Dating apps are a great way to meet people. So, it follows that Bumble is a good way to meet guys! If you’re a woman looking for guys, Bumble’s feminist features like women having to make the first move, and the ‘your turn’ option to take the conversational pressure off, make it one of the better dating apps to meet guys.
In terms of who is on Bumble, the number of guys on Bumble peaks around the 25-34 age group. Often, they have moved on from Tinder and are looking for slightly more connections. Not necessarily ‘the one’, but maybe a bit more chat than Tinder is known for!
If you’re looking for your next relationship, or just a slightly more respectful and open place to chat to guys (no matter your end game), then Bumble might be for you.
For a while, women worried that online dating was just a route to a hookup. Bumble was built in an attempt to change that. And in some ways, it has succeeded.
Bumble boasts one of the best male-to-female ratios out there (about 67.4% male to 32.6% female), and a somewhat older demographic than Tinder. Bumble markets itself as a bit of a step towards serious dating, and largely that holds up, although you’ll find people who want everything from a fling to a proposal!
In addition, Bumble is one of the only online dating platforms to put the power squarely in women’s hands. This means, whatever you want, meeting guys on Bumble is a bit more controlled than meeting them elsewhere.
I’ve put together this guide to everything you need to know about meeting guys on Bumble, so let’s dive in.
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How To Maximize Your Chances Of Meeting A Guy On Bumble:
- Verify your profile.
Profile verification was introduced by Bumble in 2016 to weed out bots and catfish. Verification is straightforward, and although you know you’re not a bot or catfish, your potential match doesn’t so make sure to get verified.
- Choose colorful and engaging photos to show off your personality.
I’ve written an in-depth article about optimizing your Bumble photos if you’re starting from square one. You can also use a free website called Photofeeler to test your dating photos on
- Work on your opening lines.
Whitney Wolfe, the CEO and founder of Bumble, points out that the most successful opening lines include some personal detail about your match. You might use their name or ask about something specific in their profile or photos.
- Get things moving ASAP.
Spending days, weeks or, god forbid, months messaging someone before it actually goes anywhere in the real world is a recipe for disaster. Confidence is key, for both you and him so if he’s not biting then take matters into your own hands and suggest a meetup. Why not? The worst he can do is say no, and then you get to move on.
Don’ts Of Meeting A Guy On Bumble
- Don’t use filters on your photos.
Please don’t use a filter on your photos. There’s nothing wrong with a sneaky Instagram filter – but avoid animal ear selfies or whatever else you find in the Snapchat filter menu.
Filtered photos receive 90% fewer likes (on Hinge, but we can make inferences about Bumble from that). Seeing as Bumble tends to attract a similar demographic to Hinge, it’s safe to say that these numbers hold up.
- Don’t only use group photos.
Online dating is already a minefield, why make it worse? Guys want to see who you are, what you look like, and what your vibe is. A shot of 10 girls at the club is as useful as a picture of a nice landscape.
- Don’t let your likes time out.
If you’re a girl searching for a guy, Bumble gives you 24 hours to reply to a like and form a match. If you don’t respond to the guy’s like, then it disappears. Stay on top of your likes to make sure you don’t miss out.
- Don’t leave your profile blank.
The more detail, the better. Your profile will be boosted over other empty profiles and you’ll find yourself with way more options. Add your Spotify and Instagram accounts if you can and come up with an engaging bio. Check out my article on profile ideas if you need some inspiration.
- Choose the right photos
Nothing too crowded, nothing in front of your face, pretty close up, with some full-body shots. And it’s always best to include a variety – a couple of pics out, a holiday photo, you on a hike, and max one selfie. Too many selfies can easily make you look a bit lonely!
Types Of Guys On Bumble
While scrolling through Bumble, you’ll see a few jokes about “being over Tinder”, but there’s some truth in that. A lot of the guys on Bumble are tired of Tinder’s relentless pursuit so are looking to take a step back. Bumble’s own research found that 63% of male users use Bumble because girls have to make the first move.
Perhaps most male Bumble users are just a bit bored of Tinder (or spreading their bets), but whatever their reason at least you have the first refusal after a match! And at the very least, on Bumble they have to be comfortable moderately with women being forward!
Yeah, it’s a low bar but many don’t make it if we’re honest.
The truth is, Bumble will have male users of all stripes. You just have slightly more control, as a woman, over how you interact with them vs other apps.
Types of Girls On Bumble
Believe it or not, girls get sick of Tinder too. Don’t get me wrong, Tinder is great for certain people at certain points in their life, but we all have to move on someday, right? Girls on Bumble tend to be focused a little more on what they want – whether that is a relationship, or hookups that they can at least trust.
In a nutshell, girls tend to like Bumble because they don’t have to engage with creepy messages as often as on other apps, can be sure they are chatting with verified profiles, and can refuse to interact with guys they have on second thoughts realized have a creepy vibe.
The Bumble Safety and Wellbeing Center is also a real plus, allowing women on Bumble to get advice and help in any instances that make them uncomfortable.
While it is nowhere near perfect, Bumble allows women a bit more autonomy and security than some of the similar swiping apps on offer.
Is Bumble For Hookups?
Look, I’m not going to sit here and say that hookups never happen on Bumble because they do. However, Bumble themselves estimate (somewhat suspiciously) that 85% of their users are searching for marriage or a long-term relationship with only 1-4% of users looking for a hookup.
Whether you think these stats are honey-coated or not is up to you. Personally, I reckon that it benefits Bumble’s business model to show a low rate of hookups. Who knows exactly how the questionnaire was worded? Most people are open to either the one or someone if we’re honest. But even if these numbers are a little bumped up, well, they imply a mix rather than just a hookup-hungry crowd.
At the end of the day, it’s a swiping app! They aren’t usually where people knuckle down to look for love, that happens on, say, eharmony, which verges on professional matchmaking.
Is Bumble For Serious Dating?
Bumble has gone out of its way to create a free app that somewhat more so encourages serious dating compared to some other apps out there. They let women choose their matches, supply ice breakers, and even have a nudge-like feature to remind matches to reply to you.
No matter what kind of connection you’re after, don’t go into Bumble hunting down Mr. Perfect.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Bumble is a really good place to meet guys. There’s no one app that is going to be full of perfect men, but Bumble is set up to give women more power so it at least allows female users to check out what guys are offering before they actually talk!
At the same, if serious dating isn’t your scene right now, or you’re still enjoying the rush of Tinder, then take Dude Hack’s Dating App Quiz to see which profile you should be setting up next.
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