Hily is a solid dating app for younger singles who want something more engaging than endless swiping. It's best for users aged 18-35 looking for casual dates or relationships, and the AI-powered matching actually works better than I expected. However, if you're over 35 or seeking something more serious, you might want to look elsewhere—the user base skews young, and the social media-style features may feel gimmicky to some. Bottom line: it's legit, it's free to try, and it's worth testing if you fit the target demographic.

What is Hily?

Hily—which stands for "Hey, I Like You"—launched in July 2017 and has grown rapidly since then. As of 2026, the app claims around 22 million registered users, with roughly 6 million active members. It was created by Alex Pasykov and Yan Pronin, and the platform positions itself as a smarter alternative to traditional swipe-based dating apps.

The app targets a younger crowd, primarily singles between 18 and 35 who are comfortable with social media-style features. It's fully available in the USA and works on both iOS and Android devices. There's also a web version, though most users stick to the mobile app. What sets Hily apart is its use of artificial intelligence to improve match quality over time, plus strict verification measures that help reduce fake profiles—a common complaint on many dating platforms.

Key Features of Hily Review

When Lovezoid's review team tested Hily for several weeks, we found several features that genuinely stand out from typical dating apps.

The AI-based matching system learns from your behavior. The more you swipe and interact, the better it gets at suggesting compatible profiles. This isn't just marketing talk—I noticed my suggested matches became more relevant after about a week of regular use. The algorithm prioritizes local matches, which makes sense for actually meeting people rather than collecting distant pen pals.

Hily Stories work exactly like Instagram or Snapchat stories. You can post photos and short videos that disappear after 24 hours. This gives you a way to show personality beyond static profile pictures. I found this helpful for getting a sense of someone's daily life before deciding to match.

The video chat feature lets you have face-to-face conversations without exchanging phone numbers. This is genuinely useful for verifying someone is real before meeting in person. You can also watch live streams from other users, though this felt more like entertainment than a dating tool.

Rollbacks let you undo accidental swipes. We've all been there—swiping too fast and missing someone interesting. Free users get limited rollbacks, while premium members can undo as many mistakes as they want.

The Boost feature pushes your profile to the top of other users' feeds temporarily. This is a paid feature, and while it does increase visibility, the effect felt modest compared to similar features on other platforms.

One unique option is No Match Chat Requests, which lets premium users message people they haven't matched with yet. This can be useful if you want to reach out to someone specific, though it does open the door to unwanted messages from persistent users.

Hily Pricing and Value

Hily operates on a freemium model, and honestly, the free version is more usable than many competing apps. With a free account, you can create a profile, browse matches, send messages to mutual matches, post stories, and use the basic discovery features. The main limitations are daily caps on likes and skips.

Premium pricing breaks down like this:

• 1 week: $24.99 (expensive for testing)
• 3 months: $74.99 (works out to about $25/month)
• 1 year: $119.99 (best value at roughly $10/month)

These prices are for USA users and may vary slightly based on promotions or your device's app store. Compared to popular swipe-based alternatives, Hily's pricing sits in the mid-range—not cheap, but not outrageous either.

Is premium worth it? That depends on how seriously you're using the app. The unlimited rollbacks and ability to see who liked you are genuinely useful. The incognito mode is nice if you want privacy. But if you're just casually browsing, the free version works fine. My recommendation: start free, use it for a week or two, and only upgrade if you're getting matches but want more control over the experience.

One thing I appreciated: Hily offers a "Daily Roulette" where you can unlock premium features temporarily just by logging in regularly. It's a small perk, but it lets free users sample what they're missing.

User Experience on Hily

Signing up takes about 5 minutes. You can register with Facebook, Snapchat, or email—I'd recommend email to keep your social accounts separate. The app asks for basic info (name, birthday, location), then walks you through uploading a photo and taking a quick personality quiz.

The personality quiz is simple—just a few tap-through questions about your interests and what you're looking for. It's not deep, but it helps the algorithm get started. After that, you're immediately shown potential matches.

Profile quality varies, which is true of any dating app. I'd estimate about 70% of profiles I encountered had multiple photos and at least some bio information. The remaining 30% were minimal—just a photo or two with nothing written. Hily's verification system does seem to reduce obvious fakes, though I still encountered a few suspicious accounts during testing.

Activity levels were decent in major US cities. I tested primarily in a mid-sized metro area and found plenty of active users. Response rates to messages were reasonable—maybe 1 in 4 or 5 conversations actually went somewhere. If you're in a rural area, your mileage may vary significantly.

The interface is clean and intuitive. The main screen shows potential matches in a card-swipe format, with tabs for messages, stories, and your profile. Navigation feels familiar if you've used any modern dating app. The app ran smoothly on my phone with no crashes during testing.

What got annoying? The push notifications are aggressive by default. I had to dig into settings to tone them down. There are also regular prompts to upgrade to premium, which is expected but still irritating. The "someone liked you" notifications that blur the person's photo until you pay felt particularly manipulative.

Is Hily Safe and Legit?

This is the question everyone really wants answered, and our Lovezoid experts found Hily to be a legitimate dating platform—not a scam operation. The company is real, the app has millions of genuine users, and matches can lead to actual dates.

Hily takes verification seriously. The app uses photo verification where you take a selfie mimicking a specific pose, and AI compares it to your profile photos. Profiles that pass verification get a badge. This doesn't eliminate fakes entirely, but it helps. During my testing, verified profiles were noticeably more likely to be real people.

The platform also has an internal reputation system. Users who get reported or blocked repeatedly see their visibility reduced—essentially a shadow ban. This is a smart approach that doesn't require manual moderation for every complaint.

The chat system includes automatic filtering for inappropriate language and images. You can also blur incoming photos by default, which protects against unsolicited explicit content. These features work reasonably well, though determined bad actors can still find ways around them.

For USA users specifically, Hily is safe to use. The app complies with standard privacy practices, and I didn't encounter any suspicious billing issues during my premium trial. That said, like any dating app, you should use common sense: don't share personal financial information, meet first dates in public places, and trust your instincts if something feels off.

Bot activity seemed lower than on some other mainstream dating apps, but it wasn't zero. I encountered maybe 2-3 obvious bot profiles during several weeks of use—accounts with generic photos that immediately sent scripted messages. Reporting them was easy, and they disappeared quickly.

Who Should Use Hily?

Hily works best for specific types of users. If you're between 18 and 35, comfortable with social media-style features, and looking for dates or casual relationships, this app makes sense. The younger user base means you'll find more people open to meeting up without extensive texting first.

The app is also good for people frustrated with fake profiles on other platforms. The verification system isn't perfect, but it's better than most. If you've had bad experiences with bots and scammers elsewhere, Hily might restore some faith.

Singles who enjoy video content will appreciate the stories and live streaming features. These add personality to the experience and help you stand out beyond a static profile.

Who Should Skip Hily?

If you're over 40, Hily probably isn't your best option. The user base skews young, and you'll have fewer potential matches. Consider platforms designed for mature singles instead.

People seeking serious, long-term relationships might find the app's social media vibe too casual. While relationships certainly can develop from Hily matches, the platform's design emphasizes fun and engagement over deep compatibility matching. If marriage is your goal, sites with detailed questionnaires might serve you better.

Users in rural areas or small towns may struggle with limited local matches. Hily's algorithm prioritizes nearby users, which is great in cities but limiting elsewhere.

Finally, if you hate upsells and premium prompts, Hily's constant nudges toward paid features might drive you crazy. The free version is usable, but the app really wants your money.

In our 2026 testing, Hily proved itself as a legitimate, reasonably effective dating app for its target audience. It's not revolutionary, but it does several things well: the AI matching improves over time, verification reduces fakes, and the social features add personality to the experience.

The pricing is fair for what you get, though the free version works well enough for casual users. The main drawbacks are the young-skewing user base, aggressive premium prompts, and features that may feel gimmicky to some.

If you're a younger single in a decent-sized US city, Hily is worth trying. Registration is free, and you can browse matches without paying anything. Give it a week or two and see if the AI learns your preferences. If it clicks, consider upgrading. If not, check the comparison table above for alternatives that might fit better.

For users outside the target demographic—older singles, those seeking serious relationships, or people in rural areas—you'll likely have better luck with more specialized platforms. There's no shortage of options, and finding the right fit matters more than sticking with any single app.

Worth trying with a free account first. See if it works for you—registration costs nothing, and you might be surprised by what you find.