Something like Google Voice. It’s a good option for those that don’t want to give out their actual phone number to a stranger. I only give out my number after date one and I know I want to keep talking to the person. Otherwise I think Google Voice is a smart route to take.
So, CMB is the one dating app that has been at least TRYING to do it right for a decade now. Has anyone seen their pitch on Shark Tank 10 years ago? I'd used the free version off and on over the years and at first it was 1 match per day, then their users complained about that so it was around 5. That was a good amount, then people complained about that. We're up to 20 or 30 matches a day now so women are back to the same old problem of "too many low quality guys message me daily" and guys have the problem of "Im too ugly/short/poor" etc still because there is a surplus of paying men on the app and from my research, almost no women who pay (correct me if I'm factually incorrect).
You all are right when a business model is built on keeping you on the app for life, which is why match.com and other established dating sites from the 90s are so expensive. Cost of customer acquisition
TLDR: narrow your search parameters, they're trying to hook you up with someone you will like. You also might have to recreate your account. I have a legacy account from back in the olden days when they did things differently.