Bumble is the dating app that puts the power in women’s hands. If a man wants to contact a woman, she must first show interest in him or allow him to answer her prompts. This adds a safety layer that other services lack. Besides that unique hook, Bumble shares many features with Tinder—specifically the concept of swiping to show interest in a fellow user—but it comes across much less like a meat market. If you’re a guy who is happy to sit back and let the woman control the interactions, Bumble is worth trying. And if you’re a woman who wants to reclaim power in the online dating sphere—and cut down on all of the unwanted “lol u up?” inbound messages—Bumble is a terrific option.
(Credit: Bumble/PCMag)
Getting Started With BumbleBumble is available as both an Android app and iOS app, as well as the browser-based Bumble Web. Like many other dating apps, Bumble wants you to log in via Facebook, but you also have the option to use a phone number. The profile-building process begins after inputting your digits and adding a confirmation code sent via text message. First, the app asks for a photo—even before your name, sex, and age.
Unlike most other apps, Bumble asks what you identify as. It shares this trait with other, more modern services like Hinge and OkCupid, which lets you choose from many gender identities, including Hijra, genderfluid, and two-spirit. Nonbinary users can message anyone, and message them first.From there, you’re asked your name and birthday (again, you are prompted to use Facebook to complete). This is one of the few apps that asks for an email specifically for recovery purposes. Thankfully, you can opt out of updates about events and promotions, which most other dating apps sign you up for without asking).
After completing those simple requests, you further beef up your profile. Bumble lets you answer questions like who your dream dinner guest is, play “two truths and a lie,” or complete aspirational writing prompts like “Equality to me means…” and “My most recent act of kindness….”You can also connect your Instagram and Spotify accounts, a feature that Tinder also offers. Like Vinylly, it can even use music to judge compatibility.Bumble doesn’t ask you the extensive list of personality questions that competitors such as eharmony and Match do. That’s good if you want to get in and immediately start matching, but bad if you prefer apps that use more data to help you make the perfect connection.After your first sign-in, the app explains that Bumble is where you build your Hive (which is its term for everyone you can meet on the app—love interests, new friends, and even business partners) and promises to be “the easiest and safest way” to create connections. You then see a screen with a sweet story about how the app is built on kindness, empowerment, and respect (though it’s not above a good “be”/”bee” pun), and asks you to be kind, confident, and respectful. Few apps care to set some ground rules at the get-go like this, even if this is the slimmest of requests. Bumble pleases with its inclusiveness, offering the option to be into not just men or women, but “everyone.”
(Credit: Bumble/PCMag)
Bumble also offers you the rare option to make new friends (called Bumble BFFs) and business associates (Bumble Bizz). It’s equal parts dating app, friend finder, and pastel-colored LinkedIn.You can make separate profiles for each mode. The business mode is mostly filled with one-person tech companies selling their side hustle or headhunting. Bumble BFF is a fine idea, but if you’re a guy, it only serves up profiles of other men. Assuming men can’t be friends with women is strangely regressive for this app, but there’s a legitimate argument to be made for privacy and safety concerns.Interface, Profiles, and Reaching OutIndicate a preference for women and Bumble lets you know that “in our hive, ladies make the first move.” It even drops a little Tinder shade by reminding you that “gone are the days of dead-end matches and unwanted messages.” Tinder’s interface, by contrast, is based primarily on a hot-or-not finger swipe that’s focused more on looks and less on…everything else. This is the point in the process where Bumble asks you to open your wallet, but more on that later.For the most part, unless a woman expresses interest in you first, all you can do as a guy to show you like a fellow user is swipe right, tap the check mark icon in someone’s profile, or tap a heart (to show you’re really, really into someone). In theory, once you’ve told Bumble that you’re not interested in someone, they should no longer appear in your search results, but this doesn’t always work.However, there’s an exception to Bumble’s “ladies first” rule. With Opening Move, women can write and offer an icebreaker prompt for men to respond to. So, technically, men do send the first message in this scenario. Still, the optional feature prioritizes women’s agency, giving them more choices on how they want the conversation to start and continue. This relieves the pressure of being forced to go first.You can swipe after seeing just the first photo, but Bumble wants you to check out profiles in their entirety. The app prompts you to view a person’s photos and read their bio before serving up the X (you’re not interested) or check mark (you are interested) at the bottom of the screen. That said, profiles are photo-focused affairs, signaling that, like Tinder, Bumble is more of a place for casual dating than finding your forever person. Aside from the main photo, profiles display a written summary of who the person is looking for, and profile basics like height, education level, pet ownership, and politics. From there it serves up more photos, Instagram and Spotify accounts (if connected), answers to the questions filled out during signup (“Nightclub or Netflix?”), and location. Bumble even uses AI to blur unsolicited nudes.In another nod to Tinder, you can swipe left and right instead of tapping the X and check mark to note your interest. As mentioned, if a user indicates interest and the other person matches back, the woman has 24 hours to start a conversation (in same-gender connections, both parties can immediately exchange messages). Once you have a mutual connection, Bumble lets you introduce yourself and kindly offers icebreaker prompts. Despite the 24-hour response window, guys can use a Daily Extend feature to keep the communication window open—basically like saying “please, please talk to me?” Otherwise, if the 24-hour window closes with no contact, the app un-matches you, and the potential for connection is closed. With Snooze mode, users can also pause their profiles while maintaining current matches.Bumble offers some of the best virtual dating options in its field. Matches can communicate not just through text but also with audio notes. You can video chat, too. Add the Virtual Dating badge to your profile to let your partner know you’re ready for the call. You can even match with anyone in your country now, not just those in a 100-mile radius.
(Credit: Bumble/PCMag)
You can browse, connect, and communicate with other members for free, which is a great value considering that competitors like Match and eharmony charge more than $40 for those features. You can also unlock an upgraded account, Bumble Boost, which offers Tinder-like features that let you swipe without limits, extend your matches if you don’t have a chance to respond within 24 hours, and reconnect with expired connections (which, of course, completely undercuts the value proposition of the 24-hour limit). However, this won’t promote your profile to more users, despite what the Boost name might imply. Boost starts at $1.99 for a one-day trial, or you can pay $16.99 per month. Longer subscriptions lower the monthly cost. Bumble Premium is an even higher tier that includes more filtering options, the ability to go incognito or change your profile location, and access to who’s interested in you. Bumble Premium starts at $39.99 per month. You can also purchase Bumble Coins, which start at $1.99 each and give you the option to SuperSwipe a profile. This entails tapping a heart on a person’s profile to say “I think I like you and I’m willing to spend $1.99 to show you in the form of an extra icon.” Each SuperSwipe costs one coin.
How to go on a virtual date during the coronavirus pandemic
Verdict: It’s a Woman’s WorldThere’s a lot to like about Bumble—its entire business is predicated on making you feel good about using the app. You can communicate with connections for free, and the interface takes a potentially stressful situation and makes it serene. Even if its photo-focused profiles carry a casual dating vibe, Bumble is an excellent choice for women with safety and privacy concerns—and men who don’t mind letting women make the first move. If you’re looking for a long-term relationship, Match is our Editors’ Choice winner for dating apps thanks to its robust profiles and easy-to-use interface. However, Bumble is a high-quality alternative, especially for women who want to play it safe in the dating jungle.Karl Klockers contributed to this review.
The Bottom Line
Bumble is a well-designed, inclusive, and empowering dating app that lets women decide who makes the first move.
Like What You’re Reading?
Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
