Launched in 2006, Badoo is an incredibly fast-growing online social dating service focused on making it quick and simple to join a community of singles and meet new people. The service has 60 million monthly active users and gets on average 300 thousand new daily sign ups. As of 2019 Badoo has over 410 million members from 190 countries and is available in 47 languages—which means it's truly a worldwide dating site and app. From the sign-up page to creating a profile, Badoo makes it easy to meet people.

Both the Badoo website and dating apps offer similar features and can be used interchangeably with the same Badoo account. It takes about 10 minutes to become a member of Badoo and start finding members near your location. Badoo's latest design has made it extremely easy to use. There is no clutter and all the features you need to find someone are right at your fingertips. Encounters is Badoo's main tool for matching members (based on your preferences, location and interests). Everyday Badoo will show you a limited number of encounters. They show you one member at a time that you can review and then either like them or skip. If the other member likes you as well, the match will move to connections where you will be notified and can start communicating. Badoo's Near By section shows you all the members who live in your region. This allows you to further explore the type of members Badoo has which you might be interested in.

Badoo offers several ways to communicate. This includes text messages and video chat. Around 350 million messages are sent every day by Badoo members. This shows that the tools the service offers does work in connecting people together.

The social part of Badoo is "Live". This is a video streaming/broadcasting feature that Badoo offers to members were they can either broadcast their own stream or watch other members streams. You can sort and filter live streams by a number of different ways to find the ones that interests you. A popular filter is by Popularity.

To learn more about how the Badoo app works, you can take a look at this video:

Badoo is one of the leading dating services in protecting members and fighting fake profiles. They want to make sure every user that joins their service is the person they say they are, basically protect members from catfishing. Badoo requires members to either connect their account to a social network account, or a phone number (which is then verified by a call). They go above and beyond other similar dating services by requiring members to upload a photo before they can communicate with anyone. A member's primary photo is then verified. This is done in under 2 minutes and requires users to send a photo from either their webcam or phone camera (must come from a camera directly, no photo uploads) that shows them performing a hand gesture that Badoo asks them to do. This verification photo is then compared by a Badoo moderator to their main profile photo and the gesture they were asked to perform (like hold up 4 fingers). If the verification is not done or has failed, then the user will not be able to do anything further on Badoo.

With the photo profile verification this makes Badoo a female friendly service as well. Badoo goes a step further with this by offering a Selfie Request feature to all female members during text chats. At any time during chatting they can request a selfie. This selfie has to be taken by a camera at the time of the request or the chat will end. With the verifications along with the ease of blocking and reporting members for inappropriate behavior (which did not happen during our testing) this makes Badoo one of the safer online dating services to use.

The free basic service is actually quite extensive compared to many other free dating services: you can send messages, search for members, upload photos and chat. Watching live steams or broadcasting your stream is also free. The paid upgrade options give you enhanced features, like being listed at the top of search results. Badoo offers 2 ways to access paid features. This includes a premium monthly subscription or by purchasing individually with credits. Credits can be purchased in bundles and they used towards unlocking the upgraded features of Badoo. If you're not sure whether you need the upgrades, don't worry—just create a profile, get verified and spend time exploring the site; you can always upgrade later if you choose.

Badoo is so easy to use, it's free and—best of all—it's fun! Why not give it a try today?

Positives of Badoo

These are the best parts of Badoo.

• World's largest dating service with close to half a billion members since launch
• The basic (free) service are very extensive and include chat, uploading photos and videos and contact members
• Badoo has stamped out fake profiles thanks to their easy photo verification requirements. Also protection from obscene photos during messaging
• Badoo encourages a safe and female friendly community. There is very little spam
• The site emphasizes finding people nearby and makes it easy to do so
• For young adults looking to date casual or hookup

Negatives of Badoo

These are the parts of Badoo which needs improvement.

• Not as popular in North America
• Profile information is limited to the basics
• Not designed to find long-term relationships

Editors Bottom Line

What should you take away from this review of Badoo? Our expert explains:

We can safely say the largest dating service in the world is "Badoo". They usually have more than 2 million users online at any one time. It is free to use but may be hard to get noticed unless you buy some credits.

We give Badoo, a 4.25 out of 5 Stars! 😃

Awards

A list of up to the last 5 awards for the Current year and/or Past that Badoo has been the recipient of, in the Dating Sites Reviews Choice awards.

Badoo Profiles & Sign Up Process

The Badoo dating service is available from their website and on dating apps found at iTunes and Google Play. When you visit their website or installed the app and launch it, you will be required to create an account. You can create your account on Badoo.com by using your email or by connecting a social networking account (includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn). With the app your phone number will be used plus you will have the option to connect a social network account. If you selected Facebook (most members do), information is automatically pulled and added to the different parts of the Badoo Profile. With any missing information (or if you create an account with your phone number) you then have to manually add it.

Once you have uploaded a photo (or used one from a social network like Facebook or Instagram) Badoo will then require you to do a photo verification. To verify yourself, you must match as closely as possible a pose with your hand near your face that Badoo shows you. You are required to upload this photo directly from the camera using the Badoo app. For more information on this verification process see this story.

Other profile information you can add in later is not required but does help with meeting new people. You can complete it in parts or by selecting the "Profile Boost" from your own profile which will then ask you only the most important questions. Information you can give includes:

• Photos & Videos
  • Add one or more photos either by uploading them or sharing from Facebook or Instagram
  • Add videos from your phone (15 seconds long max) or Instagram
  • Obscene photos will automatically be rejected
  • For more information see Badoo Launches Photo Verification for Safer Dating
• Work & Education
  • Job Title, Company, Education
• Location
  • Enter your city or use the app to share your current location
• I'm here to
  • Options include - Make new friends, Chat, Date
• Interests
  • Choose from a list of interests to include with your profile from a number of different categories like Sports, Travel, Music, etc...
• Personal info
  • About me - Describe yourself in 1000 letters or less
  • Relationship Status - I'd prefer not to say, I'm in a complicated relationship, Single, Taken
  • Sexual Orientation - I'd prefer not to say, Bisexual, Gay, Open-minded, Straight
  • Physical Attributes which includes - Height, Weight, Body Type, Eye and Hair Color
  • Living Situation, Children, Smoking, Drinking
• Languages
  • List one or more languages you speak

From your profile you can also view your Lookalikes. These are other Badoo members that look like you. This feature is fun to check out, but kind of creepy at the same time. 😀

To encourage quality profiles Badoo has create a Popularity profile scoring system. The higher your popularity the more visible you are to other users when viewed in such sections as Encounters, Live, and People Nearby. Profiles (as long as it has at least 3 photos), individual photos, and your video streams can be rated by other members.

Badoo Costs

Badoo uses the freemium model to generate revenue. Enough features are free on the service to be able to meet new people but subscribing or upgrading does offer benefits which makes matching much easier. Badoo has both paid monthly subscriptions, and individual feature upgrades (which costs credits).

• Prices last confirmed May 24, 2023. Please check Badoo[*1] for most recent pricing. All prices in USD unless specified otherwise. Prices may differ based on location, time of purchase, or access point (this can include device used and/or if accessed from a website or app)
• Badoo Premium
  • Includes all free features plus a number of bundled upgraded features
  • Liked you: see who has voted and Liked you in Encounters
  • Undo last vote: be able to undo your Skip votes in Encounters
  • Invisible Mode
  • Stickers
  • Highlight your messages
  • See who likes you the most
  • Get direct access to the most popular people on Badoo
  • Be the first to contact new people who join Badoo
  • Cost (USD)
    • Lifetime for $59.99
    • 6 months for $34.99
    • 3 months for $24.99
    • 1 month for $9.99
    • 1 week for $3.99
    • 1 day for $0.79
• Paid Upgrades
  • Badoo uses a Credits system for upgraded features. If you purchase Credits (prices listed below), you can use those credits to get upgraded features. Each feature costs a certain number of Credits's please check Badoo.com for how many Credits each upgrade requires
  • Spotlight
    • This feature causes a member's photo and brief profile info to appear on every main Badoo page within their city or region
  • Rise Up
    • This feature boosts the popularity and instantly puts a member's profile at the top of the search results within their region
  • Super Powers
    • These are a group of individual features that allow members to gain more control, access more information about other members
  • You can also use credits to:
    • Send a Crush to another member
    • Get priority displays in Encounters
    • Select 200 more people in Encounters
    • Start 10 new conversations
    • Send virtual gifts to people you like
    • Notify users when you are online
  • Cost for credits in US dollars:
    • 100 credits - $2.99
    • 550 credits - $7.99
    • 1250 credits - $9.99
    • 2750 credits - $19.99
• Auto renewal is automatically enabled when subscription starts but can be disabled anytime
• Accepts major credit cards, mobile phone services and PayPal

Badoo Viewing & Communication Features

Below is a list of features and tools available to Badoo members used for viewing and communicating with other members. Note, not all features are available on all devices.

• Member Profiles
  • View all their public profile information
  • View larger photos by clicking on the photo strip
    • Photos can be rated using a 5 star system and be reported if you deem one or more to be inappropriate
  • Indicate if you like the profile or not (used for matching)
  • Search for the members Lookalikes
  • Start a conversation by sending them a messages
  • Send a Crush (requires credits)
  • Add the profile to your favorites
  • Share a summary of the profile on social media
  • Favorite or unfavorite the profile
  • Block or report the profile
  • Send the member a virtual gift (requires credits)
  • Profile Icons near member name indicates one or more statuses of the profile
    • Blue Phone Icon - Member uses the Badoo app
    • Diamond Icon - Member is a Badoo Premium subscriber
    • Green Up Arrow Icon - Member has risen in popularity recently
    • Blue Check Mark Icon - Member has gone through photo verification
    • Green Dot Icon - User is online now
• Popularity
  • By clicking on the Popularity link found near your profile icon on most pages, you can view a graph timeline of the number of views your profile gets. Badoo will then try to upsell you credits to help increase your popularity
• Crush
  • Sending a Crush to someone notifies them that someone is interested and allows them to check out your profile right away
• Bumped Into
  • Allows you to discover users who are currently near your location
  • Available only on the Badoo app
• While you were away
  • Shown to you automatically when you launch the Badoo app
  • See updates of your matches. Includes when they have uploaded new photos or videos, or when you have bumped into them
• Intentions
  • Users can select and display their dating intentions on their profile
  • There are three options to choose from: “Here to date” (no expectations or labels, just dating), “ready for a relationship” (seriously looking for a partner), and “open to chat” (low-key, no pressure to go out)
  • For more information see: Mismatched Intentions Can Lead to Burnout According to a Study by Badoo
• Favorites
  • Your Favorites
    • A list of members who you have favorited
    • You can also unfavorite a member from here
  • Favorited You
    • A gallery of members who have favorited you

Messages

When you view the Messages tab you will find a list of members who have either sent you a message, a chat request, or who you have chatted with in the past. When you select a member, there messages will be displayed along with the option for you to write a message to them. To send a message the only requirement is having a profile photo. When viewing a members messages you can see their name, age and if they are online or not. Photos sent during messaging that are deemed explicit will automatically be blurred (need to tap on image to view). Other features you can do include:

• Initiate a video chat
• Favorite them
• Send them a virtual gift
• Search the messages
• Report or block the member
• Delete the entire conversation (this also deletes them as a match)

When the male user initiates a chat with a female user, she will have the option to request a selfie. 'Request a Selfie' adds an extra layer of security for female users so they can verify who they are talking to. This request will show up in the conversation, and the male user will be directed to take a photo which will then be sent to the female user.

If you get sent a message and after 3 days if you have not responded to a user's message you will get a reminder/notification. This is to help prevent accidental ghosting. The reminder will contain a list of pre-existing responses and with one tap you can let them know you're still interested. If you're no longer interested, there are also a variety of polite responses indicating this.

Badoo Live

This is a live streaming video feature which allows you to view other members video streams or start a broadcast yourself. Broadcasts can only be done via the Badoo app on your phone but you can view live video stream from the desktop.

Viewing the Live section will show you a gallery members who are currently broadcasting. You can view these feeds by popularity, feeds near you, or of members who you are following. All feeds can be filtered by gender (or not). Each feed includes a photo of the member, their name, age, and how many people are watching. If a member photo is outlined by green and has a green target icon this means they have a goal setup.

A Goal is a way to make livestreams more entertaining by encouraging streamers to set a challenge. A goal is reach when they gained a certain number of points. A goal can be anything from answering a set of questions to wearing underwear on their head. Points are earned when a viewer sends the streamer a gift. The higher price the gift the more points the streamer will earn.

Streamers who are popular will earn tokens from Badoo. Tokens are earned from gifts viewers send you, the size of your viewing audience, and how many streams you have done previously. Once you have earned a certain number of tokens, these can be cashed out for money or Badoo credits.

When viewing a broadcast feed you will see and hear a live video and audio stream along with text messages sent by other members who are viewing the feed. A number of different features can be perform including:

• Follow the person so you can find them again easily when they broadcast in the future
• See how many people are viewing them
• If the steamer has a Goal, see what credit/point score is at currently and how many more credits or points they need to reach their goal. You can also find out what the goal is
• At the bottom of the video feed Gold, Silver and Bronze members may be listed
• Send a text message to the streamer
• Send a gift. Gifts cost credits and earn the streamer points. Gifts are worth between 5 and 3000 credits

For more about Badoo Live and when it was first introduced you can see this article.

Searching and Matching

With Badoo you have several different matching and searching options. This main ones are "Encounters" and "People nearby".

In any of the search and matching results that Badoo shows you, a profile may have a colored dot net to the users name. This indicates their online status. A green dot means they are online now and a orange dot means they were online recently. No dot means it has been a while since the person was online.

Encounters

With Encounters you get a daily list of possible matches from Badoo. These matches are based on your interests and location. This is Badoo's core experience. When you visit the Encounters page you will be shown a possible match. You can scroll through the matches photos, find out their first name, age, and read their About Me and Personal info answers. A blue check mark beside the matches name indicates that they have verified their photo. From here you can decide if you want to "Like" their profile or "Skip". If you like the profile you will then be notified if the person likes you back. If they do, then at this point you can message them. Other options available on Encounters includes Sending a Crush (requires credits), Sharing on Social Media, and reporting inappropriate photos.

People Nearby

The People Nearby section of Badoo shows you members near your location. The profiles are displayed in a grid gallery like format showing the members main profile photo along with their username, age and city. The number of photos is also listed along if the photos have been verified and if they are online. You can like a profile from this section or start a conversation. Clicking directly on the photo will bring up the members detailed profile.

Other Badoo Match Discovery Features

All of the sections below display the results in a gallery like format showing a photo of the member along with their name and age. Depending on the section you will be able to do a number of things like liking the member to viewing their detailed profile.

• Matched / Connections
  • These are members who you have Liked and they have Liked you back

• Liked You
  • The Liked You section of Badoo shows you members who have liked your profile but you have yet to liked back. To see this list of members you must be a Badoo Premium subscriber
• Visitors
  • See who has visited your profile
  • Shows the date the member found you and how (e.g. People Nearby)
• Lookalikes
  • You can find this option when you visit your profile or other members profiles
  • Allows you to view a gallery of other members who look similar to you or another member
  • You can also upload a photo and view people who resembles the person in the photo
  • Lookalikes automatically allows you to find members who look like celebrities

Other Badoo Information

Badoo is a Russian based dating service (with offices around the world) that launched in 2006. It is one of the most popular dating services in the world with close to half a billion members.

For more detailed information on this dating service you can check out our Badoo Facts and Statistics page. Information can also be found in our topic for Badoo news articles.

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