Hello dear readers,
If you’re here, you’re probably considering joining Bumble. I assume you’re also wondering if it would be good fit for you to find someone to hook-up with, regularly or not.
Well, today let me tell you about my own experience of this platform. As you might know, I travel a lot between London and Bristol, two vibrant cities with a lot to offer. Wherever I am, my goal is to have fun in everything I do and to meet people to have fun with along the way. That being said, it can sometimes be tricky to find someone to hook-up with in a way that feels fun and easy enough.
And that’s when apps and dating sites come in handy. My libertine lifestyle wouldn’t be the same without using dating sites as tools to facilitate and nourish it. They also help me save an incredible amount of time.
Bumble is a dating app that was launched in 2014 by a former Tinder executive. It works a lot like Tinder in the sense that you swipe right if you like a profile, left if you don’t. When two people like each other’s profile, it’s a match. That’s quite a conventional model we’re all familiar with, right? But Bumble also has a few unique features that make it interesting. For example, in heterosexual pairings, women have to send the first message. Bumble also allows you to search for friends and business connections, rather than just dates.
Now let’s dive in and see what Bumble is really like and if it’s fun and safe to use.
After reading my full review, you should be able to assess if this dating app is right for you before registering.
Who am I and why you might want to read my review
My name is Emily and I’m 30 years old. It’s majorly important for me to have fun in every aspect of my life and in everything I do – and that’s what has led me to live a libertine life. This lifestyle makes me incredibly happy. I love exploring my sexuality with or without a partner and gain confidence doing so. I feel more and more empowered in my life and I’m certain it has to do with adopting a libertine lifestyle.
And of course, the more I explore and learn, the more I want to share my experience with you guys. Because I travel a lot, I love meeting new people on dating apps and hook-up sites. It saves time and makes my life easier.
I mostly meet men, but I’ll often meet women as well, and sometimes couples if I’m in the mood.
I hate wasting my time on websites that are not worth it, or that make it more difficult than fun for me to organise dates. So because I want you to have as much fun as me in the bedroom, I will be very honest in my reviews: what I like, what I don’t like and if I think you should avoid the website altogether or if it’s worth giving it a try. If I tell you I like a website, you can trust me: I really do.
What’s Bumble?
Bumble is a dating app (available on both iOS and Android) that works on a swipe right/swipe left model. The way it differs from other similar dating apps is by letting women be in charge of sending the first message (something I’m quite fond of, of course). This reduces the amount of unwanted / vulgar messages you tend to receive as a woman.
Another thing that sets Bumble apart is how they support a wide range of orientations. Dating sites usually specialise in heterosexual or non-heterosexual relationships. It’s not the case here. You can specify your gender on your profile (man, woman, non-binary and plenty more options). And since gender can be fluid, you can update your gender identity at any time. In that way, Bumble tries to be inclusive and I quite appreciate that.
You can also specify what gender(s) you’re interested in finding. It doesn’t have to be sexual, as Bumble offers several modes for you to choose from: dating, BFF (for you to make friends) and Bizz (for career networking). To be honest, I mainly focussed on the dating mode of course.
Does Bumble sound like an app you might enjoy using?
Then read on, I’ll tell you if it works and if it’s worth your time (and money).
What I focus on when reviewing a hook-up site?
What matters to me most is the fact that a hook-up site is here to make my life easier. I want to be able to easily find new sex partners in a safe and positive way.
Here’s what I’m looking for in a dating site or app, before anything else:
– The popularity of the website: you want enough people to be active so you’re not left on “read”.
– Confidentiality: Are your hook-up conversations safe? Will non-members see you’re on this app? Does the app keep your data private? That’s a very important thing I like to check on apps and dating sites. Your confidentiality must be guaranteed.
– The features: good features not only facilitate you meeting like-minded people – they also make it more fun for everyone involved.
– The price: how much does it cost to meet new sex partners? Is the price worth it? Are the features good for this price?
– Who will I meet on this platform? Are there interesting prospects on this website? Will I find my next hook-up on the app? (To me, this category also includes the question of fake profiles and dead accounts. A website that is full of these will lead you nowhere.)
Bumble: is this dating app any good?
Overall, I find the Bumble dating app pretty good even though I was a bit disappointed.
Bumble is quite a big and famous app now, so I was expecting a large data base and a lot of quality profiles willing to meet up and share a sex-positive experience.
After almost a month on the app, I don’t think it has lived up to its fame. Of course I’ll give you more details about my experience, but first let’s see how it compares to other dating sites I’ve tested.
How does it compare to other hook-up sites?
Be Sexy – 4,5/5
My comments
One of my favourites, and one of the dating sites I spend the most time on. BeSexy is great fun and has excellent features to interact with other users, send photos, enjoy cams, etc.
Members
Sex-positive community, large database of all ages.
Price
- Monthly subscriptions 3 different payment plans.
- Free for women.
Bumble – 3,5/5
My comments
A fun app that allows me to decide if I want to message a match or not. Easy to use. A lot of younger users: they aren’t really in touch with their sexuality, not as open-minded and sex-positive as on other platforms.
Members
Large data base, but the profiles lack a bit of that quality & sex-positivity that I’m looking for. Smaller pool if you’re over 30. It seems to be an app that attracts younger people.
Price
- Free subscription for men and women
- Paid upgrades and enhancers
- Premium membership : $29.99 for one month
But you have the option to get a 1 day or lifetime premium membership as well. Plenty of options.
Gleeden – 2,5/5
My comments
It’s a good enough website but I won’t spend my time on it. I like the credit (instead of subscription), which is without commitment and unlimited in time.
Members
A lot of dodgy profiles.
A lot of “real” active profiles are here to fantasise an affair rather than having one.
Price
- No membership: you buy credits (unlimited in time)
- Free for women
My personal experience on Our Time
So the main question is: has Bumble helped me find someone to hook-up with?
The answer is yes. Well, kinda. Did it make it extra fun though? Not reaaaally.
I met this guy on the app, Sean. I had very little information about him (because the app doesn’t give you much to work with) but something about him made me quite horny, solely based on his pictures. I SuperSwiped him, to notify him I was very interested – and that’s how I first caught his attention. We matched and I initiated the conversation.
After a while we moved the conversation to a video call on the platform. The very little information I had on him didn’t allow me to see Sean and I wouldn’t be a good match. He wasn’t very open-minded about his sexuality, about my libertine lifestyle and generally lacked maturity. Anyway, we had online sex anyway, as I felt horny and it was a good way of making him stop talking non-sense and focus on me instead. That was fun the time it lasted and I never messaged him again.
I think there’s a real problem with the lack of info you get on people’s profiles.
Who will you meet on this app?
The Bumble community
I know I said the profiles I’ve come across on bumble lacked a bit of that quality and sex-positivity I’m looking for. What I mean by that is not that the quality of profiles is not good, but rather that people tend not to be very much into a libertine lifestyle. I think they are a bit too young for that or looking for a serious relationship – unlike on some other platforms I use like BeSexy and some others.
I’ve indeed noticed that more people are looking for a serious relationship than on other platforms I prefer. This might be what you’re into, but I was definitely looking for something fun and easy – a regular booty call is the furthest I’ll go regarding commitment for now.
It’s actually fair to say that, because only women can send the first message, men who want to send unsolicited messages tend to steer clear of the app. It’s also the case for super dominant men, because they don’t really like not being able to send the first message.
Fake profiles / inactive accounts
There seems to be a healthy level of safety moderation to prevent scammers from joining. I don’t have much to report regarding inactive accounts and fake profiles, which is not often the case – so that’s a thumb up to Bumble in that regard.
Just to feel extra safe, you can limit your matches to “verified” profiles only. Apparently, that means the Bumble team has verified that the person is who they say they are via a photo taken in real time. Handy.
The subscription process
You’ll be able to download the Bumble app from your regular Apple Store or Google Play.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll be given the option to synch your profile to your Facebook account, your phone number or you Apple ID if you have one.
This verification insures that you’re a real person and not a bot.
Then, add info to your profile: add your name and a photo. I know, this is quite a regular thing to do on your profile, but don’t neglect this step. Your photo is super important. There’s too many people on this app for you to rely on one lame photo that doesn’t show your best features. I see a lot of profiles with a group photo (terrible idea) or a photo taken from far away. I’ll never swipe right to these. Just so you know… You can add up to five more photos to your profile, but Bumble allows you to complete this step later if you prefer.
Add your birthday. Of course, if people don’t synch their profile to their Facebook account, they can lie about their age easily.
Confirm your gender identity – are you a man, a woman or non-binary? You’ve got plenty of options to choose from. Same with your matching preferences. You’ll be able to choose between “date” (someone to hook-up with), “BFF” (platonic friends) and “Bizz” (professional networking) modes. To be honest, I find it quite odd to look for professional connections on a dating app, but you do you.
If you select a same-gender preference, there’s obviously no restriction on who gets to message first.
After you’ve subscribed, you’ll be able to add a short bio, interests, work and education, and various convo-starting prompts. Please remember to be yourself here, and set yourself apart. Be a bit funny or original – there’s too many people on the app for you to remain average. To help you show who you truly are, you can connect your Spotify and Instagram accounts.
Do you need to pay to subscribe?
The basic Bumble membership is free. Of course, a free membership will limit you in what you can do with it.
To access the best features (and the more efficient ones) you’ll have to upgrade to a paid account.
You have three options to upgrade: Bumble Boost, Bumble Premium, and Bumble Spotlights.
- Spotlight boosts your profile for 30 minutes to make it more likely to be seen. You can purchase Spotlights one by one or in bundles to save money.
- Boost give you a hand with different aspects of your Bumble profile. For example, it gets you to extend the time before a match expires, to have the opportunity to rematch someone (we all deserve a second chance), to get “Spotlights” and SuperSwipes (to show someone you REALLY like their profile).
- Bumble Premium: Premium gives you access to the Beeline, where you can see people who have selected you even before you swipe on them. You can also go incognito, get access to advanced filters, and other premium features.
You can choose between a weekly, monthly, three-month, six-month, and a lifetime membership billing cycle. Please note that a one-time lifetime Bumble Premium membership costs less than nine months of subscription-based service. That’s quite a good deal…Whether you get a paid membership or not, you’ll always have access to Bumble Bizz and Bumble BFF.
Now, to give you an idea of what all these paid services and subscriptions cost, here are the details for a Boost depending on the payment plan you go for:
BumbleBoost Subscription
1 Week = 7.99 GBP
1 Month = 20.99 GBP
3 Months = 41.99 GBP (= 14.00 GBP / Month)
6 Months = 71.94 GBP (= 11.99 GBP / Month)
My favourite features on Bumble
You’ll have to pay for most of the good features, unfortunately. I’m talking about features that will give you more visibility and popularity on the platform = that will save you time.
Advanced Filters
The advanced filters will help you narrow your searches down. The filters available on Bumble are quite detailed, I find. This feature is only available on Bumble Premium.
Match Extension
This feature gives you another 24 hours to contact a match before it expires and disappears. Very handy when you’re not always online or if you use several platform at the same time and forget about that hot match on Bumble. This is available on Bumble Boost and Bumble Premium.
SuperSwipe
I like being able to let someone know I’m seriously interested in them. That helps catch their attention and again, saves you time. I like being direct. The superswipe lets them know exactly that. You can buy this using Bumble coins.
Backtrack
Sometimes, I swipe left a bit too fast. The Backtrack feature allows you to get back accidental swipes. Only available for premium users.
Virtual Dating Badge
I quite enjoy a virtual tease and/or sex. If your profile has a « Virtual Dating » badge, it means you’re ready to interact via video or voice call.
Women Incognito Mode
This mode will allow female users to access the app without being seen, and to decide when they want to become visible to the men they’ve liked.
The advantages and disadvantages I see in this hook-up site
Advantages
- Only women decide when they message their matches (in heterosexual dating situations) which keeps away unsolicited and unwanted messages.
- The 24-hour time-limit does encourage users to be proactive in making communication
- The app has an equal split of male and female singles.
Disadvantages
- Profiles lack the personal touch : the app reduces information to the bare minimum
- You don’t technically have to verify your profile, opening up your swiping journey to potentially fake matches.
- Heterosexual men have limited input in initiating communication (I know this will put off a lot of men I know)
Other users’ opinion
Considering my experience on dating sites, you know you can trust my opinion. But it’s always good to get other people’s point of view, isn’t it?
Danielle says “I’m not that big a fan of Bumble because it doesn’t provide enough space to describe yourself and your interests. It encourages depending on photos, which obviously isn’t conducive to finding a serious relationship. There should be a section where you at least describe your interests. And a self-description should be mandatory”.
Kevin adds “Don’t bother if you just wanna get laid, not the best app for that purpose. If you are looking for something serious though Bumble is a nice option!”.
My overall opinion
I was very excited about the logic of the app: empowering women, making us in control of the conversation. The reality of using this app though felt a bit underwhelming.
The app allows for very little information on each profile which makes it difficult to decide if you actually want to chat with a match or not.
You can always base your decision on the looks, especially if, like me, you’re looking for a causal hook-up, but it still doesn’t tell you what the person is like. I like knowing a bit about my match before chatting with them. If not, it might lead to a big waste of time.
I still enjoyed some of the features though, but they are not revolutionary. I think I’ll stick to my favourite platforms for now, like BeSexy or some others that feel a bit more “me”. Bumble might keep you busy and entertained for a couple days though.