HitWe App Profile ViewAnother day, another new dating site that’s trying to hit it big.
Hitwe calls itself the “fastest-growing online discovery network” and promises to offer “the best opportunities for communication and new acquaintances.” They’d be big claims coming from anyone, but they’re downright gargantuan coming from a service most of us hen’t heard of. Naturally, it makes you curious… does Hitwe live up to its own hype?
A quick investigation reveals a colorful but simple site. Hitwe is clearly a product of its time. New users can sync their account with Facebook to automatically populate their profiles and se time. Pictures can be imported directly from Facebook or Instagram. The profile layout has both a featured image and a cover photo, a design that will be intimately familiar to any social media user. The profile also has tallies of visitors and likes, another resemblance to many social media profiles.
Personal information is minimal on Hitwe. Users input the basics - age, gender, language, location - and little else. There are sections for work and education if you’d like to add more detail. The most comprehensive part of the profile is the interests section, which offers a lengthy list of hobbies, passions, and personal descriptions to choose from. The emphasis is clearly on photos over words. Free users may upload up to 20. Premium users may upload up to 50.
A homepage shares newly uploaded photos from users in a grid that looks like a cross between Facebook and Pinterest. You can like or rate what you see, or message someone who catches your eye. All contacts can be found in the Messages tab. You can also se preferred profiles to a forites section.
Hitwe takes a leaf out of Tinder’s book on the Discovery page. Users will be well-acquainted with the structure: look at a profile, click yes or no (or swipe right or left), get a new profile to rate. You can adjust the parameters of the search to narrow your matches, but only a little bit. There’s no extensive Advanced Search like you’ll find on larger dating sites.
That seems to be symbolic of the larger Hitwe experience - it's kind of what you’d expect from a dating site, but not really what you’re looking for. The essential features are there, but everything falls short. The design is clean, easy to nigate, and not marred by ads, but the functionality is minimal. The profiles are bare. The matching system is basic at best. There doesn’t appear to be any serious effort to assess compatibility.
Bottom line: Hitwe might be an effective way to waste time, but there’s little chance it will be an effective way to find a mate.