Bumble is introducing a paid group-dating experiment titled "Plans" this week in New York as it tests a new revenue-generating format for the app. The company is positioning the pilot as a way to bring small groups of users together in person while charging participants a flat fee to RSVP.
Under the program, each attendee pays a single fee to reserve a spot at a Plan. Users may bring a plus-one, but that guest must also pay the same fee to join. The meeting location is disclosed only after payment has been completed.
Following participation in a Plan, Bumble prompts attendees to report on their experience and indicate whether they liked specific people they met. If users express mutual interest, they are then able to match and resume messaging within the app.
The company has framed the feature as part of its competitive response to rival Tinder and as an initiative to address declining revenue. Recent reported results show Bumble's full-year total revenue decreased 9.9% between 2025 and 2024, and revenue fell 14.1% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026. The app's stock has also fallen roughly 45% over the last year.
Bumble will use the New York pilot to evaluate Plans, with a potential national rollout contingent on how the experiment performs in the market. The company has not disclosed additional rollout timing, pricing details beyond the existence of a flat fee, or metrics it will use to judge success beyond the pilot's outcomes.
Analysis summary - The Plans pilot ties a direct, paid RSVP model to in-person, small-group dating events and incorporates feedback and matching mechanics after events. The test will inform whether the feature is expanded nationally.
Context and implications - The initiative arrives amid measurable declines in Bumble's revenue and a pronounced drop in its share price over the prior year. The company is explicitly linking the new offering to competitive positioning and revenue objectives, while deferring wider distribution of the product to results from the New York trial.