Hinge is far more likely to lead to a relationship. In our ratings Hinge is three points ahead of Badoo on seriousness, a wider gap than almost any other pair in our head-to-heads. Hinge is explicitly built for people looking for something lasting. Badoo is broader in scope and tends to be used more casually.
Badoo, in return, has two strengths Hinge lacks: slightly more reach and a strong presence in many countries, including the Balkans. If you live there or spend a lot of time there, Badoo may show you people you won’t find on Hinge. So the question is whether you are short on intent right now, or short on people.
Scores by criterion
The scores come from our comparison of all six apps, on a scale of 1 to 5. How we rate
| Scores by criterion |  Hinge |  Badoo |
|---|---|---|
| Seriousness | ||
| Fair pricing | ||
| Gender balance | ||
| Albanian fit | ||
| Verification | ||
| Usability | ||
| Privacy | ||
| Reach | ||
| Overall | 3.4 / 5 | 2.6 / 5 |
Intent: built for the end of the search
Hinge’s pitch is that it is designed to be deleted. The idea is that the app has done its job once you no longer need it. That attracts people looking for a relationship, and it shapes the tone of conversations. Hinge is seen as one of the most relationship-minded apps in the field.
Badoo is one of the oldest dating apps around and is widely used internationally. It is aimed at anyone who wants to meet people, from chatting and casual dates to a relationship. The result is a mixed crowd, where serious seekers are present but don’t set the tone.
For you, that means on Hinge you barely need to explain your intent, because it is why many people install the app in the first place. On Badoo you spell it out in your profile and check early in a conversation whether the other person wants the same. That is doable, but it takes time.
How you come across each other
A Hinge profile is made of photos and short prompts that you answer in your own words. A like is aimed at one specific photo or answer, and you can add a comment. So the conversation starts at a point where there is actually something to talk about.
On Badoo you decide profile by profile whether you like someone, much like swiping. On top of that there is a view of people near you that you can browse. That is quick and brings plenty of contacts, but there is often no reason for a good first line.
The difference shows in the first messages. If you are replying to a specific answer, you rarely write just ‘hey’. If you are writing to someone from a list, you have to find the hook yourself, in the photos or a few lines of profile.
Cost: what the free version allows
Hinge is free to use, with a daily cap on likes. The overview of everyone who already likes you sits behind the paywall, and its premium is known as relatively pricey. In our ratings Hinge sits mid-table on cost.
Badoo works with a paid subscription plus one-off paid extras that make you more visible. There too, some of what makes everyday use easier is tied to paying. In our ratings Badoo is one point behind Hinge on fair pricing.
For a serious search the same holds on both: paying for visibility gets you more eyes, not more people with the same intent. Only pay once you have felt a real bottleneck after a few weeks on the free version.
Safety and privacy
Both apps offer optional selfie verification and mark the profiles that pass. In our ratings they are level and mid-table on verification. Since neither makes the check mandatory, you will meet unverified profiles on both.
On privacy Hinge is one point ahead, and Badoo is among the weaker apps in our comparison. So on Badoo, check carefully what is public in your profile and how precisely your location is shown. The view of people nearby, in particular, is built around distance.
The most important rules are the same on both. Stay in the app’s chat at first, never send money, and meet somewhere public the first time. The more open an app is, the more likely you are to meet someone who wants something other than getting to know you.
Where Badoo comes out ahead
On reach Badoo is one point ahead of Hinge in our ratings. Hinge is well used mainly in larger cities, and in smaller towns the choice thins out quickly. Badoo is widespread in many countries and often shows you more people nearby there.
On Albanian fit Badoo is also one point ahead. That isn’t down to a cultural focus, which neither app has, but to how widely it is used in the Balkans. If you are searching there, Badoo is more likely than Hinge to show you someone nearby.
On usability and gender balance, Hinge leads, and on usability by two points. Hinge is clearly laid out and steers you towards conversations. Badoo offers more ways to browse people, which makes it feel busier.
Who each app suits
Hinge suits you if you want a relationship, live in a city and are willing to write a profile with real sentences in it. Its users are looking for commitment, conversations have a starting point, and the free version is enough to begin with.
Badoo suits you if Hinge shows hardly anyone around you, if you live in the Balkans or spend a lot of time there, or if you aren’t yet sure what you are looking for. For a serious search you need a clear bio there and conversations that get concrete quickly.
If you are specifically looking for someone with an Albanian background, neither app really solves that. Hinge has no cultural focus, Badoo only wide reach. It is worth looking at apps built for exactly that, in our comparison Dua and embla.
Verdict
For a serious relationship we recommend Hinge. Its users are clear about their intent, its usability is the best in the field, and it is also ahead on cost, gender balance and privacy in our ratings.
We only recommend Badoo where Hinge shows too few people, for example in smaller towns or in the Balkans. Then the rules are simple: put your intent in your profile, ask early what the other person is looking for, and don’t pay for visibility.
If you are specifically looking for an Albanian partner, an app with a cultural focus will usually serve you better than either of these.