Hot or Not Review: A Good or Bad Dating Website?
About Hot or Not
Hot or Not is a very old platform that intends to connect and rate people according to their physical appearance. Members post pictures and others rate them on a one to ten scale or Heart and X. This game has existed since 2000 when online dating was emerging.
Hot or Not has endured time through other social networks that apply the same strategy. Other online dating websites have their own Hot or Not swiping game that allows members to show interest. Hot or Not is still growing and has reached 390 million members in its database.
According to reviews, the portal has a very high rating. Hot or Not is merely frivolous but great to connect people of the young generations. The premise is simple: swipe pictures, rate them and talk with matches.
Hot or Not is a site focused mainly on local dating. When you register, it starts showing you the hottest nearby members you can rate with an X or Heart. The site also allows rating celebrities. Today, it is one of the popular swiping sites along with Badoo and Tinder.
Member structure
Most of the people who register on Hot or Not are from the United States, but there are also users from all over the world. 360,000,000 members are in its database, 160,000,000 of which are from the United States.
The member activity has always been breakeven. Until now, it records 1 million logins daily. There are many more guys than women. According to stats, Hot or Not is likely to get 400 million members very soon, if it continues garnering 1 million visits daily.
The registration process of men and women is different, which is stricter for male users. While only a few go to this site for sex, many use it to find friends or somebody to talk to. The majority of joiners are very young, not older than 25 years old.
Although the site prioritizes Facebook-based registration, there are still catfish out there, but Hot or Not offers the option to report them. The website has been also including more gender options discreetly. It is about time to include them all.
Signing Up Process
Hot or Not aims to find friends, chat, or somebody willing to date. You can register by using MSN, Facebook, or any social network, but if you register with Facebook, all your photos are automatically downloaded on your profile.
Registering through Facebook can be done quickly, but it has a problem. All the photos you’ll be uploading on Facebook will appear on Hot or Not. The site does not notify you before doing this. So, consider this before linking the Facebook account to it.
You have to complete a questionnaire with details that will be displayed. The survey is not lengthy and contains information that touches upon interests. Adding the profile picture is mandatory, although this step is unnecessary when signing up with Facebook.
Submit a password and a username afterward. You will then receive a confirmation link for account validation. Once you click on it, you’re redirected to your profile page. The sign-up process does not have variations for those who opt to use the app.
Making Contact
As you may know, Hot or Not is a matchmaking website that connects people through the Hot or Hot strategy. People who match can interact. Women are the only ones who can say hello first, so men have to wait to send messages.
Free instant messaging is exclusively for women, but Hot or Not offers are free of charge for all members of all genders. You swipe right and left to like or pass on members. If you click on Heart on a member and the other person does likewise, you’ll have found a match.
Some activate the option to only exchange messages with verified users. This choice is unavailable in most dating portals. Hot or Not implements this to avoid scammers and harassment, allowing interacting with users with a verified identity.
Unlike women, men have to pay to send messages. Ladies can send messages for free and make the first contact as well. It is recommended to get verified to make use of all Hot or Not features. Verifying the account is free and can be done by linking a social network account.
Mobile apps
If you have used Badoo mobile app, the Hot or Not app will look the same. It uses the same layout and user-friendliness. Besides having its own app, the site is also mobile-optimized and runs perfectly on portable devices.
The name of the app is Hot or Not App 2, and is available on Apple and Google Play Store. Whichever your language is, the site is translated into the app. The design is very simple and provides many of the options and functions that appear on the desktop format.
Features like seeing one’s score and somebody else’s do not appear on the app. If you want to switch to a premium account, it is better to do it on a desktop, as transactions are more difficult when being done on the app.
Generally, this app is aimed for rating people. The score you get can be shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The negative is that it only encourages superficial connections. “Are you hot or not” refers to the physical appearance and downplays personality.
Pros
One of the advantages of using this site is that it is feasible for encounters thanks to its huge use member use. Since it was released in 2000, the site has gathered almost 400 million of people. This makes Hot or Not a massive space filled with young adults only.
The site intends to find from dates to friendship. As to the app, it keeps the simplicity of the site, so there’s no issue using it. Many of Hot or Not features are free and viewing pictures and reading messages are available for everybody. Instant messaging is charge-free solely for female members.
You get an account on Hot or Not in a couple of minutes, since the registration process is easy.
Cons
While you may think the site is thought for dating, this is not true. Hot or Not is rather a social network specialized in mingling. You can swipe and interact with users for free, but becoming premium can be expensive for some people.
Something uncomfortable about this app is that it imports many of the Facebook pictures one post. Linking the Hot or Not account to a different social network can prevent this, but reduces one’s credibility.
Price
Premium plans at Hot or Not cover up to 6 months. You pay $4 for one week and up to $48 for 6 months. Additionally, it offers credits you can buy to get more features. Either way, users can still do a lot on Hot or Not with a free membership.
Free members can upload an unlimited amount of photos, which can be viewed and rated by other members. Hot or Not allows connecting and finding matches without the need of opting for a paid membership. Once two members have matched, they can talk.
While Hot or Not enables you to see profiles at no cost, premium plans are more focused on votes management and profile visibility. Below is how the costs are shown.
Duration / Credits / Coins Costs Total
Premium
- 1 Week 3.99 USD / Week 3.99 USD
- 1 Month 12.99 USD / Month 12.99 USD
- 3 Months 10.66 USD / Month 31.99 USD
- 6 Months 8.00 USD / Month 47.99 USD
Credits
- 100 Credits 0.02 USD / Credit 1.99 USD
- 500 Credits 0.02 USD / Credit 9.99 USD
- 1,250 Credits 0.02 USD / Credit 19.99 USD
- 2,750 Credits 0.01 USD / Credit 39.99 USD
Special Features
Hot or Not does not offer features that distinguish itself from other sites, but lots of fun and enjoyment. Remember that this app is more used as a social network than a dating platform. Some of its special features are:
Encounters is a function present on Badoo and Twoo. On Encounters, you swipe profiles that are shown to you based on distinct features like age and location. The goal of this function is not to connect people, but to boost the profile’s rating.
The profile picture varies depending on the rating it is receiving. The score will appear next to the picture. For better results, upload very good pictures to your social networks. Failing that, dissociate the account to Facebook and upload the photos by yourself.
Hot or Not also provides enhanced options for communicating. Besides sending text, you can also send gifts and stickers that can be bought per pack. Gifts can be sent privately or can remain public when sent according to one’s settings. Stickers never expire.
