Bumble Dating App vs. eHarmony Dating Site

Meeting the love of your life (or at least your current significant other) online is becoming an increasingly common occurrence in recent years. Many have found love in the digital realm, and many others continue to.

The rising popularity of online dating websites is understandable. Finding a partner can be difficult for a number of reasons. Perhaps your region doesn’t have a good singles scene. Maybe you’re a relatively shy person, and you find it difficult to approach strangers in social situations. Perhaps you simply haven’t had much luck finding a person whose lifestyle and personality is the ideal match for you.

Dating websites remove much of the stress involved in finding a significant other. However, getting started with online dating can also feel stressful. After all, there are many different dating sites and apps from which to choose. You may wonder what the best online dating site for your goals is.

This guide will help clarify the issue by comparing two popular options: the eHarmony dating site and the Bumble dating app. By comparing several key factors, you’ll better understand which service most appeals to you.

eHarmony Dating Site vs. Bumble Dating App: Factors to Consider

Matching System

The matching system of the best online dating site for your goals may not be the right matching system for someone else. This is an important factor to consider when reviewing your options, as different matching systems will affect the types of people you find on these platforms. It will also, of course, affect how you find them (and how they find you).

Unlike several other popular dating sites and apps, eHarmony doesn’t actually allow you to browse potential matches according to your own whims. Instead, when you set up your account, you’ll be asked a number of questions about yourself. These questions are chosen to explore approximately 29 different character and personality traits. This helps eHarmony match you with compatible people. Rather than letting you browse for matches, every day, eHarmony provides a set number of matches for you to explore.

This focus on deep compatibility may be why the eHarmony dating site has resulted in more marriages than any other online dating service.

Bumble dating app’s matching system is markedly different from eHarmony’s. It’s also important to note that Bumble isn’t merely designed to help people find romantic partners. That’s merely the function of Bumble Date. There is also Bumble BFF, which helps people find new friends, and Bumble Bizz, for career networking.

Bumble date’s matching system is very similar to that of Tinder and other popular apps. When you open the app to look for matches, you’ll be provided with a match’s main profile photo, first name, and other basic information, such as their age, general location, and/or career. You can swipe right to indicate interest in a match or swipe left to indicate disinterest. You can also tap on a person’s profile to reveal more information, although this can now only happen once they’ve already swiped right on you as well. This extra information may include additional profile pictures, a brief bio, and answers to key questions Bumble provides to help users find matches whose beliefs and lifestyles align with their own.

Additionally, as with Tinder, Bumble typically provides matches based on your location. You can thus set your radius depending on how wide a net you want to cast. If you’re in a rural area, where matches may be few and far between, you might want to set a large radius. In a more condensed city, that might not be necessary.

Bumble is also unique in that it was created to empower women. Quite simply, the efficient swipe-based matching system of the Tinder and Bumble apps can result in people matching with someone who actually isn’t right for them on further review. The problem is, on Tinder, once two people match with each other, either one can send a message. This sometimes results in women receiving offensive or harassing messages from their matches.

Bumble has addressed this issue by allowing women to initiate the conversation when they match with men. Additionally, when women match with men, they have 24 hours to send their first message. The match will expire if they miss this window. If they do send a message, the man who receives it will also have 24 hours to respond.

Profile Features

The degree to which the Bumble dating app allows you to cultivate your profile is essentially the same as it is with Tinder. Users can upload several photos (and link to their Instagram to add more), complete a brief bio, and enter basic information, such as what they do for a living. They can also feature three questions on their profiles. These questions serve to represent their values. They indicate what they want to learn about a potential match. On top of that, Bumble goes a step beyond Tinder by also letting you answer questions to help you find matches with similar interests or personalities.

Again, with eHarmony, you have to answer a series of questions when first creating your profile. Answering them can take longer than some users expect. You should set aside at least half an hour for this step in the process.

Once you’ve answered the questions, the eHarmony dating site’s algorithm will generate your profile. The layout conforms to a fairly standard template. You can upload pictures, provide information about your favorite movies (and TV shows, and books, etc.), and answer additional questions that are designed less to truly probe the depths your personality, and more to help you demonstrate fun aspects of your personality.

(By the way, you may want to consider reading some dating profile tips to optimize yours.)

Demographics

eHarmony’s user base is fairly well-distributed across ages and genders. The top age range is 18 to 24, to which 30% of the platform’s users belong. The second top age range is 35 to 44, at 18%.

The Bumble app tends to skew younger. On the Bumble dating app, approximately 72% of users are below the age of 35.

Signing Up & Pricing

Aside from the lengthy questionnaire, the process of signing up for the eHarmony app isn’t very difficult. It’s very similar to the process of creating an account for any online platform, such as a social media site. You can sign up for a three-day free trial, or choose a plan from a number of options. You may sign up for one month at a cost of $59.95 a month, for three months at $29.95 a month, or for six months at $29.90 a month. Sign up for a Premier Plan, and your membership will also renew for a free 12 months if you don’t find the right match before your subscription expires.

Bumble, like Tinder, used to require you to sign up through your Facebook account. This is still an easy way to sign up if you prefer to go this route. You simply download the Bumble app, connect it to your Facebook account (the app will guide you through the process of doing so), and begin setting your preferences and creating your profile. However, if you don’t have a Facebook account, Bumble now allows users to sign up with their mobile numbers as well.

The basic version of Bumble is free. That said, you can upgrade to a premium plan that may cost from $8.99 a week to $24.99 a month, depending on the premium features you wish to access. They may include the ability to see who has swiped right on your profile, the option to extend matches, and more.

eHarmony Dating Site vs. Bumble Dating App: What’s the Verdict?

Again, the best online dating website for one person may not be the right one for you. After reviewing all of this information, you have to consider your goals and options. Luckily, research indicates that approximately 40% of heterosexual couples and 65% of same-sex couples met each other online in 2017.

People often use eHarmony when they are trying to find someone they wish to settle down with. This is also common among other popular options, such as Christian Mingle or Silver Singles. You’re probably more drawn to the eHarmony app if this is your goal.

Bumble, on the other hand, may be better for making casual connections. It’s entirely possible to meet your life partner via Bumble, but the nature of the matching system puts in the “hookup” category of dating apps to some degree.

Of course, pursuing a casual relationship may be precisely what you’re interested in right now. Or, you may be interested in settling down. Either way, remember the points in this guide when deciding which app will help you achieve your romantic goals.