Badoo vs Plenty of Fish
Badoo (7.4/10) just edges Plenty of Fish (7.3/10) overall, mainly on a smooth, easy experience. Plenty of Fish claws back on value for money. Go Badoo if you want a smooth, easy experience; pick Plenty of Fish if value for money matters more to you.
Badoo
7.4/ 10
Safety
6.6
Value
7.0
Crowd
8.6
Ease
8.2
A big, slick, genuinely useful app that's hugely underrated in the English-speaking world, 7.4/10 (safety 6.6, value 7.0, members 8.6, ease 8.2; weighted safety 30%, value 30%, members 20%, ease 20%). The crowd and the ease are real strengths, especially in Brazil, Spain, Italy and France; value is fair-but-mid because free works while visibility leans on paid boosts; and safety is the soft spot, with patchy verification and the fake-profile noise that comes with this much scale. Use the verified badge, keep your guard up, and start free. We earn no commission from listing it, this is purely on merit.
- +Massive global crowd, one of the biggest apps in Brazil, Spain, Italy, France and Latin America
- +Slick, intuitive app: Encounters swiping, People Nearby and live video, easy to pick up in seconds
- +Genuinely usable free tier, swipe, match and chat without paying, great for testing your city
Plenty of Fish
7.3/ 10
Safety
6.2
Value
7.8
Crowd
8.2
Ease
7.4
The generous old-timer, 7.3/10 (safety 6.2, value 7.8, members 8.2, ease 7.4; weighted safety 30%, value 30%, members 20%, ease 20%). POF wins on the one thing that matters most to a lot of people: a huge pool you can actually message for free, no paywall, no match required. It loses points for a dated, ad-heavy experience and a real bot-and-scam problem you have to filter yourself. We earn no commission on this one, it's listed purely on merit. Ride the free tier, vet everyone hard, watch for anyone pushing you to WhatsApp, and you've got serious dating value for nothing.
- +Genuinely free messaging, you can write to anyone with no match and no paywall, which almost no rival allows
- +One of the biggest pools in dating after 20+ years, skewing older and more everyday than the swipe apps
- +Free tier is properly usable end-to-end; many users land dates without ever paying
Side-by-side comparison
| Badoo | Plenty of Fish | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 7.4✓ | 7.3 |
| Safety | 6.6✓ | 6.2 |
| Value | 7.0 | 7.8✓ |
| Crowd | 8.6✓ | 8.2 |
| Ease | 8.2✓ | 7.4 |
| Free to join | Yes | Yes |
| Online since | 2006 | 2003 |
| Best for | Casual dating & sheer volume outside the US/UK | Free messaging, big pool, casual + dating |
Which should you pick?
Badoo
Pick Badoo if a smooth, easy experience is your priority.
Plenty of Fish
Pick Plenty of Fish if value for money matters more to you.
Badoo vs Plenty of Fish, common questions
Is Badoo better than Plenty of Fish?
Overall, Badoo comes out ahead (7.4 vs 7.3). But "better" depends on what you want, the table above breaks it down dimension by dimension.
Which is safer and more discreet?
Badoo, scoring 6.6 on safety versus 6.2.
Which is better value for money?
Plenty of Fish, 7.8 on value versus 7.0.
Which has the bigger crowd?
Badoo, scoring 8.6 on crowd size and activity versus 8.2.
Affiliate links, placement is never for sale.