Is Hily Free and What You Can Do Without Paying

Yes. Hily is free to download and use, and on the free version you can set up your account, browse Finder, match and chat with people. The paid extras include unlimited likes, improved filters and seeing who has already liked you. They come with Hily Premium, or as one-off perks you can buy separately.

The free version covers the whole basic loop of a dating app. You can:

• Set up your account and add your photos.
• Browse the women in Finder.
• Match with women who like you back.
• Chat with your matches.

That is enough to go on dates. Nothing about the free version stops you from matching with a woman, getting her number and taking her out.

The paid extras fall into three groups.

• Unlimited likes. The free version limits how many likes you can send. Paying removes that limit.
• Improved filters. More ways to narrow down who shows up in Finder.
• Seeing who already liked you. Instead of guessing, you can see which women have liked you first.

Extras like these come with Hily Premium, the subscription, or as consumable perks you buy separately. Prices change and vary, so check the app rather than trusting a number you read somewhere.

If you only want an extra now and then, a one-off perk makes sense. You pay for the specific thing you want, when you want it.

If you would use the extras every week, the subscription is usually the cleaner choice. The honest test is how you actually use the app. A man who opens Hily twice a month does not need a subscription. A man who is on it every evening might.

a dating coach has a clear rule on paying for dating apps. Before you pay for anything, check that the free version is already producing a few matches. If it is, then think about paying for more.

The reverse matters just as much. If you are getting no matches at all on the free version, paying is unlikely to rescue you. Either the app is a poor fit for where you live, or something more basic needs fixing, usually your photos. coach puts photos first, then what you write, then your first messages. Money multiplies what is already working. It rarely creates it.

coach is no fan of the reflex, common among men learning to date, of never paying for anything. He thinks it holds men back. His reasoning is simple. The people paying the bills, as he puts it, are the people an app most wants to keep around. On Tinder, for example, he says a paying member gets shown more than one who does not pay.

He is equally clear that paying on autopilot is a mistake. Try a paid feature for a while and compare. If your results clearly improve, keep it. If they do not, cancel it without guilt.

Seeing who already liked you is a good example of a feature that can pay for itself. My favorite way to use the apps is passive. Build a strong account, then give your time to the women who have already shown interest instead of liking your way through the whole feed. If you have a busy week, that shortcut is worth something.

Unlimited likes only matter if you keep hitting the limit. If you rarely do, you would be paying for something you do not use.

Improved filters are worth more than they sound. coach makes the point that picking the women you talk to yourself, rather than leaving that choice to an app's algorithm, makes a massive difference. Better filters put more of that choice in your hands. If your Finder is full of women you would never take out, sharper filters can save you a lot of wasted evenings.

No subscription writes your first message for you.

My advice on openers is to make them about her and give her something to react to, rather than a generic greeting. After that, get some banter going, wait until she is clearly enjoying herself, and suggest a plan. His aim is to get off the app and onto a date without weeks of small talk.

That skill is free, and it matters more than any paid extra. A man who writes well for free will usually beat a man who pays for every extra and opens with "hey, how are you."