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Read our full review of Bumble Premium.
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Bumble is often seen as a better choice for women and non-binary people looking for various connections, from quick hookups to something more serious. While it shares some users with Tinder, its “Opening Moves” feature (a change from the original “women message first” rule that made it famous) encourages actual conversation right away, potentially cutting down on low-effort interactions and dead matches.
However, it’s worth noting Bumble has faced recent backlash and trust issues (more on that below), which might affect how “great” it feels for its intended users right now.
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This app can be a great place to find something long-term, but that’s not all it’s for. Bumble profiles feature a setting for users to toggle what they’re looking for, including “fun, casual dates” and “intimacy, without commitment.” This makes it easier to find someone who’s on the same page as you while offering women and non-binary folks the opportunity to set the tone of your interaction.
Even so, we thought it’d be worth being upfront about Bumble’s recent fumbles. In April, Bumble faced user backlash over reports of previously blocked or left-swiped profiles reappearing in users’ feeds (all the tea is on Reddit, if you’re interested). Bumble’s official stance is that blocked profiles should not reappear and that this was either a support error or due to users creating new accounts. This came alongside reports of declining user numbers and revenue.
Despite the app’s recent leadership changes and functionality issues, it’s still a better choice than Tinder for most women and non-binary individuals.
“Bumble is a helpful app for women who want to avoid being creeped on and only hear from men they’re interested in,” Weiss tells Mashable. “I recommend that women using Bumble take their time to craft an original first message because some women do complain about a lack of responses, which is more of an issue if your opening message is a basic ‘hey, how are you?'”
Weiss added, “Thankfully, Bumble now lets people add ‘Opening Moves,’ which are questions you can respond to in your first message. This makes it easier to craft an initial message that’s original. Be as honest, forthcoming, and uniquely yourself in these responses as possible.” You have 24 hours to make the first move, then the app gives your match 24 hours to respond — in other words, if you’re looking for a casual hookup ASAP, Bumble will help you filter through the users who aren’t a good match.
With Bumble, you can chat via text, voice, or video without spending a dime. Of course, premium features are available for purchase (via Bumble Boost or premium membership) and offer the useful option to filter users by what they’re looking for, but that’s by no means necessary to find a potential hookup buddy. Plus, free users still have access to basic filtering features like age, distance, and toggling to see verified profiles only.
