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Site usability and features: 5,2/10
Security: 4,9/10
Profile information and graphics: 5,6/10
Partner finding potential: 4,9/10
Customer support: 3,9/10
Price: 4,5/10
Badoo is a social network for daters, or that’s what it claims! Available as both an app and a desktop site, Badoo is aimed at a young audience (teens to 20s, mostly) looking for love, casual dating, hookups… even friendship! Initially the company started with Facebook quizzes, and when those became popular they branches out. The site is easy to use and pretty intuitive, as is the app, and everything is set up with mobile dating in mind. To use, Badoo is similar to app-only dating platforms, in fact, but with the added convenience of also being able to access everything from a computer. Onboarding is super simple, with the option to pad things out, and you can also pay for both credits and premium with neither being essential for the basics. You can link Badoo to Facebook on Insta if you want easy access to your own info and pictures, but this isn’t essential either and may only really speed up use on a phone.
All Badoo needs for sign up is your name, age, city and an email address and password. You must then verify the email, and you’re in! A picture (of you) is recommended, and you have to upload one before you can go through users close to you.
Badoo lets you see all users of the gender you’re looking for (which can be both) who are close to you. You can go through these users through a grid of their pictures through the People Nearby tab, or you can get the full dating app experience through Encounters, and either swipe through large pictures or hit like or dislike to get through them. The third option, Live, shows you who’s online right now and streaming video.. You can join the stream and comment, or start your own. When someone likes you, and you like them back they move to the Matched tab.
With Badoo, you can always see who has been viewing your profile. This will appear under the Visitors tab. You can also favourite users you’re interested in.
Let’s be honest, completely filled out profiles get more likes. Badoo tells users that people with 6+ pictures get the most likes, in fact, so adding to your gallery is probably a good idea. Beyond that, you can tell potential matches about yourself in your profile, from work to sexuality and relationship status. The bio isn’t compulsory on Badoo, but that’s also a good idea if you want to get noticed. Lots of people just have a cheeky one liner!
With Badoo, paying is definitely optional. The site works fine with a basic membership. Paying allows you to become a featured member, and to see and message new members first, as well as a few other features. One positive of Badoo’s payment scheme is that there is a lifetime option, and it’s cheaper than a year on many sites. There are also 1, 3 and 6 month options, as well as 1 week.
Canceling is easy. Go through Settings, and down to Payment Settings to simply cancel payments, or scroll further to Delete Account to get rid of your whole account and profile for good.
Badoo’s basic user search function is People Nearby, which does just what it says on the tin, showing you who’s closeby. You can filter by age, gender and how close exactly you need them to be!
Same sex searches and matches are available on Badoo, which is not always the case on sites like this.
All users get full message sending and receiving privileges on Badoo!
Verify your photo by posing in various ways, showing you’re real and responding. Verified accounts get a blue tick.
With Badoo live, you can stream video live for other users to comment on and interact with. This is one of the features that makes Badoo a little more social network than most sites.
Encounters is Badoo’s version of the now tried and tested dating game. Either click like or don’t like or swipe right or left based solely on the bio and pics of other users.
This is an unusual and original feature from Badoo! Lookalikes lets you search for more users that resemble one you like. Weird, huh? But definitely useful if you have a type!
What do you get if you pay for a premium account on Badoo? Here are a few of the added benefits.
With premium membership, you get first contact with new members. If you like the look of anyone, get typing fast as the rest of the site is bound to be hot on your heels.
As all users can see who viewed their profile, Incognito Mode is important on Badoo! Use it to read and reread the bio of the guy or gal who is pretty much definitely the one probably.
Featured members appear to everyone, giving them an excellent chance of being noticed by an attractive stranger. You can be featured yourself by paying for premium.
Want someone’s attention? Why not woo them with a gift, or tell them you like them with a little Crush Alert.
Free account
1 week premium
£4.99
6 months premium
£11.00 (per month)
Lifetime premium
£199.99
Pros
Cons
Pros
Badoo is a really solid dating or dating social networking site… social dating? Maybe the description needs work! Extra features like Encounters and Lookalikes are fun, and akin to various dating apps. The experience is a little more in depth than most apps though, as you can search members, like them for later, stream video, etc. Badoo is the apps vs dating sites best of both worlds! The user base is young and very online, which means the site is always active. All the essential features of the site are free, and paying just means you get some extras on top of that, which is great. Paying is also not particularly expensive when compared to similar services. Overall, Badoo has totally earned its place as one of the UK’s more popular dating services, and I would recommend it to anyone under 35 looking for something on the more casual side of things.
I really enjoy the crazy mess I've gotten myself into with the help of this site. Found my bf on the site and instead of arguing I just decided why not just join in too. Anyways Badoo is awesome join them... I thought I would get maybe one message I ended up getting 30 messages in a hours time after making my profile. Try it, surprise your own self.
Badoo dating app is my favorite full time app on the play store because it is pretty much free and I am always looking for a new chick to kick it with that is hella confident down to earth and a very awesome personality and I love it when a smart sophisticated sexy babe with a very thick booty you're absolutely a fool if you ain't on deck with BADOO
Very good app. But why do you have to pay to communicate? Like sending a crush costs money.
This app is a great way to meet new people, simple to use, I’ve had varying degrees of success. I’ve been contacted by locals and men as far as Bogota. Regardless of age there’s something for everyone.
