunch aims at younger adults, including Gen Z, who want to marry. Longtime members joined for the Christian focus, so expect a mix of committed Christians and people who just want something serious. Our Christian dating sites ranking and marriage ranking compare it with the alternatives.

Is Upward legit and safe?

Yes. It’s run by Affinity Apps, part of Match Group, alongside BLK and Chispa. The iPhone app has 4.3 out of 5 from about 163,000 ratings in the US App Store, and the Android app 3.8 from about 49,000 reviews on Google Play (checked November 1, 2026). Selfie Verification is optional and earns you a badge, and some regions require a Face Check scan. Never send money to anyone you meet here, whatever they say about church or mission work; see our romance scam guide.

One setting to check: Expanded Discovery can show your profile on other Match Group services. You can switch it off under Settings → Your Privacy Choices → Match Group Data Sharing.

Upward vs Christian Mingle

Christian Mingle is still built specifically around Christian faith, with recommended matches rather than swiping. See Upward vs Christian Mingle.

Our tip

Fill in Core Values and your Marriage Timeline first, because they’re what the relaunched app is built around. If faith matters to you, say so plainly in your profile, and add what it means in your life. That’s now the quickest way to find people who share it.