Is Salams or Muzz better?

It depends on what you weigh most. Muzz is independently owned and has the larger user base of the two, which is why many Muslims moved to it after learning Salams had been acquired by Match Group. Salams still has an established base, particularly in North America. If Muslim ownership is your deciding factor, Muzz is the stronger of the two.

Is Salams owned by Match Group?

Yes. Salams was acquired by Match Group — the company behind Tinder, Hinge, Match.com and OkCupid — in late 2023. It was not widely known until 2025, when it surfaced in a Match Group earnings report and was covered by MuslimMatters, Middle East Monitor and The New Arab, prompting boycott calls in parts of the Muslim community.

Muzz (formerly Muzmatch) was founded by Shahzad Younas in the UK and remains an independent company, backed by venture investors including Y Combinator and Luxor Capital. Younas has publicly said he turned down a $35 million offer from Match Group.

Are Salams and Muzz free?

Both operate on a freemium model — you can create a profile and match without paying, but features such as unlimited likes, seeing who liked you, and boosted visibility sit behind a subscription on both apps.

Is there an alternative to both Salams and Muzz?

Yes. MuslimahFirst is an independent, Muslim-owned app where women send the first message by default and a built-in Wali portal lets a sister's guardian stay involved. Matching, messaging and the Wali portal are free. Its user base is much smaller than either Salams or Muzz.

Compare

Salams vs Muzz: Which Should You Use in 2026?

Updated August 2026 · 7 min read

These are the two apps most Muslims weigh up first, and for years the choice came down to taste — which interface you preferred, which one your friends were on. That changed in 2025, when it became widely known that one of them had been sold to the company behind Tinder.

Here's an honest comparison of both, with sources. We build a competing app, so read us with that in mind — which is exactly why every claim below is one you can check yourself.

The short answer

If Muslim ownership is your deciding factor, Muzz is the clear pick of the two. It is independently owned; Salams has been part of Match Group — Tinder, Hinge, Match.com, OkCupid — since late 2023.

If pool size in North America matters most, Salams still has an established base there, and some people are comfortable with the ownership question. That's a personal call, not a technical one.

Ownership: the difference that actually separates them

Salams (formerly Minder) spent years positioning itself as the halal, community-built option. It was acquired by Match Group in late 2023. Most users didn't find out until early 2025, when the acquisition surfaced in a Match Group earnings report and was picked up by MuslimMatters, Middle East Monitor and The New Arab. Community coverage focused on three things: that users weren't told, that reporting indicated data was slated for integration with other Match Group platforms, and public statements by Match Group's CEO that many Muslims found impossible to reconcile with an app serving their marriage search. Boycott calls followed.

Muzz (formerly Muzmatch) was founded by Shahzad Younas in the UK and remains independent, backed by venture investors including Y Combinator and Luxor Capital. Younas has publicly stated he turned down a $35 million acquisition offer from Match Group. Whatever else you make of the app, that decision is on the record.

If ownership is a factor in your decision, this is not a close call. If it isn't, read on — the day-to-day experience is more similar than either would like to admit.

Side by side

	Salams	Muzz
Owner	Match Group (since late 2023)	Independent — founder-led
Founded	2015, as Minder (US)	2015, as Muzmatch (UK)
User base	Established, strongest in North America	Larger overall, strong in UK, Europe, South Asia
Cost	Freemium — key features paid	Freemium — key features paid
Who messages first	Either side, after a match	Either side, after a match
Guardian / wali involvement	No dedicated portal	Chaperone can be added to chats
Identity verification	Photo verification available	Photo verification available
Marriage-intent framing	Yes	Yes

Comparison reflects publicly available information as of August 2026. Features on both apps change; check each app for current details before deciding.

Where the two feel genuinely different

Muzz

Better-known outside North America, with the larger overall pool. It leans harder into marriage framing — chaperone options, no photos of the opposite gender in the feed if you prefer, and filters that a lot of practising users find useful. The interface has more going on, which some people like and some don't.

Salams

Cleaner and simpler, closer to a mainstream dating app in feel — which is either the appeal or the objection, depending on who you ask. Its North American base is still meaningful. The ownership question is the elephant in the room, and no interface decision changes it.

What neither of them solves

Having compared them honestly, here's what we noticed building in this space: two problems survive on both apps, and they both land hardest on sisters.

The flooded inbox. On both Salams and Muzz, either side can open the conversation after a match. In practice this means sisters wading through volumes of low-effort first messages, and brothers learning that mass messaging beats a considered profile.

Family involvement as a promise, not a feature. Muzz's chaperone option is closer than most, but neither app gives a wali a proper, sister-controlled place in the process. For a lot of families that's the difference between an app they'll accept and one they won't.

A third option, since you're comparing

MuslimahFirst is independent and Muslim-owned. Women send the first message by default — men can't initiate, and a sister can switch it if she'd rather brothers wrote first. There's a built-in Wali portal so a guardian can stay involved at an access level she controls. Matching, messaging and the Wali portal are free, with no paywall.

The honest trade-off: our user base is far smaller than either app above. We're new. If pool size is your priority today, Muzz wins on that measure — and since we're free, trying both costs nothing.

Try MuslimahFirst free

Frequently asked questions

Is Salams or Muzz better?: It depends what you weigh. Muzz is independently owned and has the larger overall user base — the stronger pick if Muslim ownership matters to you. Salams retains an established North American base.
Is Salams owned by Match Group?: Yes — acquired in late 2023, widely known from early 2025 after it appeared in a Match Group earnings report.
Who owns Muzz?: Founder Shahzad Younas and independent investors including Y Combinator and Luxor Capital. Younas has said publicly he turned down $35 million from Match Group.
Are Salams and Muzz free?: Both are freemium. You can match without paying, but unlimited likes, seeing who liked you and boosted visibility are paid on both.
Which app is better for a practising Muslim family?: Of the two, Muzz — its chaperone option and marriage-intent framing go further. If a properly involved wali matters to your family, no major app currently offers a dedicated guardian portal.

Sources

Match Group earnings disclosure of the Salams acquisition (surfaced February 2025)
MuslimMatters, Middle East Monitor and The New Arab reporting on the acquisition and subsequent boycott calls
Egypt Independent — "Muslim Dating App 'Salams' faces boycott calls over owner's pro-Israel stance"
Muzz company history and funding — Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muzz_(dating_app)

Want the full ownership picture across every major Muslim marriage app? See the sourced ownership table. Comparing one app at a time: Salams alternative · MuslimahFirst vs Muzz.