Hinge Review

It seems like most dating apps have taken up the “swipe” methodology. You know, they show you a picture of someone and you can either swipe right to say you like what you see, or you swipe left if that person just isn’t your type. When it came out originally, it was something fun and different, but now it’s kind of played out. 

If you’re tired of getting stuck in swipe-only dating sites and sex apps, you might want to check out a dating app called Hinge. 

Hinge calls itself, “the dating site designed to be deleted”, meaning they want you to focus on a smaller, more impressive group of people for meeting up with,  where hopefully you’ll find love and no longer need to use the app for dating.

If you’re looking for a serious relationship, should you give Hinge a try? Keep reading this review to find out if Hinge is worth your time, or a waste of time. 

Getting Started with Hinge

Hinge used to use your Facebook account information to find recommendations for dates. Today, however, they use their own app available only on mobile and you join with your phone number. 

Creating your account is simple: you answer some questions about your sexual preferences, age, location, ethnicity, religion, etc. After that, you will fill in information about yourself under the three categories of Virtues, Vitals, and Vices. This information includes:

• Virtues-where you went to school, where you work, politics
• Vitals-where you live, your weight, if you have children
• Vices-drinking, smoking, drug use

Once you’ve finished with the housekeeping, you get to move on to answering questions. These questions are something you may have seen on other dating apps. The questions may include the following:

• What’s the one thing you want to know about a match?

• What is your greatest strength?

• What is the weirdest gift you’ve received?

Next is uploading pictures. When you add a picture, you have the option to use one of Hinge’s pre-supplied captions. These are a fun way to add in some extra personality to your profile. 

Hinge Profiles

Hinge wanted to make their profiles a little different from other dating sites and they have succeeded. Their profiles have a classy look full of information but are never cluttered. They want you to express yourself so potential matches can really get to know you before they’ve even met you in person. 

When you’re ready to browse other profiles, you’re going to notice that it isn’t just you looking at the profile, but instead taking an active viewing approach. For example, did you like the profile picture they had set up? Or, maybe you both share a common interest and you’d like to let them know. On Hinge, you can comment on a particular aspect of their profile to let them know what you found interesting. 

If they like that you’ve been checking them out, they can respond to you, and then you can begin chatting with each other. This is why it’s important to make your profile a “stand-out”; the more interesting and informative it is, the more there is to comment on, meaning more possible matches for you!

Are There Premium Features?

Joining Hinge is free. But, just like every other dating site, the free membership is very limited on what you can do. Mainly, free memberships get up to 12 likes a day, unlike Tinder where you get 100. That’s why becoming a paid member is the better option if you’re seriously looking for matches. 

The pricing for a premium membership is as follows:

• One month: $19.99
• Three months: $39.99
• Six months: $59.99

You’ll get unlimited “likes”, more filters to narrow down your matches, and you can see who likes you. Free members are only told when there are mutual likes, so this is a great premium feature. 

If you want to date from home, which we all got comfortable doing for almost two years during the pandemic, you can with the video chatting feature that Hinge has recently updated. You’ll get to see each other, along with onscreen conversation prompts as an icebreaker. If you’re not ready for video, you can record yourself saying something or asking questions as prompts for other members to listen to when they visit your profile. 

The Verdict on Hinge

If you’ve ever used a dating app, you know how tiring it can be. Going through profile after profile after profile can be mind-numbing. And, you’re never quite sure that the profile you’re interested in is actually a real person, a scammer, a troll, or someone paid by the dating site to talk to guys to get them to join but never actually meet with them. 

Dealing with this day-in and day-out can lead to dating site burnout or swearing off dating sites for good.

Fortunately, Hinge has come along to change up the dating app game. They have a clean, streamlined look, an interesting concept with interactive profile commenting, video dating, and they’re still affordable. With consistently positive reviews, this dating app that was “designed to be deleted” is one that you should check out if you’re looking for a serious relationship and not just Netflix and chill. 

I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!