Hily Review 2026: Is It Legit and Worth Paying For?

Hily (short for “Hey, I Like You”) sells itself as a dating app for relationships, casual dating or friendship. Reviews of it are often unsourced, so we went through its terms, its App Store listing and its own support pages to see what you actually get.

How we reviewed it: we read Hily’s documents and outside reviews, but we didn’t create an account or buy a subscription, so nothing here comes from hands-on use. Prices are US App Store prices from November 5, 2026.

---

How Hily works

You make a profile, browse people in a section called Finder, and like or skip them. Hily says chatting takes a match, or a Major Crush, which works like a super like and lets someone send you a message from Finder. They can’t send more until you respond, so non-matches can reach you, but only once.

The rest of the app is built around compatibility and safety features. The App Store listing names a Compatibility Quiz, a Zodiac Synastry Score and personalized icebreakers. Hily also describes Consent Guard, which it says requires both people to agree before sexual content is shared.

What’s free and what isn’t

You can use Hily without paying, but the main temptation to upgrade is built in: people who liked you appear blurred in your Activity section until you unblur them.

How much Hily costs

Hily doesn’t publish a price list. Its FAQ just says to check the app, because prices vary by region. These are the purchases shown on the US App Store listing:

Left running for four weeks, that’s about $60 for Premium and $100 for Premium+. Longer plans may be cheaper per week, but outside reviews disagree on what they cost: SwipeStats lists $74.99 for three months, while VIDA Select lists $29.99 for one month. Go by the price on your own screen.

Watch the free trials. The listing shows Premium with a 3-day or 7-day free trial. Hily’s subscription terms say you’ll be charged automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends. Both of those reviews also say trials roll into the most expensive plan. We couldn’t confirm that, so check which plan and renewal price you’re agreeing to before you confirm.

How to cancel Hily and get a refund

This is the part to read before you pay. Hily says “Deleting your Hily account or removing (uninstalling) the Hily app from your device DOES NOT cancel your Hily Premium subscription.”

1. On iPhone or Android: turn off auto-renewal in your App Store or Google Play subscriptions, at least 24 hours before the current term ends. Hily also has instructions in the app, under Profile, Settings, FAQ, Hily Premium, Premium Billing.
2. If you paid on Hily’s website: Hily says this type of subscription can only be canceled with help from its support team, at support@hily.com.
3. Check it worked: look for the subscription’s end date in your store account, and keep a screenshot.

Don’t count on a refund. Hily’s terms call fees nonrefundable, with no credit for partly used time. Its refund help page says store purchases go through the store, that Android users have 48 hours to ask Google Play support for a faster refund, and that people in the EU, EEA and UK have a 14-day right of withdrawal.

Is Hily legit?

It’s a real business with a real app. Its terms name Hily Corp., with a Las Vegas address, and the US App Store showed a 4.4 average from about 388,000 ratings when we checked. But a few things are harder to pin down.

Its user numbers don’t line up. Hily’s homepage claims 44M+ downloads globally, while its FAQ on the same page says “over 43 million active users.” Its Trustpilot company description says “900K+ monthly users.” Those can’t all describe the same thing, so we wouldn’t rely on any of them to judge how busy the app is near you.

The “third most popular” claim needs context. Global Dating Insights reported in January 2026 that Hily had passed Bumble to become the third most popular dating app in the US, linking to AppMagic data, but the article doesn’t define “popular.” DatingNews described it as third by free downloads, and said Sensor Tower still had Bumble ahead. Downloads tell you who installed an app, not who still uses it.

Trustpilot doesn’t show a rating. When we checked, its page said the rating was “unavailable due to a breach of our guidelines” and that it had removed a number of fake reviews. It doesn’t say who wrote them. The remaining reviews are split, with about 50% at five stars and 40% at one star, so treat them as a list of themes rather than a score.

Are the profiles on Hily real?

We can’t measure this from outside, so here’s what each side says:

• Hily: its FAQ lists verification badges, AI detection and moderators, and it replied to one Trustpilot reviewer that “Hily does not use bots.”
• Hily’s terms: they say “not all users are available for matching and that Hily may create test profiles or accounts to monitor the operation of the Service.” They don’t say how many there are.
• Reviewers: some report likes within seconds of signing up, or matches who never reply. One wrote that they “got two likes within the 1st second of creating an account.” These are individual complaints, and they don’t prove what was behind those likes.

Our advice is not to treat early likes as a reason to pay. See whether the people you match with reply in free chats first.

What “verified” means on Hily

The App Store listing says “Every profile is checked,” which is a stronger claim than the fine print supports. Hily’s terms say it doesn’t run criminal background checks or screenings on all members, and that it has no obligation to verify users’ identities.

The blue badge may not always mean a face check. Hily’s help page lists photos, Facebook, Instagram, phone number and email as verification methods, and we couldn’t tell which of them earn the badge. So treat a badge as one good sign, and still suggest a quick video call before you meet. Hily’s privacy policy says moderators can compare a verification selfie with your profile photo, that the selfie isn’t added to your profile, and that you can ask support@hily.com to delete it.

Is Hily worth paying for?

Usually not at first. Here’s how we’d approach it:

1. Start with a bigger app. Even the Global Dating Insights ranking puts Hily behind Tinder and Hinge. Our Hinge vs Bumble vs Tinder comparison can help you choose.
2. Try Hily free as a second app. Give it a week or two and see how many people near you look active and reply. That timing is our rule of thumb.
3. Fix your profile before you spend. Paid features only get more people to look at it. Our guides to choosing your main photo and what to say on dating apps work on any app.
4. If you pay, make it a one-week test. Buy the cheapest week, turn off renewal immediately, and decide at the end whether it made any difference.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hily legit?

Hily is a real app run by Hily Corp., with a 4.4 average from about 388,000 ratings on the US App Store as of November 2026. Be careful with subscriptions, though: billing is a recurring complaint and Hily says its fees are generally non-refundable.

Is Hily free?

It is free to download and use. Hily says the free version lets you make a profile, browse Finder, use basic filters, send likes, match and chat. Unlimited likes, better filters and seeing who liked you cost extra.

How much does Hily cost?

The US App Store listed one week of Hily Premium at $14.99 and one week of Premium+ at $24.99 in November 2026. Hily says prices vary by region, so check the price shown in your app.

How do I cancel Hily?

Turn off auto-renewal in your App Store or Google Play subscriptions at least 24 hours before the term ends. Deleting the app or your account does not cancel the subscription. Purchases made on the website need help from Hily support.

Are there fake profiles on Hily?

We cannot tell from outside how common they are. Hily says it does not use bots and that it uses verification badges, AI detection and moderators. Its terms also say it may create test profiles to monitor the service, and some reviewers report likes arriving within seconds of signing up.

Can someone message you on Hily without matching?

Yes, in a limited way. Hily says chatting takes a match or a Major Crush, which sends a message from Finder. The sender cannot send more until you respond.

Is Hily better than Tinder or Hinge?

We would not start with it. Even the most favorable ranking we found places Hily behind Tinder and Hinge. It can be worth trying free as a second app if enough people near you are on it.

Sources

Checked November 5, 2026. Apps change, so check the original pages if something looks different.

• Apple App Store: Hily Dating App (US listing)
• Hily: Homepage and FAQ
• Hily: FAQ page
• Hily: Subscription Terms
• Hily: Terms of Use (effective December 10, 2024)
• Hily: Privacy Policy (effective March 18, 2026)
• Hily Help: What is a Boost, Rollback, Major Crush, Unblur or Compatibility feature?
• Hily Help: I got blurred accounts in the Activity section, why?
• Hily Help: How can I get a verified badge?
• Hily Help: I want a refund
• Trustpilot: Hily reviews
• Global Dating Insights: Hily surges past Bumble (January 19, 2026)
• DatingNews: How Hily beat legacy dating apps to become the #3 free download
• SwipeStats: Hily review
• VIDA Select: Hily review