Goodbye Crumbl — This 23-Year-Old Cookie Chain Does It Better

Crumbl Cookies took social media and cookie lovers by storm when it first debuted in 2017. And it even ranked as our favorite cookie chain in 2023. But other cookie chains have given Crumbl a run for its money in recent years. And, in a ranking of 20 different dessert chains, Insomnia Cookies is the 23-year-old cookie chain that does cookies better.

We ranked a diversity of dessert chains, from donut to cinnamon roll to ice cream shops, according to consistency, flavor, online reviews, value, and variety, and Insomnia Cookies ranked far above Crumbl. Crumbl was nearly dead last in our ranking due to poor quality and inconsistency. Where Crumbl's cookies are often underbaked and pack over 1,000 calories per cookie, Insomnia's cookies are small yet indulgent, with a buttery greasiness we love. As its name implies, Insomnia serves cookies late into the night. Furthermore, Insomnia delivers its cookies warm, which gives it the edge over competitors and almost fools you into thinking the cookies come fresh out of your home oven. Insomnia has a wide variety of cookie flavors, many of which we sampled in a side-by-side comparison of Crumbl Cookies vs Insomnia Cookies. And we still came to the same conclusion that Insomnia takes the cookie crown. Insomnia's vast menu features classic cookies, unique deluxe cookie creations, cookie sandwiches, and ice cream, along with hot and cold drinks. Also, unlike Crumbl, Insomnia offers both vegan and gluten-free options.

On social media, reviews agree with our conclusion of Insomnia's superiority over Crumbl. A Facebook review stated that Insomnia cookies are "astronomically better than Crumbl cookies. Not overly sweet and tastes like an actual cookie, not a medium rare dough ball like how Crumbl does theirs."

Customers admit that Insomnia offers a better array of classic flavors while Crumbl specializes in more creative cookies. Still, Redditors think that Insomnia's classics beat Crumbl's innovations since "you won't get new, innovative flavors a lot of the time but you'll get the warm, just baked snickerdoodle from [grandma's] oven." Other users describe Insomnia Cookies as "more homemade, smaller, [and] less uniform" and praise the chain for a more consistently delicious-tasting cookie, whereas with Crumbl it's more of a toss-up.

Insomnia Cookies also has a nostalgic effect on customers. "I remember loving Insomnia Cookies when I was in college...I would get a giant peanut butter chocolate cookie with Reese's," says a Redditor. Indeed, the company was founded by a college student to fuel late-night study sessions. Of course, adults in the workforce also appreciate a late-night cookie, as one Facebook user notes, "I get off work between midnight and 1:30 am. I appreciate that I can get a delicious snack as a reward for working overtime."