Comparison
The Ugly Bug Ball vs Hinge
The big app that rewards a good answer, or a community where looks are never the entry ticket.
- Free to join
- 18+ only
Hinge is the big app that comes closest to putting words before looks. Launched in 2013 and owned by Match Group, it builds profiles around six photos and answers to prompts, and every match starts with someone liking or commenting on a particular photo or answer. Its tagline is "designed to be deleted". The Ugly Bug Ball, online since 2010, shares the belief that personality matters most, and goes one step further: it is a community where nobody has to compete on looks to begin with.
| What you get | The Ugly Bug Ball | Hinge |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | People who want personality to come first | People looking for relationships |
| Who runs it | HubPeople, a specialist dating platform | Match Group |
| How you meet | Daily matches, profiles read in full, message who you like | Like or comment on a specific photo or prompt |
| Messaging | A set number free each day, unlimited with VIP | Free to use; Hinge+ and HingeX add extras |
| Checks | Optional ID or live video check with a badge | Selfie Verification; Face Check compulsory in the UK |
| On your phone | Phone browser, installs to your home screen | iPhone and Android |
Prompts or a whole profile
Hinge's prompts are clever: a witty answer can win a like as easily as a striking photo. But the photos are still most of the profile, and six of them is a lot to ask of someone who hates having their picture taken. On The Ugly Bug Ball, one clear photo is plenty, and your bio, interests and what you are looking for carry real weight. You can read a profile and message who you like, without waiting for a mutual like first.
Who you will meet
Hinge is aimed at people who want a relationship. The Ugly Bug Ball spans every age from 18 to past 65, with its largest group in the late thirties and early forties, mostly across the USA and the UK.
What it costs
Hinge is free to use, with Hinge+ for seeing everyone who likes you and unlimited likes, and HingeX for enhanced recommendations and priority likes. The Ugly Bug Ball is free to join, with a daily allowance of messages, unlimited replies to paid members, and VIP and VIP Plus plans on our pricing page.
Safety on both
Hinge offers Selfie Verification and a Hidden Words filter, and its Face Check is compulsory for new users in the UK. On The Ugly Bug Ball, proving you are real takes an ID upload or a quick video chat with a moderator, every upload is checked by software and people, nude images arrive blurred, and you get an alert when a match pushes to swap to WhatsApp. More on our safety page.
Which suits you?
If you want a mainstream app that rewards a good answer as well as a good photo, Hinge is the best of the big ones. If you would rather be somewhere looks are not the entry ticket at all, and where calling yourself plain is a shared joke, The Ugly Bug Ball is made for you.
The Ugly Bug Ball or Hinge: your questions
Is Hinge better than Tinder for ugly people?
Often, yes, because Hinge matches start from a photo or a written prompt, so a good answer counts. A dedicated site goes further.
Who owns Hinge?
Match Group, which also owns Tinder and Plenty of Fish.
Is Hinge free?
Hinge is free to use, with Hinge+ and HingeX as paid extras.
Do I need six photos on The Ugly Bug Ball?
No. One clear, smiling photo is plenty; your profile does the rest.