Pros & Cons
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- Clever location-based features
- Slick interface
- Video verification
- Robust community
- Doesn't display your current location
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- Limited free version
- Profiles lack substance
Happn Specs
| Desktop App | |
| Free Account Offered | |
| Mobile App | |
| Starting Price | $24.99 per month |
| Video Calls |
Unless you’re looking simply looking for a pen pal (and there’s nothing wrong with that), most dating app users look to turn virtual dates into in-person dates as soon as possible. That’s easier to pull off when your potential partner is someone who just passed you by in real life. With this in mind, Happn uses its location-based tools to facilitate these meet-ups. It doesn’t top our Editors’ Choice winners, Match and Tinder, but Happn has an appealing gimmick, a stylish interface, and an audience large enough to make it worth considering.
Getting Started With Happn
Happn is a free app for Android and iOS. There’s a desktop version, too. You have multiple ways to create your account, such as signing in with your Apple or Google credentials. From there, Happn asks brief questions to flesh out your profile. What genders are you looking for? How seriously do you want to date? You can also add your height, exercise routine, and cooking skills.
By skipping a drawn-out questionnaire, getting started with Happn is much faster than, say, Eharmony or OkCupid. However, it also leads to profiles that don’t tell you all that much about the person unless they really make an effort to answer every question and fill their bio with personality. Hinge’s profiles do a better job of balancing speed and substance. Happn profiles at least say whether a person lives in the area or is just visiting, which is crucial info considering how location plays such a central role.
You need to upload at least one photo to create your Happn account, and more photos attract more attention. You can also certify your account by creating a verification video. This video is private and not shown to matches. The certification badge just tells swipers that you are who you say you are, a helpful safety feature.
How Much Does Hppn Cost?
Happn technically has a free version, but it's pretty limited in practice. You can only swipe so many times per day. There are ads. You only get one, free five-minute video call per match. At that point, just trade phone numbers and use FaceTime. You must pay for the premium subscription to get the most from the app.
Happn’s multiple premium subscriptions range from $10 per month (if you subscribe for a whole year) to $25 (if you pay on a monthly basis). By signing up for a subscription, you’ll remove ads and gain new profile customization and filtering options. You can send unlimited likes and see everyone who likes you, and use extra daily FlashNotes to message even more profiles. Along with a subscription, you can directly purchase one-time items, such as FlashNotes, extra video call time, or Boosts to increase your profile’s visibility. FlashNotes cost about a dollar each whereas Boosts cost about $5 each.
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Happn's Interface and Search Tools
I tested Happn’s mobile app. Everything looks sleek and stylish, and the app has snappy and responsive performance. I especially enjoyed the stock photography and animations that give the experience more personality. As software, Happn comes across as high-quality and well-produced.
(Credit: Happn/PCMag)The ironic thing is that Happn’s biggest feature comes from when you aren’t using it. Happn wants to turn you into the star of your own personal rom-com, someone who stumbles across the love of their life when they least expect it. The app does this through hyper-specific, location-based matching. Your swiping pool is drawn from profiles of people you’ve recently passed by in real life. Even when the app isn’t running, it logs these interactions as you go about your day on your phone. You may not have noticed that cute person in line for coffee, but Happn did.
From there, Happn functions like a normal modern dating app, much like Match or Tinder. If two people like each other, it’s a match and then you can talk from there. You can also send a limited number of FlashNotes, special messages you can directly send people before matching. If any of this sounds confusing, Happn has a thorough FAQ page.
Happn has a neat hook, but I was concerned this would come at the expense of usability. Would it feel too limiting to only match with people around you? Fortunately, the app features a variety of search options to make you feel empowered rather than constrained.
You do your normal swiping in the Explore tab. The browse tab lets you see matches in specific categories such as Hikers, Museum Lovers, and Party Partners. Play a little game called CrushTime to guess who likes you. The Map screen lets you see exactly where you passed by matches. Saw them at your favorite bar? Use that as a fun icebreaker anecdote. For privacy, Happn never displays your current location. Finally, you can adjust preferences for age, smoking, and other traits to better filter your search.
(Credit: Happn/PCMag)Beyond cool features, dating apps also just need a lot of users to be useful. Thankfully, Happn's 100 million users make it a viable place to find love. Some niche dating apps we’ve tested never provided more than a handful of matches at a time, but Happn always had new people to show.