WINTER IS COMING AND WITH IT, DESIRES FOR A CUDDLE BUDDY OR SOME “NETFLIX AND CHILL” PARTNERS.
Winter is coming (or supposedly already here) and we are not impressed. The search for a cuddle buddy is on, but which dating app should you use?
Tinder and Bumble, two of the biggest dating apps right now. What are the differences and who holds the true crown?
Well, I have taken it upon myself to sort this out so you can dive head first to meet the many fishes in the sea. To rate them, I’ll be comparing:
- Profile Design
- Length of Conversation
- Hotness Level
- Meme Worthiness
- Convenience
- Racial Diversity
Readers discretion: all of this is based off a combination of my own experiences and what I’ve read or heard from others. It holds little factual basis. Everyone has their own cup of tea.
Brief Introduction
The mother of dating apps. An app designed for a LIT night. Filled with users looking for a good time, not a long time. If you were ever confused about what a basic bitch or fuckboy looked like, hop on Tinder and you’ll get to meet all the variations of them.
Ever had the birds and bees talk with your parents? Bumble reminds me of those innocent days but in dating app form. Here, women take the first step in making conversation for a start! Users provide detailed information on what they’re looking for and their values (political, religious). I envision the Ed Sheerans, Peter Parkers and “Girl Next Door” people on this app.
1: Profile Design
Tinder 3/5
The standard options are on both apps, however Tinder lets you add up to 9 photos and has the option of uploading short “Boomerang-like” clips instead. They also have the news feed option, where you are able to see profile updates from your matches. Personally, I find this to be a bit creepy, but I guess it’s a great way to know if someone is still active and on the prowl!
Bumble 4.5/5
You get all the standard options and are only able to upload six photos.Added features include adding pets, height, interests, habits, religious, political and social values. I mean, there is the stereotypical belief that people who are taller OR have pets tend to appear more attractive.
2: Length of Conversation
Tinder “dtf?” 3/5
In all honesty, there is quite a variety in conversation lengths. I’ve personally had some pretty entertaining, long conversations on Tinder and extremely short-lived ones too. You can usually weed out the potential “dtf” ones because their bio’s tend to have something along the lines of “here for a good time, not a long time” or just a blank space.
Bumble “insert conversation starter here“ 5/5
Only girls are able to make the first move and Bumble provides options of conversation starters; thank you Bumble, they are a godsend. Similar to Tinder, conversation lengths are pretty varied, although when they happen it is relatively quick. A result of the 24 hour time limit!
I never realised how much anxiety a red circle around a picture could cause me (and apparently guys on the app). That’s right ladies, they know when you’ve matched with them. Poor guys get to watch as time passes and they get no messages.
3: Hotness Level
I find that the same people will post different pictures on Tinder vs Bumble. The hotness scale rating is based on said pictures, not the people themselves.
Tinder 4/5
Better known for being the hookup app, people seem to post their more mainstream and basic photos here. There are the IG models in bikinis with profiles that say, “not on here much, follow me on IG: @influencer”, topless pictures of guys at the beach subtly (or not so) flexing with “add me on snap: thenextchad” in their bios. There is no doubt that there are many attractive profiles on Tinder that are *drumroll please* CATFISHES!
Bumble 3.5/5
There are fewer topless and bikini pics, replaced with happy smiles after doing something adventurous. Maybe it’s the happy yellow coloured background, but I find that people really try to make their Bumble profiles as approachable and genuine as possible. In fact, I might look at a guy on Bumble and think this is someone I could definitely have good yarns with; then find out he’s got a pretty fit body on Tinder.
4: Meme Worthiness
Tinder 5/5
I have spent many hours scrolling through r/Tinder and have no regrets! If you’re ever in need of a study break, I highly recommend. There are memes on conversations and bios. It’s pretty funny seeing people attempt cheesy pickup lines and dad jokes. Better yet? It’s cool to see them actually work.
Bumble 3/5
The memes from conversations on Bumble can be occasionally found on r/Tinder. The subreddit r/Bumble seems to be a little more serious with people talking about their experiences and asking for advice. Don’t worry though, there are still quality memes to be found there! A few of them being the standard conversation starters that girls can opt for on Bumble.
5: Convenience
Tinder 5/5
Their web version even comes with a “work mode”!
Bumble 3/5
Bumble also offers a web version but it doesn’t have the stealthy work mode that Tinder offers. I’m assuming their adorably shy target market wouldn’t really use this at work anyway?
6: Racial Diversity
Tinder 3.5/5
You can find every race in Auckland on this app. There are predominantly Caucasian and Brown users, but more Asians and Pasifika people are starting to use the app. Or is it just me?
Bumble 4/5
There seems to be a balanced ratio of Caucasians, Asians, Brown and Pasifika.
Disclaimer: I do not have anything against / for the races. It is merely an observation and would love to know if that’s just the algorithm feed for me.
Final Score
Tinder : 23.5 / 30
Bumble: 23 / 30
There you have it! Tinder wins by just 0.5 points. In all seriousness though, you do you. If you have found that you are having more like on Bumble then maybe that’s where your type of guys/girls are active on.
Other cool dating apps:
Her: A dating app for females who are into other females. Very LBTQ friendly.
Grindr: Men looking for other men. Very GBTQ friendly.
Happn: Where you find people based on geo-location, as in people who you are most likely to “happen upon”. Also dubbed the most “stalkerish” by The Hits.
Coffee Meets Bagel: You get a limited amount of opportunities each day and the profiles are extremely detailed
What have your experiences been like on dating apps?. Were they similar, completely different or maybe you’re wanting to try it out. I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
Here’s some exam good luck from magic cat.
