eharmony vs Bumble: Which Dating App Works Best?

Finding the dating app that works best for you can improve your chances of meeting the right person. Bumble and eharmony are both popular in the online dating world. Find out which one is best suited to your dating needs. See how features and prices compare between the two dating apps.

Table of contents [ Show Hide ]

Picking the right dating app: eharmony vs Bumble
eharmony vs Bumble: where are they different?
eharmony vs Bumble: which one is cheaper?
Which dating app is better for you? eharmony vs Bumble
eharmony vs Bumble: final thoughts
eharmony vs Bumble FAQ

Picking the right dating app: eharmony vs Bumble

The right dating app for you will be the one that most closely matches your romantic preferences, which can include the type of relationship, intimacy needs, as well as lifestyle goals. Dating apps are a bit like perfume, everyone has a favourite. That could well be eharmony, Bumble, or something else.

Online dating app recommendations

Before you pick your favourite, be sure to have a look at our dating app recommendations.

These are some of the leading dating apps in the match-making market. Sign-up today for free:

eharmony vs Bumble: where are they different?

Here are the most important differences between eharmony and Bumble.

	eharmony	Bumble
Who is it for?	Singles looking for serious dating and even marriage.	Singles looking for a variety of relationship options, inclusive features, and swipe-based browsing.
Registration details	In-depth registration process focussed on building a compatibility profile. SMS profile verification.	Requires a Facebook or Apple account unless you sign up with a phone number. Quick registration process.
Memberships and profiles	10 million users have profiles on eharmony.	50 million users have joined Bumble, impressive growth for this younger app.
Premium Service	Sign up is free but most features like messaging or viewing photos require paid membership.	Free service includes messaging. Paid subscription adds more perks to improve experience on app.
Pros	Advanced matchmaking technology means you get curated profiles based on compatibility.	Messaging and main features are free. Inclusive sign-up options. Unique “women message first” feature.
Cons	It’s more expensive than competitors. Free accounts have very limited features.	Not necessarily focused on long-term relationships and older users.

How is eharmony better than Bumble?

Unlike Bumble, eharmony doesn’t leave who you match with up to luck. Your experience on eharmony is determined by compatibility as opposed to just swiping left or right on profiles. This means that if you don’t want to leave your love life to chance then eharmony is better than Bumble.

If you are looking for a serious relationship, then eharmony is the best option as long as you are willing to spend money on online dating. Your experience on eharmony starts with a dating personality quiz. This is an opportunity to reflect on your relationship goals and the sort of person you want to be with.

The approach eharmony takes is refreshing when compared to the gamified dynamic of dating apps like Bumble. Since eharmony’s matchmaking technology does the heavy lifting when it comes to finding compatible profiles, the rest of the app is user-friendly in terms of design and layout.

Visit site

When you look at someone’s profile on eharmony, you will have a compatibility score embedded on the top left corner of their profile picture. Another dating app that does this is EliteSingles. However, what is breathtaking here is the detail that eharmony provides when it comes to compatibility.

On eharmony, you can drill down and see what areas you have in common and where you differ. This includes core values and traits like communication, lifestyle, and emotional intelligence. This means that even before you start chatting with your match, you have gained a deeper understanding of who they are, and not just what their fave show is on Netflix.

Did you know?

Over 2 million messages are sent on eharmony every week.
There are almost equal numbers of men (51%) and women (49%) on eharmony.
Over 95% of users have chatted with someone else on eharmony.

How is Bumble better than eharmony?

The feature Bumble is most known for is that “women make the first move.” When a man and a woman match, the woman has a full day to decide whether to initiate a conversation.

The man can only message once the woman has sent the opening message within the 24-hour window. After that, there are no limits for either person in that same chat.

If the woman who matches with a man does not start a conversation within 24 hours, the match expires. This means that the potential chat between two matched users disappears after a day.

This limitation is considered a feature on Bumble. It came about as a way to challenge dating stereotypes where men are meant to “make the first move.” Another plus point is that it tackles the rampant problem of inappropriate messages on dating services.

Visit site

Bumble isn’t just for heterosexual men and women. For same-gender matches, either person can get the conversation going. The 24-hour match expiration is still there, so if neither person writes, the match elapses after a day.

Just like Tinder, seeing matches on Bumble involves swiping left and right to state whether you like the profile. Profiles are simply laid out with an emphasis on photos, followed by a short bio and key details.

Bumble also lets you link up with other apps like Instagram and Spotify, which adds content to your profile with little effort. This is convenient because it allows your profile to be constantly updated with your latest music recommendations and photos from those services.

Did you know?

Bumble was founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd, who had worked at Tinder and successfully sued the company. Bumble was created with help of Andrey Andreev, founder of Badoo.

Bumble isn’t just a dating app. It can also be set to BFF or BIZZ modes for non-romantic relationships. These modes are designed to help you make new friends or network professionally.

eharmony vs Bumble: which one is cheaper?

Bumble is noticeably cheaper than eharmony. However, Bumble pricing is more complicated than eharmony. Bumble has two paid membership tiers while eharmony has recently streamlined its pricing to just one paid membership with several duration options. Let’s compare eharmony vs Bumble in terms of price.

	eharmony	Bumble Boost	Bumble Premium
1 month	n/a	$16.99 per month	$39.99 per month
3 months	n/a	$11.33 per month	$25.66 per month
6 months	$65.90 per month	$9.17 per month	n/a
12 months	$45.90 per month	n/a	n/a
24 months	$35.90 per month	n/a	n/a
Lifetime	n/a	n/a	$229.99 one-time fee

While these are the prices we found at the time of writing, both Bumble and eharmony have regular promotions and discounts. The best way to get the best deal is to sign up for free.

The subscription durations offered by eharmony vs Bumble are very different. Bumble opts for shorter subscriptions lasting up to six months, unless you opt for a lifetime subscription for a one-off payment.

On the other hand, eharmony paid subscriptions start at 6 months and top out at two years. It’s clear that with a 6-month eharmony subscription, you are paying the most expensive monthly rates while the Bumble lifetime subscription comes out cheaper than even the one year subscription on eharmony.

While it’s clear that Bumble is cheaper than eharmony overall, it’s worth understanding what extra features you get with each paid membership.

Free vs paid features: how do these apps stack up?

Eharmony vs Bumble bring different approaches to their dating app services. Let’s take a closer look at what each one offers to its free and premium users.

eharmony features: free vs paid options

Check out all the eharmony features and compare the free and paid versions side-by-side.

eharmony free features	eharmony paid features
✅ Create a profile	✅ Create a profile
✅ Unlimited matches	✅ Unlimited matches
✅ Send Smiles, Icebreakers, and Greetings	✅ Send Smiles, Icebreakers, and Greetings
✅ Limited messaging	✅ Unlimited messaging
	✅ Video Date chat feature
	✅ View unlimited photos
	✅ See who has visited you
	✅ Access to distance search filter
	✅ Detailed personality profile results

It’s clear that to get even just the bare minimum out of eharmony you need to pay for the service. The free version lets you create a profile and send reactions to other users but, beyond that, communication is heavily limited to occasional promotional weekends where sending messages is free.

To have meaningful conversations with your eharmony matches a paid account is required. When you pay for eharmony, you also get access to video chat features as well as being able to see who has viewed your profile.

Bumble features compared

Compare features side-by-side to see which Bumble option is a better fit for you.

Bumble Free Features	Bumble Boost Features	Bumble Premium Features
✅ Create a profile	✅ Create a profile	✅ Create a profile
✅ Add photos	✅ Add photos	✅ Add photos
✅ View main profiles	✅ View main profiles	✅ View main profiles
✅ Send and receive messages with matches*	✅ Send and receive messages with matches*	✅ Send and receive messages with matches*
✅ Link up to Spotify and Instagram to fill your profile	✅ Link up to Spotify and Instagram to fill your profile	✅ Link up to Spotify and Instagram to fill your profile
	✅ Extend unlimited matches for an extra 24 hours	✅ Extend unlimited matches for an extra 24 hours
	✅ Unlimited swipes	✅ Unlimited swipes
	✅ Undo swipes	✅ Undo swipes
	✅ One Spotlight per week	✅ One Spotlight per week
	✅ Five SuperSwipes a week	✅ Five SuperSwipes a week
		✅ See who likes you (Beeline)
		✅ Incognito mode
		✅ Match again with expired matches
		✅ Travel mode

* Unlimited messaging with matches. If the match is between a man and woman, the woman has to message within 24 hours for free unlimited messaging to be available.

Both Bumble and eharmony add significant perks to their paid subscriptions. It’s just that Bumble is perfectly usable even for people with free accounts, eharmony requires you to pay to get basic functionality.

The main decision to make between the different Bumble paid plans is whether you want to see who likes you. On Bumble, this feature is called “Beeline” and it’s only available on the more expensive Premium membership.

If you’re someone who travels a lot, “Travel mode” on Bumble could also be very practical. It lets you select different locations, view profiles at your destination, and crucially match with them ahead of your trip. This means that when you arrive, you will already have someone to meet up with.

Which dating app is better for you? eharmony vs Bumble

See what the pros and cons of eharmony vs Bumble are, so you can decide which app is better for you.

eharmony pros and cons

These are the advantages and disadvantages of the eharmony dating app.

Pros	Cons
✅ Advanced matchmaking technology.	❌ Expensive when compared with competition.
✅ User base is primarily looking for serious relationships.	❌ 3.9 out of 5 score on Australian Apple App Store.
✅ Clear layout and app design.

Visit site

Bumble pros and cons

These are the advantages and disadvantages of the Bumble dating app.

Pros	Cons
✅ Fully operational for free users	❌ Less focused on serious relationships and compatibility
✅ Bumble Boost is good value for money	❌ Users have to swipe through a lot of profiles and do most of the selection work
✅ 4.2 out of 5 review score and Editor’s Choice award on Apple App store.

Visit site

eharmony vs Bumble: final thoughts

Both Bumble and eharmony are great options for meeting someone online. Which one you choose depends on whether you like swiping through profiles or not. If you do, then Bumble is a better option. If you don’t like the swiping method of finding dates, then eharmony is better suited to your needs.

If cost is a concern for you, then Bumble is the better option since the free version is fully-featured. If you can invest in your love life and are looking for a serious relationship, eharmony is a better option thanks to its advanced matchmaking and compatibility pairing features.

Both dating apps are established and have good reputations. If you’re undecided, why not try both?

eharmony vs Bumble FAQ

You can find answers to common eharmony vs Bumble questions below.

Is Bumble better than eharmony?

Bumble is better if you enjoy swiping through profiles or don’t want to pay for a dating app. Eharmony is better if you want to invest in your love life, value compatibility and advanced matchmaking features to find that special someone.

Is Bumble legit?

Bumble is definitely a legitimate dating app. The dating service has been around for many years and is backed by serious investors. Bumble has robust online security policies to make sure user profiles are valid.

Which dating app will help me get married, eharmony vs Bumble?

Both apps will help you get married, but eharmony is more likely to help you tie the knot because of its focus on compatibility and matchmaking. That doesn’t mean you can’t find the love of your life on Bumble. Anecdotal evidence shows that many married couples have met on Bumble too.

Which is cheaper: eharmony vs Bumble?

Bumble is clearly cheaper than eharmony. However, if you are looking for a dating app that recommends profiles based on advanced matchmaking and compatibility based technology then eharmony is the top option.

Is eharmony suitable for Christian dating?

It’s important to clear up that eharmony is not a dedicated Christian dating app like Christian Mingle. However since eharmony focusses on serious and committed relationships, many Christians are drawn to it to find a faithful husband or wife. Its enhanced matchmaking and compatibility features make it a great option to find a Christian partner.