Dating Reviews For The Best Dating Sites of 2024
An honest review of all dating apps!
An honest review of all dating apps!
Where one door shuts, another one opens… that's the hope, right? Well, the goal of the Hinge app is to get you to shut that door for good once you find your match, so of course I wanted to challenge that assumption. ;)
Makes sense tbh, since a dating app's purpose is to find you your special person. This Hinge review is to help you decide if this will be the last app you use before finding the one, and whether or not it lived up to its tagline.
I know cuffing season is around the corner, but the Hinge app isn't for that. Hinge dating is for those looking to get serious enough with each other that they end up deleting the app completely. If you're looking for a serious relationship with mostly millennials and Gen Zers, then the Hinge dating app is worth checking out.
Yep, Hinge is a legit dating app that was founded in 2012 and has over 20 million global users. That stat's pretty staggering when you consider this is for finding long-term relationships and not just hookups. While Hinge has an in-depth encryption process to filter out scammers, keep in mind that it won't catch all of them. Dealing with fake profiles was a popular issue that came up when I was glancing at some Hinge dating app reviews so I was on the lookout while using it.
To counteract the catfishers and scam artists, the Hinge dating app launched a video identity verification process last year. On the Hinge dating site itself, they go into more detail about their safety procedures. Hinge even follows up with users after their first date to make sure everything went well, and you can report to Hinge if anything didn't go as planned - love this extra safety measure!
Before getting into the full Hinge app review, let's get into the quick and dirty stuff.
My first impression of Hinge is that it's everything I want my date to be: upfront, concise, and bright. Here are some other goodies I picked up along the way:
🌹What does a rose on Hinge mean? Receiving a rose on HInge means that someone is really into your profile. You can also send a rose if you see someone you like in the Discover or Standouts feed. When you send someone a rose, they’ll see you at the top of their "Likes you" screen so they can reach out faster!
How do you send a rose on Hinge? There are two different ways to send a rose on Hinge: through Discover and Standout. Since I'm generous (a quality I most definitely add to my dating profile if it’s a personality option), I'll share both ways to send a rose.
Here's how to send a rose in Discover:
Click on the heart on the person's photo or prompt response.
You can send an optional comment.
Tap on the rose icon, not "send like".
Here's how to send a rose in Standout:
Click on the star to see your standouts.
Tap on the rose icon in a pic or prompt.
Send an optional comment.
Click on "send rose".
How to delete Hinge account: So you found your person and now you want to delete your Hinge account?! First off, congrats!! Mission accomplished. Here's how to close that door with Hinge to keep your partner for good! To delete a Hinge account…
Open the Hinge app on your mobile device.
Click on your profile icon.
Tap on "account".
Scroll down until you find the "delete account" button - click on that.
Click on "confirm".
Click on "confirm".
(🚩Side note: simply uninstalling the app from your device will not delete your Hinge account completely)
How to cancel Hinge subscription: You don't want to cancel your whole account, just your subscription? I got you….here's how to do it:
Open up your Hinge app.
Click on your profile icon in the top left corner.
Hit "settings".
Click on "subscriptions".
Choose the subscription you're looking to cancel.
Tap on "cancel subscription".
(🚩Side note: Your subscription will auto-renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the renewal date. Don’t pay the “I forgot to cancel” tax!)
Of course, girl! Even though there isn't a Hinge dating site you can log in to on the web (everything is done through the app), the Hinge app for iOS and Android makes everything superrr accessible and easy to maintain those connections on the go!
But how does Hinge work? By now, all of us singles have heard Hinge's catchphrase, "the only dating designed to be deleted". Meaning, Hinge's end goal is to get you coupled up with someone for good so that you won't need to use the Hinge dating app anymore. Knowing how HInge works will help you find a more meaningful connection.
Hinge sends you a list of users depending on your age, gender, proximity, and preferences. Once you find a mutual connection, you can begin communicating with them. You can also like or leave a comment on a pic or prompt instead of liking/commenting on the profile as a whole. There are also more involved features that I’ll share later on in the post.
I found Hinge's signup process to be quick and easy, even though there were a lot of screens. I’ll share my usual PSA here: grab wine, coffee, tea, or your drink of choice to get through this. I’m sending a trend here, given some of my recent reviews also had a mega amount of steps.
But first things first - let's create an account!
Creating an account with Hinge is simple - just click on ‘create account’ and then you'll be taken to the next page.
Next, I was asked for my phone number, which Hinge uses for verification purposes. It's important to know that you currently can't change your phone number that's linked to your Hinge account, but the app is working on this.
After I entered my phone number, the usual two-factor authentication happened. I was sent a verification code to the phone number I provided. Enter this code to continue with the registration process
This is where I got to stand out from the crowd and add some uniqueness to my profile! Click on "enter basic info" to get started… and try not to get mesmerized by the googly eyes. 👀
Here I filled out my full name (your last name is optional).
Next up, an explanation of the whole “last name” thing. Even though it's optional, adding your last name helps verify your authenticity and keeps it real. I dig it!
I had to enter my email address, but you can opt-out if you don't want to be overloaded with product info. Me and my inbox were very happy to see the opt-out feature!
I could also link my account with Apple or Facebook - yay choices! (But also, who uses FB anymore??)
I picked my date of birth and was ready for the next question! Oh and btw, make sure to pick your real DOB (duh!) cuz you can't change it later on.
After confirming my birthday and enabling notifications, it's time to get to the juice! I finally got to add some deets to my profile to amp up my matches. While not the most exciting of questions, the first one asked about my location, promising only to share the name of the neighborhood I chose.
So, the Hinge app matches you based on 3 different gender groups: man, woman, and non-binary. You can add more about your gender or you can choose not to show it at all. Inclusive *and* optional. We love to see it.
There are A LOT of different sexualities to choose from! Tbh, I didn't even know some of them. Love how there is a sexuality listed for pretty much any person.
Time to select who I'm attracted to! I like how there are more than 2 options here, but I feel like Hinge could expand their list a bit.
Similar to what I came across in my OkCupid review, this let me choose what I’m looking for. I actually love this because it cuts straight to the chase and lets others know exactly what you're about.
Another question I don't usually see is what my dating intentions are. I felt like I was talking to my partner's parents at first, but I appreciated the honesty it provided. I also really liked how there were a lot of choices, and even made me rethink my own relationship status! You can also elaborate more on what you're looking for to add more background to your story as well.
Andddd back to the more familiar questions! When filling out my height, I saw there was an option to choose FT or CM. I also noticed that you cannot hide this characteristic, so speak the truth or forever be judged when you meet IRL. (I’m looking at you, short guys who make themselves sound taller, and tallllll women who try to be a little shorter)
Ahh another common question - what's my ethnicity? You also have the option to choose “other” or you can pick "prefer not to say". Side note - It's interesting to me that there are certain fields you can't hide - like height - while others are optional.
I gotta say one more time for the back… (or, those who are just skimming). I love how Hinge gives you the choice for “prefer not to say” and visibility. Sometimes you don't wanna give everything away all at once, ya know what I mean? Gotta leave some things to talk about on the first date. ALSO. From a safety standpoint, any gals with children may not want to have that shown on their profile.
Again, love the options here cuz sometimes you just don't know what you want.
Are we there yet??? I'm starting to fall asleep a bit Zzzz. Glad you’re on this journey with me.
Unpopular opinion, but is requiring this question really necessary? I feel like it's a lil’ stalkerish for people to know where I work, especially if it's a small mom-n-pop store. I'm gonna hide my answer on this one.
Well, one thing's for sure - this app doesn't like to leave anything to the imagination. Hope you and your date have some terrific icebreakers lined up cuz you're gonna have to get really creative with the questions
Next up, where I went to school. SRSLY tho, are we almost done??
Nope, still got more to go! Now we get to talk about our level of education.
Here I can share how religious (or not) I am.
Hmm a political question…don't think I've come across this one yet in any recent apps I've tried. I kinda dig it though? Hopefully the Hinge algo gods don’t think that opposites attract here…
Do I drink?! Girl, I'm gonna need one ASAP after this sign up process!
It makes sense for this question to come right after the drinking one.
Glad to see we're covering all aspects of smoking here.
While we're on the topic of weed, let's explore deeper, shall we?
OMG! We're in the home stretch! We got this! (Quickly hides my empty wine bottles.)
This is one of my fave parts! I love choosing pics that tell a story.
Picking out the prompts was another one of my fave parts about this registration process! You get to choose 3 and answer them in your own unique way. I wish they put this earlier in the process though because my brain is spent at this point. Maybe that’s the point though… to beat you into submission so you can’t help but be honest by step 5 million.
You also get to add a voice prompt if you want. I took advantage of this option because it's fun!
You'll be asked to subscribe if you want, and then….
WOOHOO. I get to start sending my likes and explore!
Above is a peek of what the main feed looks like once you’re in, with the option to Boost front and center. It’s kinda hard to show everything because it’s all on mobile, sorry about that.
Hinge makes searching for matches as easy as possible! Just open up the app and click on the heart symbol (these are your "likes"). From there, you can click on the magnifying glass at the top of the screen and you can filter your searches. If you purchase a subscription, you will have a wider range of filter choices, but on the free version, you can filter by:
Age
Interests
Location
Kinda limited, but I was able to find some people to connect with regardless.
You know it! The Hinge dating app is free to download from either the iPhone App Store or the Google Play Store. You can also pay extra for upgrades or a paying subscription if you like what you see per usual.
Freebies are a fave of mine, and Hinge is no exception when it comes to their free dating app. Sometimes though, curiosity gets the best of me (or maybe it's just FOMO!) and I need to see if I'm missing out by sticking only to the free version. Sooo, should you splurge or stay in the safe zone? Stay tuned to find out…
Here are all the free goodies you can get from the Hinge Dating app. It was pretty decent to use compared to other freebie versions of dating sites:
Look at profiles: Look at other users' profiles. Pretty standard.
Likes: Like up to 8 profiles a day.
Prompts: Choose 3 prompts to spice up your profile.
See mutual likes: You can see who likes you (but only if it's mutual!)
Send a rose: Send one rose each week (refills every Sunday). Sending a rose bumps you up to the top of that person's list and lets them know you're super interested.
Now that you know what you can do with Hinge dating for free, let's spill some tea and see if the paid tier is worth it…or not.
Here's what you get with Hinge's paid tier (aka Hinge+):
Unlimited daily swipes
See everyone who likes your profile!
Advanced preferences and search features for easier filtering
There are 2 tiers to the Hinge dating app; Hinge+ and HingeX.
Hinge+ is $14.99/month and you get to:
Send unlimited likes
See everyone who likes you
Specify your preferences
HingeX costs about $25 a month and you get:
Access to more users
Staying at the top of your crush's list 👀
Faster views from other members
Unlimited and priority likes
I found a few specific things that set Hinge apart. Some of these features I haven't used before so I was really interested to see what they brought to the table. Here's what I found unique:
Prompts: These are fun icebreakers that also help you stand out. You choose 3 of these questions (there are about 75 to choose from!) and then you fill in the response. Since prompts take the place of an "about me" section, use these to your advantage to get those likes!
Standouts: This is a list of your most compatible matches curated by Hinge. That feature alone isn’t super unique, but the quality of the hotties I matched with was.
Liking parts of a profile: Unlike most dating apps where it's all or nothing, Hinge dating is a little bit different. You can "like" a pic or prompt, so your potential match can get a good idea of why you clicked on them.
Safety: You could choose not to answer, or hide answers, for personal questions like “Do you have children.”
Profile pic/video requirements: I love that Hinge requires 6 photos/videos for your profile. Some other dating sites only require one, or worse yet – none at all. This makes it easier to get a full picture of what someone looks like instead of their singular curated “Look I’m hot and at the beach with white teeth and amazing skin!” photo.
Voice prompt: Super fun to add a voice prompt if you’re really into how someone’s voice sounds.
Hinge has plenty to love about it, so what's not to like? Don't worry, I'll break it to you gently.
There was a lot to love about Hinge. Here's what got me going:
I was able to interact with the person's profile instead of just swiping across an endless stream of pics.
If you link your Facebook page to the Hinge app, then Hinge will use your Facebook info to create better matches. This could be good or bad lol.
The prompts make the profiles fun and interesting to read.
Certain profile info being optional in terms of answering and visibility like I mentioned earlier. This is important for safety and I appreciate that Hinge seems to put that front and center.
As with most free versions of apps, many of my gripes are about the limited amount of use. But if you get Hinge+ then you likely won't have these issues:
Unable to interact with daily matches until you upgrade your subscription.
Some Hinge reviews I came across mention that Hinge+ is too expensive.
The free version only gives you 8 likes a day to send, and that's if you upload all 6 pics on your profile.
If you skip the lengthy sign up process then you won't be able to send or receive likes, message people, or match.
Only being a mobile app. Even though I prefer mobile, having the choice taken away to peruse on desktop sucked.
All in all, I would call Hinge a success!
I loved the different approach this app takes with using the prompts because it pulls info out of people instead of reading a boring list of their hobbies. The layout was fun and kept my interest, making me want to subscribe. As far as safety and the supposed “fake profile” issue, I didn’t come across any that felt that way. Maybe those Hinge reviews were from before they implemented the requirement for photos and videos. Idk.
Did I find the one and delete the app? Nah, I didn’t. But that’s not to say you wouldn’t find success on it. I had stellar matches compared to other apps.
Plus, if you try out Hinge who knows… we may even be a match one day! 😉
Visit Hinge.com
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