Hot or Not is an online dating site that initially was called ‘Am I Hot or Not?’. This dating platform works by allowing its users to rate how attractive are the photos submitted by other users on this platform. This dating platform offers a ‘meet me’ matchmaking feature, which connects and matches users on this site. It has an easy registration process and also easy-to-use interface. It provides a three-day premium account trials to its female users.
Hot or Not dating platform was launched in 2000 by James Hong and Jim Young, and its presence influenced the invention of social media sites, including Facebook and YouTube. Currently, the website has over 450Million members worldwide, most of whom come from the United States.
The platform can be used on the website and in mobile apps, which can be downloaded and installed for free from Appstore and Google Play store for iPhone and Android users, respectively. New users can manually register through their email or by signing in via Facebook and other social accounts.
Let’s see its features, members, and use. Follow this review to get more.
How Does It Work?
New members are required to create their accounts, add photos, and add a short description to show exactly who they are and what they are up to on this site. After creating their account, they can go to encounters and swipe right to like a potential match or left, to reject a profile. Mutual like between profiles creates a match.
Individuals can use people nearby feature, to get profiles near their location.
Most features of this site are free to use to all members, but accounts can be upgraded to access the more advanced benefits.
The website has been designed to be as intuitive as possible, making it easy and accommodative to all profiles.
Sign-Up & Login Process
To be a member and have an account on this website, you are required to register and create a profile.
Registration on this platform is two-way. You can manually register using an email address or just sign up using your Facebook account. Signing up through Facebook is much more comfortable and fast since the website picks much of the needed registration information from your Facebook account. Other easy registration processes include signing in via MSN, Vkontakte, OdnoKlassniki, Yandex, and Mail.Ru.
The process and information mentioned below are needed to register manually using an email address:
- First name: New members are required to key in their first name in this section.
- Birthdate: you are required to provide your date of birth in a day, month, and year format.
- Location: you are required to provide your city and country location.
- Email or Mobile phone number: In this section, users are required to provide either an email address or a phone number. These are later used to confirm the account.
- Password: a secure and robust password is required for your account.
After filling in the above details, you are required to read and accept terms of use and also the privacy policy before creating your account.
Profile Interface
After registration, you are required to complete and edit your profile details.
Hot or Not profiles are a bit detailed, and users must update their profiles to enable them to get quality matches.
The below details are required to have a complete profile:
- Work and Education: users are required to provide their education levels and their occupation in this section.
- I am here to: the website requires individuals to state their motive of joining the site. Options include a date with girls, date with men, among others.
- Interests: new members are required to update their hobbies and benefits in this section, such as reading, traveling, cycling, and cooking, among other hobbies.
- Personal information: users are required to provide their details, which include body features like hair and eyes color, body size, appearance, and social habits, which include smoking and drinking.
- Languages: you are required to provide both your native and bilingual languages in this section.
The website does verification of accounts in several ways. You can verify your account on one or all of the following mediums: Photo, Phone, Facebook, and Instagram. Verify profiles earn a verification badge.
Your profile will also contain a score. This is the percentage score you get after members vote for you. The score determines how hot you are, as voted by other users of this platform.
Matches\Communication
New members can use this site without an account, but an account is a must when it comes to matching. After having an account, you can use the Encounters section to swipe and get a match.
Swiping right likes a profile while on the left rejects a profile. When you swipe a profile that liked you, it becomes a match and also vice versa.
Once you get a match, you can message each other to create a conversation. Women are privileged to send free messages.
Members can also send to each other gifts and also add stickers to their messages. These gifts and stickers are only applicable to profiles on premium accounts.
Members Structure and Activities
With over 450Million members, Hot or Not is one of the most populated websites in the world. These members come from different regions and different ethnicities in the world. This population can be categorized according to:
- Their Age
- Sexual Preference
- Race and Ethnicity
- Religious Orientation
Users Age
Hot or Not is an adult dating website. To be a member, you are required to be over 18 years of age.
Most members of this site are young adults who range between 18 to 35 years of age. However, you can find users who are older than 35 years using this site. There are only a few who are over 50 years of age.
Sexual Preferences
The website has not put any restrictions on the sexual orientation of its members. All types of sexualities are allowed on this site.
You can find straight users, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals, and other queer groups using this website to find matches either for casual sex, short-term or long-term relationships.
Race and Ethnicity
Hot or Not contains members from all regions, who come from different races. All races and ethnicities are welcomed to join this platform as there are no restrictions when it comes to race. On this site, you can find Asians, Black Americans, Indians, Chinese, Africans, among other races.
Religious Orientation
There are different kinds of members from different types of religions using this site to find matches. These members come from different religious groups, which include: Christianity, Muslims, Hindus, Pagans, among other faith groups.
Hot or Not Dating Website Features
Being a dating platform, Hot or Not has different types of features that are used within site to make it functional and exciting. Some of its features are on paid accounts, while the majorities are free to use to all members.
Some of the essential features include the following.
- Score: this feature shows how hot you are as per the member’s votes on this platform. The higher the percentage, the hotter you are and vice versa.
- Search options: you can use the search filters to find your better match on this platform. The search option contains different filters that members can use to search for their potential partners. Some of these filters include age, distance, ethnicity, religion, and other advanced options like body features, hobbies, and interests.
- Stickers: also known as emojis, these stickers are used to spice up your chatting experience. You can add these stickers in your messages to flirt or create attention to the reader.
- Encounters: These are profiles presented to you by the website, depending on your search filters. You can swipe left to reject a profile and also right to like it. A mutual match occurs when the liked profile wants you back.
- Gifts: these are online presents and flowers which users can present to their online crushes through messages. You can send these gifts publicly on the users’ profile or privately into their message inboxes. To send these gifts, you need to buy credits as they are on paid accounts.
- Chat: This is a conversion feature that enables users to send each other messages on this platform. Matched users can send messages to each other for free. To post a chat to a profile you haven’t matched, you must have a paid account.
Safety & Security at Hot or Not
The website has provided several features to keep its members safe on this site. Before joining the site, new members must accept terms of use and privacy policy.
The privacy policy gives details concerning how the website secures users’ data on this site. Its provides information on:
- The information it processes
- The information it collects from the mobile app
- How long the website keeps the data
- Which information the website collects from users who are below 18 years
- The information it collects from friends and contacts
- The information it shares with other third parties.
- Rights of the user.
Members are required to peruse through this report and read its details. The website also verifies new user’s accounts either through the email address or phone, depending on the mode of registration. Users can also block and report suspicious accounts on their profiles.
Is Hot or Not Legit or Scam Service?
From its features and use, Hot or Not is a legit dating website. Its entire accounts pass through verification to remove scam or fake accounts, and the website has provided security features to keep users safe while on this platform.
There is also a detailed privacy policy and contact details provided on-site to prove its legitimacy. However, users are cautioned not to share their private information with other members as it does not conduct a background check to determine if someone is genuine.
Subscription Types and Price
Hot or Not has two types of accounts for its members. these accounts include:
- Free membership
- Paid membership
Free Membership
Free membership is the basic account new user can get when they register their account on this platform. These accounts are usually free to use but contain limited features that sometimes do not provide the best experience while using the site.
Free membership accounts provide the below benefits:
- Users can sign up and also create their profiles while on these accounts.
- Members on these basic accounts can upload unlimited photos to their accounts.
- Primary account holders can use the match features and select their potential matches through the search filters.
- Free membership enables users to browse other profiles on this platform.
- Individuals on these accounts can send messages and chat with other matched profiles on this platform.
- Primary account holders can navigate to other user’s profiles and view their pictures.
Members are required to upgrade their accounts to premium to access other advanced features.
Paid Membership
Also known as premium membership, these paid accounts offer all the features of this dating platform inclusive of the above functions. Users on these accounts enjoy all the advanced features and get to enjoy the full experience of this platform.
Free membership offers below-advanced benefits:
- Premium account holders can send digital gifts to their potential matches on this platform.
- Add stickers to their messages: accounts holders on the premium can spice their messages using stickers and emojis.
- Profiles on premium accounts always get highlighted. This makes them enjoy more encounters compared to primary accounts.
- Undo swipe: members on these premium accounts can get back to profiles they rejected.
- First, users on premium accounts get to be seen early on search filters by other users on this platform.
- Premium account holders can turn their privacy mode on, go into incognito and browse other profiles anonymously.
Members are required to update their accounts through payments to have their accounts upgraded and access these advanced features. These payments always come on subscriptions.
These subscriptions come on different packages as detailed below:
- One week subscription package at $3.99, payable weekly.
- One month subscription package at $12.99, payable monthly.
- Three-month subscription package at $31.99, payable quarterly.
- Six-month subscription package at $47.99, payable half-yearly.
These packages are always auto-renewed 24 hours before their due date, and users are requested to turn the auto-renewal feature off, in case they would want to cancel them. Cancellations can be made either on the website or via mobile apps, depending on how one subscribed to them. This process should be done 48 hours before the current expiry period.
Premium account members can also purchase credits that can be used to purchase gifts and other features on this site. These coins come with the below packages:
- 100 credits at $1.99
- 500 credits at $9.99
- 1250 credits at $19.99
- 2750 credits at $39.99
Only users on paid membership are allowed to purchase these credits.
Website Design and Usability
Hot or Not dating site has a modern interface, which is easier and a bit faster to use. This site resembles the Badoo design on its features, layout, color, and fonts.
Its colors are blended well, making it have a beautiful interface. The features are few and well placed, causing them to be noticed quickly by users.
Encounters are just placed on the homepage, which makes it possible for non-members to browse and swipe profiles on this platform. Liking a profile leads you to the registration page.
Hot or Not Mobile App
Hot or Not has a functional mobile application for all its users. The mobile app can be downloaded and be installed for free from the Appstore and also Google Play Store for iPhone and Android users, respectively.
The app contains all features of the website, including the search, chat, and matching functions. However, it does not have a score feature. Mobile apps of this platform are easy to use, friendly, and customized to fit on any smartphone.
Contact Information
Company: Hot or Not Limited
Address: The Broadgate Tower, Third Floor, 20 Primrose Street, London United
Kingdom
Phone: 07976476
Email: [email protected] or Not.com
Hot or Not: Conclusion
Hot or Not enables its users to vote for profiles, making you know your “Hot” status. However, that is not the primary function of this site. It has the best features for matching and connecting individuals all over the world either for casual sex, short term dates or for long term relationships. This dating platform has the best modern features, which benefit its members since they are young adults and teenagers.
Its functions are more or less than that of Badoo, giving it a Badoo touch. The good thing with the site, most of its features are free. You only need to upgrade when you need to have your profile highlighted or to get other advanced features. It is a recommended website for individuals who are looking for young individuals who would want to get into a relationship.
