Bumble and Meetic: Journalist complains of dating app costs

Journalist tries Bumble after a month on Meetic with the same result: paying without dating

Is it really necessary to pay €17 a week for a dating app to introduce you to someone? This question haunts the account of a journalist who, after a month on Meetic, switched to Bumble on a friend's recommendation, only to find the same issues she had previously criticized: neglected profiles, non-paying users, and a general sense of laziness. The article, written by a contributor and published by a mainstream media outlet, sparked a broader discussion about the online dating market.

The author starts with a figure she provides herself: on Meetic, a "decently decent" monthly account costs around €30. On Bumble, the weekly Premium version is about €17. With that, she says, one barely gets unlimited likes, rematches, and advanced filters she admits not fully understanding. Her conclusion, written ironically, is that money guarantees nothing on either platform.

The profile of the user who doesn't pay and the one who doesn't try

The first criticism in the article targets users who don't pay. The author recounts that on her first day on Meetic, a man handed her his phone after five minutes because "his pass was running out." Her interpretation is direct: if he isn't willing to pay for a week to keep getting to know her, he isn't interested enough. That tribe of "no-pass" users, she says, projects a shabby image.

The second complaint is aesthetic. Blurry, tilted photos, First Communion pictures, posing in front of mirrors, or with an unmade bed in the background. The journalist argues that the choice of photo says more about a person than the photo itself, and that a profile with just four scattered details—religion, children, smoking or drinking habits—reveals someone who hasn't bothered to spend fifteen minutes introducing themselves.

On Bumble, however, she acknowledges that portraits are better cared for and the interface is "cute." She also highlights that women make the first move, which changes the dynamic. She pauses on a detail she finds striking: many male profiles include feminism among their causes. She doesn't know if it's a seduction strategy, but she likes it.

Why do dating apps generate so many complaints from men and women?

The discussion generated by the text points to a fundamental imbalance. Some readers argue that women receive likes and messages from the first minute, even without a photo, while men invest time in photos, descriptions, and messages without getting a response. From this, they argue, comes a distortion of expectations: women raise the bar and men accumulate frustration.

Another current points in the opposite direction. Some defend that the problem isn't the app, but how it is used: profiles looking to browse, heat up the chat, and move on to the next without intention of meeting. The result, in any case, is the same: a significant portion of users pay and don't get a single date.

The calculation repeated in the conversation is stark. If a Premium account costs around €30 a month, a year of subscription exceeds €360. For those who don't get dates, the return is zero. And that, in a context of inflation and cost of living, is no joke.

App fatigue and the return to direct contact

The text also leaves a reflection on burnout. The author admits that she feels lazy about flirting even on the trendy platform. It’s not an isolated complaint: in the discussion, the idea repeats that apps have stopped being a novelty and become a chore. Opening the app, swiping through profiles, writing, and waiting for a response is increasingly perceived as work.

In contrast, some readers advocate for direct contact and in-person environments. Others point to a future with conversational assistants replacing human interaction, an idea that generates both curiosity and rejection. A few recall that, years ago, those who understood how these platforms worked could benefit from them. Today, they say, the market is saturated and expectations are inflated.

Meanwhile, the journalist still hasn't found what she was looking for. She paid, tried, and wrote. The open question isn't whether Bumble is better than Meetic, but whether it’s worth continuing to pay for a conversation that, in most cases, leads nowhere.