Hily launched in 2017. Nine years later, it’s still around, and it ranks among the top 5 dating apps in US app stores this year. This Hily review covers what the app does now, how safe it is, and who gets the most out of it.
What Is Hily?
The Hily app is for people who’d rather be real than polished. Its tagline is “date as you are.” The name is read “high-ly,” and it’s short for “Hey, I like you.”
Hily dating has some impressive numbers. It has passed 44 million downloads worldwide and has over 1 million monthly active users. Every year, people send more than 1.6 billion likes and land over 52 million matches.
Hily Features Worth Knowing
The Discover Tab
Discover groups profiles into collections like Top Picks and Find Your People. They’re built around what clicks with you, and they refresh daily. New collections are added often. You can still use classic liking and skipping, under the name Finder.
Photo to Interest
You can attach interests to your photos. You can add a photo of something you baked if baking is one of your interests. Now a potential match sees the photo and the story behind it. Your profile holds up to nine photos, alongside a bio and prompts.
Icks & Clicks Compatibility Quiz
This is a short quiz about your personality and how you see relationships. Your compatibility score then shows on your profile. People can see where you line up before anyone sends a message, so there’s no awkward alignment talk later.
Major Crush and Crush
Major Crush lets you send a note before you match. You show interest early, and the other person replies when they’re ready. Crush pushes your like in front of someone so they notice it, which raises your chance of a match. Both are Premium features, and Crush has daily limits.
Is Hily Scam? Dating App Safety Features
Hily prioritizes users’ safety with many precautions. The Consent Guard feature blocks cyberflashing and unsolicited sexting, and there’s an AI tool that stops explicit content instantly. Hily built it with Dr. Mindy DeSeta, a sexologist and sexuality educator.
Users also go through photo verification through a selfie, and only verified users get the badge. In the in-app safety center, you can set screenshot control, turn off read receipts, and use the block and report tools. Hily also improved its AI moderation and fake profile detection this year.
Hily Premium: What You Get
Premium offers the following perks:
- Unlimited likes
- Boosts, so more people see your profile
- Advanced filters
- Crushes and Major Crushes
- Rollbacks
- Nearby Search and Global Search
- Hide Profile
- Ad removal
Hily Pros and Cons
Pros
- Discover collections refresh every day
- Photos can be tied to interests
- Your compatibility score shows on your profile
- Safety tools are built in
Cons
- The best tools are available in Premium
- Most users are 18 to 30, so older daters may find a thinner crowd
- How many people you see depends on where you live
So, Is Hily Worth Downloading in 2026?
Yes. Hily gives you more to go on than a pile of photos. The quiz and the interest tags both help you know from the jump if there are obvious compatibility issues. The safety features are also there to keep your experience smooth.
