One of the more popular dating apps out there for dating. The site has a lot going for it, lets take a closer look at Bumble shall we. 

The registration period, like for most apps, is quite simple and fast. Lets say an average time of 5 to 10 minutes. Nothing complicated and very straightforward. Price points, again, are on average with other like minded apps for dating ranging from 17 to 30 dollars per month. Again, average price points for such a service.

Bumble started in 2014. It has approximately 11 million users in total, and the average age is quite young compared to the others between 18 and 30 years of age. Like most dating apps the gender ration is a little bit higher for men, but not that much higher. What’s an interesting note of contention of the site, is that if you get married from someone from the site, tell them, that Bumble will send you a gift off of your registry as a congratulations! Not bad at all. A good marketing ploy indeed. Lets take a bit of a deeper dive into Bumble shall we?

Lets look at their subscription plan and prices first. Quite affordable price plans indeed compared to their competitors. 1 month is the most expensive at $30 dollars and as you increase to 3 or 6 month the price goes considerably lower.

What is interesting about Bumble and how they diverge from their competitors is that they don’t strictly adhere to the monthly plans but allow one day, 1 week and a lifetime membership. Quite interesting, and may be worth visiting for those who just want to get their feet wet a bit.

What about Bumbles free trial? Surprisingly not bad when compared to the others. Here you can actually swipe left and right, and message people you’ve matched up with. As always, to do the free trial on bumble you have to give your credit card information. Once the trial ends, you will be charged a subscription fee unless you cancel it in time. Classic and not unexpected charging routine here.

Even making it more interesting for users is something called Bumble Boost. This is a hybrid of sorts where you can pay for his feature that gives you more features than basic but less features than its all inclusive premium package. Sound confusing, its getting there.

Just remember, Bumble memberships always automatically renews, so a word to the wise when joining, make sure you remember and cancel your membership, otherwise you can be looking at a substantial charge you did not want. What makes Bumble distinctive. Its only women who can message men first. Think of it the female version of Facebook. What’s the draw of this formula?

Well, most would argue that it makes the women safer. How so> Well, the women in this formula need not be harassed or get messages from people they don’t want to. They have to make the first move, and therefore, they control the process. Another feature of the Bumble app is you have 24 hours to respond only if you are a match. Not sure I am a fan of that. Forcing you to choose so quickly. However, if you are a premium member - voila - you have an extension feature button that you can use, that prolongs your will I or wont I send him a message.

Another positive of this app, is that reviewers have said this puts pressure off of men. How so? Well, proponents would argue that when a man messages first, that the pressure is on him to impress. Without this pressure men don’t have to worry. I would say this stinks. I want to choose and make the first move. Also, what If I like a girl, and she doesn’t talk to me first? I am fresh out of luck which stinks. Everything is visual in dating apps - and you might not photo well, but have a great personality. You want the opportunity or chance. Bumble is taking away this chance from me, and I don’t like it all. There needs to be some mechanism where both parties get to make their case. Bumble built it on lady’s first, so that’s what you will have to deal with on this site, like it or not.

Another positive that proponents rave about is Bumbles multiple choices for membership - not simply a monthly or multi monthly but also daily, weekly, or boost pumps for various hours. I would agree, the many options for purchasing their product for your time, gives good variation and price points for all types of users - whether casual or more serious in their search.

Drawbacks for Bumble

Now the flip side of this app coin. Critics would argue - okay, you have taken the pressure off of men, but now you have put in the women. Well, that’s a bit harsh - is it that much pressure really on women? You want the choice, you want the power, and sending off random emails to men is not that stressful. Or is it? Ladies, send in messages if you like, if you find it stressful to catch a man or ladies attention with a message? From what I noticed these days, message interaction between the sexes tends to be originally brief, not that original, and full of emojis. Am I wrong here? I don’t think so.

Profiles are not legitimate

Well, the argument here, which applies to all dating apps, is that there are a lot of fake profiles. Add to that lets look at the numbers - from 40 million people as members, only about 500,000 are paid members. So, your going to have to sift through a lot of not in use profiles, some catfishes of both sexes, bots, and who knows what else? Again, this is not a negative on Bumble, but rather the entire industry. All you can do, is go to a site that tries its best to limit and remove as many fake profiles as it can. Otherwise it can ruin a great experience for all.

In the end, Bumble, like all good dating apps, is good subject to certain drawbacks that affects all dating apps. If your a woman who likes to message first, this could be for you. If you are a man, then maybe its not for you. You decide.

 

Written by:

Joyce DeWitt