A SuperSwipe tells her you are especially interested, with no words attached. A compliment, which Bumble calls a Note, is a short message you write yourself. Both reach her before you match, and neither starts a chat. You still need a match before either of you can send messages. The practical difference is that a SuperSwipe is a signal and a Note is a sentence.
The SuperSwipe
Bumble's version of a super like is the SuperSwipe. It lets someone know you are especially interested before you match. They see a clear sign that you went beyond a regular swipe.
That is all it carries. There is no text, no photo comment and no reason, only the sign that you picked her out. A SuperSwipe carries no written message.
The Note
A Note is a short message sent to another member before you match. It can be about a photo, a prompt answer, a shared interest or something you admire. Bumble used to call this feature a Compliment, which is why people still search for it by that name.
Notes have a short character limit and do not start a chat. A Note shows up when the sender's profile appears in the recipient's People tab, so she sees it at the moment she is deciding about you.
Side by side
| SuperSwipe | Note | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A sign you are especially interested | A short message in your own words |
| Carries words | No | Yes, within a short limit |
| Starts a chat | No, a match is still required | No, a match is still required |
| Where she sees it | As a clear sign that you went beyond a regular swipe | When your profile appears in her People tab |
How you get each
Bumble Boost includes a weekly supply of SuperSwipes. Premium+ includes a larger weekly supply of SuperSwipes, along with Notes. Both can also be bought separately as single-use items, and Notes come with Premium+.
Check the Bumble screen on your own phone for what your plan includes, since those allowances are the kind of detail that gets adjusted.
Which to use
Use a SuperSwipe when the photos did the work and you have nothing specific to say. It costs you no effort and it separates you from a regular swipe.
Use a Note when you have something real to say about her profile, because a Note is the only version that gives her a reason to choose you. It beats a SuperSwipe whenever you can name the one detail you noticed.
Writing a Note that works
A Note is a compliment, so a dating coach's advice on compliments applies. A compliment shows interest, but it does not build attraction by itself, and too much praise too early reads as needy.
A few rules follow from that:
- Pick something she chose, such as an answer to a prompt, a place in a photo or a hobby. Comments about her looks are what she hears from everyone.
- Be specific. A generic line shows that you did not read her page.
- Add a light tease. "Great taste in books, questionable taste in football teams" gives her something to push back on.
Keep it short, since the space is short anyway.
When paying for either is worth it
Because both are single-use items, each one is a small bet on a single woman. That makes them worth spending on the few profiles where you honestly think you have a good chance, such as a woman whose prompt answer matches something you really do.
It makes them a poor way to compensate for a weak profile. If your photos are dark and your bio is empty, a SuperSwipe only draws her eye to a page that loses her. Fix the page first, then spend.
What neither one does
Neither gets you a date. A SuperSwipe or a Note only improves your chance of a match. After that, you are in a chat, and the chat has to do the rest: a clear opening, an easy question and a move toward meeting.
Do not spend paid items on every woman you see. Spend them on the few you actually want, and the best photographs and the best Note will matter far more than the quantity you send.
Written by Matthew Stevens, Co-Founder & Head Coach. More than half a decade coaching men across the US and worldwide.
Everything here comes out of real coaching work: the approaches, dates, texts and profiles we go through with the men we coach.
