What Is Alura? Inside the new AI Matchmaking App
Alura is a members-only dating app where independent matchmakers search member profiles for their clients. See how to join and what it costs.
What is Alura?
Alura is a private dating app for singles, where members join by application and independent matchmakers search their profiles to find matches for the matchmakers' own clients. The company was founded in 2025 by co-founders Megan McKinley and Peter Ashley.
Who is Alura for?
Alura is for accomplished singles aged 18 and older, and it is not open to everyone. Members are checked before they get access, and membership is by application only. Applications are open in San Francisco as of October 2026, and people elsewhere can ask to be notified when Alura launches near them.
How to join Alura?
Joining Alura starts with an application, and not everyone who applies is accepted. Applicants tell Alura about themselves in a quick call, after which Alura builds their profile. The intake is voice-led, and an AI agent turns it into a structured profile of the applicant and the kind of person they hope to meet.
How does matchmaking work on Alura?
Matchmaking happens when an independent matchmaker finds a member's profile and sees the member as the right fit for one of the matchmaker's clients. Once a member is accepted, the profile goes into a database that matchmakers search, and they can see members' photos and AI-generated profiles. From there, the matchmaker contacts the member to make the introduction.
Matchmakers run their own businesses and have no employment, agency, or partnership tie to Alura, and they subscribe to its Partner Portal. A member can stop sharing with matchmakers whenever they like, by contacting support or updating profile settings.
How much does Alura cost?
Membership on Alura is free. As of October 2026, Alura puts $100 toward a first date whenever a matchmaker introduction leads to one. Professional matchmakers who use the network pay subscriptions, and that is where Alura's revenue comes from.
Members never have to work with or pay a matchmaker, and any deal made with one sits outside Alura. Alura has not stated what matchmakers charge.
Looking for a matchmaker who knows you and plans the date?
Known is a matchmaking service for intentional daters who want a more personal, hands-off approach to dating. Instead of matchmakers searching member profiles for their own clients, you get Known's matchmaker, who gets to know you beyond what fits on a dating profile, from your values and relationship goals to the little things that make you, you. Potential matches get the same thoughtful treatment, so when there's someone worth meeting, Known makes the introduction.
Because chemistry is best discovered in person, Known is designed to get you there. When you both say yes to an introduction, Known finds a time, books the reservation, and sends you the details, so all you have to do is show up.
Known is currently available in San Francisco and San Diego, with plans to expand nationwide. Download Known to see when your city is launching.
Getting to know someone takes trust. Known puts privacy and safety alongside the introduction: our privacy policy explains how information is handled, and our community guidelines cover consent, respectful behavior, and confidential reporting.