Coffee Meets Bagels Review
When you think of online dating, what do you think of? What’s your go-to dating app? For me, I usually think of Tinder. Tinder was the first dating app I ever thought to download, and I was still in high school – albeit I was 18 – but still! Like “Googling” has become a term meaning to internet search something, Tinder is becoming similarly synonymous with online dating.
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Coffee Meets Bagel is a San Francisco–based dating and social networking service. Coffee Meets Bagel was created by three sisters: Arum, Dawoon, and Soo Kang. The app was launched in New York City on April 17, 2012. In September 2012, the company announced that it had raised seed funding of. Online for Love's Dating Site Quiz: Discounts:Tinder Coach Discount (Boost you matches): https://onlinefor. Coffee meets bagel is the ultimate dating platform for women who want preferential results. This dating and social networking platform also offers its users a CMB free dating app which can be. Looking for a complete Coffee Meets Bagel Review? Wondering how Coffee Meets Bagel works for guys who are looking for a long term relationship? Click to learn how to use this dating app to get more.
However, just because something is the status quo doesn’t mean that it’s something you should necessarily sign on to as well. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean that it is the best. That brings us to the topic of other dating apps. For instance: Coffee Meets Bagel. This dating app seeks to be efficient not so much entertaining.
You may remember Coffee Meets Bagel from the popular TV Shark Tank. The co-creators of the app, the Kang sisters, walked into the “tank” they were looking for an offer from Mark Cuban and were asking for 500,000 dollars for 5% of their company. The episode was particularly dramatic, especially when after declaring himself as “out” Cuban made an offer for $30 Million for the entire company. The Kang sisters declined.
And while that seems absolutely insane, one of the sisters justified their decision by saying they see the app growing to the size of Match.com, which at the time the episode aired was becoming a billion-dollar enterprise. They said they felt validated that Mark Cuban would set their value at 30 million dollars. However, they believe they made the right decision to keep their company to themselves.
So, how does this growing dating app stand up against The Match group (who owns Tinder amongst other dating apps/sites, and has over $1 Billion in revenue) services? Get on the app store and get it for yourself, then read on for our Coffee Meets Bagel review.
First Impressions
My Coffee Meets Bagel review got off to a great start, because their website / app looks fantastic. It’s got a real mature, modern feel that doesn’t look at all tacky or scammy.
This dating site seems to deviate from a lot of classic dating app structures. For instance, you’re not doing any swiping for one!
There’s no grid of a thousand faces for you to look at. Basically, how it works is that men are given a group of matches based on a learning algorithm. Those matches are then run through the algorithm which curates a set of matches to women. From there you can choose to connect with people (or to pass) from there you can start a conversation. You only have 24 hours to like or pass on profiles each day.
You’re given a limited number of matches each day, but if you want more there’s an explore page. This is helpful for getting your likes out there, but for me, it was a bit overwhelming. I like the idea of matches getting sent to me rather than combing through all the users within a 100-mile radius of me. I really liked how the matches are curated as opposed to just swiping through.
Features
In addition to the matchmaker feature, you’re given a pretty interesting set of profile questions. Instead of just having 1000 characters to go wild with, your profile is structured with three prompts: “I am…,” “I like…” and “I appreciate when my date…”
I like that Coffee Meets Bagel and Hinge does things like this because it makes starting a conversation easier! Not only that, but it ensures that people are getting more quality matches.
What I like about this is is that you’re not giving out random unimportant information, it helps your profile be useful and helps those who don’t know where to begin when talking about themselves.
Additionally, you have the chat box! However, your conversations are going to expire after a few days (I want to say that the cap is 30 days). So you better make a connection within a reasonable time frame.
One of the special features on CMB is that you can link it to your Facebook account. This means that you’ll sometimes get matches from people on your Facebook friends list, or friends of friends. You can decide whether that’s a good or bad thing.
Coffee Meets Bagel has a weird little feature called the Photo Lab. With this, you can post two side-by-side photos (from your profile) and the CMB community that vote on which one they think makes a better profile pic. It’s also a good way to get some women looking at your profile.
Another fancy CMB feature is called Express Delivery (but requires spending ‘coffee beans’- more on that in a second). Express Delivery allows you to send women a message before matching with them. For example, if you think you’d have something in common and you’re worried she might pass on you, you can try and woo her beforehand.
Pricing and Membership Details
So, Coffee Meets Bagel has a few options when it comes to upgrades! For this Coffee Meets Bagel review, I got the premium package for the best experience.
Coffee Meets Bagel’s premium service does do a pretty decent job of actually upgrading your profile. You get some useful perks as opposed to bullshit that other apps try to sell you.
With premium, you’re going to get an activity report for all the matches you’re given. This shows how often they chat with their matches, who usually sends the first message, when they’re usually active, and what time frame they usually reply within. Plus you’re going to get 15% more “coffee beans” (which is their app currency) with each purchase, other flirting capabilities, and read receipts in your chats.
Okay, let’s talk about coffee beans now! Coffee beans unlock features like extra matches per day and the ability to see mutual friends. You can also earn free beans by inviting people to the app or following their account on Instagram which is nice for people who don’t have a ton of money to throw at the dating app. Coffee beans are also required to send your likes on the discover page, so make sure to use the beans you have wisely or pull out your wallet.
Pros
It’s not a game: The reason that Tinder and Bumble are so popular is that it game-ifies swiping for your brain. You’re no longer dating; you’re playing a game. This is why you usually end up with more matches than you do actual conversations. While there is a “like” or “pass” option on this site, you’re not swiping so that game-esque action isn’t involved.
Plus, your matches are super limited. This makes you really focus on who you’ve been matched with and consider that person. You’ll find yourself more concerned with the people you’re looking at and not who’s next in the match stack. This function makes the dating app feel more mature and less like playing a mobile game.
Conversation starters!: The worst part about dating apps, in my opinion, is trying to start conversations. I always find it super difficult. Other than “Hi, how are you?” I don’t usually have much to say when opening a conversation. What I like about this is that you have three spaces to put little conversation starters – like random interesting things about yourself. These pop up for your match when you’re starting a conversation.
This totally helps with matches as it actually gives you something to talk about. This is a great jumping-off point, and the profile helps too because of the way it’s structured.
The paid upgrades are all pretty good. Activity reports are useful. It’s useful to see a list of profiles you like, and more potential matches means more dates. Paid membership really increases the CMB user experience.
Cons
Limited matches: The only real con – other than some stuff being seriously pay-walled – is that you only get so many matches a day. While this might be frustrating when you’re looking for a hook up, you shouldn’t be too frustrated when it comes to looking for an actual partner or date. This isn’t really a con so much as it is a fact, haha!
Bad things happen when you combine social media and dating sites. On CMB, you can link your Facebook account to your CMB account as a way to ‘enhance’ your dating experience. What this will do is search your Facebook sphere (friends, friends of friends) to find women who are also registered on CMB. Then viola, you’re potentially matched.
Sure, this could be a good thing if you’ve always had a thing for that hot woman Facebook friend of yours who you’ve never had the balls to chat up in person. But, it might be pretty awkward if you end up matching with your cousin.
Some of the features require spending beans. For example, if you want to send a like or an Express Delivery message, you’ll have to hit up the coffee bean shop beforehand.
Conclusion
In all, I love this app. Coffee Meets Bagel is a fantastic dating website that hits all of the right buttons.
I think that the Coffee Meets Bagel system feels mature and it doesn’t lend itself it a game. It feels like a dating app for adult people who actually want to date, not just hook up with strangers for one night. I’m a pretty big fan, and thanks to this review, I’ll definitely be adding Coffee Meets Bagel to my rotation to my dating app rotation.
4/5 Stars.
We hope you’ve found our Coffee Meets Bagel review helpful. The app can be found on the iOS or Google Play app store.
Ready to try Coffee Meets Bagel?
FAQs
What is Coffee Meets Bagel?
Coffee Meets Bagel is a popular dating platform that matches singles based on personality and interests rather than physical appearances. It’s one of the most active and successful online dating sites currently available.
Is Coffee Meets Bagel free?
Coffee Meets Bagel is completely free to use. As a free member, you’ll be given a number of potential matches every day at noon who you’re free to like or pass on. Paid upgrades are available for users who want to increase their daily matches.
How does Coffee Meets Bagel work?
Coffee Meets Bagel works by giving its users a limited number of matches per day. Users can then decide to like or pass on them. If you and your match both like each other, you can then begin a conversation.
Is Coffee Meets Bagel a hookup app?
No, Coffee Meets Bagel isn’t a hookup site. It’s a dating service with most of its users searching for a long-term relationship.
How do I delete my Coffee Meets Bagel account?
1. Open the CMB app and tap “Profile” in the bottom-right hand corner.
2. Go to “Settings.”
3. Toggle “Active” off under “Membership,” and hit “Deactivate” when prompted.
4. Select how long you want your account to be put on hold, or select “Indefinite.”
5. Select your reason for deactivating.
6. Hit “Done” in the top-right hand corner.
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It’s quirky, it’s fun, and it’s decidedly tilted towards friendship rather than dating. The wonderfully-named Coffee Meets Bagel dating site is laid back and very relaxed site, whose closest comparison is probably eHarmony. However, unlike that barnstorming international site, Coffee Meets Bagel is lower key and definitely more of a social event rather than simply a dating or hookup site. While it does generate plenty of potential matches for users, there’s no pressure to dive head-first into a potential relationship, and you can take things at your own pace.
Originally launched in 2012 in New York City by three sisters, Arum, Dawoon, and Soo Kang, it quickly established a foothold in key North American locations including Boston and San Francisco. After receiving a considerable amount of funding from various investors, Coffee Meets Bagel went global and gained a particularly strong foothold in the US, where its relaxed approach to online social interaction and emphasis on friendly encounters rather than online dating was a big hit.
Today, the site continues to grow, spreading into the European market and rivalling larger, well-established sites such as eHarmony.
As a dating site, it works well and it has a higher-than-average number of women using the site. With a variety of features that help users to streamline their criteria, the matching process is effective and much more targeted than you may find on other, more generic sites. The result is that it’s an easy-to-use, effective, and popular serious dating site that sees itself as an ‘anti-Tinder’ alternative.
Table of Contents
Our Summary
The first thing that really strikes you about Coffee Meets Bagels or CMB Dating, as it’s also known, is just how user-friendly it is. That’s verified by the sheer number of users the app version in particular has, and the number of matches it generates. There are claims that since the app launched in 2012 it’s generated 2.5 billion introductions, and more than 50,000 couples are now together because of Coffee Meets Bagels. While this may be a little hyped, our Coffee Meets Bagels review uncovered that this is probably the biggest serious dating website and app you’ve never heard of.
Don’t let that low-key level of exposure fool you, though – CMD is big. It launched in 2015 and Coffee Meets Bagel was widely welcomed by Sydney socialites and young professionals, who found it easy to use, friendly, and surprisingly comprehensive for a serious dating site. While there have been a couple of bumps along the way, including a data breach in 2019 that affected around 6 million profiles, the overall security and data protection aspects of the Coffee Meets Bagel dating app has been good.
There are plenty of good points to look at, including the number of ‘bagels’ a user is exposed to on a daily basis. The fact that the app has so many users makes it highly likely that you will find at least some matches in your immediate area, but only if you’re in a big city. If you’re on CMB dating out in the Outback, or in a part of the world where the app hasn’t reached its full potential market penetration yet, then you may find that your ‘bagels’ are a long way away, and the closest you’re going to get to any kind of a relationship is via emails.
What we can say, though is that CMB definitely works hard to create a positive, and user-friendly online experience, and is regularly voted as one of the best dating apps currently available. It’s particularly popular with women, who make up the majority of the users, and with new features constantly coming online it’s an exciting, interesting, and very satisfying experience that really demonstrates to the ‘big boys’ like Tinder and eHarmony how a dating app should be done. Our opinion? Coffee Meets Bagels is a definite hit.
🆓 Free services and paid services
As with most dating apps, sign-up is free, but bear in mind that does mean you’ll get very limited access to the site’s various features. However, it’s a good place to start, as you can easily navigate your way around and do a bit of ‘window shopping’ to start with.
The services work in a very similar way to Tinder initially, and once you’ve signed up for greater access you’ll be sent ‘bagels’ (their term for matches) that you can either like or pass on. You’ll get the chance to find out more about your likes and start chatting.
The paid upgrade opens up a host of features, and really lets you delve deeper into the site, as well as taking advantage of forums, online chatting and messaging.
Because the system uses algorithms that piggy-back social media activity such as Facebook, it will try and match you with people with whom you share at least one Facebook friend. Don’t worry if you’re not on FB, though, as you’ll still get those ‘bagels’ on a daily basis. To boost your ability to chat, open up more bagels and to generally spread the love you have the chance to purchase ‘beans’ (this is where the Coffee part comes in). You earn these through regular use of the platform, or by buying beans in increments of 100, 2000 or 3000.
💰 Prices
If you decide to upgrade to a paid membership it will cost you:
If you want to buy beans to use on the site rather than earning them, they will cost you:
So if you’re going to be particularly active on the site and also want to open up even more bagels or use those beans for other activities, our advice is to buy a batch of 3000 beans, which will save you a whopping 60% compared to buying them in blocks of 100.
📊 Membership structure
Coffee Meets Bagels is big. Much, much bigger than you might first think. They claim to have generated 2.5billion introductions since the launch in 2012. Looking at the numbers for this CMB review, that’s not an unreasonable assumption.
CMB is designed for singles who want to break out of the Tinder-style swiping approach to online dating, and prefer a ‘slow dating’ approach that generates meaningful connections and ultimately, serious, long-term relationships.
According to SurveyMonkey, more than half of users fall into the 30-49 age group, while around 36% are aged 18 to 29, with the medium demographic falling within the 20-35 bracket. Percentage-wise, women make up the majority, with a 60:40 split between the sexes. There is no data to suggest how many lesbian and gay users there are online, but it would seem that the majority of users are heterosexual.
Type of membership
This is a very simple section to explain – you’re either free, or you’ve paid up to the premium service. It’s that easy. When we started our Coffee Meets Bagel review, that was one of the aspects that really stood out for us. The Kang sisters have deliberately kept the model straightforward to ensure that the user is the focus of attention and that everyone gets the same experience once they’ve paid their membership fee. The ability to purchase beans, either through regular usage or by paying for them, is the only additional concept within the basic membership structure. If you just want the minimal experience then you can simply sign up to the free Coffee Meets Bagel dating app, but for the extra few dollars a month you have an access-all-areas pass for the entire site.
Premium membership on Android gives you:
- Activity reports on members
- Message read receipts
- 6,000 free beans
If you take out Premium membership on an iOS platform you get:
- 8 additional “Takes” in Discover
- Activity Reports on members
- Message read receipts
- 15% more beans when you restock your supply
💡 How to reduce costs at Coffee Meets Bagel
The easiest way to keep costs to a minimum is to stick with the free sign-up, but if you want to enjoy everything that’s on offer, then paying for membership is the way to go. Our advice is if you like what you see then start off with a single month and then go straight to the six-month deal, which will save you a substantial 43% compared to the standard monthly fee. If you just want to dip your toe in the water, a three-month sub will save you 29% on the standard monthly charge.
✍️ Registration
Registration is very easy:
- Go to the website or the online app stores. You can sign in either with an email or log in with a phone number.
- Complete your dating profile. The set-up screens walk you through the process. Enter your first and last name (your surname is kept private).
- Add your email address, birthdate and the gender you identify with (currently just male or female).
- Upload up to nine pictures.
- Then share your location and enable notifications, and you’re ready to go.
Our top tip: Make sure you complete the profile page’s three statements: “I am…” “I like…” and “I appreciate when my date…” to increase the chances of people discovering your profile. You have a character limit of 276-characters on each section, so make it punchy, to the point, and engaging.
📱 User-friendliness
Coffee Meets Bagels dating website and app goes out of its way to make life easy for users, especially women (hence the hashtag #ladieschoice). Once you get your head around the concept of beans and bagels, there’s not a lot else that you really need to worry about.
Accessing the profile screen is easy, and allows you to set your search criteria with just a few taps. We recommend using the app rather than the website, as CMB has been app-centric from the outset, and is far more responsive when used on a smartphone or tablet.
There are a few aspects of the site that you may not be familiar with at first glance – but it’s really a matter of the terminology that this specific site uses, and once you understand it, things get much easier. For example:
- Skip The Line – this is a feature that lets your profile be shown first to users who have a lot of profiles in their like/pass queue. Spend a few beans and your profile pops up first, as well as sending the recipient some virtual flowers. That will increase the possibility of a user seeing your profile by up to three times.
- Priority Like – the same as a Super Like on Tinder, it lets someone know that you’re really interested in matching.
- Take – this is simply liking a bagel. If you’re a paid-up member you get eight free ‘takes’ a day.
- Beans – the in-app currency, which can either be bought or earned.
- Activity Reports – sign up to premium membership and you get more specific data about a user, such as whether they’ve been active in the last 72 hours, how quickly it takes them to respond, and whether they’re likely to send the first message.
- Suggested – these are your daily bagels and are suggested matches that the app’s algorithm has identified.
- Discover – a feed of profiles of singles that are in your local area that may not appear on your Suggested list.
Don’t worry if all that sounds overly complicated – once you’ve used the system a few times it becomes quite intuitive, although you may stumble around for a little while before you really get to grips with it.
The App
What puts CMB head and shoulders above many of its rivals is that it was originally launched as an app, and much of the development in the last seven years has been focused on making the mobile portal as good as it can possibly be. While the PC/laptop site hasn’t been completely abandoned, it is very much a social contact site for the smartphone generation and has found particular popularity in the 20-35 demographic.
During our CMB review, we found that the download time was minimal, so there’s no waiting around, and the navigation on a mobile device is easy and straightforward. We did notice that the site itself has some grammatical errors and typos, which for such a high profile site is a little disappointing, but overall the app is responsive, clean, and easy to use. It’s available for both Android and iOS, and depending on the operating system you use, the initial free sign-up will offer slightly different packages.
✉️ Contacting users
When you get your daily bagels, you can look through them and either like or pass (you have 24 hours to decide). If you like a profile then you can send a message at the same time. You can then start chatting through the CMB texting platform, but remember that unless you extend the chat time by spending some of your beans, you’ve only got eight days to get to know your match.
You can also use Discover if you want to widen your search, and while these matches may not be as targeted as your daily bagels, they will generally be in your area.
👍 Pros and cons 👎
✔️ What we like
- You’re not overwhelmed with random matches or unwanted responses, so you can be more selective about your responses.
- CMB profiles are not searchable, which makes them more private and less likely to be spammed
- Membership deals are straightforward – you’re either paid up as a premium member or you use the free service
- The app-focused approach makes it very easy to use on a mobile device or smartphone
- The targeted daily matches are less likely to promote ghosting as both parties have more in common than other, more generic site matches.
❌ What we don’t like
- You only get a very limited number of matches each day, so while you’re not swamped, you may miss out on local matches that might be more relevant.
- Matching is based on a limited number of criteria, and even those are a little vague such as height and religion.
- Because the algorithm accesses your Facebook account and searches ‘friends of friends’, there’s a possibility that it could end up matching you with an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend!
- Outside of large cities, the number of users drops dramatically, which considerably reduces the number of matches you may get.
🙋 FAQ
How does Coffee Meets Bagel work for women?CMB is biased towards women users and has a 60:40 ratio of women to men. At noon each day, women users are presented with profiles of men who have already ‘liked’ them. Women can then tap ‘like’ as they want, resulting in an instant match. This way, so the site’s developers claim, women can minimise the possibility of time wasters or matching with men that they are not compatible with. These are known as #LadiesChoice matches.
How does the Coffee Meets Bagel algorithm work?CMB accesses your Facebook information (including likes, political views and mutual friends) to create a profile of your preferences. The algorithm then builds a graph based on your second and third-degree connections. You will have to enable the algorithm to access your data, so if you’re not keen on cross-platform data sharing, this may not be the site for you.
How does Discover work on CMB?Discover lets you find matches in your local area that wouldn’t necessarily come up on your daily bagels list, so they may fall outside your usual list of preferences and are based purely on location, rather than compatibility.
How does Coffee Meets Bagel work?CMB is not a hookup site, and was developed as an ‘anti-Tinder’ alternative to prevent ghosting and quick-swiping. It provides users with daily bagels (those who have expressed an interest in your profile) which you can then choose to contact or discard.
What’s the time limit all about?You do need to move fast on any matches that are sent. You have just 24 hours to pass or like on a match, and chatting is only available for eight days, after which you need to use some of your beans to keep the lines of communication open for up to 30 days.
How do I delete my Coffee Meets Bagel account?You’ll need to put your account on hold before you’re allowed to delete it entirely. Do this through the Settings > Membership field by clicking Deactivate and selecting ‘Indefinite’. Once you have done this you can then go back into the settings page and delete your account permanently.
ℹ️ Company info
Head office:
San Francisco (HQ), CA
JPMorgan Chase Building, 560 Mission St, San Francisco, United States
Coffee Meets Bagel Review 2021
Phone: +1 (917) 439-3770
Press inquiries: press@coffeemeetsbagel.com
Coffee Meets Bagel Reviews 2020
Email: contact@coffeemeetsbagel.com
Coffee Meets Bagels Review
Online help centre: https://coffeemeetsbagel.zendesk.com/hc/en-us