Swipe right if you like it, swipe left if you don’t. We are all too familiar with this typical dating app mechanic. Initially popularized by Tinder, people are hooked into the “match, chat, date” set up. In the present, there are dozens of dating apps in the market that cater to people’s relationship desires. The majority of these look and work a lot like each other. But there’s one who stands out and strives to break away from the stereotype hook-up image of dating apps. An app that sets a wonderful and fresh perspective on online dating.
Coffee Meets Bagel aims to stop wasting your time from the endless swiping in dating apps. It is striving to change the idea of online dating. Thus, making it painless, effective, efficient, and accessible. Coffee Meets Bagel’s target is to give hopeful relationships for the busiest individuals. Also, those who do not have time to play around.
It has unique features and perks and such a relaxed and chill environment. You will not feel pressured to aggressively find a partner because it is not how it works. You have all the time you need to explore each suggested bagel’s profile. The swipe right and left do not apply because if you like someone, you press the heart button. When you don’t, you carefully tap on the “x”.
This CMB usage guide will give you a full explanation of the features and functionalities of the app. It will help you decide why it fits your liking among all other top dating apps of 2020.
What is Coffee Meets Bagel?
Coffee Meets Bagel is a dating app that lets you find your perfect match based on your preferences. It was launched in 2012 and has enjoyed a great amount of success with about 3 million paying users. It also has around 50,000,000 successful matches since it was introduced to the public. The members of the Coffee Meets Bagel app are mostly aged between 25 and 34.
Its intuitive surface, fun features, and attractive graphics scream simplicity and maturity. It is not too colorful but also not too plain for one’s liking. The tabs, sections, and profiles are easy to find and navigate. It also provides a guide and shares tips for new profiles. In a way, it helps them show off one’s best self and be able to connect with top bagels.
The Coffee Meets Bagel is guided in three principles. These are smart algorithms, in-depth profiles, and real conversations. It has proven to be an effective channel for lasting relationships. It is even more advantageous for women as it is mostly geared to their needs and desires. Men have less control since the ladies have the power to choose among who they want to talk to.
Coffee Meets Bagel Functions
Aside from being quoted as “a dating app”, Coffee Meets Bagel goes far beyond this description. It breaks the stereotype of the swipe left and right mechanisms of most dating apps. One of its most essential factors is how things work around the app using its matching algorithm.
Matching Algorithm
The Coffee Meets Bagel uses a matching algorithm. This is to give you the best potential bagel that fits your standards. In the “Discover” section, only women are allowed to make the first move and curate matches. On the other hand, men receive 21 “bagels” or possible matches and have a day to decide on. Among those are men who expressed their desire and interest to connect. Then, the women get to receive six curated matches.
These matches were decided by the algorithm depending on who are the best potential matches for each other. Because of the difference in dating behavior, CMB opted for a different amount of matches. According to the company, the average woman wants four high-quality bagels. An average male likes 17 bagels per day.
Coffee Meets Bagel Features
Subscription
Coffee Meets Bagel is free to use for those who have downloaded the app on their mobile device. You only need a stable internet connection and a compatible phone or tablet. After you have created an account, you can enjoy and explore the features of the app. Subscribe to a paid account to further experience premium service with extra perks. This premium membership comes with a variety of features. From “read” receipts, activity reports of your bagels, to bundle purchases for beans. It costs $35 for one whole month, $20/month for 6 months, and $15/month for a year.
Profile Information
Previously, making an account in Coffee Meets Bagel requires logging in to your Facebook. This way, your Facebook friends may help you improve your matches. Coffee Meets Bagel keeps track of the mutuals that are possible matches for you. But in 2018, it was announced that CMB no longer requires a Facebook account. Users can already sign up by only typing their phone number. And thus, bypassing Facebook.
In setting up a profile, you need to answer questions about your physical appearances. You also have to share three things that you want in a date and write six brief phrases about yourself. Edit your profile to attract potential matches.
Since CMB does not promote a casual relationship, it is better to put something that will make their virtual impression of you last.
A prompt is like a one-sentence introduction that will appear on your profile. There are optional prompts suggested that you can choose from but you can also make up your own. These prompts may be about your interests. It can also be questions about a potential match. Speaking of potential matches, you can set your bagel preferences. You have full control to set your standards. Indicate the age, height, ethnicity, religion, and distance range.
It is equally important to edit your profile and provide basic information. This includes your age, location, ethnicity, height, and other several things. You can also add up to 9 photos to let other profiles see what type of visual you are. Make sure to upload photos that are recent and that show your interest, and flash a big smile. Avoid sharing blurry and low-quality photos or mirror selfies. Try the VSCO editing app and learn how you can beautify your featured photos more. If you’re interested, here is our guide on how to edit photos using the VSCO app.
What are beans?
Beans are the in-app currency of Coffee Meets Bagel. Pick up some beans at the Bean Shop and get a discount when you buy more at once. Aside from letting you sign in and explore, you also have an option to trade them. This lets you unlock special features like liking extra bagels. Upon creating an account, CMB rewards you with thank you beans for signing up. You can earn more free beans by following CMB on social media or sharing the app with your friends.
You may also complete tasks such as filling out your Coffee Meets Bagel profile. Or, state feedback about why you passed on a profile. The beans come in a bundle and cost $1.99 for 100, $23.99 for 2000, and $24.99 for 3000.
What is an icebreaker?
Icebreakers are teeny tiny information that serves as conversation starters. You can use these when you finally get a match. You have to write full details and be descriptive so it may add a little spark to your profile. This will intrigue and ignite a bagel’s curiosity about it. As an effect, they will feel more inclined and then proceed to start and engage in a conversation. It does not matter if you write a lengthy icebreaker because 10% of liked profiles in CMB have longer ones.
How To Use Coffee Meets Bagel?
How To Match Up With Someone
In Coffee Meets Bagel, a match is called a “bagel”. You can find matches on the “Suggested” and “Discover” sections of the app. The profiles presented are usually those that you share common interests with. Or those who have the same hobbies that you do. These bagels are mostly on your scope because you fit the set of preferences, gender, and location.
Coffee Meets Bagel updates every day and presents a set of bagels on the “Suggested” section. Explore a person’s info and look at the photos as it may entice you better. Like the profile by hitting the heart button or pass on them by tapping the “x”. A new bagel profile will show up when you pass on the previous one. But if you like a bagel that has already liked you back, it’s automatically a match.
If no one from the suggested tab caught your attention, check out the “Discover” section. This way, you can look for additional bagels. Some of the advanced filters are activity, education, and location. These let you browse more profiles that are beyond the ones offered to you.
How to Message Someone
After you luckily found your bagel, you can start exchanging messages with each other. You can see your match’s icebreaker and they might see yours. Most profiles use the icebreaker as an initial topic to open a conversation. Some others love to talk about common interests or the info on their profiles.
You can also send a message through a like if you ever come across a profile that you like but hasn’t liked you back. Try asking a question or sending a compliment for the bagel to notice you. The message will appear in your “Chats” screen if a profile tries to connect with you.
How to Maximize features
Coffee Meets Bagel offers a premium package. Its subscribers may get more quality connections than those free users. They can also connect twice better than non-subscribers. Through this, you can experience the best offers and better perks.
The CMP premium package includes extra benefits like Activity Reports, Read receipts, and bonus beans and features. For the activity status, you may know how often they send the first message to other profiles. The “Read” receipts inform you when they have read your messages. For the Bonus beans on iOS,
you can have 8 free likes on “Discover” and get 15% more beans when you purchase on the in-app shop. For Android, you can receive 6,000 free beans that you may use on special features.
How to Download & Install Coffee Meets Bagel
For Android & iOS Devices
The Coffee Meets Bagel app is available for iOS 11.0 and Android 5.0 versions and later.
- Launch your mobile’s purchasing store (Google Play Store for Android and App Store for iOS)
- Search for it and Install the app on your device.
- After it downloads, navigate the app on your phone.
- Open the app and start by creating an account.
Pros and Cons of Using This Dating App
Pros
- The app is a lady-oriented platform as there are more women than men.
- It has an intuitive and classic interface.
- Free to use, no paid subscription needed. You can access the full functionality of the app for free.
- You are matched only with active members.
Cons
- There is no available desktop version for the Coffee Meets Bagel app.
- There are not enough people that use the app. The number of profiles on Suggested and Discover is limited.
- Because of its simple interface, you have limited control over things on your profile.
Coffee Meets Bagel vs Other Dating Apps
There are a lot of other and more popular existing dating apps other than Coffee Meets Bagels. They have the same purpose of finding you your perfect match. You browse through profiles then swipe, like, or dislike. However, some specific details and characteristics differentiate them from each other.
Tinder
Tinder is probably the most popular of all dating apps in the present. It has the same response rates as CMB because both parties may start a conversation. Both are available for free but also offer premium subscriptions. Their interfaces are different as Tinder has a more playful vibe. All you have to do is swipe right and left if you like or dislike the person. Tinder is more ideal for people who are only after short-term relationships. It is mostly designed for casual dating and hook-up arrangements.
CMB, on the other hand, is catering to those who are looking for a longer-term commitment. The popularity and availability make a huge difference between these two dating apps. Tinder is accessible in 190 countries and 34 languages with 50 million visits per month. Coffee Meets Bagel is available in a smaller area than Tinder is. It is majorly used only in around 5 countries and is accessed 7 million times a month.
OkCupid
OkCupid and Coffee Meets Bagel share an obvious common feature. Both of these dating apps suggest profiles based on personality compatibility. You can subscribe for free but there are limitations to it. You can’t see the people who have liked you unless you coincidentally liked them back. Their Notifications tab and Messaging features are almost the same. Both apps have a media gallery and news feed section.
These two are similar when it comes to a limited number of potential matches per day. However, OkCupid is leaning more into casual conversations as Tinder. It has a larger and more active user base than Coffee Meets Bagel. It also has a greater rating on the App Store. If you’re interested, you can read our guide to learn how to find a date using OkCupid.
Bumble
Bumble is often regarded as an alternative for Tinder. Its image is also towards a dating app that is best for people who love hookups. Both Bumble and CMB profiles include a descriptive bio, media gallery, and hobbies. They also ask for other information about school or religion. They have the same intuitive surfaces and offer packages. But, these two share a fair amount of differences. Bumble uses the swipe technique in choosing among suggested profiles. CMB lets you “heart react” or pass.
On Bumble, only girls can initiate the first move to send a message and they only have the whole day to do so. While CMB allows both genders to start a convo, the message thread expires in 7 days. But in Bumble, the conversation inbox stays until a person deletes the profile.
Book A Date Now With Coffee Meets Bagel
If you are not the type to commit to a serious relationship, Coffee Meets Bagel is not for you. This app is great and is helpful to those who look for quality dates because they don’t like wasting time into casual hook-ups. It is safe to say that this app is woman-biased, as they have much control over how a conversation starts and goes. Significantly, it promotes long-term and meaningful relationships.
With the nice graphics, intuitive interface, and fun matching system, Coffee Meets Bagel is undeniably a stand-out of all its competitors. It may not be as popular as the others, but it has a more mature vibe and sets a professional purpose. It has a fair share of cons or disadvantages but at the end of the day, you get to have a fruitful dating experience. If you want to see other alternatives, here are our best dating apps on Android and the best hookup apps list articles.
