Almost everyone I’ve ever talked to about the realities of online dating tends to agree about one thing: it can feel like a never-ending cycle of disappointment. You swipe, you match, you chat for a day or two, and then... nothing. So, when I first heard about the Hily dating app, like many other people with abandoned profiles on different dating platforms, I just assumed it would be another dating app promising my forever partner.
Here’s the thing, though: the app surprised me. Hily (short for "Hey, I Like You) launched in 2017 because the founders had a simple idea: what if dating apps stopped trying to find you the "perfect match" and instead helped you enjoy being yourself while meeting new people?
After signing up on the Hily dating app and seeing how it works, I can tell you that online dating is way easier when you bring your true self together with another authentic person. Hily’s slogan. “Date as you are” sounds simple, but it really changed the game for me.
Being Yourself Makes Dating Fun and Easier
Hily’s focus on encouraging daters to show themselves exactly as they are tackles one of online dating's biggest problems: the exhausting pressure to be perfect. Think about it, how many times have you crafted the "perfect" message or agonized over which photo makes you look best? I know how long I spend fussing over curating the best me for potential matches on dating platforms.
Hily flips this script entirely. The app focuses on the dating process itself rather than promising quick results or perfect matches. This means you can actually enjoy meeting new people instead of constantly worrying about whether you're being "picked." It's about being curious and open rather than competitive. You're not trying to win some imaginary dating contest. You're just being yourself and seeing who you click with.
How Hily Caught My Attention
I live in LA and I’m not really into dating apps. But I can appreciate a creative ad. So when I saw Hily’s billboards and bus stop ads around LA, I paid attention.
The ads included lines like “Your perfect is imperfect, but that’s okay”. It was a great reminder about how no one is perfect and how, with the right person, that doesn’t matter.
Another bus billboard I saw when walking around involved telling the other person you don’t like the place you’re going to meet on a date. Instead of just agreeing to meet at a place you don’t like to be agreeable, you can suggest another place and both find somewhere better. It was another reminder not to hide yourself from anyone and to be real from the start.
When looking into their FindYOURPerfect ads even further, I realized they were based on Hily’s own surveys. Their surveys reveal that 62% of Americans felt they weren’t perfect enough on dating apps. In contrast to this, 79% of people were happy to overlook “flaws” in others.
The campaign stood out to me by reinforcing that being authentic is better than putting on a fake “perfect” persona, and that the right person wouldn’t see my imperfections as major flaws.
I also came across this video. Instead of the usual download now and find love tomorrow advertisement, the video shows how the overlooked stuff (such as liking fish in tacos) tends to matter in dating.
Then, I saw their Halloween activation video, which made their signature "Date as you are" slogan stick in my head. As I continued down the rabbit hole, the sketch about the dog who was dating on the Hily app and sharing insights took me by surprise. It was adorable and unexpected, and somehow made perfect sense for a brand that's all about being yourself.
Hily also had a cool fortune-telling book launch where they created a limited-edition book with 486 AI-powered date scenarios. You think about an upcoming date, flip to a random page, put your finger down, and get an instant prediction. Zero accuracy guaranteed, but 100% fun.
What's brilliant about this is how it connects to their Icks & Clicks Compatibility Quiz. Hily's research shows 92% of people think compatibility matters when dating, but they also found that nearly half of women check astrological compatibility before dating someone. I took their compatibility quiz, and it ended up being one of the most memorable parts of my Hily dating experience.
I found it fun, but it also made me stop and think about what really matters to me in a relationship. I realized the importance of a partner being emotionally open and how they communicate with me. I even noticed how I appreciate the small quirks in others.
Hily App Review: Final Thoughts
Looking at 2025, it's clear that traditional online dating needs to do better, and Hily is at the forefront of making that happen. Is Hily fake in its promises? Absolutely not. They're among the pioneers changing how we think about online dating by prioritizing genuine connection over quick fixes.
