Bumble vs. Tinder: Which Is the Better Dating App in 2024?

Have you finally decided to see what’s the deal with all the hype around online dating? No matter if you’re new to the dating scene overall, haven’t been online for a few years, or have in the past preferred “IRL” interactions to drive your love life, it’s very helpful to understand some of the key differences between platforms. This guide is designed to help you navigate the two biggest mobile players: Tinder and Bumble.

The big question is, which is better for you?

Well, in this article we’ll go through the most important pros and cons of the two apps, to help you make your decision. Let’s see exactly what these apps have to offer.

Bumble and Tinder Overview

To get an idea of whether Bumble or Tinder is the better option for you, we’ll need to review the various differences between the two.

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What Is Bumble?

Bumble is an online dating app that can be a gateway to meeting people, creating romantic relationships, making friends, and even doing some business networking.

ALSO READ: How to write a good Bumble bio for men

How It Works

The way Bumble works is pretty simple. Swipe left to skip a profile, and swipe right to show interest. Once you get a swipe back from another user, you are considered a “match". You then must send the first message to your match (as a woman), or wait for a message in the next 24 hours (as a man).

Unique Features:

• Women are the only ones who can start the conversation.
• Matches expire after 24 hours to lower the frequency of “ghosting” and incentivize messaging.
• BFF mode is for anyone looking to make friends, rather than find a romantic relationship.
• Bizz mode for people looking for business networking.
• Users can set relationship goals in the app, those being “Relationship” or “Something Casual”, among others.

Pros:

• The first message rights are limited to women (in heterosexual matches), which leads to less “casual” relationships (based on data showing that women seek out more serious relationships on dating apps).
• Better for (some) men, since they don’t have to worry about coming up with good conversation starter (although we can still help men on their responses).
• Overall, Bumble users are supposedly looking for more serious relationships rather than hookups. Great for people looking for a long-term partner.
• A 24-hour time limit for every match incentivizes women to start conversations. This is why 60% of the matches turn into conversations.
• One premium plan with all the bells and whistles. No tiered product offerings here.

Cons:

• Men who rely on their effective conversation starters have to wait to get messaged.
• Not all women are comfortable with being the conversation starter, and may require some good faith on both sides.
• There is a much smaller dating pool on Bumble than on Tinder

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What Is Tinder?

Tinder is the most popular dating app in the world, and created many of the customs of mobile dating apps that we take for granted today, from design to features. Even Bumble has certain elements that are quite similar to Tinder.

However, just because it’s the most popular dating app, it does not mean Tinder is without imperfections. The male-to-female ratio isn’t equal (2:1), it has quite a few bots/fake profiles, and users are mostly focused on hookups.

How It Works

Tinder works very similarly to Bumble. You swipe right to show interest in a person, or swipe left to skip to the next person. Once you match with a user, you can start a conversation.

Unique Features:

• Messaging before matching (with Premium Tier).
• Tinder Matchmaker; feature that allows friends or family to suggest potential partners.
• Swipe Night; is an interactive adventure that relies on quick decision-making that you can share on your profile.

Pros:

• Both men and women can be the first to message their match.
• A huge dating pool.
• Great place for those looking for a casual hookup.

Cons:

• The number of men on Tinder is double (or more) compared to women. This creates a very competitive environment for men.
• It’s not as “serious” as Bumble. A lot of singles are interested in casual relationships rather than long-term partners.
• If you’re not close to a big city, you might have trouble finding a match.
• 3 different subscription plans (up to $49.99).

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What's the Difference Between Tinder and Bumble?

The main difference between Tinder and Bumble is how matches are handled. Let’s look into these differences.

Only Women Can Text Their Match On Bumble

The one big difference between Bumble and Tinder is the fact that in heterosexual matches on Bumble, only the woman can text their match. This is because Whitney Wolfe, the founder of Bumble, wanted to create a different and safer environment, for everyone, especially women.

It’s worth mentioning that all LGBTQ+ members on Bumble can start conversations with their matches.

Tinder on the other hand doesn’t have such limitations, and allows all of its users to send their first message.

Bumble Matches Have A Time Limit

Another difference is that a Bumble match expires after 24 hours, which creates an incentive to send a message before it’s “too late”. On Tinder, there is practically no time limit on matches, which could be the cause for increased ghosting on dating platforms.

Super Likes Vs Super Swipe

Super Likes is a way to show a user on Tinder that you’re greatly interested in them. Super Swipe is practically the same thing on Bumble, without any significant differences.

Other Features

In regards to general features, there aren’t a lot of differences when it comes to Tinder vs. Bumble. Both offer the same or similar features like bio, profile photo, chatting, video calls, voice recordings, etc. This means you can use our free Profile Writer and Profile Review services on both apps.

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Which Is Better : Bumble or Tinder?

So, out of these two dating apps, which one is the best for you?

Choose Bumble If:

• You’re looking for marriage, a serious partner, or generally want to avoid casual hookups.
• As a woman, you want to have control over who you’re going to chat with.
• As a man, you don’t want to bother coming up with the “right” first message.

Choose Tinder If:

• You’re looking for hookups or more casual-style dating rather than jumping into a serious relationship.
• You want access to a larger number of potential matches.
• You prefer being the first to message someone with a strong conversation starter.
• You don’t want to wait for others to message you.

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Conclusion

We hope our in-depth explanation of both Bumble and Tinder will help you decide which dating app best fits your needs.

And, if you still have trouble making a choice, you can always test both (for free) to see exactly what works best for you.

And once you do start your online dating journey, consider checking out our blog for some useful tips. Or, our Chat Assistant to help you come up with the right response for your matches.

Our YourMove Dating Assistant is another great way to make your online dating a little bit easier.