An Online Dater's Honest Bumble Review: Is This App Worth Trying?

Known as the dating app where "women always make the first move," Bumble became one of the fastest growing dating apps due to its unique approach to connecting users. Throughout my years of online dating, I've used the app extensively—lucky for you, I'm an open book when it comes to scrolling and swiping.

Bumble launched in December 2014. At the end of 2022, there were reported to be 50 million users on the app worldwide (up from 45 million in 2021). Just over 2 million of these users take advantage of Bumble Premium.

While the app is designed for daters of all ages, 72% of them are under 35. The gender ratio is 3:1 (male-female); about 32% of Bumble users are female.

The brand markets itself as a dating app for people who are looking for connection. While this can be (and often is) dating-specific within Bumble's Date mode, the app also has sections for Bumble BFF (seeking new friendships) and Bumble Bizz (for business relationships). 

Building a Bumble profile is fairly easy and very intuitive. After signing up, it's time to build out your profile. A maximum of six photos are allowed. There's an option to turn on "Best Photo," in which Bumble will decide which of your photos to feature first. I prefer to choose how I'm presented, so I keep this feature turned off. This is just my preference, though!

"It's essential to show how you're unique and avoid the generic profiles that are quite common on dating sites," says Trotter. She encourages people to present themselves in a positive and confident light. 

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There are two specific areas that really set Bumble apart from its competitors. The first is, as previously mentioned, women make the first move. In heterosexual matches on Bumble, this is required; men cannot start the conversation. In same-gender matches, either person can start the conversation.

The second way Bumble differs from its counterparts is the timing aspect. On apps like Hinge and Tinder, matches stay forever (or until one person removes the other). On Bumble, the connection has 24 hours to respond to the opening message before the match expires. This establishes a sense of urgency to engage in conversation rather than waiting for weeks or even months.

Bumble has a free membership option with many features available to users. There are also multiple paid options:

Bumble Boost: includes unlimited swipes plus the ability to backtrack, extend time on your current matches, one Spotlight per week, and five SuperSwipes per week.

Cost: $9/week, $17/month, $34/three months, $55/six months

Bumble Premium: Includes all of the above plus unlimited Advanced filters, access to your Beeline (where you can see who's swiped on you), and the ability to change your location with travel mode.

If you decide to upgrade from a free Bumble account to a paid subscription, you unlock a host of interesting features. The one I enjoy most is access to your Beeline, the area displaying all the people who have swiped on you. I appreciate this feature for its timesaving capability. It's nice to be able to swipe left or right on people I already know took the time to swipe on me. 

I actually paid for the lifetime Bumble subscription and have seen tremendous value in doing so. In addition to the Beeline access, I like that the premium membership gives me a Spotlight each week. This 30-minute window boosts my profile to active users.

Trotter recommends dating apps in general, saying they're "a great way to meet people that you might not otherwise meet in your everyday life." In regards to Bumble specifically, it really is about what you are looking for (and the time you're willing to put into building a unique profile). You'll see options for "not sure yet," "relationship," and more. So, depending on if you want a one-night stand or a full-blown relationship, there are possibilities for you. 

Bumble is one of the most popular dating apps, so there will most likely be a significant amount of people to match with in your area. In my experience, it takes a lot of swiping to reach the end of possible matches, both in smaller and larger cities. And since it is one of the more traditional types of dating apps, chatting is hassle-free.

One thing to be wary of on Bumble is scammers and catfishes. Even though you can verify your profile, they still slip through. I do think that it's easy to spot them, though—they tend to have filtered photos, very similar photo setups (like on private planes or in front of a major landmark), empty profiles, and profiles that say "new here." If you know what to look for, it's easy to avoid them and swipe left when they come up.

I've used Bumble for about eight years. My experience has been mixed but overall positive. I've met and dated people from the app, and I've also had experiences with ghosting—although, in my opinion, the former happens no matter which app you try.

I've had multiple short relationships using Bumble, most of which ended after about three or four months. It was typically because those people either ended up doing the slow fade or because we simply determined we weren't a good match long term. I have had one more serious dating experience using Bumble, with a man I thought I could see a future with. Ultimately, though, it didn't work out.

While I know people have experienced scammers on Bumble, I personally have not. Still, I would caution people to be aware of this with any dating app.

I really enjoy Bumble's Speed Dating feature, which happens every Thursday from 7 to 8 p.m. It allows you the opportunity to have three-minute conversations without seeing each other's photos. At the end of the three minutes, you can see photos and decide whether you want to match. I've had some great chats even in that short amount of time, and I like the way it encourages a different method of communication.