Potentially the next big thing in social, BeReal hit the #1 spot on Apple’s App Store in the US in July 2022 and Amercian students are apparently abandoning Instagram en-masse for the new hot trend.
Built by ex-GoPro employee Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau and launched in late 2019, the basic premise of the app is to take a photo with the back and front camera at a random time each day.
The impromptu nature of the app can lead to what BeReal are marketing as “genuine” moments in life, which are then shared to friends. For a student on a gap year it can be a tool to show the amazing time they’re having in Bali, for someone working a 9-to-5 in the office expect a lot of cubicle shots.
BeReal saw its first signs of growth in 2021, when it reached over 500,000 active users. At the time, the majority of this usage came from France, which is where the developers are based.
In 2022, BeReal stepped up the marketing drive in the US and UK, specifically targeting college students with cash for referrals and billboards on campus. It appears to have worked, with BeReal’s usage increasing by 315 percent in a year and its downloads increasing by over 1000 percent.
BeReal may also have been helped by Instagram, which has alienated parts of its audience in the US and UK with its hard pivot to Reels. The algorithmic nature of Instagram, in which users are more likely to see random videos from content creators than photos of their friends, is in stark contrast to BeReal.
Instagram has launched a BeReal-like filter, which takes photos from both cameras at the same time. Time will tell if Instagram tries harder to recapture users from BeReal, as its tried with TikTok.
For now, BeReal is focused on growth and has not mentioned ways it will create revenue. It received $30 million in funding from Accel and a16z in June 2021 and a further $60 million in October 2022, valuing the company at $600 million, which suggests it has some monetization ideas.
We have collected data and statistics on BeReal. Read on below to find out more.
BeReal key statistics
- BeReal had 47.8 million monthly active users and 13 million accessed the app daily in February
- BeReal has been downloaded 85 million times since launch, with the vast majority of those downloads happening in 2022
- The app is most popular in the US, followed by the UK and Germany
BeReal overview
| Title1 | Title 2 |
|---|---|
| Launch date | December 2019 |
| HQ | Paris, France |
| People | Alexis Barreyat (CEO, co-founder) Kévin Perreau (co-founder |
| Business type | Private |
| Industry | Social |
BeReal users
BeReal monthly active users increased rapidly in 2022 from 920,000 at the start of the year to 73.5 million in August. Just over 10 million people accessed the app daily in February 2023.
BeReal monthly active users 2021 to 2023 (mm)
| Year | MAUs (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 0.92 |
| July 2022 | 21.6 |
| August 2022 | 73.5 |
| February 2023 | 47.8 |
Note: February 2023 data estimated, based on DAUs and downloads. Source: Apptopia
BeReal daily active users 2021 to 2023 (mm)
| Year | DAUs (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 0.71 |
| July 2022 | 2.93 |
| August 2022 | 10 |
| October 2022 | 20 |
| February 2023 | 10.4 |
Source: Apptopia
BeReal downloads
BeReal has been downloaded 85 million times, with the vast majority of downloads happening in the past 12 months.
BeReal cumulative downloads 2020 to 2023 (mm)
| Date | Downloads (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 0.02 |
| 2021 | 1.8 |
| June 2022 | 27.9 |
| October 2022 | 67.2 |
| January 2023 | 85.4 |
Sources: AppMagic, Appfigures
BeReal downloads by country
Almost half of all downloads of BeReal have come from the US. The UK is second, with 10.1 million downloads.
BeReal downloads by country January 2023 (mm)
| Country | Downloads (mm) |
|---|---|
| United States | 32.5 |
| United Kingdom | 10.1 |
| Germany | 5.4 |
| France | 5 |
| Italy | 4.8 |
| Spain | 4.1 |
| Brazil | 3.6 |
| Australia | 3.2 |
Sources: AppMagic
BeReal cumulative funding
BeReal received $30 million in funding from Accel and a16z in June 2021 and $60 million in a Series B in October 2022.
BeReal cumulative funding 2021 ($mm)
| Year | Funding ($mm) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 30 |
| 2022 | 90 |
Source: TechCrunch
BeReal age demographics
BeReal age demographics are split almost equally between 16 to 25 year olds and 25 to 44 year olds. Hardly anyone over the age of 45 uses the app.
BeReal US age demographics 2022 (%)
| Age bracket | Percentage of users |
|---|---|
| 16-25 | 43.2 |
| 26-44 | 55.1 |
| 45+ | 1.7 |
Source: Data.ai
BeReal gender demographics
Similar to TikTok in its early stages, BeReal is more popular with women in the US and worldwide.
BeReal US gender demographics 2022 (%)
| Gender | Percentage of users |
|---|---|
| Male | 42 |
| Female | 58 |
Source: Data.ai
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