Badoo Review: Real dating or just time wasting? 2024
Would you like to meet new people near you with Badoo? Find out how Badoo works, what it costs and how to distinguish fakes from real contacts.
Plus the plain truth: Are you going to have real dates or simply waste your time with Badoo Chat?
We'll explain it to you here in black and white.
1.Do you want to meet real singles nearby? The chances of success on Badoo
Are you wondering if you can make real contacts on Badoo?
In fact, the international online dating platform is currently the largest and fastest growing online dating community and seeks to bring new people and flirt partners together.
After all, Badoo Chat is currently used in more than 190 countries and 46 languages and has over 450 million members. Sounds promising.
But what does that mean for your flirts in the United Kingdom?
On this page, we will have a closer look at this in our Badoo real-life test.
How does Badoo work?
You haven't used Badoo before but have heard about it often? In fact, the Social Network has been on the market for over 13 years and is even older than Tinder & Co.
Badoo attracts members from all over the world who enjoy meeting new people in a fun and informal way, without any great expectations.
The ratio of men and women on Badoo in the United Kingdom is even, approx. 52% are male while there are 48% female. The average age is between 20 and 35 years.
Are you rather impatient with online dating?
If you're generally quick to get down to business, Badoo is a good choice:
You can communicate with other members for free right after signing up. On Badoo Chat, you can quickly get in touch with other singles from the United Kingdom and, if you're smart enough, you can even have a date.
Men should note, however, that not all women will answer you directly. When it comes to writing to the ladies and creating a profile, be sure to put in some effort. How exactly are you going to do that? More about it later.
Our basic impression of Badoo:
It is doubtful whether love for life is part of the diversity of active members. But the question is if you really want that? If you want to explore with no commitment, like chatting and are curious about new people, Badoo can be fun!
To put it simply: Dating on Badoo: Pro & Cons
Badoo Advantages:
- Quick registration
- Simple operation
- Free functions (Badoo Chat etc.)
- Many members nearby
- Creative flirting opportunities
Badoo drawbacks:
- Some Fake Profiles
- Limited number of messages (per day)
- Strongly mixed user level
To see if there are currently better alternatives to Badoo in the United Kingdom, check out our comparison list here:
SPICY CHATS, FAST MEETS
A site for like-minded users with similar preferences to meet for short-term fun.
EliteSingles is an UK dating site for educated professionals seeking serious relationships.
EliteSingles belongs to the leading dating portals for educated and wealthy singles with high standards. The personality test helps thereby to find the right EliteSingles member for you.
Dating App meets scientific matchmaking
eHarmony was the first serious online matchmaking company with a laser-sharp focus on creating happy heterosexual marriages.
2.Can you chat free on Badoo? Everything you need to know about Badoo costs
Are you worried about the high cost of online dating?
We already mentioned that you can write and flirt on Badoo Chat for free. So don't worry!
In addition to chatting, you can actually use even more functions for free. Here is a small overview:
Available for free on Badoo |
Paid on Badoo |
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To take advantage of most of Badoo's paid features, you can purchase a Premium Membership. Badoo costs in detail :
- Badoo Premium for 1 week: £ 5.99
- Badoo Premium for 1 month: £17,99
- Badoo Premium for 3 months: £41.99 (= £13.33 per month)
- Badoo Premium forever: £79.99
Prices in £ are approximate and may vary slightly.
Do you consider a Premium Membership subscription too much obligation for now? It is also possible to buy Badoo Coins for certain (one-off) activities.
And what does that mean for you?
For 50 coins, for example, you can catapult your Badoo profile upwards in the search results so that it is seen by as many users as possible. Likewise, you can ensure that your message is shownfirst to a specific member. The Badoo prices for coins are as follows:
- 100 Badoo Coins: £2.99
- 550 Badoo Coins: £12.99
- 1 250 Badoo Coins: £26.99
- 2 750 Badoo Coins: £49.99
The best thing is ...
Not only can you buy Badoo-Coins, you can also earn them: For example, if you accept offers from Badoo advertising partners (e.g. newspaper trial subscriptions) or take part in surveys conducted by Badoo partners.
Conclusion: Badoo costs
The free version of Badoo already offers many ways to get in touch with new people. Free chatting in particular is a great advantage!
Due to the high number of members, it is a bit difficult to stand out from the crowd. Therefore, additional features like Badoo Premium and Badoo Coins might be useful.
But be careful: The Premium Membership takes the form of a subscription that you must cancel via iTunes or Google Play. If you forget to cancel, Badoo prices will always be deducted from your account.
3.Experiences with Badoo: How Badoo Really Works
Have you read this Badoo review so far or have you already tried Badoo and discovered a few terms that you can't (yet) really understand? Don't worry. We intend to provide complete clarity here.
For example, what's it all about with the encounters game? And how do you switch to invisible mode?
Here come our complete and plain Badoo experiences! We have tested all functions ... the most important at a glance. The experiences apply to both the Badoo App and the Badoo website.
Registration: How to register with Badoo!
Logging in to Badoo is quick and easy - either via social media platforms such as Facebook & Co., or via your email address, which you'll then have to confirm. And you'll be ready to go.
Search and find: How to use the search function correctly!
Would you like to get in touch with people who live near you on Badoo Chat? The circumcircle search is ideal for this: You activate your location and members in your area are displayed, with whom you can communicate directly.
In addition, you can set a filter for "popular" so that you know whose pictures are highly rated and who is very much in demand in the chat. Maybe there's someone there who likes you too? According to our Badoo experience, a reply in the circumcircle search won't be long in coming!
Flirt factor: This is how the encounters game works!
Perhaps you already know something similar from Tinder & Co.: In the encounters game, photos of members that live close to you are displayed and you can decide whether you like the person or not.
What this means for you...
If you click on the heart, you find the contact interesting, if you click on the X, you don't like them. If it comes to a "match" (that is, if you find each other interesting), you can chat directly with each other.
Do you really like someone, but you're not sure if the person sees it the same way? Use the function "Swarm" (= symbol with 2 hearts)! With that, you give the member a "Super Like" and your Badoo profile will be displayed immediately.
But that's by far not all ... are you brave enough?
Real-time test: This is how you go live on Badoo!
Are you someone who always hogs the spotlight? With the livestream, similar to Instagram TV, you can present yourself on Badoo in real time! You activate the camera and microphone functions on your smartphone and in the Badoo App.
Sounds too daring?
Maybe you'd like to watch live videos from other members first - streaming is also possible on the Badoo website.
Is Badoo Live too boring for you? Set your goals!
To make the livestreams more fun and interesting, Badoo gives you so-called "goals". Here you have to fulfill certain tasks as a streamer and receive live points (coins).
In our Badoo Test, we have gathered a lot of experience: Everything is possible - from members who wear their underwear on their heads to users who eat a plate of noodles in less than 2 minutes.
Is that too crazy for you?
As a spectator, motivate your favorite streamers by sending them gifts and improving their score. It's also a fun idea to get in touch with someone, isn't it?
Undercover: This is how you make yourself invisible!
Is this too public for you?
You'd ratherstay anonymous when dating online? Use the invisible mode in the Badoo Premium package and activate it in your settings.
Badoo under test: To make sure that it worked, just look at your profile picture after activation. Does it show a grey silhouette with a hat? This means that you are now invisible and no other user can recognize you. What now? Relax and take a look around undercovered.
Dating by App or via the Badoo website possible
Are you wondering if you should use this dating community on your desktop or smartphone? Our experiences have shown: Both work flawlessly. Both are free. Both are fun. It only depends on the circumstances. And it's a matter of taste.
The Badoo App is beautifully designed, the Badoo website clearly structured. Almost all functions can be used on the PC as well as on the mobile phone.
The only exception: If you want to present yourself live, you need a smartphone. If you just want to watch other members in the livestream, you can also do that on the Badoo website.
Well, why be old school and flirt on your PC?
As many online dating services only work on the smartphone, Badoo Chat on the desktop is an excellent alternative if you don't feel like typing on the small smartphone screen. Nevertheless, with the Badoo App, you flirt from everywhere - whether in the train, at university or on the way to work. Contacts are made quickly and easily. So why not just use both?
Conclusion of our Badoo test:
The Badoo Chat is something for users who are open to new people, like to present themselves and chat, but want to explore without obligation.
The creative contact possibilities provide a lot of variety, are fun and contain a certain addiction potential. One could also say: Badoo is something for people who like an "extraordinary" flirt.
The good news is,
There's a lot to choose from - you'll find a lot of members near you. However, not all members are active, which sometimes makes contacting them a little more difficult. There are also some fake profiles. By the way: How to distinguish Badoo Fakes from real users? You will find out more in a minute.
Ultimately, you have to make your own Badoo experiences. But the community is a nice pastime for people who don't have too high expectations. There is a wide range of registered members.
Are there better dating apps as an alternative to Badoo in the United Kingdom? Here are our top apps.
SPICY CHATS, FAST MEETS
A site for like-minded users with similar preferences to meet for short-term fun.
EliteSingles is an UK dating site for educated professionals seeking serious relationships.
EliteSingles belongs to the leading dating portals for educated and wealthy singles with high standards. The personality test helps thereby to find the right EliteSingles member for you.
Dating App meets scientific matchmaking
eHarmony was the first serious online matchmaking company with a laser-sharp focus on creating happy heterosexual marriages.
4.Are there only fakes on Badoo Chat? How to distinguish real contacts from fakes ones
Are you worried about falling for fakes on Badoo?
The truth is...
There are black sheep everywhere. There are also scammers on Badoo Chat who use fake profiles to attract and question other users.
But maybe you haven't thought that far yet. Is it annoying if a contact doesn't answer and you just don't get a date? This could also be a fake profile.
However, the fact is that many Badoo members are no longer (or not very) active. Again, others just want to have fun on Badoo and are not motivated enough to really get to know someone. So you should generally accept disappointments!
But how do you recognize a typical Badoo scam?
It is advisable to chat with singles who have verified their profile.
Make sure that the contacts you contacted have verified their Badoo profile. How do you do this with your own account? It works like this:
- Open your profile and click on the photo icon in "Profile Verification".
- Click on "Take photo" and give Badoo access to your camera.
- Copy the gesture Badoo makes (e.g. waving, smiling, etc.) and snap a selfie. Make sure your face is clearly visible and the image is not blurry.
- Then press "send for verification" and send the photo.
- After a few minutes, you will receive a verification confirmation or rejection from Badoo.
Caution with too perfect profile photos
The profile picture of the user reminds you of a perfectly illuminated model pose? Of course, professionally taken photos are not proof of a fake Badoo profile. But such pictures are often used by scammers!
A tip: Take a look at the photo with "Google Image Search". Are there hits that don't match the contact? Then it's probably a Badoo scam.
Inconsistent and untrustworthy profile texts
The details in the profile of the alleged Fake Badoo seem strange to you? Why, for example, is a 28-year-old woman looking for dates with up to 70-year-old guys? Rather unlikely ... beware here!
And what else: Do interests and preferences in the professional text coincide exactly with the details you gave? If the account of the contact is a new one, it could be that it was created especially for you.
Caution with messages with telephone number and links to other websites
A member on Badoo Chat immediately sends you a phone number or a link to another website to continue communicating? Be careful, there are often high costs involved! And there's no reason to change channels so quickly. This could also be a fake profile.
Our advice: Don't click on the link, but google the website or use the reverse search for a telephone number. Who or what is behind it? In many cases, these are erotic portals or foreign numbers that will cost you a lot of money.
Usually, fake contacts avoid a real-life meeting.
You have arranged to meet a member and he or she cancels every time shortly before or there is always something coming up? Fakes from Badoo hardly ever get involved in real meetings.
Not to mention: Always arrange to meet on the 1st date in a public place. If you still have doubts, take a friend with you who can stay hidden while you have your date.
Conclusion on fake profiles on Badoo: The typical Badoo scam doesn't exist. Users behind fake profiles usually proceed the same way. But before you get involved with someone too quickly, use the various options described above to find out more about the contact beforehand.
Because: Better to be safe than sorry! If you still find something strange, rely on your gut feeling and it is better to leave this contact.
Better alternatives to Badoo in the United Kingdom:
SPICY CHATS, FAST MEETS
A site for like-minded users with similar preferences to meet for short-term fun.
EliteSingles is an UK dating site for educated professionals seeking serious relationships.
EliteSingles belongs to the leading dating portals for educated and wealthy singles with high standards. The personality test helps thereby to find the right EliteSingles member for you.
Dating App meets scientific matchmaking
eHarmony was the first serious online matchmaking company with a laser-sharp focus on creating happy heterosexual marriages.
5.That's how you get to the (sex) date with Badoo!
Too many members, too many flirting opportunities, too many fake profiles ... You wonder if Badoo in the United Kingdom has any chance of getting you a real date at all? Maybe you think you're just wasting your time?
To be honest, the answer is yes and no.
We now want to explain this a little better...
The fact is, if you make an effort, you'll find what you're looking for. No matter if, it is a serious date or non-binding sex. The only thing that matters is that you communicate honestly and openly what you are looking for. Others do the same, don't they?
The truth is ...
... it is difficult for many to stand out from the masses of the online dating jungle. Especially with such a large number of members, many Badoo profiles are quickly forgotten.
But how can you do better than the rest?
Here are a few helpful tips on how to get to a real date faster:
Pimp your Badoo profile!
Besides the standard information about age, size, place of residence, profession etc. we recommend to mention on your profile what you are looking for (function: "What I really want"). Badoo provides several selection criteria, like "just chat" or "something serious" etc. for this purpose. This increases your chances of finding someone in the Badoo chat who expects something similar.
What else do you have to say about yourself? What sets you apart? Formulate a little "over-me text" that arouses curiosity!
If you can't think of anything creative, you can simply answer given profile questions, for example: "What is your favorite excuse" or "What are you really bad at? At least other users will recognize that you have tried hard.
Show that you are not a fake!
To prove to other members that you are real, you can also verify your Badoo profile. According to our Badoo test, this significantly increases your chances of getting a date!
Just make a selfie of yourself - with a gesture provided by Badoo - and send it in. You can read more about how this works under "Badoo Fakes" above.
Convince with real pictures!
Add at least one current photo to your account - preferably several pictures that show you in different scenarios.
Make sure that your photos are authentic and that you are clearly recognizable. This is much better than a filter or Photoshop editing!
If you like, connect your Badoo profile to other social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, etc. to give your contacts a more complete impression of you.
What else is really important...
Impress with charm & interest!
Inform yourself about your new contact before you chat with him: This is particularly useful if you have looked at the Badoo user profile and wondered about it. You score points against other superficial users and clearly show interest!
For example, what could you watch out for? Maybe there's a picture of your potential flirting partner from a club or café you've already been to? Take up the topic and ask what he/she likes best there. In addition, your own impressions count and offer a lot of topics to talk about.
Stay honest and authentic!
No matter what happens to an initial Badoo chat, whether you write back and forth for a while or want to meet soon in real life: The be-all and end-all is and remains honesty! Be direct, open, but polite. Don't invent anything and don't make yourself greater than you are. Nobody is perfect!
Don't fake anything and make it clear at times what you want and expect. This includes a certain self-confidence. But that's exactly what makes others interesting and makes them want more: more chatting, more getting to know each other, more togetherness, more sex? You decide that together.
And in the next chapter... the whole truth... Badoo or Tinder, which app is better?
6.Badoo vs. Tinder - is Badoo a better alternative?
Maybe you have already tried Tinder and are thinking about switching to the Badoo Chat? Are you wondering which dating option is right for you?
Here's our conclusion:
Badoo vs. Tinder: A head-to-head race ...
Both online services have a large selection of members. The chance to quickly and easily get to know new people nearby is about the same for both.
However, there are many fake profiles lurking on both Tinder and Badoo that slow down real contacts and irritate over time.
Badoo vs. Tinder:
Tinder is simpler in handling and focuses on its most important and successful tool: The matching. However, Tinder is a pure dating app and can only be used on a smartphone.
Badoo is a bit more playful and offers its users more contact possibilities. If you like chatting, you'll probably have more fun here. Badoo Chat can also be used on the desktop.
So ... what now: Badoo or Tinder?
If you like it simple and direct, and like to have a constant track while flirting, you're probably better off with Tinder. If you'd rather be creative and playful and let yourself be surprised, Badoo is the better option.
The most important alternatives to Badoo and Tinder in the United Kingdom
SPICY CHATS, FAST MEETS
A site for like-minded users with similar preferences to meet for short-term fun.
EliteSingles is an UK dating site for educated professionals seeking serious relationships.
EliteSingles belongs to the leading dating portals for educated and wealthy singles with high standards. The personality test helps thereby to find the right EliteSingles member for you.
Dating App meets scientific matchmaking
eHarmony was the first serious online matchmaking company with a laser-sharp focus on creating happy heterosexual marriages.
Badoo has many active users around the world. Keep your eyes open while flirting: you will most likely find suitable members nearby
Zoosk is an intelligent app that excites countless singles for something new every day. It provides a very active single community with helpful communication functions.