So, you’re keen to try something new. Specifically, you want to try Bumble – an app built by women for everyone. I mean, it seems like dating might be rough out there for the fairer sex, and you’re keen to transition from the wild badlands of Tinder onto something a little more… grown up.
And maybe something with a gender ratio a little better than Tinder’s six guys for every two women could help too.
Whatever your impetus for moving to a new app, and whether you’re coming from Tinder, emerging from a relationship (scared, blinking, blinded by the lights of all the dating apps now on offer…), or hopping over from another dating site, you probably have a few questions.
But the first is bound to be – is Bumble free? Because a new dating app is one thing, but paying to try a new app is another.
Well, you’re in luck. Bumble has two paid services, Bumble Premium and Bumble Boost, but basic membership is totally free. With the free service, you get roughly twenty-five likes a day, which is plenty to get a taste of Bumble.
In fact, for many, it’s plenty full stop, with most of its 50 million plus worldwide users opting for basic membership. So let’s see why so many people love free Bumble.
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Why Bumble?
Bumble is a great stepping stone for anyone bored by the male-dominated world of Tinder, or looking for slightly more mature dates. I’m not talking cougars, or not largely anyway, most Bumble users, 75% in fact, are under 35.
Related: What is the Average Age On Bumble?
But a whopping 91% of users over 22 also have at least a bachelor’s degree, and there’s a large number of users aged over 25. If you want a full rundown of everything that the dating app “by women for everyone” has to offer then check out my full review here.
Is Bumble Free?
Of course, there are plenty of apps you don’t technically have to pay for that you actually kind of do have to pay for if you want to get a date. Is that the case with Bumble?
So is Bumble free? Yes, there is a free version of Bumble and it works perfectly well for anyone who doesn’t want to pay for online dating. With the free version of Bumble, you can match and message people.
In my experience, Bumble is very usable without paying for Boost or Premium.
Sure, there are a few handy features blocked off behind paywalls, but free Bumble is completely functional for the average user. Let’s see five things you can do with free Bumble – and how they can help you get a date.
5 Things You Can Do With Free Bumble
- Build Your Profile
The first thing you need to do when you sign up is build your Bumble profile. You’ll need up to six great profile pictures, a snappy bio, and some prompt answers. You can do all of this for free.
- Match With Other Users
When you’re trying out new dating sites, it’s essential to know if you can match without paying. And yes, on Bumble you can like other profiles, or send “Compliments” and be matched back without paying. Making connections on Bumble is never behind a paywall.
- Send Messages
On Bumble, messaging is completely free. While some dating apps make messaging a premium feature, on Bumble you can start chats and continue to have great conversations with your matches. Don’t forget to lead your conversations toward an IRL date.
- Extend One Match Every Day
If you’ve swung over from Tinder, you’re probably used to having a feed full of matches but few conversations on the go. On Bumble, your matches expire if you don’t start the chat.
Because of the 24-hour countdown, you have to extend your matches if the conversation doesn’t start. Unlimited extends is a premium feature, but free users get one extend every day.
- Filter The Your Matches
While the Bumble VIPs can filter by a whole host of characteristics like education, drugs and alcohol, and height, free Bumble users can filter their matches by a few important things. You can adjust your swipe deck based on age, gender, and distance for free.
Can You See Who Liked You On Bumble Without Paying?
The one thing that premium users often feel the lack of, though, is what Bumble calls Beeline. Beeline is a feed full of users who have liked you, so you know for sure if you swipe right it’ll be a match.
Remember, though, this is Bumble: guys can’t send the first message. So even after a match, you need to wait until the girl makes the first move!
So can you see who liked you on Bumble without paying? No. This feature is called Beeline, and it’s only available to paying Bumble users. But all it gives them is a fast track to matches.
If you have a Beeline, you don’t have to use the regular Swipe Deck, and swipe through users who aren’t interested until you find one who is. It’s a nice feature, but it’s simply a shortcut to what free users can get with more swiping.
When you swipe right in your normal feed and get a match it means that the user already liked you! And if you don’t, well, the user may like you in the future and then it’ll be a match.
The danger with Beeline is that you’ll stop going into your normal feed where there are plenty of potential matches too, and where the Bumble algorithm can learn more about what exactly you’re into.
So, if you do go for a Boost or Premium membership, try not to get lazy and only hang out in Beeline! It might get you a higher percentage of matches, but not necessarily the best matches for you.
Bumble Free Trial
The only way to get a free trial of Bumble Premium or Boost is to make a new account and spend about a week swiping about. At that point, you may be offered a free upgrade to one of the two services.
The specifics vary, but these tasters are intended to persuade you into plumping for Boost or Premium in the long term after the trial is up – so watch out that you don’t accidentally pay for something you don’t want.
Bumble Boost and Premium Features
Bumble Boost and Bumble Premium offer a variety of features on top of the basics you get with a free account. Both have recently been revamped, and they now include the following:
Bumble Boost:
- Unlimited swipes
- Unlimited rematches
- Unlimited backtracks
- Unlimited extends
- Five SuperSwipes per week
- One Spotlight per week
Bumble Premium includes:
- Unlimited swipes
- Unlimited rematches
- Unlimited backtracks
- Unlimited extends
- Five SuperSwipes per week
- One Spotlight per week
- Beeline so you can see who has swiped right
- Unlimited Advanced filters
- Unlimited Best Bees, picks of the best users for you
- Travel mode
- Incognito mode
If you want to know more about Bumble Boost and Premium features as well as pricing and packages, take a look at my article on the subject here.
Final Thoughts
So should you pay for Bumble? In my opinion, free Bumble works fine for most people because it’s free to see matches. If you’ve got a good profile, you don’t need to pay for extra features to have success on the app.
Of course, seeing your Beeline is a confidence boost. And if you’re traveling, or extremely private about who sees you on Bumble then the upgrades are worth it.
If you’re not getting enough matches on Bumble, paying for Premium shouldn’t be the first step. Instead, try my free profile do-over. It’s called the 6-Step Tinder Tune-Up, but it works for every online dating app.
It helps you hone your pictures and perfect your prompts – more matches, without spending a cent.
