A lot of people have heard of Raya, the exclusive dating app where celebrities and millionaires go to find love. that said, surprisingly little is known about the app, and even much of the information out there is riddled with inaccuracies.
The app keeps itself under wraps, which adds to the feeling of exclusivity, and the wait time for approval is absolutely absurd. In fact, there are over ten times more people waiting to use the app than those actually using it.
So, why do people keep signing up? We wondered the same thing and took a deep dive to learn everything we could. So, if you’re ready to unwrap the secrets of the Raya App (AKA Illuminati Tinder), just read on!
Can you join Raya? The real scoop
Alright here’s the hot take. Raya is weird…
It’s made the news a few times for one controversy or another, but through it all Raya founder Daniel Gendelman has done everything in his power to keep this community a tightly locked secret (For example – trying to take a screenshot of the app can result in permanent account termination). And, like with most secret societies, the vacuum created by non-answers and secrecy has been filled with speculation, spicy rumors, and heaps of misinformation. We’re here to set the record straight…
For most dating app users the bottom line is this—Raya is not for you.
As much as we all long to taste of the lifestyle of the rich and famous this app was not made to help celebrities date their fans (sorry J Biebs). The truth is that fewer than 10% of Raya applicants make the cut. We know you’re an amazing person, but these stars are strictly looking for other celebrities and highly influential people, otherwise they would just use traditional dating apps.
Don’t believe us? Consider this, one of the biggest factors in your pending approval is the number of followers you have on Instagram. So, if you’re a celebrity, popular youtuber, star of a recent movie, or major influencer then by all means apply. This app was made specifically for you.
For the rest of us…there’s really no harm in taking 5-10 minutes to poke at this secret society, but we recommend doing it in conjunction with using another dating app if you’re looking for love. This is because it can take months to to go from “waitlisted” to “accepted” on the Raya App (if you even make the cut), and it would be a bummer to miss out on all that time with no guarantees.
So, while the user bases of other dating apps may not be as star studded as Raya you will find real, successful people, that are excited to get to know you for you (and not just what you do on social media).
In This Review
What is Raya? | Application | Success | Testing | Price
What is Raya? – An Introduction to This Dating App
The Raya dating app was imagined by founder Daniel Gendelman in early 2014. This private social networking application was then built and launched in February of 2015 and has been registering users and growing since then. So what was the idea? Well, Gendelman put it this way…
“I wanted to create an app like a perfectly curated, intimate, yet thoroughly vetted dinner party”
Daniel Gendelman, RAYA CEO
and that’s exactly what this Los Angeles based company now does. It’s provided a private way for Instagram stars and other celebrities to meet each other online and strike up conversations and relationships.
Big-name celebrities reportedly using the app include….
- Demi Lovato,
- Cara Delevigne,
- Channing Tatum,
- Emma Watson,
- Harry Styles,
- John Mayer,
- Ben Affleck,
- Raven-Symone,
- Sharon Stone,
- Lewis Capaldi,
- Lil Dicky,
- Clairo,
- Owen Wilson,
- and more!
But here’s the thing… No one knows exactly how many or who few users Raya has and that’s a purposeful ambiguity that the team at Raya wants to preserve
“Whether or not we are 100,000 members or 5,000 members there will be people who think both of those numbers are too big and both of those numbers are too small”
Daniel Dendelman to Vanity Fair
So how do you join Raya? Well, that’s a complicated question really. Signing up is the easy part, but the Raya dating app prides itself on being the most exclusive dating service anywhere online. There are currently estimated to be over 100,000 members waiting for approval and many of them have been there for weeks, months, or longer.
From what we’ve seen your level of Instagram fame definitely has an impact on how quickly your application will be reviewed, but the only guaranteed way seems to be having an existing Raya member recommend you. This really completes that “vetted dinner party” feel Gendelman was going for.
The application process
The application process isn’t too long, but acceptance is extremely slow, sometimes taking months (or longer). The application will ask you questions about your past, dating preferences, life goals, and more to get a good feel for you as a person.
However, the actual approval process depends very heavily on your social media presence. Specifically, your Instagram account.
The application process also gives approval out first to those that are recommended by other users of the app. So, if you know anyone already using Raya, you should definitely try to get that sweet, sweet recommendation!
Some people are able to get approved for a Raya account in as little as one week after applying for the app. But this is the exception, not the norm. Many users will have to wait much much longer than this (assuming they are ever approved).
If you’re dead set on giving Raya a try then we wish you the best of luck for the application and what comes next
One app, two modes…
Not everyone is using the Raya app to find love. In fact, those involved with the project have often said that it’s not even meant to be a dating app. As a result there are 2 modes which we’ve explained below:
Work Mode
Once you are on Raya as an active user, you will have the option to change your account to work mode. This will change up your intent on Raya to something more professional and you will be shown other users in your industry, or even in your same company.
Social Mode
Social mode on Raya is intended for making friends and dating. You will be shown profiles of compatible singles who you can chat up and get to know.
Celebrity Members
While this isn’t necessarily a “feature,” we can’t help but point out the excitement of knowing you are sharing a dating space with big names. Some of the iconic singles that have used Raya are:
Will you find your other half on Raya?
What can we say? Maybe, maybe not…
The whole reason people put up with the outrageous application process and small user base at Raya is because the selection of singles is something out of your wildest fantasies. Celebrities, influencers, surgeons, CEOs, and other high profile singles flock to Raya to ensure they are only dating singles with similar careers, goals, and lifestyles.
In this sense Raya does exactly what it was designed to do. So, if you think you can get approved for Raya, you probably don’t want to miss out.
On the other hand, there’s more to the quality of singles than just how good looking they are, or how much they earn, or how many followers they have on social media. Since Raya’s matches aren’t based on detailed compatibility algorithms like other successful dating apps they can’t really be expected to yield the same results.
Even if anyone who ever applied to Raya was approved, the reality is that the vast majority would still never talk to Harry Styles, Demi Lovato, Cara Delevigne, or any of the other stars you hear about using the app.
If you’re looking for love and want to find someone who shares your experiences, goals, and dreams you’ve got to look in the right place.
Raya Testing Results
It is very important to point out that testing Raya is extremely difficult as getting into the exclusive app is near impossible unless you’re a big name celebrity. Please keep this in mind when reading these testing results as much of it had to be done externally, which could lead to challenges in the result. We did our best, though!
Here are the overall results of our Raya dating app testing.
| Factor | Results (out of 10) | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety and Security | 9.0 | 20% | Exceptionally private, strict screenshot bans, rigorous vetting. |
| Profile Engagement | 5.8 | 15% | Profiles tend to be superficial (mostly photos and occupation), though star presence makes them engaging for those who get in. |
| Feature Effectiveness | 6.0 | 15% | Two useful modes (Work, Social), but lacks compatibility matching and advanced dating tools. |
| Pricing | 9.5 | 15% | Surprisingly low cost for such an exclusive app ($9.99/month). |
| UX and Usability | 7.5 | 10% | Smooth app design, but available only on iOS; Android users excluded. |
| Popularity | 3.5 | 10% | Extremely tiny user base; even among approved users, matching pool is minuscule. |
| External Reviews | 6.0 | 10% | Mixed public sentiment: praised for exclusivity but criticized for inaccessibility. |
| Feature Growth | 4.5 | 5% | Very slow to evolve, intentionally stagnant to maintain exclusivity. |
| Overall | 6.47 | ~ | ~ |
Learn more about how we test and score here.
Raya Results for 9-Point Security Check
Safety (which include privacy) came out super strong for Raya as you might expect. When you are as exclusive as they are, you have a better handle on who all of your users are. Also, smaller membership bases where members have a lot to lose are much easier to manage.
Here are the results of our external security and safety analysis for Raya.
| Factor | Score (0-10) | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy Policy Protections | 9.2 | 15% | Minimal data-sharing, tight privacy policies. |
| Third-Party Data Usage | 8.0 | 15% | Some usage of Stripe and App Store for payments; otherwise minimal data sharing. |
| App and Data Encryption | 9.5 | 15% | Enforced data security, penalties for leaks. |
| Block and Report Options | 8.8 | 15% | Strict moderation and reporting tools. |
| Account Verification Options | 9.5 | 10% | High bar for acceptance, referrals required. |
| Data Minimization Practices | 8.5 | 10% | Gathers only essential data. |
| 2FA Available | 6.0 | 10% | No mention of advanced 2FA beyond App Store/Stripe integration. |
| TOS Acknowledges Safety | 8.5 | 5% | Clearly emphasizes user privacy and security. |
| Strong Password Requirements | 6.5 | 5% | Standard App Store-level password security, nothing beyond that. |
| Overall | 9.0 | ~ | ~ |
Raya Results for Popularity Analysis
Assessing Raya’s popularity is also somewhat of a challenge. Popularity can be assessed as both popularity in general (that does not translate to users), and popularity that does drive sign ups. Due to the exclusivity, it has to be assessed through a double lens (which our team did their best to do).
| Factor | Testing Score | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search Trends | 4.2 | 25% | Generates curiosity-driven searches due to its exclusivity and celebrity rumors, but few of those searches translate into actual user adoption. |
| Internal Testing | 3.0 | 25% | The app experience feels limited unless you’re part of a very small in-group. Matching options are scarce, even for approved members. |
| Search Volume | 3.5 | 15% | Search volume is modest overall and often comes from people trying to understand what Raya is — not from people looking to actively join. |
| Traffic | 3.1 | 15% | User traffic is extremely low relative to name recognition. Most activity appears to be from a small, mostly passive network. |
| News Coverage | 5.0 | 10% | Gets media attention regularly due to its exclusivity and celebrity members, but rarely for anything tied to app performance or features. |
| Social Reach | 2.9 | 10% | Minimal official presence and almost no meaningful brand-led social engagement. Most buzz comes from secondhand mentions or user speculation. |
| Total | 3.50 | ~ | ~ |
Overall, search volume is relatively low with the occasional medium to massive spike. In the above screenshot from Google Trends, you see a massive spike around March of 2021, which was when there were a ton of stories about a user who matched with Ben Affleck on Raya and unmatched him because she thought it was fake. Shortly after, Ben Affleck sent her a video on Instagram asking why she unmatched him, which she then posted to TikTok. This generated a TON of traffic and search for the site.
Here is a quick video on the whole debacle that caused the popularity spike.
The UX for Raya
Unfortunately, all we’re able to see are screenshots from other users (who aren’t even allowed to post them). What we can show you is the website which is incredibly simple and the contact us and press inquiry links don’t even work. This may be an oversite, but is likely all part of building the mystique of the app.
Hard to get in, but it’s pretty cheap though!
So, like with most apps, signing up for and applying to Raya is free. But get this, the cost once you’re approved is surprisingly pretty cheap. When someone is cleared to use the app they will have to start paying the monthly membership fee, which is $9.99 (literally cheaper than a standard Netflix subscription 🤯).
Raya is Exclusive and Elite. So, Why is it So Cheap?
The Raya app is shockingly inexpensive. In fact, it is one of the most affordable dating apps on the general market, let alone the elite dating market. They only have around 15,000 approved members and over 100,000 in their queue.
There are two theories on why they choose to price their service so low. It might be that they are more focused on the goal of the platform and don’t want to push away good matches through overpriced services.
It may also be that there are additional paid services somewhere on the app that we don’t know about because of how impossible it is to access.
Either way, with a ticket price of around ten dollars a month and a free application process, this is a show you don’t want to miss!
Payment Types Accepted at Raya
According to Raya’s Privacy Policy payments can be made through the App Store or by using stripe via their website:
You’ll notice that Google Play is not listed, and that’s because the app is only available for iOS devices. For this reason the Raya team decided that Apple Pay and Stripe alone would be enough for any users to use their favorite linked methods of payment.
Apple allows you to link debit cards, bank accounts, and digital wallets to your Apple Pay account. For more information, refer to Apple’s Apple Pay support page.
Will My Raya Membership Renew Automatically?
Yes, but don’t be alarmed. This is an extremely common practice for online dating apps, and like with other apps you can find the specifics clearly laid out in Raya’s Terms of Use Agreement (screenshot below):
