Hinge vs Bumble: Key Differences & Which App is Better

Wondering whether you should use Hinge or Bumble?

Hinge and Bumble are two popular dating apps that have many features in common but also key differences that set them apart.

Each app has its own unique audience of users, profile setup, interface, way of swiping, and messaging style.

Figuring out which dating app is better for you can be tricky, so let’s delve into the key similarities and differences of Hinge vs Bumble.

Hinge vs Bumble: Origins and Key Differences

In terms of demographics, both Hinge and Bumble are similar in that they cater to a younger audience, mainly in their 20s and 30s.

Hinge, known as the dating app designed to be deleted, focuses on fostering meaningful connections between people seeking serious relationships. While Hinge allows users to specify their dating goals, and does welcome users who are seeking short-term fun, it’s definitely more geared toward longer-term serious relationships.

Hinge is known for its compatibility algorithm and presents you with carefully selected profiles of other users, based on your preferences, your swiping behaviors, and what answers you’ve written to your prompts. This way, Hinge does a long way toward making online dating more meaningful, encouraging users to evaluate other users for more than just their looks.

Bumble is less advanced than Hinge in this regard and doesn’t have as sophisticated of a compatibility algorithm or as intricate a swiping interface as Hinge does.

Bumble is unique from Hinge, though, in that it features three modes: dating, friendship, and business. In having three different modes on the Bumble app, Bumble provides you with more versatility in making connections than Hinge does, going beyond just being a dating app. Bumble is more broadly a social connection app.

In this article, we’ll be focusing on Bumble’s dating mode and comparing that to Hinge.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Hinge and Bumble is that on, women make the first move in heterosexual contexts. If a man and a woman match on Bumble, the woman has to message the man within 24 hours or else the match disappears. On Bumble, in this case, a man is unable to send the first message.

To summarize the key differences here, both Hinge and Bumble are versatile, popular dating apps and each offer some unique features that cater to different online dating needs and preferences. For a more individualized and meaningful experience online, Hinge could be your choice. For a more versatile app that provides multiple modes beyond just dating and offers a wider user base, Bumble might be the better fit for you.

But we’re just getting started. There’s a lot more to cover, starting with the differences between Hinge profiles and Bumble profiles.

Hinge vs Bumble: Profile Creation and Functionality

Profile Information and Bios

When creating a profile on Hinge or Bumble, you’ll be required to provide some basic information about yourself, such as your name, age, location, and occupation.

Beyond these basics, things get different between the apps in how you portray yourself.

Hinge has you to select and answer three prompts in your profile, where you can write about your personality, interests, hobbies, passions, life experiences, values, relationship goals, and more. Hinge’s prompts do a great job at allowing you to create a well-rounded dating profile for yourself, while keeping things short and sweet.

Bumble, meanwhile, allows you to write a brief bio as well as up to three prompts. Bumble bios are relatively short and to the point. Bumble’s prompts can add to your bio and make your profile pop. Bumble’s prompts are fairly similar to Hinge’s prompts, and this is a key overlap between the two apps.

In this regard, Bumble has a bit more of a nuanced profile setup by having both a bio and prompts, whereas Hinge just has prompts but no bio.

Profile Pictures and Instagram Integration

Both Hinge and Bumble place a strong emphasis on your profile pictures, as which photos you choose will ultimately be the main thing other users see about you.

On Hinge, you upload six photos of yourself, no more and no fewer. Hinge requires exactly six photos.

On Bumble, you have more flexibility in how many photos to upload. Bumble requires a minimum of one photo and a maximum of six.

Bumble is unique in that the app uses its image-recognition AI technology to detect inappropriate images. This technology helps maintain safety but does often glitch and falsely reject perfectly appropriate photos you upload.

Both Hinge and Bumble offer Instagram integration into your profile.

By connecting your Instagram account to your Hinge or Bumble profile, you can provide potential matches with even more visual content so they can get to know you better. Connecting your Instagram allows you to show off more parts of your lifestyle beyond what each app’s normal profile setup allows for, which may help you create a more thorough and engaging dating profile for yourself.

Though of course, by connecting your Instagram, you do run the risk of showing unflattering photos of yourself that you normally would not have uploaded to Hinge or Bumble otherwise, and this may make your profile less appealing.

When setting up your profile on either Hinge or Bumble, remember to choose high-quality photos that show your most attractive features while truly representing you and your personality. You can read our guides for selecting Bumble photos and Hinge photos.

To find out which are your best photos to use in your Hinge profile or Bumble profile, try our dating photo analyzer. Just upload some photos of yourself, and our algorithm will reveal which photos are the best ones you should use in your profile.

In addition to your photos, writing good prompts on Hinge and writing a good bio and prompts on Bumble are important for making a strong profile and attracting the right match.

To have a professional dating profile writer write your Hinge prompts or your Bumble bio and prompts for you, check out our dating profile writing service and select either the Hinge or Bumble app icon to get started.

Hinge vs Bumble for Guys: Which is Better?

Here’s a side note, for the guys out there who are interested in dating women.

If you’re interested in reading a comprehensive comparison of what women are looking for on Hinge vs Bumble, check out our detailed guide on that topic here.

Hinge vs Bumble: Matching and Communication

Swiping and Liking Features

When it comes to matching with other users on Hinge and Bumble, both dating apps have their own approach.

On Bumble, there’s a swiping format to see other profiles in a quick-shuffling deck, and you can swipe right to show interest and left to move on to the next profile.

On Hinge, swiping is more involved. Instead of swiping right or left, you can like or comment on a specific part of someone's profile, such as one of their photos or one of their prompts. This means that instead of just sending a like in general, you send a like that is basically attached or tagged onto a specific part of their profile so they know what exactly about them interested you in them. In doing this, Hinge allows users to be more intentional, which can create more meaningful connections and be a better way to start conversation with a match.

Bumble and Hinge both set a limit on how many likes you get to send each day, though Bumble allows more daily likes than Hinge does.

Conversation Starters and Messaging a Match

Hinge and Bumble differ in the level of control they give to users when it comes to starting conversation with a new match.

While Bumble only lets women send the first message in heterosexual matches, Hinge does not impose any gender restrictions, giving any person equal opportunity to start a conversation. On Hinge, guys can send the first message, and they usually do.

In the case of heterosexual matches on Bumble, women have to send the first message to a man within 24 hours of matching with him or the match expires permanently. This feature is intended to empower women and encourages them to engage more actively with the app and not to leave their matches hanging for too long.

And for women, that opener on Bumble is really important.

Bumble has a built-in AI technology that detects and blocks unsolicited explicit content, creating a safer online dating experience. Since only women can start conversations in heterosexual matches, that also tends to set a more respectful tone on average, which may attract more respectful daters and encourage more serious relationships.

For same-sex couples and non-binary users on Bumble, either person can make the first move within 24 hours.

Hinge, on the other hand, gives users unlimited amount of time to start a conversation with a match. The match never times out or expires.

Sending an opener on Hinge is important too, so check out our tips for writing great Hinge openers to get the convo going.

Hinge vs Bumble: Premium Features and Subscription Options

Advanced Preferences and Filters

Both Hinge and Bumble offer a advanced preferences and filters when you purchase a premium subscription.

Hinge offers two premium subscriptions: Hinge+ and HingeX. Hinge+ is the more basic of the two, while HingeX is a more comprehensive higher-level premium version.

With Hinge+ and HingeX, you can access advanced filters like education and political views, and get unlimited amounts of likes to send, more roses as part of the deal, and more access to Standouts.

Bumble, on the other hand, has Bumble Boost and Bumble Premium. Bumble Boost is the lower pay tier, and Bumble Premium is a more advanced option with additional features.

With Bumble Boost and Premium, you can see which users swiped right on your profile in the Beeline, extend matches before they expire, rematch with expired matches, use advanced filters, and gain access to exclusive modes.

Hinge vs Bumble: Specialty Functions and Side Platforms

While Hinge is purely a dating app with that sole aim, a key point to note about Bumble is that the Bumble app has three different modes: dating, friendship, and business. For friendship, Bumble has a side platform called Bumble BFF. For business, there’s Bumble Bizz. These are separate from Bumble Date.

Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz

Bumble BFF is for finding friends with similar interests. It’s ideal to use when you’ve moved to a new city or are just looking to expand your social life.

Bumble Bizz is a professional networking platform within the Bumble app. It's designed to help you make business connections, collaborate with potential partners, or find new career opportunities.

Hinge's Most Compatible

Hinge sets itself apart from Bumble by offering unique features to give you a tailored dating experience. The main one of these features is Hinge’s Most Compatible feature.

Most Compatible is a feature on Hinge that uses an algorithm to suggest potential matches based on your preferences and behaviors on the app. Based on your interactions with the app, Hinge learns your type and suggests profiles you're most likely to be highly compatible with to increase your chances of meeting someone you’ll like who will like you back.

On Hinge, you’ll be shown one "Most Compatible" profile at the top of your Discover Feed once a day.

Hinge vs Bumble: The Pros and Cons

Relationship Types

Hinge brands itself as a platform for finding a serious, long-term relationship with its tagline "designed to be deleted." Hinge encourages you to match with other users thoughtfully, rather than just swiping left or right mindlessly. Hinge is all about deeper connections and compatibility.

Compared to Hinge, Bumble has a slightly more casual dating atmosphere with a faster-paced interface. While it’s obviously still possible to find long-term relationships through Bumble, and that’s in fact a common goal its users have, Bumble definitely caters more toward casual relationships more than Hinge does.

Hinge vs Bumble: Safety and Security Measures

User Verification and Reporting

Both Hinge and Bumble take user safety and security seriously, so they implement verification and reporting methods to keep you safe from bots, spammers, and malicious users.

On Hinge, you can use your Facebook or phone number to create an account, which helps in minimizing bots and fake profiles.

Bumble offers a photo verification feature on their app to ensure that users are in fact who they claim to be.

Reporting is straightforward on both apps. You can report anyone who sends spam, inappropriate content, or harasses you directly from the chat, or through their profiles. Hinge and Bumble have also implemented 24/7 support for their user base, making it easier for you to address any concerns or issues.

Privacy and Data Protection

Both Hinge and Bumble use encryption to keep your messages and profile information secure, reducing the risk of any data breaches and protecting your privacy.

Both apps have comprehensive policy documents outlining how they collect and handle your information to protect against data misuse.

Hinge vs Bumble, Summed Up: Choosing the Right Dating App for You

Hinge and Bumble both have their sets of features and can be a great dating app to use, no matter what type of relationship you’re looking for.

Hinge is for good reason often referred to as the “relationship app” and places a strong emphasis on fostering meaningful connections. Compared to Bumble, Hinge allows for more detailed profiles and involves more engaging prompts, so it’s an ideal app if you’re looking to have deeper conversations and longer-term relationships.

Hinge also allows people of any gender to start a chat, so you can message a new match first regardless of your gender.

Also, if you’re Instagram-savvy, then Hinge is great for you, as it’s designed to integrate with your Instagram account effortlessly, allowing you to showcase your Instagram posts to other users on the app.

Bumble is known for its female-oriented approach, where in heterosexual matches, only women can initiate conversations. Bumble's swiping interface allows for a more casual dating experience than Hinge’s more involved liking process, so Bumble is ideal if you enjoy quickly browsing through profiles and making fast decisions.

Ultimately, whether you use Hinge or Bumble depend on your personality and dating style. Take your time to explore each app and see which one works best for you. And if you want to get the best of both worlds, then use both apps at the same time. It’s what most people do, anyway.

Want Help Creating a Great Hinge Profile or Bumble Profile?

We at The Match Lab have spent years studying the science of how to write good Hinge prompts, Bumble prompts, and Bumble bios and how to select the right photos for a profile on Hinge or Bumble.

After years of research, we have developed a dating photo analyzer that uses an algorithm to select any person’s best photos for Hinge, Bumble, or any other dating app. Just upload some photos of yourself, and our algorithm will reveal which photos you should be using in your dating profile and the ideal order they should go in.

We also offer professional dating profile writing services. Our professional dating profile writer can write your Hinge prompts or your Bumble prompts and bio for you and help your profile shine.

Get started now, or learn more about us on our website, so you can start getting more likes and better matches on Hinge, Bumble, or whichever dating app you’re using.