Chinese dating app charges users hundreds for a ‘one match at a time’ service, then participants find out the deal if they aren’t married in 3 years

A dating app in China is charging users roughly $300 to find a spouse, but it promises to return their money if they remain unmarried after three years. The service also limits users to pursuing just one potential match at a time.

The app, called Liangpei, or “Good Match,” launched in July 2026. According to Sixth Tone, the service charges 2,000 yuan (approximately $275–$300) and uses artificial intelligence to identify compatible partners. Rather than encouraging users to browse through dozens of profiles, Liangpei wants them to concentrate on one potential relationship.

However, the marriage-or-refund guarantee remains untested. Since the app has only been operating for a few months, nobody has reached the three-year deadline to claim their money back.

Liangpei’s one-match-at-a-time rule comes with an unexpected downside

Before receiving their first match, users must complete a roughly 20-minute interview with an AI matchmaker. The interview includes 25 questions about their dating history, marriage plans, and even whether they intend to purchase property. Liangpei uses their answers to build detailed profiles and rank potential partners by compatibility.

Once two people match, neither can pursue another match through the app until one decides to move on. Founder Zeng Xinxun told Sixth Tone that this restriction is intended to encourage users to put more effort into getting to know each other rather than constantly looking for someone better.

However, the arrangement can become frustrating when a conversation stalls. A Shanghai woman identified as Wang told Sixth Tone that she’d previously tried more than 10 dating apps. She appreciated how Liangpei’s questions helped her understand what she wanted in a partner and initially found the experience less exhausting.

But if her match stopped responding or showed little interest, she couldn’t just start chatting with someone else while keeping that connection open. Someone would have to end the match first.

“Once matched, your slot is locked,” Wang explained. “If the other person isn’t proactive, you’re left waiting with nowhere for the conversation to go.”

Liangpei tries to address awkward or stalled conversations with AI-generated icebreakers and an assistant that analyzes exchanges to offer advice. However, the assistant won’t write replies on anyone’s behalf. Even with a high compatibility score, users still have to find something worth talking about.

There’s a catch to Liangpei’s marriage-or-refund promise

Liangpei isn’t promising that users will fall in love or even enter a serious relationship. The company measures success by whether they actually get married. Founder Zeng Xinxun told Sixth Tone that his team considered using first dates or relationships as benchmarks but ultimately chose marriage because it provides a legally verifiable outcome.

The three-year deadline wasn’t chosen at random, either. According to Zeng, his team interviewed 150 couples obtaining marriage licenses in Shenzhen and found that more than 70% had married within three years of meeting their partners. That became the basis for Liangpei’s refund window, although the findings don’t establish that the app can produce similar results.

There are still some unanswered questions about what customers are paying for. Sixth Tone described the 2,000-yuan charge as a one-time fee, while the South China Morning Post called it an annual membership fee. The available reporting also doesn’t clarify whether users must remain active for all three years or what happens if they marry someone they met outside the app.

Even if Liangpei eventually honors its refund promise, that wouldn’t necessarily mean its AI matchmaking works. Customers could spend three years using the service without finding a spouse, only to end up back where they started. Until the first users become eligible for refunds in 2029, there’s no established track record showing how the company will handle those claims.

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