Day: March 16, 2023

Hinge was released in 2012 and has been stealing hearts ever since.

The app that’s “designed to be deleted” has over 3 million users in the US and has made a splash in the online dating world.

It’s been able to make a name for itself by implementing the old-school practice of being introduced via a mutual friend into an application. Even though it did away with this feature in 2018 it’s been able to use that momentum to become one of the most popular apps in the nation.

Hinge is different from other dating apps in that it’s the least superficial app out there.

It has anti-ghosting features, limited swipes, detailed profiles, prompts, and a host of other elements that make it the best app for those looking for long-term relationships.

No other app works like Hinge does.

Now that I’ve got your fingers tingling at the prospect of downloading the app and taking advantage of its dating network, you probably got one more question on your mind, “Is Hinge free?”

The short answer is yes, technically it’s free.

But like dating, it’s not that simple.

Is Hinge Free?

It’s Free with Limited Swipes

Do you have to pay for Hinge?

No.

But is the free version of Hinge limited to the point where you can’t even message other users like in other apps.

Again, no.

Most basic versions of dating applications are completely free.

However, some offer more perks than others.

The dating app designed to be deleted allows you to match and connect with users. The most notable free feature is the ability to match with another user, done with the help of a like.

Hinge is unlike most popular dating apps in that it doesn’t utilize swiping. At one point in time, Hinge did, but in 2016 decided to do away with the option.

Instead of swiping, users connect with each other through likes. While scrolling through profiles -or someone’s “story” as Hinge calls it- you have the opportunity to like and comment on another user’s photo or their written answer to a list of questions users are asked when filling out their stories.

Once you like another user, that person will be notified and then has the option of responding to your interest.

The free version of Hinge enables a user to like no more than 8 users every 24 hours (see image above for when Hinge pumps the brakes on your daily likes). However, this is only the case if users have a complete profile.

A complete profile is one that contains at least six photos. Should your profile not be completed, you won’t be able to like anyone.

While it may sound unfair, having this restriction in place forces users to create a more well-rounded and transparent profile. This is something that users should be doing regardless of being obligated to do so.

Paying for Hinge’s “Preferred Membership” grants users unlimited swipes. Hinge only offers one form of non-free membership.

Here is the price breakdown:

What Do I Get if I Upgrade to a Paid Hinge Account?

Said Preferred Membership Advantages

The free membership provides users with enough features to create a profile, use basic filters, and start connecting with users. If you want to unleash the full capabilities of the app, it’ll cost you.

Does Hinge cost money?

No.

However, there are a wealth of features that’ll help you filter out non-compatible partners that can only be accessed with the paid membership.

The See Who Likes You Feature

As we’ve noted, Hinge Preferred grants you unlimited likes.

But that probably won’t be necessary once you learn about this next feature.

One of the many boons of paying for a Hinge membership is the ability to see all of the users that have liked you before matching with them. Having Hinge create a cache of users that already have the hots for you saves you time in your search for a relationship. Instead of fishing into a pool never knowing if you’ll get a bite, Hinge lights up the dating pool by compiling a list of women that are already interested in you.

The Extended In-Depth Preferences Feature

The best dating applications help us filter out suitors that aren’t right for us. Ideally, we’d only go out with people that we know we would form a lasting connection with. Certain applications do a better job at finding these special ones than others. Generally speaking, the more filters the better. The free and paid versions of Hinge offer different filters that are juxtaposed below.

Free Hinge Accounts Get These Filters

Gender, location, age, distance, height, ethnicity, and religion.

Preferred Membership Get These Additional Filters

Whether someone has children, whether someone wants children, politics, drinking, smoking, marijuana, drug use, etc.

Having access to filters allows you to cut down on the time you invest in building a relationship that’s going nowhere. If you have certain dealbreakers like smoking or children, having access to such filter capabilities will allow you to invest more heavily in more compatible romantic candidates.

Hinge Roses

A rose is basically the equivalent of Tinder’s Super Like.

When you send someone a bouquet or roses your profile will get boosted to the front of their likes queue.

In this way you skip the line of other suitors.

What’s so great about roses is like a Super Like users are alerted that you’ve sent a rose, signaling that you have a strong interest.

Hinge claims that sending a rose significantly boosts your odds of receiving a like.

I’d agree.

Whether you have a free or preferred membership you receive one rose a week (roses don’t accumulate).

So if you want to use more than one a week you’ll have to hit up your digital florist and dish out a little cash.

Should I Pay for a Hinge Membership?

Just about every application has a paid membership option.

So what makes Hinge’s option better than others?

Hinge boasts that Preferred Members get twice as many dates as free members.

When members can like other members until their fingers blister and have access to women that have already liked them, it’s no surprise. These two reasons certainly help answer the question of why paying members score twice as many matches.

However, I have another theory. Paying members simply want it more. They are on the application more often, care more about their profile, and delicately construct their comments and messages more so than non-paying members.

This is because you’re only going to pay for a membership if you’re serious about dating.

How many times have you heard someone say that they’re only on a dating application because they’re bored or because their friend made them do it?

The truth is the same no matter the application, paying members are just more committed to forming relationships via applications.

What’s more important than paying for a Hinge membership is tapping into the aforementioned mentality. You should take dating applications seriously instead of treating them as a way to pass the time in the bathroom.

Getting serious about using online dating not only means putting more effort into building your profile (having great Hinge Answers) and chatting with women. It also means utilizing more online dating channels.

HINGE Hack!

We disrupt this article to bring you a Hinge Hack!

Feel like you’ve swiped through all the women in your area? Do you also feel like you’ve revamped your profile and that if only she could see your profile again and give you a like.

Now is your chance to make another first impression.

All you have to do is delete your profile… or at least tell Hinge you want to.

Go to delete your profile and you’ll be asked why. Choose the option, “I’m not happy with my Hinge experience” and you’ll be asked if you want a Fresh Start.

Once you do you’ll be able to refresh your feed and receive the following benefits:

While this is a great way to expose your profile once again to women that may have passed by your profile, ONLY use this option once you’ve improve your profile.

So Answer Me Will You! Should I Pay for Hinge?

Not right away.

Try the free version for 30 days.

Do so while also being active on 4 other dating apps.

Swiping, scrolling, and liking profiles on five different online dating platforms will introduce you to an eclectic mix of women that you would never have found had you only been using a single dating app.

If you’re still not getting the success you think you deserve after 30 days then upgrade your Hinge account. But only pay for the 1-month option. If you’re still not getting the results you desire after paying for a 30-day Hinge membership, it’s time you consider hiring some help.

Hiring Some Dating Help

I can vaunt all I want about the integrated dating expert, multitude of filters, and unlimited swiping.

However, what really matters is how everyday users feel about Hinge. As I’ve mentioned I advise my clients to be active on five dating applications.

Ever since I started suggesting Hinge to clients it’s been by far their favorite dating application.

It doesn’t matter where the client has lived, their religion, or age, almost every one of them has voiced their affinity for Hinge.

Hinge does a great job of connecting people with similar interests, thus creating meaningful dates. In internal information gathered from Hinge’s “We Met” feature, the application found that 90% of Hinge members enjoyed their first date while 72% said they’d go on a second date.

Hinge might just be the most inventive dating application out there.

From its internal dating coaches to its anti-ghosting feature, Hinge is continually coming up with effective ways to connect its users.

As we’ve discussed, Hinge is free, but to get the most out of the application you’ll have to pay. Whether you opt for the paid version or not depends on your personal preferences and needs.

Should you decide to pay for Hinge and seek guidance from the internal dating coach you may find yourself a bit disappointed. Hinge Experts have received little feedback and can only help with issues that are intimately related to the application.

If you need to talk about a dating obstacle outside of the Hinge realm, you’re out of luck.

This is where I come in.

Dating Decoded

Dating applications, how to mitigate first-date nerves, and how to accelerate a relationship are all topics that you can feel free to discuss with me.

In fact we tackle every topic you need to know in order to be successful in the modern dating scene.

It all starts with our online curriculum.

With lifetime access to all our content, you can take your time and consume over and over again our seemingly endless library of content covering a wide range of dating subjects.

Here’s a peek of what you’ll find on our platform:

• Messaging strategies on dating apps
• How to ask a woman out online and IRL
• Where to meet the women of your dreams IRL
• Flirting techniques
• How to have better sex
• Foreplay

But our extensive and ever-updated platform isn’t all we offer.

We know dating is dynamic and full of nuance.

That’s why we have two live sessions each and every week. During these sessions, we encourage students to talk about obstacles they have. Primarily we deal with messaging roadblocks. We’ll pick apart the messages you’re sending and show you how to improve the message quality.

But what happens after you’ve found a woman to date on Hinge?

Well, it’s time to meet face-to-face of course. But you’re probably worried because you haven’t gone on many dates IRL as of late.

That’s not a problem as we offer students mock dates with our specialist Brooke.

During these dates, you’ll have the opportunity to apply everything you’ve learned in our program. After the date is over Brooke will provide detailed feedback on what worked and what could use improvement.

Lastly, we realize that dating alone can be a downer. In order to keep going you want to have a solid support system. That’s why when you join Dating Decoded you join a community of supportive men in your exact position. After enrolling we’ll pair you with a new student who will hold you accountable. We also try to pair students with those that live in their area so if you’d like you two can meet IRL to talk strategy and meet women.

You can book a 1-on-1 New Client session here, and we can get started making you a dating whizz.

During our session, we’ll talk about your dating history, uncover any blocks that could be holding you back, create an action plan, and see if my coaching program could be right for you.

Hinge has forever billed itself as the app designed to be deleted. 

Unlike other dating apps, it markets itself as the one that really cares about your romantic life. The one that isn’t designed to be a game or get you trapped in an endless swiping spree that encourages you to never settle.

In some ways, this claim is more than bravado.

For one Hinge limits free users 10 swipes a day, highlights written portions of the bio, and offers a wide range of filters to help you quickly find compatible partners.

Recently Hinge added one more feature to its repertoire, Hinge Standouts.

Hinge Standouts are algorithm-selected prompts from profiles the app thinks you’re most compatible with.

Yet again we see Hinge attempting to prioritize compatible users and as such get you off the app as soon as possible.

Let’s dive into Hinge Standouts, figure out how to use them and see if we can’t get you to become a Hinge Standout in the process.

What Are Hinge Standouts?

Normally when you’re getting your flirt on via Hinge you’re scrolling through profiles dishing out likes to prompts or photos you like.

Like the Discover channel, Standouts is just another channel to introduce you to more profiles.

But unlike Discover, Standouts relies on an algorithm to place certain profiles in front of you.

So how does it work?

Hinge uses two factors to curate your list of standouts.

1) Profiles that are getting the most attention

2) Knowledge of who you’ve liked or commented on in the past

We don’t know which factor is weighted more, but the important part is that Hinge is doing its damndest to expose you to people it believes you’ll be into.

Hinge Standouts is basically the app’s answer to Tinder’s Top Picks. The main difference being that Hinge personalizes what it considers to be top picks.

How To Use Hinge Standouts?

When you’re normally getting your browse on Hinge you have the option to either send a rose or like a comment or photo of someone’s profile. You also have the ability to add a comment.

Hinge Standouts is a bit different.

It only gives users the option to send a rose.

But beware, you only have one rose a week.

Unless of course, you decide to plant a garden with the help of a few Benjamins.

A benefit of sending a rose is that your profile gets bumped to the top of the queue. Another benefit is that users will know that you’re super into them. According to Hinge sending a rose means you’re twice as likely to go on a date with a user as opposed to simply liking them.

Just The Prompt… Kinda

When a lovely lady from Hinge slips into your Standouts list you’ll see her prompt. Prompts can actually be photos or text-based. You may think that you can’t access her profile, but you’re wrong. Click on the avatar photo below the prompt to access her profile. Once you’re looking at her profile not only can you learn much more about her but you can also send a rose and address any portion of her profile.

Where Do I Find Standouts?

Standouts can be found by clicking the star button at the bottom of the app.

How Many Standouts Do I Get?

You have access to ten Standouts every day.

When Do Standouts Refresh?

If you’re in a town or city with a large volume of Hinge users you’ll have a fresh batch of Standouts every 24 hours. However the smaller the town the more likely it is that users won’t refresh or that you won’t have any Standouts to choose from.

Get The Most Out Of Standouts

Hinge pairs you with women it thinks you’re compatible with, based on their profile. To really let the algorithm do its work I suggest using the app as consistently and regularly as possible. Doing so will feed it more info and thus refine your matches so they become more and more compatible over time.

Also, keep in mind that unless you have a garden of roses you’ll only be able to hand out one rose per week. I’d recommend using a rose on a Standout as they will be the most desirable. Yet at the same time, profiles are selected as Standouts because they’re deemed the most desirable. It’s these profiles that get the most attention and thus have the most competition. It’s possible that these users are getting pricked by so many roses your profile will be overlooked.

Consider using your rose on someone that perhaps isn’t bombarded by roses.

In this way, you will stand out.

Pro Tip:

Considering the competition it’s more crucial than ever that you send an accompanying comment to go along with your rose. According to Hinge’s data those that send comments make you 3x as likely to receive a like and response than those that don’t.

Will I See Standouts In Discover Mode?

Yes and no.

According to Hinge…

“The people you see in Standouts may occasionally appear in your Discover feed, but it’s not guaranteed.”

My guess is that like Top Picks in Tinder they will eventually appear in Discover if you swipe for long enough. That being said if you are really digging someone in Standouts, don’t wait for them to appear in your Discover feed. Send them a bouquet of roses and hope for reciprocity.

Am I a Hinge Standout?

There’s no way to know for sure unless a friend or match tells you.

However, there are ways to increase your odds of being selected as a Hinge Standout.

For one, you need to answer all three Hinge prompts. Dating apps struggle to give users enough surface area to express themselves and show their personality. Hinge however does a good job of this. The more detailed you get the better your odds are of being featured. My guess is that keywords are being targeted to show your profile to users with related keywords.

Secondly, you need to create an all-around badass profile that gets likes. That’s great and all if you have detailed prompt responses littered with keywords but you need more than that.

More than that means filling out a badass bio and having an awesome roster of photos to boot.

Let’s talk about that in depth.

How To Standout

We’re not naive.

If your profile receives a like or two every week it probably won’t be featured as a Standout.

So it’s time to bump that puppy up.

So how do you go from a like or two to three or four, or even ten or eleven likes every week?

It all starts with your photos.

Your New Hinge Photos

For a detailed look at the best Hinge profiles, check out this comprehensive article.

But in the meantime let’s give you a quick rundown of the must-have photos.

Your first photo should be a closely cropped headshot. First and foremost she wants to know what you look like. If you make her scroll down to ascertain what you look like chances are she won’t, and you’ll be out of a like. Be mindful of the background. Remember to smile, dress nice and look like a normal, handsome, dateable guy.

The second photo should be a full-body shot. More than your face women want to know what you look like. Are you tall, short, chubby, muscular, etc. Answer these questions in your profile. Refusing to do so makes it extremely difficult for her to like your profile.

Now that we’re on the third photo it’s time to show her who you are. Introducing the hobby shot. Are you super into snorkeling, skiing, chess, archery, or D&D? Whatever gets you jazzed, throw it up on the screen so she can see what you’re all about.

Now that she knows who you are and you’ve shown off your personality it’s time to give her what she really really wants. A picture with a cute puppy. That’s right the fourth picture is the animal lover photo. Research has been done time after time to prove beyond a doubt that women love men who love animals (in particular dogs). Throwing a cute dog pic into your profile is almost cheating.

The remaining pictures are up to you but I have a few more suggestions:

• The social picture (show her you have friends, just don’t pose with a female)
• The GQ shot (get dressed up and show her how big of a hunk you really are)
• More hobby shots

Just remember to smile, wear different clothes in each picture, and show off various sides of your personality.

Oh yeah and NO selfies!

The Written Bio

Like every dating app out there, Hinge too is superficial. But while photos are most important the bio and Hinge prompts still have their place.

Hinge even enables users to take short videos and audio messages and insert them into the top of their profile.

When penning prompt responses or written bio just remember to be funny, light-hearted, and specific.

Now’s your chance to let your personality shine through. No other medium better accomplishes this than a prompt or bio.

If you want more specifics you should consider our best-in-class coaching program — Dating Decoded.

Hinge Fresh Start

After a profile makeover, it’s time to reintroduce yourself to the Hinge dating community.

But how can you do this if all the female users have already seen your profile?

Go to Settings>Delete Profile.

You’ll then be prompted to tell Hinge why you want to delete the app. Click the option, “I’m not happy with my Hinge experience.”

You’ll then be able to reset your account allowing you to reset the following:

• Recommendations
• Previous Profiles
• Likes You Sent

This is your chance to hit the reset button.

After you’ve revamped your profile, it’s time to introduce the ladies of Hinge to the new you.

Dating Decoded

When you team up with us, we’ll make sure you become a Hinge Standout.

We teach students how to create top-performing dating profiles, how to chat up women online, how to meet women in real life & what to say to them, how to message and objection handle like a pro, how to segue the dynamic from online to offline, how to have great sex, and much more.

Our coaching program is designed to get you into a relationship with a woman you’re super excited — in record time.

To learn more apply today to see if you’re a fit. If you are a member of our team with reach out and discuss our program with you and show you how we can turn your romantic life around.

Never before have so many people met their significant other while in the bathroom.

With online dating, it doesn’t matter if you’re offloading some duty or at your little cousin’s tee-ball game, you always have a chance to meet a single woman worth courting.

Online dating is a virtual singles bar that you carry around in your pocket. No matter the location or time of day, there are always singles ready to swipe right and get to talking. Being able to meet single women regardless of location almost seems like a superpower. The issue is that every single with a smartphone also has this power.

With easy access to comes competition. Dating apps are dominated by male users. It isn’t uncommon to use an app that has a male to female ratio of almost 2 to 1.

To stand out among a backdrop of thirsty singles you’ll need a little finesse.

Today we’ll take a look at how to apply that finesse to the dating app Hinge. Hinge bills itself as the dating app that’s “designed to be deleted.” The upstart app guards against ghosting, sets you up with friends of your FB friends, and is Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s favorite dating app.

This app is a favorite among myself and my clients (along with Bumble) because it appeals to singles that are serious about using online dating to help find a long-term partner. They have also reported that the quality of users is higher than they’ve found on other apps such as Tinder and Bumble (and if you’re looking for some differences among apps, check out my article on Hinge vs Tinder).

Before we dive into the list of the best Hinge opening lines for guys, let me make something clear.

Opening lines should almost always be informed by her profile. Hinge bios offer oodles of information that you can latch on to and use to help craft an opening line. Look for commonalities and shared interests that you can address in your opening line. Also, pen the first message in such a way that the conversation naturally gravitates towards a TDL.

Generally speaking, opening lines should be kept under two sentences and framed in such a way that they demand a response. Ain’t nobody got time for lengthy love letters or loquacious sales pitches on why you should be her man.

When She Replies To Your Comment (Caveat)

Hinge doesn’t use a swiping mechanism to facilitate matches.

Instead, users are encouraged to like and comment on another user’s answers or pictures. If you already commented on a user’s profile and she responded to your comment, you can’t refuse to respond to what she said and use an “opening line” from below that in no way relates to the conversation.

Feel out the conversation to see if she wants to continue the dialogue or if you can break free and start anew with an opening line.

For example, if you saw she works at Stripe and you, therefore, made a comment that states, “I just switched from Paypal to Stripe and I’m loving it” and she decides to match with you and responds to your comment with, “Yes! What do you like about it?” you then have to drop an opening line that answers her question.

If the dialogue you previously started fizzles out, this is when you can send her one of the following opening lines.

Quite often women that you match with won’t respond to a comment that was sent before the match was made. If this happened to you, use one of the following opening lines.

100 Best Hinge Opening Lines For Guys

Two Truths And A Lie

Remember that each opening line should respond to her profile. In this scenario, her bio contains the dating app classic of two truths and a lie.

Example 1:

Her Answer: 1. I used to be a professional rapper. 2. I’ve written an award-winning short film. 3. I’ve never been married.

Your Opening Line: You used to be a rapper? I want to hear your raps 🙂

Example 2:

Her Answer: 1. I’ve hiked the entirety of the Appalachian mountains. 2. I play the banjo in an all banjo-band. 3. I’m not a redneck.

Your Opening Line: Please tell me you’ve hiked the Appalachian trail so that we can geek out about hiking together.

You could respond by merely choosing an answer, “I choose A.” But this response doesn’t lend itself to opening up a conversation. It merely makes you seem like a contestant on a game show that really isn’t a game show. Our example offers up a bubbly response that demands a creative answer. Well done us.

When You Share A Food Interest

Possible opening lines to her profile might be:

1) Deep dish pizza is my fave too. Ever been to Capo’s in North Beach?”

2) I tried a fried spider (not in Cambodia though) a month ago. It was shockingly good right?”

3) “Hey Em, I saw we are both into deep dish pizza! What’s your favorite place to get a slice? I’m a big fan of Giordano’s.”

4) So you like Mexican food eh? Tortas or black mole?

When You See A Mutual Friend In Her Photos

1) Small world, how to do you know Rachel (your third pic)?

2) Tim plays on my softball team 🙂 How do you know him?

3) Whoa… I work with your friend Brooke (second pic). How do you know her?

4) Never allow Sam to be the banker in monopoly… he’s got quick hands.

When You Have A Similar Occupation

Example 1:

Her: What do you teach?

Him: Hi. I teach in an educational leadership graduate program. and co-directed a gender and sexuality center.

Her: Wow, I love your background and have so many questions about the gender and sexuality center! We should meet up.

Example 2:

“Hey Jen, I’m a graphic designer too. Work on any cool side projects lately?”

When You Share An Interest In A Sport/Physical Activity

Example 1:

Her: Dancer ey? What kind of dancing?

Him: Freestyle and Latin 🙂 you?

Her: Fun! Hip hop, ballet, tap, a little salsa, a touch of modern

Him: I don’t dance on a first date, but maybe a second 🙂

Example 2:

“Us Bills fans are a rare breed outside of Buffalo. We should watch the next game together, I don’t like crying in public places alone.”

When You Both Love To Travel

Example 1:

Him: Favorite travel destination of all time?

Her: Hmmmm would have to say southern Italy. By the coast. What about you?

Him: Rome. Well, I know what we’re doing for our first date…

Example 2:

Him: Alright Fernanda, you have your choice of vacationing to either Malta, Iceland, or Japan… where do you go?

Her: Wow, tough one. Can I layover in Iceland and then go to Malta?

Him: Considering I make the rules of this hypothetical scenario, I will allow it.

Example 3:

“So what type of traveler are you? Did you plant yourself at the resort or are you more into living like a local during your stays abroad?”

When You’re Both From a Small Town

1) What do you miss most about the country?”

2) Why is it that all small towns seem to have the best ghost legends? What was your town’s local legend?

3) Does it strike you as odd that once you’re in a big city nobody ever smiles while they pass you on the sidewalk? What’s been your biggest shock since you moved to the city?

4) What’s been the weirdest thing about moving to a big city?

When Your Hallmarks of a Good Relationship Are Similar

1) Is it weird that we have the exact same hallmarks in a relationship? Or does that just mean we’re soulmates? Either way, we should get a drink and find out.

2) Umm… I normally don’t start conversations with strangers off this way but… my Mom would love you.

3) You and I both share the same hallmarks of a good relationship. If we ever do date, we might just have the healthiest relationship to ever blossom out of a dating app.

When You Have The Same Fashion Sense

1) So my friends and I are all obsessed with peacoats. We actually called ourselves the peacoat gang, maybe you’d like to join? We hold tryouts every winter season.

2) I’m sorry beanies are the most underrated hat out there. They’re unisex, cover your ears (thus negating the need for gauche earmuffs) and look dope. Demonstrate That You Read Her Profile: “Em I have the best first date idea, maybe you’d want to come with me?! (Because I have something about a great first date idea listed on my profile).

3) The biggest benefit of us dating might be that we can wear each other’s clothes. I don’t mind having a second wardrobe to choose from, you have any qualms?

When You Went to the Same College

1) Hey there fellow trojan. What was your best USC memory?

2) Noway, you also went to the bowl game against Minnesota in 2010?

3) Good old Northeastern. What dorm did you live in freshman year?

When You Have A Similar Risk Taken

1) Is it just me or is the scariest thing about skydiving not jumping out of a plane, but making sure you don’t shit your pants on the way down?

2) After trying my first scorpion I kind of became an entomophage. What other bugs have you eaten apart from scorpions?

3) I too once said hi to a stranger on the subway at rush hour. His glare will scar me forever.

When She’s Just Plain Hot

Complimenting an insanely hot girl on her looks is as cliche as feigning surprise at how much your little cousins have grown since you last saw them three years ago. Your job is to stand out, not pen trite messages that won’t elicit responses. Good thing Hinge makes users answer various prompts when filling out a profile.

When You Are Both Entrepreneurs

1) Your latest giving back project looks amazing. What’s been your biggest success yet?

2) I’m also disputing the language translation industry. Maybe we should team up?

3) Your website progress is making me jealous. We’re still in the early stages of designing our first site. Any tips for a fellow entrepreneur?

When Your Pet Peeves Are Similar

1) I hereby promise that if I ever have the honor of holding your hand I will happily let it go so that others can pass us on the sidewalk.

2) I’m shocked that more cultural landmarks don’t have areas that designate selfie free areas. Want to help me ruin someone’s IG?

3) I find the best way to deal with prolific picture takers is just to join in their photos as if you’re one of the crew. Is artful photobombing too odd of a first date for you?

When You Love Her Favorite Karaoke Song (or Have Something In Common w/Her Musical Preferences)

Him: That’s sweet you’re into Atmosphere. I’m good friends with a lot of the Rhymesayers folks.

Her: Stop it. How so? Are you from Minneapolis?

Him: Yup, born and raised. You know they’re actually coming through this area in a couple of months, we should go. Atmosphere fans are meant to be together.

When You’re Bad At the Same Thing

1) One day I too vouch to own a self-driving car that will parallel park for me. My neighbors shall rejoice when the day comes.

2) I love how when you tell someone you can’t snap, then they feel the need to inadvertently rub it in your face by proceeding to snap out a song in front of them. Perhaps I can’t snap but I can slap.

3) I played college basketball so naturally, I thought making a basket at our annual state fair wouldn’t be that difficult. $40 bucks later I sure proved them wrong. Ouch.

When You Start With An Unpopular Opinion

1) Is it just me or are massages socially acceptable forms of torture?

2) For me the most chill time of day is when I get stuck in traffic on the way to work… does this relationship have a future?

3) I freaking hate football. Accented fútbol is acceptable, but I just can’t cheer on a bunch of aspiring wife-beaters running around in spandex attempting to give each other brain damage. Am I wrong?

4) The Beatles are overrated. Do we have any chance at love? And no, I won’t serenade you with Hey Jude to win back your affection.

5) Unpopular Opinion: Mexican food is the most insipid cuisine. 80% of it is just tortilla, meat, and salsa. Am I wrong?

6) I refuse to eat birthday cake. It doesn’t matter if it’s ice cream cake, carrot cake, girl scout cookies cake or angel fo- wait I actually like angel food cake. That’s the exception.

7) God is the biggest narcissist of all. The man needs billions of insignificant creatures whose lives have already been predetermined to bend the knee to him on a daily basis or else he goes and blows up a city. Am I that off?

8) Tea is just hot water and all coffee tastes bitter. Why doesn’t everyone just drink 1% milk for breakfast?

9) I’d rather get multiple teeth pulled out than go skydiving.

Additional Hinge Opening Line Tips For Guys

Dos and Donts

Don’t just like a Hinge photo of her looking hot. Every other guy is doing the same thing and it means nothing to her. Hot girls know they’re hot, they don’t need your reinforcement. Like what she says not how she looks. Here’s another article if you’re wondering how to comment on Hinge.

Best Hinge Opening Lines for Guys: Favorites, Hobbies, Family Members, or Pets

1) Em! What type of dancing do you enjoy most? P.S. I love deep dish pizza as well.

2) I’m trying to pick up roller skating too. Any tips for a newbie like me? -apart from buying shin pads, I learned that the hard way.

3) Is it weird if I think your pit and mine might be more compatible than us? We should hit the dog park and find out?

4) Does Sniffs have an IG? My pitbull, Lola wants to follow her.

5) If dogs had thumbs they would absolutely rule Instagram. So… doggy date?

6) Wow, great family pic. Was your entire family blessed with musical talent? Send that family x-mas album my way.

Show a genuine interest in her life and she’ll be infinitely more likely to respond than had your message didn’t address something in her bio.

TDL With Confidence

“Love the GND look. Let’s grab some time to get to know each other this Sunday, December 10, 2019, at SFMOMA at 10 am. We can grab brunch afterward if we click. My number is xxx-xxx-xxxx if you’d like to connect before Sunday.”

A TDL doesn’t need to be included in your opening line. After you dialogue a bit more and ascertain that she’s not a weirdo, ask her out. The longer you delay the tougher asking her out becomes.

End With A Question About A Favorite Food (or Some Other Favorite Listed on Her Profile)

1) Hi Em. So Zachary’s in the East Bay is my go-to deep dish. What’s yours?

2) It’s tough to imagine that Wicked Pete’s doesn’t have the best wings in town. Though I’m willing to have my mind changed. Shall we grab a bite?

3) Jessss! Finally I find another Ethiopian food lover. What’s your go-to spot in town?

Demonstrate That You Read Her Profile

1) Em I have the best first date idea, maybe you’d want to come with me?! (Because I have something about a great first date idea listed on my profile)

2) So you say your passions are reading and listening to music. But what would you choose if you could only live with one for the rest of your life?

Lead with Her Name (Everyone’s Favorite Word Is Their Name)

1) Em, where’s the party at tonight?

2) Jess, who should I see at Lollapalooza, Gambino or Odesza? Help!

3) Steph!! What’s the coolest thing you did this week?

What if Your Hinge Opening Line Doesn’t Get a Response? Be Persistent

Persistence is incredibly attractive but requires a thick skin. While the following example has a few mistakes, it’s always better to be persistent than forgettable – just don’t be creepy.

Try and ask only one question at a time. Don’t apologize and don’t compliment. Send at least 3 messages before calling it quits. Some people do as many as 8.

My recommendation is to keep it consistent across the board so you have your own narrative that you can build on.

Example 1:

Message 1: Is that your real name? Never seen it before pretty badass.

Message 2: That sentence came out horribly – let me try again: Never seen it before. It’s pretty badass.

Message 3: So that was just a super-lame question, I guess… have to start somewhere. How about more standard ones? How long have you lived in the city? What do you do professionally? What’s your physical outlet – running, cycling, hiking, etc. Beach or mountains? Anyway, you’re way cute and we both like pizza so that’s a solid foundation 🙂

Message 4: Skip the small talk and go right to meeting?

Message 5: Do you have plans tonight?

Example 2:

Message 1: Hey there Sam. Tell me something cool about yourself…

Message 2: There’s nothing cool about you? I don’t believe you. 🙂

End With A Question

1) Hi Em, I just got back from a trip to Iceland and saw our match. I’m adjusting to life without views of glaciers. By the way, I’m a fellow Cal Bear! Where did you live while there?

2) Let’s play a little game to see if we’re right for each other shall we? Bossa nova or country music?

3) Can you tell me a secret that even your closest friend doesn’t know about you?

4) What does the perfect Sunday look like for you -and if it includes mini golf and/or go-carts can I join?

Ask a Question About Her Photo

1) Great pic Em, where was this taken?

2) Your profile pics are putting mine to shame. What’s the secret to snapping awesome pictures -apart from having a symmetrical face and a professional photographer?

3) Noway! I just saw that place in your third picture but am forgetting the name. Where is it?

4) Look Tif, I don’t know if this is going to work out. I’m way to freaking jealous that you’ve already been to Malta? Is it really the dream vacation I think it is?

Best Hinge Opening Lines for Guys: Send A Super Thoughtful Message

Responding thoughtfully sets you apart from 99% of other men who prefer to use the path of least resistance when messaging. It helps to have topics on your profile that would make your ideal type of woman curious to learn more about you and even prompt her to ask you questions.

Her: That’s fascinating, how’d you learn to do that? Have such interesting relationship boundaries?

Him: There are probably some personal reasons and intellectual reasons. Let’s stick with the intellectual reasons. I’ve never been one to accept things as they are:

The fairy tale that you’re going to meet one person who is going to complete you was created by Disney.

And then came the jokes that sex stops with marriage.

And then came the standard comedy bits about the dreadful ball and chain.

That’s our society’s view of normal relationship life. It’s not realistic (see divorce rates). It’s toxic to women (lack of satisfaction at best, feeling locked into a relationship at worst). And men develop terrible communication skills.

Random Message That Catches Her Off Guard and Is Easy To Respond To

1) Should I bring back the beard? (You can use what’s on your profile to pique a woman’s interest or you could use as your initial message).

2) See at the paintball park in 30 minutes yeah? Whoops, you’re not Dave. Umm, you’re too cute for me to rescind an offer to hang out (even if it was an error) want to join?

3) What was the last song you sang with all your heart?

4) What songs should I add to my spring music playlist?

5) What song always brings you to the dancefloor?

6) Describe your perfect date in three emojis.

7) Are electrical toothbrushes really as good as those infomercials say they are?

Exclamation Points!!!

Yes! This works for guys who are quick and sharp. Yes! with an exclamation point is unusual, conveys enthusiasm, is positive, and intrigues the reader. You can tell a lot about the girl based on how she responds to this message. If she doesn’t get it, that might be an online dating red flag (for some guys).

It’s almost perfect because no one expects it. It has roughly a 75% response rate and of those that respond, it’s around a 95% chance that the conversation will convert into a date.

You can also toss in a few exclamation points after writing her name, “Jen!!” Follow up this enthusiasm with a question that relates to her bio.

Trust me, I’m a dating coach.

Wanna Reach Your Dating Goals Faster?

Speaking of trust, who have you been putting your trust into when soliciting dating advice? While your friends may mean well, their advice is a bit misguided. I’ve trained hundreds of men on what it takes to get (and keep) the girl.

Book a 1-on-1 new client Zoom session with me now to become a dating maven. During our call we’ll talk about your dating goals and learn how my program, Dating Decoded can help you achieve them.

One more thing…

If you want to reset your Hinge Discover Feed, you totally can.

Just go to Settings, scroll all the way down to Delete or Pause Account, then you’ll be asked to tell Hinge why you want to leave. There will be a list of options, choose, I’m not happy with my Hinge experience.

You’ll then be asked if you want a Fresh Start.

Here are the perks of a Fresh Start.

You won’t magically start scoring matches, BUT, after you’ve revamped your profile you’ll get a second chance at making a first impression.

Bumble and Hinge are the second and third most used dating apps in the USA.

They both trail Tinder and probably always will, but if you ask their founders, that’s probably fine.

Because while Tinder targets 18-24-year-olds, Bumble and Hinge appeal to older crowds looking for more serious relationships.

It’s these two apps that have a similar amount of users, appeal to the same demographic, and in general have the most in common,

It’s for that reason that we’ll be detailing these two apps as they duke it out.

First, let’s talk about the background of each app.

Hinge vs Bumble: Which Should You Download?

Spoiler: Both.

Just because one is better than the other (you’ll have to wait to find out which) doesn’t mean you should only use one.

Online dating is a numbers game. The best way to rack up matches is to get your swipe on, on as many dating apps as possible. Let’s also not forget that just because these apps are similar doesn’t mean their users are identical.

As this map shows us some apps are much more popular in certain areas than others.

Only downloading one means that you’re potentially missing out on a whole crop of women worth dating.

Background

If you’re up on dating app culture, you probably already know how Bumble got its start.

Its founder Whitney Wolfe was a co-founder of Tinder.

She left the company during its formative years after experiencing sexual harassment and discrimination (which she later sued them for).

Her experience at Tinder led her to found Bumble in 2014. Use Bumble after swiping on Tinder and you’ll notice more than a couple of similarities. They’re so similar in fact that in 2018 Tinder sued Bumble claiming that Bumble had stolen Tinder technology.

While the two apps have a messy history, it’s this messy history that also gives Bumble its character. Wolfe’s creation is known as “feminist Tinder.” When Wolfe left Tinder she decided to devote her professional life to building a dating app with the female user in mind.

It’s for this reason women must message first in order for a conversation to begin.

While Bumble was launched as a response to the toxic and macho online dating dynamic created by Tinder, Hinge was founded as a response to a lack of romantic options.

In 2011 Hinge founder Justin McLeod was heartbroken and couldn’t get over his recent breakup. Like all super nerds, if a solution to a personal problem doesn’t already exist, they’ll create it.

So that’s exactly what McLeod did.

The thing is, the first iteration of the app sucked.

It wasn’t until Hinge started matching people based on their Facebook connections did the app take off.

Initially, Hinge was trying to be just another Tinder. But as the app aged so did its founder’s thinking. Hinge was to become the “app designed to be deleted.”

In 2018 Hinge ditched Facebook but still added a host of features geared towards helping singles find meaningful connections.

Hinge vs. Bumble By The Numbers

Who uses these apps?

For the most part, these two apps appeal to the same audience.

A more mature, urban, college-educated, and older audience than you might see on Tinder.

Let’s dive into specifics.

First off, the most important question of them all — which app is more male-dominated?

According to Statistic, 67.4% of all monthly Bumble users are male.

This may strike you as surprising, seeing as how Bumble is geared towards women, but the truth of the matter is that when compared to its “evil sister” Tinder, this ratio of 7-3 isn’t that bad.

Tinder for example has a gender ratio of 9 males to every 1 female.

So what about Hinge?

Surely as the least superficial dating app out there Hinge must have a nearly 50-50 gender ratio no?

Not exactly.

Hinge is just a couple percentage points more even than Bumble’s with 64.7% of its users being male.

If you’re looking for a dating app with a 1-1 gender ratio, you’re out of luck.

Yet while there are a fair more men than women on these apps you still have plenty of women to choose from.

As the second and third largest dating apps in the US, both of these 24/7 virtual singles bars are teeming with women.

Worldwide Bumble has 12 million active monthly users.

Hinge has 6 million.

How Old Are These Users?

When it comes to Bumble most users are on the younger side.

Hinge stats about age are a bit more difficult to come by but from what we can deduce the average age is older than that of the average Bumble user.

In 2016 a Hinge spokesperson reported that “90 percent of users are between 23 and 36, making the Hinge user base noticeably older than Tinder’s…  52 percent of Tinder users are between 18 and 24.”

This may still sound young, but not when compared to Tinder or Bumble.

What Type Of Person Uses These Apps?

What do they like to do, what are their political beliefs, etc.?

While this information is difficult to come by we do have some insight thanks to a couple of studies.

Bumble may be more diverse and older than you had previously thought. It’s racially more diverse than other apps and has an average user that’s older than you might have expected.

From internal Bumble research, we all know that

• 25% of users went on a date last month with a Bumble match
• 1-4% are looking for hookups
• 85% of users are looking for a committed relationship
• 97% of users have messaged at least one match within the last month

Hinge released quite a bit of research about their users a few years ago and although we expect this information to have been diluted a bit in recent years, it still gives us a good idea of who the average Hinge user is.

In 2016 we learned the following about Hinge users:

• 99% were in college or college-educated
• 35,000 users had or were currently attending an Ivy League school
• Most users are looking for serious relationships
• Users are on the older side

As the “dating app designed to be deleted” Hinge does a pretty good job at backing up that claim with a user-base that years to find love.

Hinge vs Bumble: Key Features

There’s a reason these apps are so popular.

Both are on the cutting edge of new and unique features.

Let’s first look at Bumble’s most unique features.

Bumble’s Best Features

By far the most unique aspect of Bumble is that women must message first. 

After users swipe right on each other a match is made.

Yet only women are allowed to message first.

Why does Bumble do this you ask?

Here’s their answer:

Bumble is female-first. It created this feature in part because it wanted to give women the power. Too often men are bombarding women with unwanted messages. But with Bumble, women are given another moment to assess new matches and decide whether they’re really worth interacting with.

The thing is, females only have 24 hours to send a message before the match expires.

Luckily free users are given the ability to extend one match by 24 hours every day. Paying users can also resurrect matches after they’ve expired.

Another cool feature that Bumble has that Hinge (and many other apps) doesn’t, is it’s Bumble Travel feature.

Bumble is used widely enough in the US and abroad that it offers paying users the chance to change their location and get their swipe on in nearly every city in the world.

It was this feature that users took full advantage of during the COVID lockdowns but it’s not the only feature that users have taken advantage of during the pandemic.

As a response to the pandemic, Bumble added a couple of new features.

It enabled video calls, the Night In feature that allows users to play games with their matches via the app, and audio prompts.

Each feature is unique and was created to address the social isolation created by the pandemic.

Some other cool features include:

• Ability to take photos
• Swiping
• Pandemic-related preferences
• In-depth profiles
• Bumble prompts
• Icebreaker Starters
• Your Move reminders
• BFF & Bizz mode

Now it’s time to take a look at Hinge’s most impressive features.

Hinge’s Noteworthy Features

The coolest Hinge feature used to be that you could only meet other Hinge users that were friends of your FB friends. In this way, you could screen them with the help of FB friends.

Hinge did away with this fundamental feature in 2018 but has made up for it in other ways.

Hinge’s defining feature is that free users are only granted 8 swipes a day.

Crazy right?

Hinge’s rationale is:

Some other notable features include:

• Date feedback
• Nobel-prize winning matching algorithm
• Detailed profiles
• Voice prompt
• Reply reminds

Hinge Hack!

Unlike Bumble, Hinge gives users a chance to start over.

To hit the reset button on their accounts and make it so their Hinge history is completely erased (except the good parts).

Go to Settings>Delete Hinge. 

You’ll then be asked why you want to delete the app. Click the, “I’m not happy with my Hinge experience” option. You’ll then be asked if you want a Fresh Start.

You my friend most certainly do.

A Fresh Start means…

Here’s the thing.

You want to make your second crack at a first impression worthwhile. Make sure she swoons by optimizing your profile. That means adding new high-quality pictures, penning a bio, adding an audio file, and providing thoughtful Hinge Prompt responses.

UX

The UX for both these apps is pretty similar.

What sets both apart and really gives them both a claim as the least superficial dating app out there is the fact that users MUST scroll past bios and prompt responses in order to see more photos.

Many other apps don’t require users to interact with written content. Forcing users to read (or at least skim) over revealing text-answers humanizes users.

This is in direct contract to Tinder.

Cost: Hinge vs Bumble

When it comes to Hinge vs Bumble there are plenty of things that separate these two apps.

But when it comes to the wealth of features and usability of the free versions of these apps, they’re identical.

Both offer amazing free features that make you question if it’s even worth upgrading.

That being said, if you do, there are a few differences both in price and features.

Let’s dive in.

Hinge

Users can also choose to buy and send a rose.

Roses boost your profile to the top of the queue.

Here’s the breakdown:

• 3 roses: $3.33/each
• 12 roses: $2.49/each
• 50 roses: $1/49/each

When you’re a preferred member you receive the following benefits:

• See everyone who likes you
• Advanced preferences
• Unlimited likes

Bumble

Bumble also offers a lifetime membership of $229.99. 

Here are all the benefits you get when you choose the Premium membership.

When you opt for a boost membership which costs just: $8.99/w, $16.99/m, $33.99/m, $54.99/m you get the following:

Who’s The Winner?

And in the Hinge vs Bumble duel the winner is…

Look this is a tough one.

Both apps appeal to the same demographic, are anti-superficial apps, have similar features, etc.

There are a few reasons why Bumble takes the cake.

Whitney Wolfe’s baby has many millions more users than Hinge. Its market share is substantially greater than Hinge’s.

But it isn’t just this.

Hinge is missing some key features.

Bumble offers a travel mode, super swipe, video, and photo features.  

Not only that but Bumble is growing faster than potentially any other dating app. That’s in part because Bumble isn’t just a dating app anymore.

Wolfe’s app has taken the dating scene by storm.

When it comes to the Hinge vs Bumble debate there really is none.

Bumble’s a winner.

Now What?

Well, download Bumble obviously (and Hinge).

But look, knowing which app is best isn’t enough to score you matches.

To take advantage of this knowledge you have to learn how to get the most out of Bumble.

That’s exactly what you’ll learn when you enroll in my Dating Decoded program.

Let’s have a quick 1-on-1 chat so that I can learn about your dating goals and we can determine if our program is the right fit for you.