- Detailed profiles
- Visible safety tips
- Photos aren’t compulsory
- LGBTQ inclusive
- Free membership allows sufficient features
- Functional, aesthetically pleasing design
- Limited dating pool
- Complaints of scammers
- Fake profiles
Overview
- Who uses it?:Big Beautiful Women, BBW partners, Friendship, Long-term relationship
- How many users?:~900,000 members
- Features to help you match:Matching algorithm, Manual search, Location
- Mobile access:Free, Gold Membership, Platinum Membership, Diamond Membership, Paid memberships for 1-, 3- or 12-month contracts
- Free version?:Yes
BBWCupid Review
Finding love is hard enough but some demographics experience more challenges than others, and this is especially true for plus-size women. You may not want to join mainstream dating sites, for fear of being judged. Similarly, if you’re someone hoping to date a BBW (Big Beautiful Woman), you may find only a few profiles of this nature on other platforms.
BBWCupid hopes to cater to these groups of people, helping plus-size women and their future partners find each other. This dating site forms part of the many brands owned by Cupid Media and having 60 million members across their brands sounds impressive. Still, to give you absolute peace of mind that it’s a safe space to use, we tested it out and researched what users have to say.
Use our review, on everything from mobile responsiveness to safety guidelines, to see if BBWCupid is for you. Do a quick overview or use the detailed sections to guide you through onboarding and making the most of your time on its pages.
đī¸ Overall BBWCupid Rating
Short on Time?
On BBWCupid, the focus is to help plus-size women find love. Individuals who prefer their female partners curvy will also find the user base beneficial compared to many other online dating sites.
BBWCupid provides detailed profiles and is excellent at educating users on safe practices while networking online.
- User experience: BBW impresses with tools and features that are extremely easy to use, which saves time during onboarding.
- Demographics: The platform is specifically designed for curvaceous ladies and people hoping to date a big, beautiful woman. However, anyone is welcome to join. Similar to many LGBTQ-friendly sites, there’s no discrimination, as you can choose to have a same-sex relationship if you wish.
- Security: BBWCupid shows concern for users’ safety and provides good advice throughout the site.
- Feature richness: You’ll find robust profiles, making it easy to identify the ones you want to connect with. Features like a matching algorithm and search features add to the platform’s value for people looking for serious relationships.
â What we Like
- Robust profiles: BBWCupid enables users to create very detailed profiles, so they can share a lot about themselves even before they start messaging. This makes it easier to identify potentially good matches. It also gives you information to use when looking for conversation topics. You’ll know which hobbies or music the other person will find interesting, making it easier for shy people to engage with others.
- Serious about safety: Although there are fake profiles on the platform, the company does provide the necessary policies and tools to shut down accounts if scammers are identified. Also, online dating and safety tips appear on multiple pages, educating users about the best way to protect themselves and have a positive experience. Finally, users themselves can easily report or block users.
- Respect for privacy: If a BBW still feels self-conscious, she may not want to share her photos just yet. Unlike some other popular dating sites, here it’s not compulsory to add a profile picture. Do it when you feel comfortable. With paid memberships, you can also hide aspects of your profile.
- Inclusivity: There are niche dating sites catering to the gay community, but BBWCupid also has features this community can appreciate. For example, it’s up to you whether you look for same-sex or heterosexual partners.
- Lots to do with free membership: BBWCupid doesn’t disappoint when compared to other dating sites with free memberships. Members don’t have to pay to browse, set up basic searches, or communicate. Of course, the more you pay, the more privileges you have.
- Great design: The BBWCupid platform has a fresh look, with the blue theme creating a calm and welcoming virtual environment. It’s a modern design with user-friendly features, like buttons large enough to easily identify them. Also, menus and navigation are logical, so you quickly become comfortable using all pages.
â What we Didn’t Like
- Dating pool: For those looking specifically for a BBW relationship, the platform works. But, any other online dater will require a different, mainstream dating site with a more diverse user base. Compared to brands like Zoosk, the number of users is also much less than on many other dating sites.
- Scammers and fake profiles: Despite having the tools to close accounts of scammers, users still report a high number of people contacting members only to ask for money. Legitimate users also become disgruntled when they realize they’ve invested time, effort, and emotions in engaging with fake profiles.
đĄ Features
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Small, Limited (60%+ are men) |
Age Range | 18+ |
Matching Algorithm | Age, Location, Appearance, Lifestyle, Background, Values |
Ease of Use and Interface | Easy |
Safety and Privacy Features | Safety Features: Report users, ID verification, Email verification Privacy Features: Block users, Message encryption |
Communication Tools | Chat, Likes |
Price and Subscription Options | Gold One month: $29.73 Three months: $19.16 per month Twelve months: $9.58 per month Platinum One month: $35.99 Three months: $23.33 per month Twelve months: $11.67 per month Diamond One month: $71.98 Three months: $46.66 per month Twelve months: $23.33 per month |
Mobile App Availability | Android |
Special Features | Reverse matches, Show who is online, Join partner sites |
Customer Support | Online form |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | Refunds available if there was no communication |
Community and Social Aspects | Success stories |
Inclusivity | Good |
đ° BBWCupid Pricing
BBWCupid offers a robust free membership package, providing you with access to multiple features and tools. If you’re willing to pay, you can unlock many other features, but you’ll need to choose between their three paid membership plans. For each of the paid memberships you can pick between:
- 1 month
- 3 months
- 12 months
Free | Gold | Platinum | Diamond | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rates | – | 1 Week – $16.73 1 Month – $33.49 3 Months – $64.98 12 Months – $129.99 | 1 Week – $19.98 1 Month – $40.99 3 Months – $79.98 12 Months – $159.99 | 1 Week – $41.00 1 Month – $81.98 3 Months – $159.97 12 Months – $319.98 |
Ads | â | â | â | â |
Basic matching | â | â | â | â |
Likes | â | â | â | â |
Communicate with others on platform | â | â | â | â |
Communication is unlimited | â | â | â | â |
Messages unlocked | â | â | â | â |
Hide image or entire profile | â | â | â | â |
More profile space | â | â | â | â |
More advanced matching | â | â | â | â |
Message translation | â | â | â | â |
Profile ranks higher than some others | â | â | â | â |
Priority messaging | â | â | â | â |
Premium customer care | â | â | â | â |
Profile highlighting and ranking above all other members | â | â | â | â |
You will be billed once-off for the entire period you want to join. Then you can pay with a card or Skrill.
Pay attention when completing your purchase, as there are a few popups and tick boxes you’ll come across:
- BBWCupid likes to promote its Platinum plan, so it will be the default one to open when you choose to upgrade. This is not the most affordable option.
- They also promote the Platinum plan with popup boxes when you choose the cheaper plan.
- On the payment screen, there’s an ‘opt in’ box to tick, but only do this if you’re comfortable that your information will be copied to the Dating.com system. This can get you a 1-month free trial.
đą BBWCupid on Mobile
You can access BBWCupid via a browser on your phone, or download their app. Both these options are user-friendly, thanks to responsive website pages.
The icons across the bottom of the screen provide access to the most popular and important pages.
Profile pictures are clear and big and the ‘Like’ button on each image gives it a fun feel, similar to using the ‘Tinder’ app.
On the app, other menu options are on a ribbon at the top you can scroll through.
We found the pages load very fast.
đ¤ How to Use BBWCupid
Overall you’ll find BBWCupid easy to use and becoming familiar with its many features doesn’t take long – all thanks to a well-thought-out menu system. Here are the basics to get you started.
Registration
To sign up, click on the blue Login button at the top right of your screen. We appreciate that BBWCupid tries to keep its users safe from the start, as they warn you not to stay logged in when using a public computer.
Then click the ‘Join Now’ phrase so you can start entering some basic details. BBWCupid simply wants to know your name, gender, age, and email address.
This site may not be as inclusive as some transgender sites, but it’s clear they aim to be inclusive. Although the default option is a heterosexual relationship, you can change to look for a same-sex partner. Their sign-up window is user-friendly, and clarifying your preference only requires a click on the relevant icons.
That’s all you need to do to start browsing other profiles, though you do need to verify your email address. Use the link BBWCupid will send to you via email. We did find the email took a while to send, and it ended up in our Spam folder, so check there before requesting a resend.
This is a much shorter onboarding than some other mainstream dating sites, which is ideal if you first want to browse the features or if you’re apprehensive about uploading a photo of yourself.
Expert tip: Just remember that platforms like eHarmony with its more elaborate and compulsory personality quiz boost your chances of making a compatible match. For this reason, once you’re comfortable on BBWCupid, take the time to fill in as much information as possible.
When you’re ready to improve your profile, you can add information by selecting ‘Edit Profile’ on the dropdown list that appears when you click on the profile icon in the top-right corner.
You’ll have six tabs to use:
- Photos: You can upload photos, but it’s not compulsory, which shows respect for well-endowed women who may feel self-conscious, especially if you’re new at online dating.
When you’re ready to share, there are clear guidelines, and uploading a few images is easy. Either upload from your computer or try alternative options like a webcam or adding from your phone.
- Profile: Share about many aspects of your life, from appearance to lifestyle, occupation, and religion. This results in detailed profiles on BBWCupid, which makes it easier to find compatible matches.
We think BBWCupid did a good job in design here, as most details you enter only require clicking the circles next to the appropriate option or quickly scrolling through a dropdown list. It will only take a few minutes to complete the entire questionnaire.
- Match: The platform can help find profiles that match your personal criteria on topics like appearance and values. For this section to work and be seen as completed, you’ll need to answer at least three questions.
- Interest: Use this page to share your personal preferences and aspects of your lifestyle. It’s a simple process of ticking boxes next to hobbies, food, and music you like.
- Personality: This section requires some typing, but if you’re serious about finding love, it’s worth sharing about yourself. Someone can understand you and appreciate you for more than just being a BBW.
- Verify profile: Although your email address is quick to verify for security purposes, others will only see a green ‘Verified’ badge if you confirm your identity. If you want to increase trust in your profile, upload an image of your passport or other identification papers. BBWCupid provides clear guidelines on what will be acceptable.
Note that if you don’t complete your profile, such as adding photos or filling in details, popups will appear sporadically to prompt you. This can be a little irritating while browsing possible matches, so best to make time for updating your details.
Making Matches
As we mentioned, you can browse profiles right after registering and there are multiple ways to filter and find ones you may want to get to know better:
- Home: Click on the BBWCupid icon to go to your main page. You’ll see many profiles here and you can sort them according to criteria like ‘Relevance’ or ‘Newest’.
- Basic filter: Fill your main page with more relevant profiles by entering basic location and age preferences. This makes it easier to find appropriate profiles in your vicinity, but you’ll need to view each profile in detail to gauge your best options.
- Online: Use the ‘Online’ tab if you want to get chatting right away with people who are on the platform at that moment. These profiles will be most likely to send a quick reply if you have the courage to like or message first. You’ll find these communication options at the bottom of each profile thumbnail. Once again, there’s a search bar to narrow down the search to a certain age group or area.
- Matches: BBWCupid uses your profile data and a matching algorithm to find profiles with a high likelihood of impressing you. You’ll see these profiles in the Matches section but note this is a Platinum membership feature.
We liked that BBWCupid uses both ‘Mutual Matches’ and ‘Reverse Matches’. You may think you want a certain ‘type’, and then your searches will result in many profiles with similar characteristics. But what if, as a BBW, you need to discover that many other types of individuals can show you the love you deserve? With ‘Reverse Matches’ you’ll be shown profiles of people looking for someone like you.
It’s as if the BBWCupid system thinks outside the box on your behalf, giving you options you may never have considered before.
- Search: If you do know what you want in your BBW partner, use the ‘Search’ tab and stipulate details for a more focused search. Here you’ll have additional options, such as searching for a specific name or even a member number.
The ‘Advanced Search’ page is quite elaborate, with user-friendly questionnaires, and you can choose to only fill out the sections you find important. Use the arrows to open and close different categories.
Communicating with Matches
BBWCupid offers basic ways to interact with your matches:
- Send a Like, by clicking on the Heart icon on anyone’s profile.
- Chat with messages, just as if you’re using a messaging app. The bonus is you’re on a safe platform, so your data is protected, and you can easily block someone if you no longer want to talk.
Platforms like eHarmony do offer more options. For example, BBWCupid doesn’t facilitate video or audio calls. Still, texting is a safe way to communicate at the start of a relationship.
The ‘Activity’ section is one tool to help strike up a conversation. You can have your confidence boosted by seeing who has liked or viewed your profile.
Even with a free membership, you’ll be able to see the profiles of those who liked you, so you can compare profile details and send back a like or a message if you want.
Optimize Your BBWCupid Experience
When on BBWCupid you’re using a well-designed platform. Most features are obvious, but here are some tips to help you get the most out of your time using it:
- Heading: On your profile, there’s space for a heading, and using these 50 characters is a dynamic way to catch others’ attention. Add your life motto or something unique about you, and this could prompt someone to like or message you.
- Favorites: The star icon you’ll see on profile thumbnails is to mark it as one of your favorites. This comes in handy if you’re talking to a lot of people at the outset and want to remember who is special. One of them may become your long-term partner.
- Green dots: While browsing profiles, look for green dots in the top-right corners of profile thumbnails. This shows they’re online at that moment, so you have a good chance they’ll soon respond to a message or Like.
- Partner sites: There’s no reason not to try out more than one dating site. BBWCupid offers a quick-to-use link to view all its other brands, including InternationalCupid. Since BBWCupid already has details about you, it’s quick to sign up for one of the other platforms. Note that your profile and photos can be copied automatically, but remember you’ll have to pay for additional memberships.
- Easy scrolling: Instead of opening and closing profiles, use the arrows on the side of your PC screen. It makes for much easier scrolling through your options. You can go forward or back.
- Notifications: You can set a range of notifications to alert you of new matches, messages, or more. Set relevant ones so you don’t miss a ‘Like’. Make sure you can quickly respond to a potential love of your life.
đĨ General User Experience
There’s a lot to like about BBWCupid’s look and design:
- The interface is modern and fresh.
- Icons and text are large which makes for easy browsing.
- Basic information about profiles is visible even before clicking to open a specific one
Curvy women from around the world can enjoy a user-friendly experience since the platform is available in 14 languages. Simply pick your preferred one at the top right of the page. The changes load quickly, and then you can continue with more understanding.
đ User Safety & Security
As mentioned, BBWCupid shows concern for users’ safety even during the sign up process. They continue this trend throughout your use of the site, with safety tips on information and profile pages.
You can use their Dating Safety page for a range of information on the topic, but it shows concern for newbie online daters to make advice so visible across the site.
BBWCupid makes it easy to manage your personal safety and privacy, thanks to buttons available on every profile you view. They allow you to report or block anyone who shows suspicious behavior or bullies you online.
It’s encouraging to see that BBWCupid does not share users’ data, like photos, with third parties.
Unfortunately, online reviews do mention that there are many fake profiles. Also, some users try to find vulnerable targets and ask them for money or personal contact details, making members feel victimized.
BBWCupid does have clear policies in place, such as stating what type of content and photos you’re allowed to share.
Since they clearly state that they have the right to close accounts, they should make use of this in order to optimally protect the BBW community.
âī¸ Customer Support
You can access customer support by clicking on ‘Help’ in the ‘Settings’ menu at the top right of your page. It will open a chat tool, but note that it only offers links to existing information – it’s not a live chat feature.
If it can’t help you this way, click on ‘Contact Us’ and complete a support ticket. It is a bit limited in the options you can select, but use ‘Other’ if you have a query outside their standard subjects. A helpful feature is that you can add attachments, like screenshots, to help explain your problem.
You’ll receive a support ticket number almost immediately and a relevant reply can reach you in just a few minutes.
They do list additional contact details on their Privacy Statement page, like email and phone numbers. But, when testing out their online support form, it wasn’t functional.
We were also impressed with how they aim to be accommodating. If you join the platform but then don’t receive or initiate communication with other profiles, you can request a refund. However, note that we received likes and messages even before completing a profile, which is often the case with smaller, active online dating communities. Therefore, the chances of getting a refund are very slim.
đī¸ How Does BBWCupid Compare?
You may question whether it’s better to join a mainstream dating platform or invest time and effort in a niche site like BBWCupid.
Firstly, if you’re a BBW or wish to date one, consider that BBWCupid may have a better likelihood of connecting you to your ideal match. For one thing, ladies who have been bullied because of their weight may not have the confidence to join a general dating site.
That being said, popular platforms like eHarmony have millions of users around the globe. Such a large user pool increases the odds of discovering the love of your life.
Both these platforms offer detailed profiles, giving users a lot of information to consider before initiating communications. BBWCupid has an algorithm, but eHarmony has the attractive feature of a personality quiz that all users are obligated to complete. They use this to suggest compatible matches, which is another feature that can enhance your chances of finding Mr or Ms Right.
Considering all these facts, it comes down to personal preferences. Some users may feel safer on a niche site like BBWCupid, while others want to take a chance on a bigger stage. Here’s a summary to help you decide.
BBWCupid | eHarmony | |
---|---|---|
Best For | Friendship, Serious relationships | Serious relationships |
Popularity | ~900,000 members | 50+ million people worldwide |
Focus | Big Beautiful Women looking for love Individuals wanting relationships with BBW | Compatible matches for serious relationships |
Verified Profiles | Yes | Yes |
How We Rate Dating Sites and Apps
We rate each dating site after an in-depth review process that includes fact-checking and to align with our editorial policy, our feedback is based on real-life testing of each platform. We do have advertising partners, which is explained in our advertising disclosure, but we deliver unbiased information and update content regularly. For your peace of mind, learn more about our process in our detailed ranking guide.
đ Final Verdict: Is BBWCupid Right for You?
BBWCupid is an impressive site in terms of design, functionality, and profile richness. We do hope that they’ll continually improve their approach to user safety, so there will be fewer fake profiles that can easily scare off members.
Still, as long as you implement strict online dating guidelines – as is necessary on any dating site – you can have a positive experience as a BBW or someone looking for a relationship with a plus size lady.
This platform is more relevant for individuals looking for serious relationships, rather than hookups. Luckily, thanks to a great free membership offering, it’s worth trying it out and then picking one of their paid membership plans once you’re satisfied it has the features you want.
â FAQ
Does BBWCupid offer free services?
Yes, you can use BBWCupid without paying for membership. You’ll have access to multiple features and can communicate with matches. However, advanced options like benefiting from the matching algorithm and seeing Reverse Matches will only become available once you pay.
Where can you access BBWCupid?
BBWCupid is available on desktop, and the company also offers a user-friendly app. The browser version is mobile-friendly if you don’t want to download the app.
Users from around the globe can use their PCs or mobile devices to enjoy the BBWCupid platform. You can ask for the pages’ content to be translated to one of many languages, so they cater to many cultures and countries.
Is BBWCupid safe for online dating?
Yes, you can feel safe using the BBWCupid platform. The brand is very concerned for users’ safety, so they share tips on safe online dating on various pages. Just stay vigilant so you don’t fall victim to scammers who are after your money or personal information.
Is BBWCupid for hookups or serious dating?
You may find individuals looking for hookups on BBWCupid. However, the platform’s detailed profiles and use of an algorithm serve to help make compatible matches that can lead to serious relationships. Some members join simply in the hope of friendship, and you can clarify this in the search criteria.
Can you browse BBWCupid if you don’t have an account?
No, you can’t use the BBWCupid platform to find possible dates unless you’ve registered an account. Before signing up, you will only have access to informational pages.
Once registered, it’s not compulsory to complete your entire profile before browsing. You can start viewing and messaging as long as you’ve created a profile, given your email, and created a password.