Badoo and Feeld both let you join with an email address, and happn lists a Google account or Apple ID as ways in besides a phone number. Tinder and Bumble both need a phone number, and Hinge's sign-up asks for one too. So if you want no number tied to the account, Badoo and Feeld are the clearest choices.
The apps side by side
| App | How you can sign up or log in | Phone number needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Tinder | Enter your phone number and verify it, then verify an email if asked. On the web you pick a sign-in method and verify your phone and or email if asked. | Yes |
| Bumble | Every active account must be associated with a phone number. If you join with Facebook or Apple ID, Bumble asks you to confirm your phone number. | Yes |
| Badoo | Phone number, email address, Google account, Facebook (app only) or Apple ID (iOS only), with a code if verification is required | No |
| Feeld | Five login options: email, Apple, Facebook, Google or phone number by text | No |
| happn | Your cell phone number, your Google account, or your Apple ID on an iPhone | Not stated as required |
| Hinge | Log in with the method you signed up with: phone number, Google account or Apple ID | Its sign-up asks for a verified mobile number |
Tinder and Bumble: a number is part of the account
Tinder's steps in the app start with your phone number, which you verify, and then an email if Tinder asks for one. On Tinder.com you choose a sign-in method and verify your phone number, your email, or both if prompted.
Bumble is blunter. It says all active accounts must be associated with a phone number. Even if you start with Facebook or Apple ID, Bumble asks you to confirm your phone number as a required step.
If you do not want to give either of them a number, they are not the apps for you.
Badoo and Feeld: other ways in
Badoo lets you sign up with a phone number, an email address, a Google account, Facebook on the app, or Apple ID on iOS. If verification is needed, it is done with a code.
Feeld gives you five choices: email, Apple, Facebook, Google, or a phone number by text. An email is enough.
These two are the apps for a man who does not want his number tied to the account.
happn and Hinge
happn says you can sign up and log in with your cell phone number, your Google account, or your Apple ID on an iPhone. Its help page lists those three and does not say one is required.
Hinge's help page on logging in lists a phone number, a Google account or an Apple ID, and says to use the method you originally signed up with. Hinge's sign-up itself still asks every member to verify a mobile number, so treat it as a number app.
Why an app wants a number
The apps do not all explain, but the reason Hinge gives is that it keeps accounts secure. A number lets an app send you a code to prove it is really you, which helps when an account is hacked or a phone is lost.
That works in your favor too. A woman reading a page is more likely to trust an app that has made some effort to confirm real people are behind it.
What a number does and does not give away
Giving a phone number to an app is not the same as giving it to a woman. Nothing in the help pages we read says other members can see the number you verify.
Keep that line firm yourself. Do not put your number on your page, and do not give it to a woman until you have decided you want her to have it. A better first step is to chat in the app until you have a plan, and then swap numbers to arrange the details. The number only matters if it turns into a meeting, so the aim is the plan, not the number.
What to do
If you want no number at all, use Badoo or Feeld and sign up with an email. If you are fine with a number, Tinder, Bumble, Hinge and happn all work, and the better question is which one has women you want to meet where you live.
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.