Keen as Mustard
- Scope
- Flutter dating app (100+ screens), Node.js backend (50+ API endpoints), React landing page, React + Node.js admin panel
- Delivery
- 6-person team, delivered on time in 6 months; store launch paused by the client
Solutions
Dating app development for Australian startups
WakeUp Monster builds dating and social discovery apps in Flutter for iOS and Android, for founders in Australia and beyond, with the backend, admin panel and landing page around them. We built Keen as Mustard, a Sydney dating app with 100+ screens, real-time chat, dual verification and RevenueCat subscriptions, delivered on time in 6 months by a 6-person team. Its landing page gathered 500+ pre-launch signups.
Discuss Your ProjectBy the WakeUp Monster team · Updated
- Reference build
- Keen as Mustard, a dating app for Australians (Sydney)
- Scope
- 100+ screens and 50+ API endpoints
- Team and time
- 6 people, 6 months, delivered on time
- Stack
- Flutter, Node.js, RevenueCat, Firebase, AWS, React
- QA
- 546 internal testers on TestFlight and Play Internal Testing
- Point of contact
- Rajat Khoware, Founder
What features does a dating app need?
A dating app needs a way to discover people, a way to show interest, chat after a match, and strong verification and privacy controls. Most also need a subscription tier and an admin panel. The table lists the main features we built into Keen as Mustard.
| Feature | What it does | Built in Keen as Mustard? |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery mode | Lets users browse and find potential matches | Yes |
| Passport mode | Lets users look for matches beyond their usual location | Yes |
| Keen and super keen likes | Two levels of interest, so a stronger signal stands out | Yes |
| Real-time chat | Messaging between matched users in real time | Yes |
| Dual verification | A live selfie liveness scan plus a government ID match, which gives the user a permanent verified badge | Yes |
| Contact blocking | Hides you from people in your phone contacts, and hides them from you | Yes |
| Personality and trait filters | Narrows matches by personality and traits, not only photos | Yes |
| Privacy controls | Lets users decide what they share and who can see it | Yes |
| Premium subscriptions | Paid tiers managed through RevenueCat across iOS and Android | Yes |
| Weekly giveaways | Regular giveaways that give users a reason to come back | Yes |
| Real-world experiences | After a match, users get access to discounted experiences at restaurants, cafes, cinemas and pubs | Yes |
You will not need every row. Which features belong in your first release depends on your audience, your business model and what makes your app different, and we settle that in the user story document before any screen is designed. Keen as Mustard's difference was taking matches offline: the real-world experiences gave people a reason to meet rather than keep swiping.
How do you build trust and safety into a dating app?
You build trust by checking that people are who they say they are and by giving users control over who sees them. In Keen as Mustard that meant identity verification, contact blocking, privacy controls and an admin panel for verification and moderation.
- Dual verification: a live selfie liveness scan and a government ID match, ending in a permanent verified badge on the profile.
- Contact blocking that works both ways, so users are not shown to people in their phone contacts, such as a colleague or an ex.
- Privacy controls that let each user decide what their profile shows.
- Verification tools in the admin panel, so the client's team can oversee who holds a verified badge.
- Moderation tools in the same admin panel, so the team can act on problem accounts without a developer.
- Personality and trait filters, so users see fewer mismatched profiles in the first place.
Safety features are far easier to plan at the start than to add later, because they touch sign-up, profiles, matching and chat. We map them in the user stories at the start, so the verification flow, the blocking rules and the admin tools are designed together in Figma rather than added after launch feedback.
What does the admin side of a dating app look like?
The admin side is a web dashboard your team uses to run the app day to day without asking a developer. For Keen as Mustard we built it in React with a Node.js backend.
- Verification: oversee user verification and verified badges.
- Giveaways: set up and run the weekly giveaways.
- Subscriptions: manage premium subscriptions, which run through RevenueCat.
- Moderation: manage user accounts and keep the community in check.
The same Node.js backend, with 50+ API endpoints, serves both the Flutter app and the admin panel, and it runs on AWS. A React landing page sat in front of the whole product to explain it and collect signups before launch. Our backend and API development page explains how we structure this kind of system.
Keen as Mustard: a dating app case in brief
Keen as Mustard is a dating app built exclusively for Australians, for co-founders Josie and Ryan in Sydney. A 6-person WakeUp Monster team delivered the Flutter app, Node.js backend, admin panel and landing page on time in 6 months.
Josie and Ryan came to us through a referral. The product started life as "Match at First Swipe", but about four months into development it became clear the name could not be trademarked. We rebranded the product fully, with a new name, logo, palette and identity, without a change order or a paused sprint, and still delivered on the original timeline.
The finished product covers 100+ screens in the Flutter app and 50+ API endpoints in the Node.js backend, with RevenueCat for subscriptions, Firebase for real-time features and AWS for hosting. Before launch, 546 internal testers used builds distributed through TestFlight and Google Play Internal Testing, and the React landing page collected 500+ pre-launch signups.
Keen as Mustard was delivered on time in 6 months. The client then paused the store launch for personal reasons, so the app is not in the stores today. The full Keen as Mustard dating app case study covers the research, design and features in more detail.
"We have truly enjoyed this project so much and learnt a great deal from you during this process. We cannot talk highly enough about you and have thoroughly enjoyed working with you. Thank you for always being patient and understanding and for all your hard work!" Josie, Co-Founder, Keen as Mustard, Sydney, Australia
How would we build your dating app?
We follow the same six steps on every app, with extra care at the start on matching rules and safety. You see every screen in Figma before code and real test builds on your phone during development.
- 01
Discovery call with the founder
A free call with Rajat Khoware, Founder, about your audience, what makes your app different and how it will make money. If we are not the right fit, we say so.
- 02
Proposal and user stories in 3-5 days
Scope, timeline, milestones and a user story document. For a dating app this is where we write down the matching rules, the verification flow and what free and premium users can each do.
- 03
Figma design and prototype
Our lead UI/UX designer designs every screen, from onboarding to chat. We iterate until you sign off, and no code is written before that.
- 04
Development sprints
Flutter app, backend and admin panel built in milestones, with weekly progress updates and TestFlight and Google Play Internal Testing builds you install yourself.
- 05
Testing and QA
Structured internal QA with edge cases fixed, including matching, blocking and verification paths. Then you test on your own device.
- 06
Launch and beyond
App Store and Play Store submission, handover documentation, post-launch support and bug fixes, and optional marketing campaigns.
Typical delivery for our app projects is 3-6 months, depending on scope. We ask clients to reply to questions within 24-48 hours, which keeps a remote project on schedule across time zones. If this is your first product, our MVP development for startups page explains how we cut a dating app down to a first release you can test with real users.
Relevant project proof
A good fit when
- •You are planning a dating, matchmaking or social discovery app for iOS and Android.
- •Verification, privacy and moderation matter to your audience from day one.
- •You want subscriptions, a landing page and an admin panel built by the same team as the app.
- •You want to work directly with the founder rather than an account manager.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build a dating app?
WakeUp Monster built Keen as Mustard, a Sydney dating app with 100+ screens and a 50+ endpoint backend, in 6 months with a 6-person team, and delivered it on time. A smaller first release usually needs less time. Our app projects typically take 3-6 months, and your proposal sets out a timeline with milestones within 3-5 days of the discovery call.
Do you build dating apps for Australian startups?
Yes. Our dating app reference build, Keen as Mustard, was made for co-founders Josie and Ryan in Sydney and is built exclusively for Australians. WakeUp Monster is based in Indore, India and works remote-first: Rajat Khoware, Founder, is your single point of contact, you get weekly progress updates and test builds, and we ask for replies within 24-48 hours.
Can you build an app like Tinder or Hinge?
WakeUp Monster builds custom dating products, not clones of existing apps. We can build the familiar parts, such as discovery, likes, matching and real-time chat, but we decide your feature set with you in discovery, based on your audience and what makes your app different. For Keen as Mustard, that difference was offering discounted real-world experiences after a match.
How do you verify users on a dating app?
On Keen as Mustard we built dual verification. A user completes a live selfie liveness scan and a government ID match, and a user who passes gets a permanent verified badge on their profile. The React and Node.js admin panel includes verification tools, so the client's team can oversee verification alongside moderation.
Do dating apps need subscriptions?
Many dating apps earn through premium subscriptions, though it is your business decision. For Keen as Mustard, WakeUp Monster built premium subscriptions with RevenueCat, which manages subscriptions across the App Store and Google Play from one place. The admin panel also shows subscriber information, so the client's team can manage premium users without a developer.
Is Keen as Mustard live in the app stores?
No. Keen as Mustard was delivered on time in 6 months, with 100+ screens, a full backend, an admin panel and a landing page that gathered 500+ pre-launch signups. The client then paused the store launch for personal reasons, so the app is not currently published on the App Store or Google Play.
Can a dating app include real-world dates or offers?
Yes. In Keen as Mustard, after two people match they get access to discounted real-world experiences at restaurants, cafes, cinemas and pubs, and the app runs weekly giveaways. WakeUp Monster designed these flows in Figma and built them into the Flutter app, with the admin panel used to run the giveaways.
Do you build the landing page and admin panel too?
Yes. For Keen as Mustard, WakeUp Monster built a React landing page that collected 500+ pre-launch signups and a React and Node.js admin panel for verification, giveaways, subscriptions and moderation, alongside the Flutter app and the Node.js backend. One team built all four, so they were planned together and the client had one point of contact.
Keep exploring
Keen as Mustard dating app case studyThe full story of our 100+ screen dating app for Sydney founders.Flutter app developmentWhy we build dating and discovery apps in Flutter for iOS and Android.Backend and API developmentNode.js, Firebase and AWS behind chat, matching and subscriptions.App UI/UX designEvery screen designed and signed off in Figma before code.MVP development for startupsHow we scope a first release for first-time founders.All solutionsDating, healthcare, food discovery and startup MVP projects.
Available worldwide
Planning a dating app?
Book a free discovery call with Rajat Khoware, Founder. Within 3-5 days you get a proposal with scope, timeline, milestones and user stories for your matching and safety features, and if we are not the right fit, we will tell you.
Discuss Your Project