real intent
For people who know what they’re looking for.
Ember asks what you want before it matches you — so intent is something you read on a profile, not something you work out three dates in.
The mismatch nobody mentions until it’s late
The most common way dating goes wrong isn’t rejection. It’s two people who like each other perfectly well and want completely different things, finding that out somewhere around week five. Nobody did anything wrong. The information simply wasn’t available at the point where it would have mattered.
Ember puts it on the profile. Long-term relationship, something casual, new friends — whatever the answer, you see it before you like someone, not after you’ve got attached.
How Ember handles intent
- You choose what you're looking for at signup, and it appears on your profile where people actually see it.
- You can change it whenever you like — people's answers change, and the app shouldn't hold them to an old one.
- Intent sits alongside the rest of your profile rather than replacing it, so you're still a person, not a category.
- Every profile is verified, so a stated intention is attached to a real, identity-checked account.
Stating what you want isn’t unromantic
There’s a worry that naming what you’re after drains the romance out of it — that meeting someone should be a happy accident, not a filtered query. We’d gently disagree. Being clear about what you want isn’t the opposite of romance; it’s what makes the romance possible with the right person instead of wasted on a mismatch.
The surprise, the chemistry, the part you can’t engineer — that’s all still ahead of you. Ember just tries to make sure you’re spending it on someone who wants the same thing.
Common questions
Is Ember only for people looking for a long-term relationship?
No. Ember asks what you're looking for — a long-term relationship, something casual, new friends — and shows that on your profile. The point isn't to allow only one answer, it's that everyone's answer is visible before you match.
How does stating intent actually change anything?
It moves an awkward conversation to the start instead of the middle. You're not three dates in before discovering you wanted different things — it's on the profile you liked.
Can I change what I'm looking for later?
Yes, any time, from your profile. What you're looking for isn't a permanent declaration — people's answers change, and the app should let them.
Does Ember cost money to find a serious match?
No. Matching and chat are free forever. Premium adds extras, but nothing about finding or talking to a compatible person sits behind a payment.
Join the Ember waitlist
Free to join, and everyone on the waitlist gets 3 months of Ember Premium free when we open in their city.
Join the waitlist →