Bumble loses one in seven paying users in a year as it reports quietly ahead of its $1.3bn buyout

Bumble has published its last quarterly numbers as a company heading for private ownership, and they show a business still shrinking. In its Bumble Q3 2026 results, set out in a quarterly filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission this week, revenue fell 16 per cent year on year to $207.1 million and the number of paying users dropped 14 per cent to 3.08 million.

There was no press release and no earnings call this time. The company skipped both because of its pending sale to Ithaca Holdco for $6.05 a share in cash, a deal worth about $1.3 billion that was agreed on 12 October. The figures appeared only in the quarterly filing, as Global Dating Insights reported on 5 November.

Bumble Q3 2026 results at a glance

Q3 2026	Revenue	Paying users	Revenue per payer
Bumble app	$167.3m (−16%)	1.99m (−15%)	$28.02 (−1%)
Badoo and other	$39.8m (−16%)	1.09m (−12%)	$11.34 (−5%)
Bumble Inc. total	$207.1m (−16%)	3.08m (−14%)	$22.14 (−2%)

The Bumble Q3 2026 results also show the company stayed profitable: net earnings were $31.6 million, down from $51.6 million a year earlier. Revenue landed inside the $205 million to $213 million range Bumble had guided to in August.

Fewer payers, and no rise in what each one pays

The headline number is the paying base. A year ago the Bumble app had 2.34 million paying users; now it has 1.99 million, a loss of roughly one in seven. Unlike Match Group, which has offset falling payer numbers by charging each subscriber more, Bumble did not manage that trick this quarter: average revenue per paying user on the Bumble app slipped from $28.27 to $28.02.

In the filing, the company says its strategy has hurt revenue and payers “in the short term”. The company describes a shift from what it calls a “quality reset” to a focus on product changes aimed at improving the experience for members. It also points to pressure on people’s disposable income.

The contrast with the rest of the market is sharp. Two days earlier, Match Group reported that Hinge’s paying users grew 23 per cent and that Tinder’s daily users had turned positive for the first time in three and a half years.

Where the Ithaca takeover stands

According to the filing, the required shareholder approval for the merger has already been obtained. Completion still depends on customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and no closing date is given. Once the deal goes through, Bumble will leave the Nasdaq and become a private company. Founder Whitney Wolfe Herd is staying involved, while Ithaca’s Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman are set to become co-chief executives.

What it means for Bumble users in the UK and US

Nothing changes in the app today: subscriptions, Premium features and BFF carry on as before, and the takeover does not by itself alter your account or billing. What it does change is who sets the direction. Private owners do not have to report quarterly figures, so outsiders will see far less of how the app is performing, and new owners often revisit pricing and product plans.

Two practical points. If you pay for Bumble, check how and when your plan renews; in the UK, new subscription rules from 2027 will require clearer renewal reminders and easier cancellation. And a smaller paying base does not necessarily mean fewer people to meet, since most members use the app for free. For a wider view of the market, see our online dating statistics and our research on dating app fatigue.

Sources

• Bumble Inc., Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 September 2026 (SEC filing, November 2026)
• Global Dating Insights, “Bumble Quietly Reports Q3 Results as Ithaca Acquisition Moves Ahead”, 5 November 2026
• Austin American-Statesman via Yahoo Finance, on Bumble’s revenue decline and the Ithaca deal, 5 November 2026

Cover photo: Nathan Dumlao / Unsplash