How matching works

The idea behind SkillSwap matching

SkillSwap isn't just a list of profiles — it's a matching engine that looks for people who can genuinely help each other. The goal is to connect you with partners where your skills, goals and availability line up in a meaningful way.

Every match is based on a combination of factors such as skills, languages, timezone, reliability and activity. These factors come together into a match score from 0–100.

Core matching logic

At the heart of the system is a simple idea:

• High match — when your Skills to Learn overlap with the other person's Skills to Teach, and their Skills to Learn overlap with your Skills to Teach.
• Partial match — when you can learn from them, but they don't currently want to learn anything you're offering (or vice versa).

Both types are useful: high matches are ideal long-term partners, while partial matches are great when you're focused on learning something specific.

What the system looks at

When calculating who to show you, SkillSwap considers:

• Skills alignment — teach/learn overlap in both directions
• Languages — at least one language both of you can use
• Timezone proximity — how easy it is to find common hours
• Reliability — whether someone tends to show up and complete sessions
• Responsiveness — how quickly they reply to messages
• Recent activity — whether they've been online and booking sessions lately

These signals are combined into a score that helps you scan your Matches page quickly. The higher the score, the more likely this person is a strong fit right now.

Soft vs direct matches

On your Matches page, you may see different labels or sections for different types of matches:

• Direct matches — strong two-way overlap where you can both learn and teach each other.
• Soft matches — one-way overlap where you can learn from them (or they from you), but not both.

Both still allow you to chat and book sessions — they're just prioritised differently in the list.

Why your profile matters

Matching quality depends heavily on what you've told the system. To get better matches:

• Add at least one clear Skill to Teach and one Skill to Learn
• Set the languages you actually want to use in sessions
• Make sure your timezone is correct

Learn more about setting this up in Skills & goals and Languages & timezone.

What to do with your matches

• Open a profile to see detailed skills, languages, XP and badges
• Click Chat to start a conversation
• Use the + → Schedule a session button in chat when you're ready

Related articles

• Match scores explained
• Soft vs direct matches
• How chat works