Badoo alternative
Encounters vs Badoo: Meet UK Singles Who Want What You Want
Badoo mixes dates and new friends in one app, with video chat built in. Encounters.uk sorts UK members by what they’re looking for, from no strings to something serious, so you know where you stand before you say hello.
Same word, two very different things
Badoo has a swiping feature called Encounters. It belongs to Badoo and has no connection with Encounters.uk.
If you’ve used Badoo, you may know “Encounters” as the place where you swipe right to connect and left to skip. That’s part of the Badoo app. Encounters.uk is a separate UK dating site, online since 2014, with its own members and its own four sections.
Badoo itself has been going since 2006 and is part of Bumble Inc., the company behind Bumble. It describes itself as an app for dating, making friends or simply chatting, with People Nearby for finding those around you and video chat for seeing a match face to face, and it welcomes people from all over the world.
Encounters.uk keeps a tighter focus. Its Casual Encounters section is all about adult fun, while Single Encounters is home to people who want to settle down, Mature Encounters welcomes anyone dating after 40 and Milf Encounters is where experienced women meet younger admirers. You start among people who want the same thing. Our comparisons hub lines us up against Tinder and Plenty of Fish too.
How they stack up, row by row
| Encounters.uk | Badoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Online since | 2014 | 2006 |
| Made for | UK dating, by what you want: casual, relationships, over 40s or Milf | Dating, friends and chat, around the world |
| Messaging | Classic members get a set number a day and can answer VIP members | Chat before you match |
| Ways to chat | Private messages, plus chat rooms and group chats for up to 50 with VIP | Messages and video chat |
| Finding people | Daily match suggestions, swiping and browsing | Encounters swiping, People Nearby and Advanced Filters |
| Undo a swipe | With VIP | Left swipes, with Badoo Premium |
| Paid options | VIP and VIP Plus | Badoo Premium and Credits |
| Where it runs | Any browser | Website, plus iPhone and Android apps |
| Minimum age | 18 | 18 |
Chat your way, one to one or in a crowd
Badoo lets you start talking before you match, then move on to a video call when you both feel ready. Badoo Premium adds a list of who has already liked you, unlimited Advanced Filters, messages that get read first, unlimited likes, Invisible Mode and the chance to undo a left swipe. Credits are sold separately for other extras.
On Encounters.uk, Classic members can send a limited number of messages each day, and any message from a VIP member can be opened and answered as well. VIP takes the limit away and opens members-only chat rooms plus private group chats for up to 50 people, handy if you like to get to know a crowd before you go one to one. VIP Plus moves your messages and likes up the queue. Full details are on our features page, with plan lengths on the pricing page.
Friends, flings or forever: say so up front
Badoo leaves the choice open. The same app covers dates, friendships and chat, and you find people through its Encounters swiping, People Nearby and filters.
On Encounters.uk your section says the big thing and your profile says the rest. Daily match suggestions weigh what each person is looking for (casual, long-term or friendship) alongside age range, gender, distance, recent activity, drinking and smoking, interests and religion. You can swipe as well, right for yes and left for no.
Find people near you, across the UK
Encounters.uk has over 1,200 members in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and three in four are aged between 25 and 54. London comes first, followed by the West Midlands, Hampshire and West Yorkshire.
Casual Encounters is our biggest section, with over 900 members. In Single Encounters and Mature Encounters, most members are women. See the age mix city by city on our location pages.
Your details stay yours
- Username only
- Nearest town, never your address
- Block anyone
- Report from inside the site
Badoo Premium includes Invisible Mode for deciding who sees your profile. On Encounters.uk the essentials come with every account: people see the username you pick rather than your name or email, and your location stops at your nearest town or city, with no live tracking. Blocking someone ends their contact with you, and reporting a profile or message takes a moment from inside the site.
Encounters.uk runs in any browser on your phone, tablet or computer, so there’s nothing to download and no app on show unless you put it on your home screen. When you’re ready to meet, our safety advice helps you plan a first date with confidence.
When Badoo may suit you better
Badoo is a strong pick if you’d like new friends as much as dates, if a video call matters to you before a first meeting, or if you want to meet people outside the UK. Being able to message before you match also suits people who like to talk first and decide later.
Encounters.uk is the stronger pick if you’re in the UK and want everyone around you to share your aim, from a casual encounter to a relationship or dating after 40. You can keep Badoo too: the two sites have no link, so nothing you do on one shows up on the other.
Badoo and Encounters.uk: what people ask
Is Badoo’s Encounters the same as Encounters.uk?
No. Encounters is the name of a swiping feature inside Badoo, which belongs to Bumble Inc. Encounters.uk is a separate UK dating site with four sections of its own and no link to Badoo.
What do you get with Badoo Premium?
Premium shows you who has already liked you, takes the cap off likes and Advanced Filters, gets your messages read first, adds Invisible Mode for choosing who sees you and lets you undo a left swipe. Badoo sells packs of credits on top for other extras. On Encounters.uk, VIP is where you’ll find rewinds and a list of who likes you.
Can I look for friendship on Encounters.uk?
Encounters.uk is a dating site, but friendship is one of the things you can say you’re looking for, and your daily match suggestions take it into account.
Who owns Badoo?
Bumble Inc., the company that also runs Bumble. Badoo has been going since 2006.
Meet someone who wants the same
Pick a section and start among people who are after what you are.