Last updated: September 2024

Our Review

From: Chris Pleines

• Reading Time: 4 minute(s)

Founded in 2004, hi5 was one of the largest and most popular social networking apps in the early 2000s. Since the beginning of its release, it has gained huge amounts of funding in capital. This enabled hi5 to switch to becoming a social gaming network which featured over 200 games in different categories. Up until it was acquired by If(we), which is a social and mobile technology company owned by The Meet Group, Inc. (same developers of MeetMe!, Lovoo, and Skout), hi5 switched back to being a social networking app retaining what was known as the Pets game as its way to meet people. Today, hi5’s member count has reached up to over 100 million. It may not be as popular as it was before as well as compared to other dating sites nowadays, but hi5 still has its fair share of active users.

New members at hi5 in September 2024 in comparison

Here you can see how membership figures at hi5 are developing compared to others

hi5 Members

Members

200,000 from New Zealand

Members activity

1,400 active weekly

Gender Proportion

50 %

You get a personal profile which you can fill out

Over 100 million users worldwide
Has a diverse user base
Highly popular in the US and countries of South America
Users are usually 18-35

Majority of users of hi5 are in the age range of 18-35 years old. Most users come from the countries of the United States, the United Kingdom, and countries found in South America. Though what’s good in hi5 is that it has a very diverse user base. All continents have a fair share of the percentage of the overall member base of hi5.

In New Zealand, most active users are searching to make friend connections and are looking for a good time online and offline. This can be noticed by the user’s uploaded photos—there are some users who highlight their breasts or butt in their profile pictures—and the things and statuses they share on their feed. Some users are direct—posting status updates asking for sex or an online live chat with emojis that suggest sexual innuendos.

18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55+

How to Sign Up for hi5

You must be at least 18 years old to sign up
You can sign up using your username and password
You can sign up with Facebook, Google
You must sign up to browse hi5

To sign up, visit the hi5 website or download the hi5 app. The app is available on iOS and Android. To complete the registration, provide all required information.

Name
Date Of Birth
Location
Your Gender

Profile Picture

hi5 offers the following methods to verify your account:

Verification email (required)

Making Contact on hi5

Roulette-type matching available
Messaging users is free
Member search available
Basic search filters

There is a chatroom

In hi5, sending messages is free of charge—though most new members cannot send a message to some of the most popular users except if they are willing to pay for a premium membership. All user profiles show when the user was last active in the app. And when chatting is available, the status of that user switches to active. So if you had messaged an online user, you would know if you have been directly ignored.

Besides browsing profiles through the Pets game, hi5 also has a free member search tool with very basic filters of age, gender, and location. The member search is a page that features profile photos of active and recently active users with ‘Add Friend’ and ‘Message’ buttons below. Another way of meeting members through the hi5 app is through its Meet Me feature—which is a roulette-type matching game that notifies users when both users liked one another.

hi5 Profile Quality

Users can see other members’ profiles even without a premium subscription
Free members can view all photos on other members’ profiles
Profile pictures are visible to everyone for free
Member profiles feature gifts and comments from other users
Users can set their profiles to private

The profiles are poorly detailed
The profile information can be changed later

hi5 asks for very basic information. When you want to put some details to your profile’s About Me section, you have to go to your profile and fill the blanks there. Clicking the edit profile tab will just allow you to edit your basic information. In hi5, you can set your profile from public to private. Making your profile public means that all members can view your profile information and photos. Other users can also post on your comment wall.

Aside from the feed of your most recent uploads, your photos, and the basic information found on your profile—gender, age, relationship status, religion, orientation, ethnicity, and languages spoken, your profile can also feature the gifts, tags, and comments that were given to you by other other hi5 members. Most users like to put GIFs or photos so sometimes, profiles can become so long because of such public comments.

hi5 App

Live Camera available
Clean design
Easy navigation
Phone notifications
Available to download in iOS and Android

Compared to its website counterpart, hi5’s mobile app is much more aesthetically pleasing and gives a more pleasant user experience. The design of the mobile app is minimalistic and clean—the features are easily accessible. The tabs are also organised well, enabling for easy and productive navigation throughout the app. hi5’s mobile app also has an additional feature called ‘Live’ which allows users to host and watch video live streams. The ‘Live’ tab features a collection of trending, nearby, new, and favourite users’ live videos.

hi5 Costs and Prices

Account registration
Member search
Messaging available users
Adding available friends to your friends list
Buying Pets you can afford

See who likes you
Find out who views your profile
Access popular people
Check if messages you sent have been read
Contact new users
Prioritised email support

Is hi5 expensive or cheap?

In comparison to other providers hi5 is average.

Duration / Credits / Coins	Costs	Total
VIP Membership
1 Month	15.79 NZD / Month	15.79 NZD
3 Months	10.99 NZD / Month	32.97 NZD
6 Months	7.89 NZD / Month	47.34 NZD
Gold
2,500 Credits	0.01 NZD / Credit	8.00 NZD
10,000 Credits	0.01 NZD / Credit	16.00 NZD
25,000 Credits	0.01 NZD / Credit	32.00 NZD
75,000 Credits	0.01 NZD / Credit	80.00 NZD
200,000 Credits	0.01 NZD / Credit	160.00 NZD
400,000 Credits	0.01 NZD / Credit	320.00 NZD

Credit Card
PayPal

Subscription will automatically renew until you cancel.

Gold is the currency on hi5. You can use it to buy gifts or Pets. In hi5, Pets is what the profiles of members are called, and the value of each Pet differ based on popularity. You can purchase gold or earn it for free by completing tasks and offers that are made available by hi5. A premium membership does not let you buy Pets, instead, it unlocks several paid features found on the website, which honestly, you could do without.

Special Features

hi5’s features are similar to the features offered by other dating apps under the umbrella of The Meet Group, Inc. There are two features that make the dating site.

Pets

Pets is the main feature of hi5. It is a game that has the objective to increase your profile value. The game allows users to increase their value by buying and selling “Pets” or profiles of other users. The higher your value is, the more popular you are.

Meet Me

Meet Me is a roulette-type matching game wherein you are presented with different profile photos in which you click like or not. When you like a user and the user liked you as well, you will be in each other’s list of matches.

Our rating

Signing Up:	3.0 / 5
Making Contact:	3.0 / 5
Profile Quality:	2.0 / 5
App:	3.5 / 5

Editor's Conclusion

Chris Pleines
Founder of Datingscout and Author of the book "Online Dating for Dummies"

Overall, we can say that the hi5 has fizzled out compared to its glory days back in the early 2000s. Although there are still a number of active members in the social dating website, we can definitely say that there are a lot better dating apps available in the market. We just don’t think that there hi5 offers unique features—since the Pets game are similar to Tagged and the Meet Me feature can be found almost in all other dating apps. Whether you are looking for friends, a casual night out, or a possible lifelong romance, we believe there are better options for you. Just check out our Dating Apps category to find out the best ones.

hi5 FAQ

Facts

Who owns hi5?

hi5 is owned by if(we) which is a social and mobile development company of The Meet Group, Inc.

Are hi5 and Tagged the same?

No, but they are owned by the same company.

How are hi5 and MeetMe connected?

MeetMe is one of the more popular apps operated by The Meet Group, Inc. Both hi5 and MeetMe are connected by having the same owners.

Usability

How does hi5 work?

hi5 is similar to any social media app that lets its users post status updates and upload media to their profile feed. Similar to Tagged, hi5 works by making people connected through what they call a “Pets” game.

Somebody bought me as a pet. What does that mean?

When somebody buys you as a pet, that means that your profile is owned by the person who bought you. You too can buy pets that you can afford. Buying Pets allows you to increase your assets.

How do I play Pets in hi5?

Pets lets you own, buy, and sell other members like a fantasy team. The higher your value is, the more popular you become.

How do I increase my hi5 value in Pets?

Whenever you are bought by another user, your value increases by 10%.

Do I need to buy pets in hi5?

It is not required for you to buy pets in hi5, however, Pets is the flagship feature of hi5, which means that it is where you can get most interaction from.

How do I see another member’s hi5 profile?

You can click on their photos in the ‘Browse’ tab or their Pets profiles in the ‘Pets’ tab. There is a small button in each profile preview that says ‘View Profile’.

How do I block a user in hi5?

hi5 enables you to block a user from messaging you and viewing your profile. You can do this by selecting “Block User” button below the member’s user photo.

Why do I need Gold in hi5?

Gold is the currency in hi5. It lets you buy gifts and Pets.

Can I earn Gold without buying?

Yes you can. By completing tasks and offers provided by hi5 and its partner ad network, you can earn free Gold.

Security

Is hi5 a legitimate dating website?

hi5 is owned by a legitimate company, which makes it a legitimate website.

What security features does hi5 have?

hi5 has published terms of use and privacy policy which if not met would block the abusive user permanently from accessing the social dating site.

Membership

How do I sign-up with hi5?

Just head on to hi5’s homepage and signup via email, Google, or Facebook.

How do I delete my hi5 account?

You can cancel your hi5 account through your account settings.

Can I temporarily deactivate my hi5 account?

If you want to temporarily deactivate your hi5 account, you must delete your account on your account settings. When you want to reactivate it, you can submit your email on this link: https://www.hi5.com/reactivate_account.html.

I lost my password. How do I recover my hi5 account?

You can simply click the ‘Forgot Password’ button on the homepage and follow the steps on the screen to retrieve your account.

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