iHookup review: A straightforward dating app that delivers on its promise
Relationships are definitely cool and all. It's fun to get special presents for holidays, and definitely feels nice to have someone to cuddle up with during cuffing season. Sure.
You know what's also cool? Being able to hook up with whoever you want.
SEE ALSO: These are the best dating apps for hooking up
While being single definitely has its perks, you're still gonna want to do the dirty — and let's face it, sliding into someone's DMs or awkwardly going up to someone at the bar isn't the most endearing way to be like "Yo, I'd like to have sex with you."
Well, there's an app for that.
It's called iHookup, and it's used for exactly what it sounds like it's used for.
Everyone is on it for the same reasons as you
There's no room for mixups or discrepancies here, folks. Hitting on someone in real life can end up totally awkward if they're taken or not down to go past first base on the first date — but on iHookup, you won't need to worry about that.
Whether you're freshly out of a relationship and need to go a little wild, have pent up sexual energy, or are just plain bored of having the same booty call every single weekend, iHookup is a place you can go to find whatever type of sexual relationship you're looking for, whether that be a one-time thing or friends with benefits situation.
The creators definitely weren't trying to be discreet with a name like iHookup like the people at, say, AdultFriendFinder were — aka if anyone finds your Google search history or app collection on your phone, they'll immediately know what you're up to. (At least it's not Milffuck.com or something.) But also, props to you for not even trying to hide it. Like hell yeah, I'm trying to get laid tonight.
SEE ALSO: AdultFriendFinder review: A porn-tastic hookup site for open-minded people
The homepage isn't nearly as "genitals in your face" as it could be, which is honestly appreciated. There are some ad GIFs on the sides that advertise things like "Tinder for MILFs" or "Get your premium backdoor access" and more lovely things like that, but unlike a lot of raunchy sites, these aren't actually part of iHookup. They're really just ads, and as annoying as they are, it's nice to know they're not actually part of the site. One tricky thing is that there are tabs across the top with things like "Cam girls" and "Live shows" that do look like they're part of iHookup's features — they're not. They'll take you do an external website, and it's definitely irritating that they try to hide that. (Really though, don't click on them. They're a virus waiting to happen.)
Even with an explicit name like iHookup, the page you are served before you even log in is pretty muted, with a blurred picture of a (fully clothed) couple in the background and the slogan "Casual dating based on physical attraction." I guess that's a nice way to put it, especially when a site like AdultFriendFinder uses the slogan, "Join the World’s Largest Sex & Swinger Community." We see you iHookup — thank you for being chill.
Image: ihookup
According to SimilarWeb's stats, iHookup gathers around 216,700 members per month and has seen a nearly 40% increase in traffic over the past six months. The majority of visitors are in the United States, with the rest of the pie filled out by singles from the United Kingdom, India, and South Africa. For reference, iHookup's main competitor AdultFriendFinder sees around 25 million visitors per month — so yeah, this site has a ways to go. It's clear that not too many people know about the site right now, so the user base and variety of matches won't be great — but give it a year or two, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the hookup version of Match or eharmony.
Making an account is fast and technically free, but after you sign up, they'll send you straight to the payment options page. Unfortunately, you'll have to pay if you want to do, well, anything — most pictures or albums aren't available to free accounts, and you won't even be able to see most of your messages unless you pay (#pointless). They'll try to lure you in by showing you fake accounts that "want to talk to you." It's a signature move for hookup sites, and it's pretty annoying. iHookup itself isn't an actual scam, but you'll have to fork over some coin: A year-long gold membership (to see everything the site has to offer) is $9.99/month, three months is $22.99/month, and one month is $34.99. It seems kind of pricey for a site that hasn't yet made it's mark on the world, but they guarantee that if you don't get a hookup in your first three months, they'll give you three months for free.
Image: ihookup/screenshot
When creating a profile, all you have to do is fill out some basic info like your gender and which gender you're interested in (man and woman are the only options for both, just FYI), age, zip code, and what you're looking for on the site. Your options include casual encounters, friends with benefits, discreet romance, dating, online fun, or activity partners. (Not sure what the difference between a few of those is, but OK.) Registering with your email on iHookup also means you're signing up to get email updates from "Sweethaarts" which are basically fantasy accounts (AKA fake profiles) used to "enhance the online companionship and entertainment experience and demonstrate to users the features and communication tools of the site."
Sure.
Finding a match
After you're in, your home page will have a collage of matches like any other site. They're way tamer than what our poor eyes have seen in past experience with hookup sites, though: People's profile pictures are actually of their faces and not zoomed in photos of their nether regions! While the site and its ads are totally uncensored, members aren't inclined to use half-naked pictures as their profile pictures and will actually show you their face instead. This is a relief, and helps set iHookup apart from other hookup apps. You can tell that users are actually putting at least a slight bit of effort into making their profiles reflect their genuine personalities, and it really does make the experience feel more personal.
That said, it's definitely still an X-rated hookup site.
If you've been on any other type of hookup site before (or even a traditional dating site in general) you may have noticed that the homepages are a bit anxiety inducing: Notifications you didn't even know you signed up for, blinking calls to action, and naked parts everywhere. (Help.) iHookup won't bombard you like that — aside from the distracting ads on the sides, the website is pretty clean-looking and doesn't have too much going on. Everything that you can do is laid out clearly, and there aren't a million second pages to click on and fall down the rabbit hole.
Image: ihookup/screenshot
Along the side of the site, there's an "About me" section to complete your profile and tell other members more about yourself. You can specify your physical features, occupation, zodiac sign, whether you have pets, and more. You can also give more details about yourself and what you're looking for in a partner by typing in lengthier answers or checking off characteristics as a way for iHookup to give you better matches whom you have more in common with. (Let's be real, the matchmaking process isn't anything fancy like what Match would do, but it's definitely better than nothing.) The fact that members can put exactly what they're looking to get from the site is actually really nice — you'll immediately get to see how far each user is willing to go, and intentions will no longer get mixed up.
One thing I want to stress is that vulgar ads are everywhere. I mean, the website is free to use, so they have to use a ton of ads to keep the place up and running. But really? Is there nothing more productive to advertise for? Like an ad for condoms or pregnancy tests, perhaps?
The features get the job done, but there's not much to do
Though iHookup is pretty organized and not overwhelming to look at (which is a good thing), it's still basic as hell. Once you see the feature options listed across the top, you'll see that there aren't that many things to do. Your matches will be in a collage on the home page, and depending on the distance limit you've set, there will probably be a lot. If you scroll, it'll keep giving you new matches until you reach the bottom of the page. And that's it. No second page to click on, nothing. The site literally has about two features aside from messaging, making it simple and straightforward but honestly, pretty boring as well.
Before you even add a picture, the messages will come pouring into your inbox. Don't skip the crucial step of adding a profile photo — other people are putting effort into their profiles and showing you their pretty smiles, so you should return the favor. Plus, you're way more likely to get good matches if people can see who you are. That's just a given with online dating. If you're too nervous to message first, you can send a "flirt" to break the ice, which is iHookup's version of the Facebook poke.
Once you do click on a match, their profile will give you a ton of information about them (it's pretty in-depth for a hookup site). You'll see their answers to questions like what he or she is passionate about, how his or her friends would describe him or her, what he or she is looking for in a partner, and more. iHookup will even give you a compatibility rating for "betweenthe sheets" and "on the streets" based on how the both of you answered questions.
Image: ihookup/screenshot
Not many other hookup sites would bother going into this much detail (if at all) about how well they think you'll get along with the other person, which is really nice. Don't be expecting to meet your future spouse or anything, but it's obviously comforting to know more about a potential hookup besides how hot they are.
The one slightly "game-like" thing that they have that's not the traditional messaging with someone is the "Hookups" tab. Here, it shows you someone's profile picture and asks "Would you hook up with me?" It gives the member's dating preferences, tells you a bit about them, and then asks you to say yes, no, or skip — and the other person will be making that decision about your profile picture, too. It's basically a crappy version of Tinder and feels like high school, but it's nice that you have something fun to do besides plain messaging.
You can also use the search feature to find specific usernames or enter filters to find specific characteristics. But unless you set your filter preferences to something other than what you put in your main profile, the matches are likely to be the same.
The live videos part is where it gets into obnoxious porn territory. Similar to the way it shows you your matches, you'll be provided with a collage of profiles for people who are apparently also online and ready to video chat or have some cyber sex. These pictures and bios are significantly more explicit than matches on the home page — these people are not afraid to show you what they have goin' on. Let's just say your grandma would probably not approve.
One thing I did notice is that most of the pictures that aren't selfies look extremely posed, bordering on thirst trap territory. However, if you can get past how seriously ridiculous the entire setup is, the live video feature is actually great quality. Forget the grainy 1980s look of videos in the past — these puppies are high def, in your face, and you won't miss a single detail. AskMen's review calls the quality of the videos "well beyond standard," which are the exact words you want to hear if your primary goal on the site is to get excited without having to actually leave the house and meet someone. As you can assume, this is NSFW, or safe for anything besides basically chilling alone in a room. These HD videos are especially handy if you've found someone you like who's too far away. This is closest thing you'll get to being in person.
Bad for: People who bore easily, or who want something super raunchy
Most of the stuff that you can click on comes in the form of obnoxious ads that, in my opinion, down the site's legitimacy by a long shot. The (naked) people in the ads' GIFs are obviously saying extremely vulgar stuff, but to me, the ads scream "I'm going to destroy your computer with viruses." That just isn't stuff people want to see, and it seriously interferes with the user experience when they're literally covering up other features on the site. It genuinely feels like a shirtless girl is following you around, and it's scary. I couldn't get past it, and I would 100% not be surprised if people came to the website, signed up, saw the ads, and got the hell out of there.
Unlike other dating apps (especially the raunchy hookup site AdultFriendFinder), iHookup lacks the features that would make users want to spend a lot of time on the site. Everything about it is just plain, from the design layout to the number of clickable things that can be used to entertain or interact with others. There is no chat room, no games, no contests, and no fun ways to earn points like other sites offer — seriously, how are you expected to stay on the site for longer than five minutes?
Sure, the live video section is lit, and I guess the "Hot singles in your area" ads could be hot (if you get turned on by scams) but those are external ads and will take you elsewhere — and we can't promise that the site they land on won't be sketchy and virus ridden. This is kind of a bummer for people looking to really blow off some steam and for a full-blown erotic user experience.
Good for: People looking for a quick, no nonsense hook-up
If raunchier, in your face sites freak you out, iHookup is the tame, inconspicuous hookup site you've been looking for. Sure, aggressive porn ads will still pop up and the live video tab is pretty out there, but it's certainly nothing like the sites where strangers' genitals are shoved in your face. It's still sexy, just not as dirty and intense.
It's like if Match or eharmony had a fling with Pornhub. It's a hookup site for people who care about more than just looks and getting it on. Most members actually put time into their bios, answer questions thoughtfully, and put their face as their profile picture. (Good sexual chemistry is about more than just looks, after all.) It almost gives the feeling that iHookup members take things a little more seriously than a super raunchy site. That's nice if having a connection with the other person is important to you, even if sex is the only thing happening. This could be comforting for people who are trying to hook up (obviously) but are interested in personalities as well as private parts. Aw, how sweet.
Don't let this praise take away from the site's real purpose: Sex. Even if some extra "getting to know you" measures are taken, iHookup is 100% still racy and wants to give you the best erotic experience possible. Whether you need to blow off some steam, are having bad luck in the dating world, or are just tired of your current booty call, this is the place you can go to release pent up sexual energy (whether that's with yourself or a match). It's a low-pressure, judgement-free environment, and knowing that everyone else is there for the same reason as you can definitely help lower inhibitions and raise confidence.
The downsides
Depending how far you allow your distance limit to be, you could definitely meet a good number of people — they may be a ton of miles away, though, so sexting or video chats might have to suffice. You'll be less lucky if you're looking for real in-person sex without having to travel, as the likelihood of having a robust selection of matches in your area probably isn't the greatest, especially if you don't live in a huge city. There's also no instant messaging function (just old-fashioned email type things), which makes the website seem ancient.
If you get bored easily, you're gonna hate it. The website is more of a Facebook for horny people than it is an all-encompassing hookup site. Don't get me wrong, the unique profile compatibility ratings and HD webcams are great — but other than that, there's not much stimulating stuff you can do without clicking a virus-ridden ad and leaving the site, and that's just not fulfilling. Oh, and and the layout is plain boring. I would say minimalistic, but it's not exactly the aesthetically-pleasing kind of minimalistic. It looks like it was thrown together on Squarespace during a half-assed high school project.
And speaking of things not being legit, the ads on the site are way too sketchy, way too vulgar and aggressive, and way too in the way of the real features. If you were turned on before you came on the site, I genuinely feel like these ads will take you right out of the mood.
But remember, the aggressive ads with boobs everywhere are not exclusive to iHookup — those are pretty much a given on any site made specifically to have sex, so don't judge too harshly. You knew this was coming.
Oh, and keep an eye out for a little "SH" on your potential matches' profiles — that means Sweethaart, and it's a fake account that iHookup uses to make the site look better. They could very well be the hottest person on the site, but they do not exist and you will not meet them in person. Sorry.
The alternatives
The internet is full of sites meant to help individuals find quick sexual partners, and we're sure most of them work just fine — but with names like FreeSnapMilfs.com, Fuckswipe.com, and Instabang.com (and home pages that make strip clubs look like convents), it's not surprising that it's hard for them to gain traction anywhere. Suddenly, iHookup being in your search history doesn't sound so bad. Plus, the fact that iHookup has a smartphone app is a huge advantage over almost all of their competitors, who only offer a desktop interface.
There is one player standing in iHookup's way, though: AdultFriendFinder is the internet giant of hookup sites — and by giant, we mean it literally has more members than eharmony. It's leg up lies in its vast selection of interactive features like user videos, kink-specific chat rooms and groups, sex education, contests, and more. It's nearly impossible to get bored and there's almost no way you won't find something that wets your appetite. However, iHookup is tamer and more user friendly, and users (like millennials) who just aren't keen on sites that look like strip club billboards would find iHookup much more manageable. But according to AskMen's stats, the site saw a nearly 40% increase in traffic in the past six months, so the potential to grow is promising.
The final verdict
iHookup was made to be a straightforward place for horny singles to meet other horny singles — and it gets the job done. The no frills layout isn't the most stimulating, which could be a breath of fresh air or extremely boring — depending on if you wanted a quieter experience or if anything less than porn is like church to you. There aren't a ton of interactive features, but the extensive bio questions and unique compatibility ratings make possibly having sex with a stranger significantly less weird.
It really has the potential to be great, but the fact that it's poorly advertised and hosts crappy ads is a recipe for a bland site with a less-than-stellar user base. However, if you can ignore the obnoxious ads popping up every second (and don't care that you're on a site that even needs to use those), you'll be fine. It's a completely judgment-free zone, too — so if you're tired of awkwardly trying to hit on people in bars or are stuck in a sexual rut, this is a place you can come to meet people who want the exact same thing as you, no questions asked.
If it sounds up your alley, you can register for free here — just make sure no one's standing behind you.
