Matchmaker or dating app: how to think about the difference

A dating app gives you access to volume. A private matchmaker gives you access to selection. The distinction matters most for people whose time is scarce and whose privacy is not negotiable.

Apps require you to be visible, available and continuously present. Many accomplished people are none of those things: which is precisely why the most interesting candidates are so rarely found there.

Where matchmaking wins

Recruitment. A matchmaker can identify and approach someone who is not on the market, has never used an app, and would only ever consider an introduction made by someone they trust.