Hinge Review (2026) – Is The Hinge App Worth Your Time?

Fact Checked by: John Stringfellow, CEH

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If you’ve been looking into the dating app industry lately, you’ve likely heard of Hinge. They talk a pretty big game with their tagline “the dating app designed to be deleted.” If their claim is true, then the real question is—are people deleting the Hinge app because they found love or are they deleting it because they hate it? 

We’ve looked at what all of you are saying, and tried the app for ourselves to answer that question once and for all today.

Our Hinge reviews are going to focus on a deep dive into everything Hinge has to offer, by taking a look at what makes them so different from other dating apps, and helping you to decide once and for all if Hinge is legit and worth your time.

If you’re ready, let’s get into it and discuss the things your decision may hinge on (all cheesy puns intended).

The Bottom Line on Hinge – Worth It?

What makes the Hinge app interesting is that it’s not really a cookie cutter version of other dating sites with a few small tweaks to try and look a little different. The owners of Hinge (Match Group) really took a swing with the overall layout and the numerous ways that users can interact to try and offer a different kind of online dating experience.

Did they hit it out of the park? It depends on what you like. If you’re someone who subscribes to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality, you might find Hinge a bit annoying. The app uses what we call artistic free-flow profiles where all of the text information is jumbled in between the photos. It creates a bit of a story-telling-esque’ where you see a photo and then a little bit of text and then another photo and so on.

If you really like organized order to the chaos of dating, you might not like this.

Additionally, if there are things that are major deal breakers for you that you always check first on someone’s dating profile, you’ll be spending a lot of time on profiles that may not be great fits for you.

However, if you’re someone who likes to rock the boat and a little creative chaos is okay with you for the good of the experience, you might think Hinge is pretty legit. It does give off this feeling of slowly getting to know someone instead of just auto-piloting through photos and the profile information.

Again, whether or not Hinge is worth it depends on how you like information (and matches) presented to you. We’ll talk more in the rest of this Hinge review about how Hinge works and some of the unique features offered that may help you if you’re still on the fence about giving it a try.

Accolades and Notable Testing Awards

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In This Review

Testing | Pros and Cons | Features | Members | Pricing | Support | Free Trial

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Results of Testing Hinge

Here are our results from testing Hinge. Results are constructed as part of a proprietary algorithm based on 8 primary categories and over 70 individual data points. The process includes hands-on testing, deep analysis, and commissioning focus groups.

In our most recent testing, Hinge scored an 7.74 out of a possible 10 points. The app scored high marks in profile engagements and popularity, but struggled significantly in safety and security due to a new lawsuit alleging addictive technology.

Here is the raw data from our overall testing.

Learn more about how we test and score here.

Here is a deeper look at some of the testing category results.

Hinge’s Scores for Safety and Security

Below, you’ll see how Hinge scored on our 9-point safety and security checklist. Additionally, we need to share a manual modification that was made to the score when transferred to the overall scoring algorithm.

Exogenous Factor Notification – Hinge is currently being sued for having a platform with addictive technology that may be having a negative effect on users. Couples with recent research on the effects of swipe dating on the brain, we have manually changed Hinge’s result of 8.29 to a 5.2.

Here’s a video of the Hinge Safety Center within the app.

Hinge’s Results for Dating App Value Per Dollar (DAVPD)

The total raw score earned by Hinge in our most recent DAVPD testing was 1,275. The price of Hinge+ is $21.67 per month and the price of HingeX is $37.50 per month. Plugged into the equation, this imputes DAVPD scores of 58.837 and 34.000, respectively.

What We Like (and Don’t)

One of the best ways to figure out if Hinge is worth it for you is to look at the pros and cons. It’s a quick way to see if something stands out as a make or break feature or item that lets you know how to proceed. Here are the major pros and cons of the Hinge app.

Who Hinge Might Be Good For

• Younger singles in the 18-35 year old bracket
• Those looking for a more casual dating experience
• Singles who have tried online dating before and want something considerably different
• Singles that want to explore modern and unique dating app features

Who Hinge Might Not Be Best For

• Those seeking a serious commitment 
• Singles who like organized dating profiles that they’re used to navigating
• Singles who want to be matched based on personality compatibility
• Those who want to have access to more matches per day
• Android users as the app is reported to crash and be unresponsive on Android devices

A Brief Review of Hinge’s Prominent Features

One thing we really like about Hinge is the way they approach dating app features. They are trying to move away from the vague and redundant features of most apps (like super liking—we’re looking at you Tinder) and using a combination or rewording and repurposing to make the online dating process a little happier.

Unique Profile Features Offered on Hinge

One thing we did like from our most recent review of Hinge is that they do allow all users regardless of payment or premium status to use all of the robust and unique profile fields. These include a lot of things that you’re not going to see on other sites like:

• Recording little videos for your profile
• Connecting your Instagram account right on your profile (actually shows photos there)
• Conducting a poll
• Your vaccine status
• Your Zodiac sign
• Unique short answer prompts (pick the ones you want). We included a screenshot below of a few of the sample short answer options available:

If we’re going to be honest this is really the peak on the Hinge app in our assessment. These unique features really do a lot to help you feel like you’re getting to know someone by just reviewing their profile… well, if they take the time to build a robust profile that is.

But when they work they can really open up unique and quirky conversations that are far more memorable than your standard “hey”.

Roses

Roses are Hinges answer to “super likes.” When you see a profile that interests you, you can give that profile a rose. This pushes your profile to the top of that person’s list so they see you as one of their first match options. 

Since this feature provides you a bit of a leg-up against the person’s other matches, it can be a little costly. Each user gets one free rose each week. Beyond that, they cost $3.99 a piece, so you will want to use them sparingly. 

Boosts

Boosting a dating profile is not some new or unheard of dating app feature, but we really like the way Hinge approaches the boosting process. First, they do not show that you have boosted in any way. Instead, you just show up as a match for a lot of people during the hour in which your boost is active. 

Secondly, you will see a lightning bolt next to matches that are a direct result of your boost. This transparency is really stellar because it allows you to make an educated decision on whether or not boost purchases are worth it for you. 

Advanced Preferences May Lead to Better Matches…

Want to dial in your matches as much as possible? As a premium Hinge app member, you’ll be able to more aggressively filter your matches by height, children, family plans, education level, politics, drinking, smoking, marijuana, and drug preferences.

As you can see in the screenshot above, free members are only able to set by age, maximum distance, ethnicity, and religion (and even these you can’t set until you complete your profile).

Deal Breakers – A critical part of Hinge’s Advanced Filters

Deal breakers are an advanced form of setting preferences for your matches. If you designate something as a deal breaker (for example age, smoking, having kids, etc…) then potential matches that have the “deal breaking” quality will be strictly removed from your search results.

Your standard preferences are a guide for the matching system and you may still see matches from outside your listed preferences, which is why deal breakers are so useful!

Hinge’s Take on Skipping…

As you are discovering profiles you will be able to skip those that you don’t like. Where Hinge is a bit different is that they have a safety net for those fast clickers that get ahead of themselves. Accidentally skip an interesting profile? Click the undo button and their profile reappears. 

Please Note – You can only undo immediately after skipping, so this won’t help you if you suddenly want to view a profile you skipped 15 minutes ago. 

What kind of singles are on Hinge?

Alright, this is where we’re going to allow ourselves to indulge in some rumors that we’re unable to confirm except for our anecdotal research on the topic. That we share so you can choose to take this first part with a grain of salt. There are rumors that Hinge only shows you the most attractive profiles when you’re a free member to entice you to upgrade to premium.

Here’s just one example of the MANY reddit conversations discussing this type of experience:

Hinge: Am I the only one noticing that the people I'm genuinely attracted to are all in the standouts section which I have to pay for (the roses feature)?
by inOnlineDating

Again, we have no way of knowing this is true, but it’s important to at least mention when talking about the quality of the singles on the app.

During our anecdotal Hinge app reviews, we definitely saw almost 100% model-quality singles when flipping through our first few sets of matches. Does this mean anything? Absolutely not. Is it possible that everyone on the app is just that dang physically attractive? Not sure.

We did uncover some conversation about how Hinge might weigh your attractiveness… but again… rumors:

Insight into how Hinge determines your attractiveness
byu/Foreventure inhingeapp

But check this out. If it is true, that’s okay. That means there are a ton of “regular folk” as well as super attractive singles on the Hinge app, which would be a win. And if it’s not the case and everyone on the app is just that dang good looking—well, that is probably a positive unless you’re someone that is looking for something a little different.

Is Hinge Serious or Casual… The Truth

So believe it or not, part of Hinge’s terms of use under section 2 “account eligibility; your responsibilities” is that you agree you are “seeking a meaningful relationship”.

So everyone on Hinge is getting hitched right? Well, not based on our experience…

What we did see, particularly on our last Hinge review (and this is, of course, anecdotal again), is a lot of singles that put they’re looking for a serious relationship or committed relationship, but the profiles are highly…provocative? In other words, most of the pictures we saw were showing off a lot of skin, which some might say doesn’t quite coincide with looking for a serious relationship.

Look, maybe there’s nothing wrong with showing off what your mama gave you. But we just want to share because part of the quality of the singles on a dating app involves if their intentions line up with their actions.

But let’s be honest… regardless of what the developers intended, Hinge is used for casual dating and hookups every day of the week. We’ll let you use the information that we’ve provided to make your own judgment call (or just try out Hinge yourself and see!).

Cost Analysis and Review

As you have probably already figured out because you’re a smarty pants, Hinge is not free. Yes, there is a free trial and free account that do give you some abilities to “get in the game”. However, to get access to all the features (and more of the free features), you will need to upgrade to a paid premium account. The 2 levels of premium membership are Hinge+ and HingeX:

Ok, but how much does that cost? Glad you asked! Here’s a breakdown of the most recent costs.

• Users can get by with a basic free trial membership
• Hinge offers one upgrade package
• The longer you commit to the preferred membership, the more you’ll save
• Prepaying for six months of Hinge preferred access is half of what it costs for a monthly membership plan
• Three and six-month preferred memberships are paid in full in advance
• Hinge’s pricing is similar what you’ll pay for premium membership on most serious dating apps.

*Please note that these prices literally change all the time. The prices you will see in the Hinge app might be (or might not be) slightly different depending on promotions, seasonal price changes, or other variables at Hinge’s discretion.

Is Hinge Relatively Expensive?

The Hinge cost of membership is comparable to many other dating apps. As we’ve said it’s a bit more expensive than other casual apps, but more affordable than some more serious options..

It really depends on how you look at it and how long you’re a member. You can get by with the Hinge free trial, and you won’t pay anything. So, is free expensive? We assume that everyone is on the same page with the zero price tag.

Strategy for Affordability

However, if you want to load up the tools in your toolbox and swing the advantage more to your favor, then the Hinge preferred upgrade plan is the way to go. But users have different opinions on whether premium status is expensive.

We think it’s a wise approach to try the upgrade for a month and really commit to it. After all, Hinge markets itself as a short-term app that you reap the benefits from and then delete as soon as possible. So, if you put yourself out there, make good use of the unlimited likes, and get in the game, you could cancel your membership after the first month.

So, is the Hinge cost affordable? We think so.

Benefits of Paying for a Hinge Upgrade

When you’re willing to jump in and pay the Hinge cost for an upgrade, you’ll receive the following benefits.

• Detailed profile including photos
• Filters for a variety of criteria including gender, location, age, ethnicity, religion, height, political affiliation, children, alcohol use, and smoking
• The ability to post unique content that attracts attention and prompts likes
• Nobel Prize-winning algorithm
• Daily standouts
• One free rose per week
• The option to buy additional roses
• In-app phone and video calls
• Unlimited likes
• Complete lists of everyone who “likes” you

The All-Important Likes

Basic members receive many of the same features. However, with a free Hinge membership, you can only filter for general criteria. Additionally, one of the most significant differences is that upgraded users have unlimited likes while free Hinge plans are limited to eight. 

The likes are the key to success with Hinge. What makes them unique is that you’re not “liking” the profile as a whole. Instead, you choose something about the person to appreciate. For example, you could attach your “like” to a comment he or she made or a specific part of their profile.

You need mutual likes to start messaging each other. So, if you’re limited to eight, it’s going to take you longer to make connections.

Streamlining Your Search

Another perk attached to Hinge preferred plans is the complete list of “likes.” With the free plan, you go through each one individually and can’t compare one to another. But with the upgraded membership, it’s much more manageable. You’ve got a dedicated page in your account area where all of your likes are listed and neatly organized.

So, you can now see that if you’re dedicated to using the preferred features, it’s possible to meet quite a few people in a very short time.

Sending Roses through Hinge

You might have noticed that Hinge plans include one free rose each week. So, your first question is probably “what’s a virtual rose?”

A rose replaces a “like” in your standouts list. Standouts are custom feeds of Hinge recommendations using the proprietary algorithm. So, instead of the typical Hinge “like,” you send a rose to someone whose profile caught your eye. That rose merits more attention and sends you straight to the top of their list.

While members only receive one rose each week, the Hinge virtual floral shop is always open.

• One rose – $3.99
• Six roses – $19.99

Do Hinge Memberships Auto-Renew?

You probably won’t find it surprising that your preferred membership with Hinge will auto-renew. It’s not unusual for any subscription, and Hinge is no different.

The one thing you’ll want to consider before you select the one, three, or six-month plan is that each requires payment in full. So, if you opt for three months, you’ll pay for all three in advance. Three and six-month memberships are less expensive but require more upfront.

Also, unless you opt to cancel or change your plan midstream, it’ll renew at the same level. That means if you’re a three-month preferred member, you’ll be charged for another three when it’s time.

Good Customer Support?

The customer support options at Hinge leave a lot to be desired. If you follow the links to contact support at Hinge you end up on a run around through their limited FAQ section.

But, if you’re hoping that clicking “Support” will put you in touch with an agent… you will be disappointed to find a page that has nothing to do with contacting Hinge for customer support, but instead plenty of tips asking you to uninstall and reinstall the app.

Hinge did however recently add a support bot (a far cry from actual live support, but progress):

And after some playing around, we did find that if you type “agent” it will give you the option to select an issue and contact support within a few prompts. We’re not able to tell you how effective that response is, though, as we don’t want to be reporting fake issues during our review process.

Hinge Free Trial

You’ll miss the Advanced Matching Filters during the free trial.

Yes, you get access to “matches” during the Hinge free trial. However, we’d be hard-pressed to say that you’re getting access to “YOUR matches” because most of the preferences that really matter are reserved for paying premium members.

Here’s the biggest one. You can’t filter matches by relationship goal. This means if you’re looking for serious, you’ll be shown people who want something casual—and vice versa. To us, this is a recipe for frustration.

This was probably the biggest miss with the Hinge free trial for us, but again, the point of it is to give you just enough of a taste that you want to upgrade. Here are the other advanced matching filters that are locked behind a paywall, as well.

Being able to send messages is a nice feature to get for free.

It’s not all hater-ade when it comes to the Hinge free trial though. You can actually send messages to matches without needing to pay and upgrade, which is pretty cool. That said, you’re going to have to fish through your matches more to make sure a “match” is really a good match (what we just talked about).

Also, our next point is one that will probably become pretty evident unless you’re a rocket scientist with the looks of a Disney prince or princess. Keep reading, and we’ll explain.

Paid members of Hinge will have a big advantage over free trial members.

You’ll notice that there are A LOT of perks that you get with a paid membership (mainly HingeX) that give you a clear advantage on the rest of the people on the app. Here’s a reminder of the things you don’t get with the Hinge free trial (or the Hinge+ account).

Paying members of the top tier are going to be shown in line before you and their likes are going to be shown at the top of the list always. According to Hinge (see the screenshot above), this means you have a three times advantage (3X). Honestly, we think it’s probably greater than that, but they have the data, so we won’t question it.

How can I try Hinge for free today?

The only think you need to do to get the Hinge free trial is download the app from your respective app store. There are no codes, special links, coupons, or anything you need to claim the trial. It’s freely given to everyone (automatically) when you join the platform. In the old days, there were more robust free trials, but with the new freemium model that a large majority of apps are using, those days are gone.

Here’s a Reddit post from over 5 years ago when they did offer these types of trials. What’s funny is that these posts are still ranking quite high, which is confusing people into thinking they still exist. This post is 5 years old, and these types of trials are no longer given out.

I didn't get my free trial at signup 😞
by inhingeapp

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