Bumble’s paying user base shrank by more than 16% in the second quarter of 2026, extending a decline that has now stretched across multiple consecutive quarters.
The numbers
According to Bumble’s own second-quarter 2026 earnings release, total paying users across the company fell 16.4% year-over-year, to 3.2 million from 3.8 million. Revenue dropped 15.2% to $210.5 million. The core Bumble app fared similarly: paying users there fell from 2.5 million to roughly 2.08 million, a decline of nearly 17%, while app revenue slipped 14.7% to $171.7 million, according to Investing.com’s breakdown of the results.
There is one bright spot in the numbers: average revenue per paying user actually rose 1.2%, to $21.96, meaning the users who remain on the app are, on average, spending slightly more than they were a year ago. Regulatory filings reviewed by StockTitan confirm the same figures, along with a $169.3 million non-cash impairment charge that helped drive the company to a $127.9 million net loss for the quarter.
Why users are leaving
Bumble isn’t alone. NPR reported this month that Match Group, which owns Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid, has also reported drops in paying users across its platforms, pointing to an industry-wide shift rather than a Bumble-specific problem. Researchers cited in that reporting describe users increasingly resenting recurring subscription fees for features that once felt novel, with many saying they’d rather meet people through in-person activities, like running clubs or hobby groups, than swipe through another app. Post-pandemic, people simply have more appetite for meeting others face to face, and dating apps are often one of the first digital habits people scale back once in-person options reopen.
Bumble’s own leadership has acknowledged the trend is pushing the company to rethink its product rather than wait it out. The company says it’s in the middle of a platform migration and an overhaul of its matching algorithm, alongside a broader push toward group events and AI-assisted features designed to move users toward in-person dates faster. That same week, Bumble also announced it was ending its signature rule requiring women to message first, opening first messages to anyone in a match, a separate but related attempt to make the core app feel less stale to longtime users.
What’s next
Bumble’s guidance for the third quarter of 2026 projects revenue of $205 million to $213 million, roughly flat with the quarter just reported, suggesting the company doesn’t expect the user decline to reverse in the immediate term. Management has signaled it plans to accept near-term margin compression, with adjusted EBITDA margins expected to fall to around 28%, in order to fund the product changes it hopes will eventually bring users back.
