Comparison

CBD vs Beam

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CBD

Manage your finances on the go with a secure and fast mobile banking app. Open accounts, apply for credit cards and loans, and make instant transfers and payments. Enjoy exclusive lifestyle offers with your debit or credit card.

Highlights
  • Instant account opening
  • Credit card and loan applications
  • Instant money transfers
  • Utility bill payments
  • 1,000+ lifestyle offers
  • Secure mobile banking
Features
Read full description

Wherever you happen to be, our new mobile banking App is easy, fast, and secure. And now managing your money is easier than ever before. Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) is a leading banking and financial services institution in the UAE, backing ambitions since 1969. With over 55 years in the UAE and award-winning banking services, you can rest assured that all your banking needs are taken care of by a trusted financial partner. 120+ services Experience a feature-rich design with 120+ services for your everyday banking, most of which are processed instantly. Instant banking in minutes Sign up in minutes with just your Emirates ID and get a Current Account, Credit Card, Quick Loan, Home Loan Pre-Approval and more in the UAE’s highest rated Mobile Banking App. Transfers & payments in seconds Make instant transfers to Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines as well as instant local transfers all with just a few taps. You can also make over 20 utility payments include Du, Etisalat, Dewa and so much more. 1,000+ lifestyle offers Enjoy over a thousand offers and discounts across dining, entertainment, lifestyle and so much more with the CBD App using your CBD Credit or Debit Card. This application is exclusively available to residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Non-residents are not permitted to log in or apply for financial services, including loans. Residency verification is mandatory prior to accessing any functionality.

About

Beam

This app offers personalized deals and dollar rewards from local stores. Merchants can create targeted marketing campaigns to connect with specific customer profiles. It aims to help customers save money, businesses increase profits, and reduce waste.

Highlights
  • Personalized offers from stores
  • Earn rewards in dollars
  • Merchant campaign creation
  • Targeted offers to user profiles
  • Pay with your phone
  • 10% back on every spend
Features
Read full description

Beam is an innovative payments and marketing app and platform built for the 21st century. Beam allows users to access personalised offers from stores and earn rewards in dollars! For merchants, we’ve created a platform that turns payments into conversations; Beam allows merchants to create campaigns for specific user profiles, allowing merchants to match their offers with the right customer. Customers save money, businesses profit, and waste is a thing of the past. How Pay with your phone, get 10% back, on every spend, anywhere. Why → It’s easy Download the app for free and go. → It’s different 10% back on every spend. Always. → It’s BS-free Rewards in dollars, not inflated points. What you see is what you get. Note: Beam is currently available in Sydney, Australia and Lisbon, Portugal, and is no longer available in the UAE and Sweden. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

CBD4 screens
Beam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Beam at none against CBD's shown. Beam also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). CBD's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CBD holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 807 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of CBD's written reviews are positive against 47% of Beam's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CBD ships an update every 2 weeks, Beam every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
CBD versus Beam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCBDBeam
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.8K ratings) — better4.6 (807 ratings)
Positive reviews39.2% of reviews46.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.8K — better807
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size419 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCommercial Bank of DubaiGBC S.A.

Customer experience

CBD

All ratings1,824 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral1.7%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive39.2%
Neutral5.9%
Negative54.9%

Beam

All ratings808 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral5.3%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews245 reviews
Positive46.9%
Neutral9.0%
Negative44.1%

User reviews

CBD

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Excellent services
  • ⭐ Fast and easy
  • ⭐ Wonderful experience
  • ⭐ Very good bank
  • ⭐ Convenient and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Hungry for money
  • 🚫 Worst customer service
  • 🚫 Slow and unhelpful chatbots
  • 🚫 Difficult to transfer money
  • 🚫 App not working after update

Beam

From 807 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💰 Rewarding with cash back and discounts
  • 🚀 Convenient and easy to use
  • 🔒 Secure payment method
  • 👍 Smooth and intuitive interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and technical issues
  • ❌ Limited merchant acceptance and availability
  • 🕰️ Slow and unreliable payment processing
  • 💸 Unauthorized charges and deductions from accounts
  • 🔍 Poor customer support and lack of responsiveness

Bugs and requests

CBD

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes and login issues
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Transferring money not working

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improve app performance and stability
  • Enhance security features
  • Introduce advanced budgeting and money management tools
  • Provide better customer support

Beam

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch or during use
  • Payment transactions fail or get stuck
  • Account verification and card linking issues
  • Rewards and credits not properly tracked or applied

Requested features

5 requests
  • Expand merchant network and availability
  • Improve payment reliability and speed
  • Provide better customer support channels
  • Add Apple Watch support
  • Introduce more rewards and discounts

In-app purchases

None

CBD

No in-app purchases

None

Beam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CBD free?
CBD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Beam free?
Beam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CBD or Beam?
CBD is rated higher. CBD averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Beam averages 4.6 from 807 ratings.
Do CBD or Beam have ads?
CBD shows ads; Beam does not.
Which is updated more often, CBD or Beam?
CBD ships an update every 2 weeks, and Beam every 4 months. Most recently, CBD was updated on October 23, 2026 and Beam on October 23, 2026.

Other comparisons