2024 WellHello Review - Will You Be Saying Hello Or Is It A Scam?

Did you know just how many dating sites there are? If you guessed between 1,500 – 8,000 sites worldwide (depending on your definition), you’d be right on the money. With all of these options, finding one that suits you is going to be a challenge. Is WellHello.com a good option? Let’s find out in our WellHello review. But first, a quick summary if you’re in a rush:

Site	Our Experience	Our Rating	Free Trial Link
Best for hookups	Experience Highlights Best results for regular guys Over 60 million active members Our top hookup site for the year Not good for long-term relationships	9	Try AFF For Free
	Experience Highlights Barely any responsive users on the site Everything is behind a paywall Most of the profiles are almost empty or seemingly fake	5	Try WellHello

You’ve probably read several WellHello.com reviews already but don’t know what to make of the site. The vast majority of the reviews out there are written by people who haven’t spent more than twenty minutes using it and definitely haven’t spent any money on the premium version. That’s where this review is different. I’ve spent several weeks using every feature on WellHello to get the real experience.

I first heard about this site several years ago when it started becoming more popular, around 2017. It was a new site branding itself as “a fun and friendly site for fun dating and meeting singles and swingers” and “an online adult community that’s designed for you to meet and hang out with like-minded singles and couples”. It sounds great in theory but now that it’s several years from the initial launch we wanted to review them again to see how things have progressed and if it’s worth recommending as one of the best dating and hookup sites out there.

This is a sit that started off with a lot of promise but will it live up to it? With all the social distancing that’s still happening finding the right dating app for you is more important than ever.

How I Reviewed WellHello.com And Why It Matters

At Heart Insider, we take the time-consuming and expensive approach to reviewing dating and hookup apps. So many reviews out there are either compilations of other reviews or reviews written after spending 20 minutes using a free version. We do things very differently.

The only way you can get the full picture of how a site or app can improve your dating life is to give both their free and paid versions a try. That’s exactly what we do! Don’t listen to any reviews that don’t take this basic step!

For this review I did the following in order to get a complete understanding of how successful most guys would be using WellHello:

This is the only way you can truly understand if this is a quality site worth your time or just another ripoff. There are tons of low-quality sites out there that you absolutely want to avoid and only a handful that are actually worth your time.

The Heart Insider team and I have reviewed over 100 different dating and hookup sites over the past year or so. We put a ton of time into finding the best options and have had a lot of success meeting women on the best options out there. You won’t find anyone else who has more experience on so many different apps and sites. Here’s what our guidelines look like for all of our contributors:

Methodology	Description
Rigorous Testing	In-depth analysis of dating apps and websites through extended use, ensuring comprehensive and authentic reviews.
Anecdotal Experience	Drawing on the real-world experiences of a diverse team of dating and relationship coaches for enriched insights.
Expertise	Leveraging years of experience in the dating scene to provide current and impactful advice, balancing personal insights with an objective approach.
Continuous Learning	Committed to evolving strategies and staying current with the latest trends and techniques in dating.
Online Focus	Emphasizing the impact of online dating and virtual communication, exploring various platforms and their pros and cons.
User Engagement	Encouraging reader participation to foster a vibrant community, enhance trust, and improve the dating experience.

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Without further ado, here is our WellHello review. Keep reading to find out what the site really has to offer.

How WellHello Compares To The Best Hookup Sites

We always do a quick comparison to a high-quality hookup app that has proven itself over and over again as well as a high-level recommendation. After that, we jump into our detailed review that shows everything we found using WellHello.

This is how Wellhello compares to the gold standard of hookup apps and sites AFF (which you can also try for free here). When you’re reviewing a new hookup app it always makes sense to compare it to the best first!

Overall Our team rates each site objectively based on many hours of independent research, the features each site offers, and how it compares with other sites. The ratings are the opinion of our editors and their extensive experience.	5	9.5
Quality of Women Our opinion of how attractive the typical woman is that uses this site and how easy they are to connect with compared to other sites.	4	9
Popularity How many people are using this site to actually meet people compared to other sites.	5	10
Usability How easy is this site to use and how quickly can an average person begin meeting people compared to other sites.	8	9
Privacy & Safety Does this site take proper precautions to safeguard its members, their identity, and their data.	8	9
Effectiveness Our opinion of how easily an average person will be able to achieve their dating goals with this site compared to other sites.	4	9
Value Will the time and money spent using this site pay off for an average person based on the opinions and experience of our editors.	4	10

Bad experience using WellHello? Comment below and share your experience with the HeartInsider community.

How popular is WellHello REALLY

When it comes to dating and hookup sites bigger is often better. The more people you have using a site the more options you’re going to have. As soon as a site begins losing members it doesn’t take long before everyone has moved on to the next big app.

Finding accurate user information for WellHello is difficult since they don’t release it publicly. If you see any claims on other reviews that they have recent numbers be VERY skeptical. What we can look at is recent trends in how many people are searching for the site. This is a pretty good indicator of how popular the site is over time.

This is how WellHello’s popularity has grown and shrank over the past decade:

As you can see above, WellHello launched in 2015 and grew slowly at first but then had a burst of popularity that peaked around 2018. Since then it has been steadily declining which is always a BAD sign for a dating app.

using this information we can estimate that the site is getting somewhere between 25,000 and 50,000 people a month searching for it. That might sound like a lot but major sites like AFF or Tinder are getting several MILLION searches. When a site is this small it is really hard to work for anyone using it since there are so few people to connect with.

The bottom line is this is a site that is shrinking and getting worse over time.

Uh Oh – I think I’ve been scammed. What should I do?

If you suspect you’ve been scammed by WellHello.com or another online dating platform, expert industry source Internet Matters provide essential steps to protect yourself and manage the situation:

• Stop Communications: Immediately cut off all contact with the scammer. This includes blocking their phone numbers, instant messages, and email addresses.
• Keep Proof: Preserve all evidence related to the scam. Save copies or screenshots of the scam and any related communications.
• Report on the Platform: File a report on the platform where the scam occurred.
• Report to the Authorities: Inform the appropriate law enforcement agency, such as Action Fraud in the UK or your local police department. 
• Seek Financial Support: File disputes with your bank or credit card company for any fraudulent charges and request financial assistance if needed.
• Seek Emotional Support: Don’t underestimate the emotional impact of being scammed. Reach out to friends, family, or mental health professionals for support. 

Discover also provides several useful tips for what you can do if you suspect you’ve been scammed by someone online.

• Notify Your Bank or Credit Card Issuer: Contact your bank or credit card issuer without delay. Report the scam and request new account numbers or cards. Share all details you provided to the scammer with your financial institution.
• Consider Filing a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission: Report any instances of fraud, identity theft, or deceptive business practices to the FTC. This can aid in the recovery of lost funds.
• Document the Details: Record every detail pertaining to the scam. These records are crucial for your bank or the FTC during the recovery process.
• Consider a Credit Freeze: To prevent fraudulent use of your credit report, contemplate a credit freeze. This action restricts access to your credit report and can block unauthorized credit activities.
• Create a Fraud Alert: If you decide against a credit freeze, a fraud alert on your credit reports can still offer protection. This measure requires credit organizations to verify your identity before approving new credit lines.

Experian also provides some more things you can do if you’ve encountered a scammer online:

• Change Your Online Passwords: Enhance your online security by changing your passwords. Use unique passwords for each account. 
• Reach Out to the Credit Bureaus: Contact credit reporting agencies like Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax to limit access to your credit reports, especially if your personal information has been compromised.

The Alternatives To WellHello Dating Experts Actually Want You To Use

If you’ve been using WellHello or just not getting the results you expected it’s probably because you’re on the wrong app. This is where most guys go wrong and then quit. That’s a big mistake. You’re going to be much better off using one or two of the apps that dating coaches actually recommend like:

Site	Our Experience	Our Rating	Free Trial Link
Best For Relationships	Experience Highlights Easily the best option for long-term relationships 75% of all online marriages start here 70% of users meet their spouse within a year In-depth signup and matching process	9	Try eHarmony
Best For Casual Fun	Experience Highlights The best way to meet women for casual relationships Best results for regular guys Over 60 million active members Not good for long-term relationships	9	Try AFF For Free
Great If You're Handsome	Tinder Highlights Great if you're pretty good looking Very popular, especially if you're 18-22 Really focused on photos Becoming more of a dating than hookup app	8	Try Tinder

Signing up on WellHello.com

With a name like WellHello, I expected a site that was pretty welcoming. And so it was. Whoever made this site seems to know the value of first impressions. The sign-up page had a simple background montage of beautiful people casually enjoying themselves. WellHello.com’s orange and blue logo was also cute and professional. My interest had been piqued.

Their introductory description was simple and to-the-point:

“WellHello is an online adult community that’s designed for you to meet and hang out with like minded singles and couples. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for one night of fun or a longer term relationship – we’ve got what you want.”

Everything I had seen so far added up to a good first impression. The question was, could WellHello deliver on them.

Well Hello is more naughty than nice

One of the first things I noticed after signing up for an account with WellHello was the overwhelming amount of explicit content. When the homepage loaded, a large, very sketchy banner advertisement sat at the top of the screen. A whole section called “Videos” appeared below the first featured profiles, showcasing, well, pretty graphic videos.

It looked to me that WellHello was aiming to be an entertainment website more than a dating site. That wasn’t promising.

Legitimate dating sites only concern themselves with one thing: helping you find a real date with a real person. They aren’t trying to tease you with sketchy pictures and they certainly don’t want to send you away to some other site where you can watch explicit videos. There’s nothing wrong with being a little risqué, but if that’s all the site had to offer, WellHello was going to be a big disappointment.

The rest of the signup process was pretty standard, just filling out the usual fields and creating my usual profile.

Pricing and membership options

Before you have a chance to even look at a single profile on WellHello you get pushed to a sales page that tries to sell you a paid membership. There are three different pricing options that you can consider if you want full access to the site:

• 24-hour access for $1
• 1-month membership for $24.95
• Yearly membership for $89.40 ($7.45 per month)

For this review, I went with the monthly option and was charged $24.95 per month as advertised. It wasn’t money well spent.

If you’re at all curious about this site after reading our full review do yourself a favor and only go for the 24 hour option. That’s all the time you’re going to need.

How Well Hello works and what it looks like

Another thing that immediately turned me off to the WellHello site was all the pictures, ads, and popup windows that assaulted me from every direction (you can see some of this in the image above). It was hard to find the actual menu bar, or even the member profiles. When I first logged in, I arrived at an account upgrade page instead of my homepage.

Surfing through WellHello felt like being on a really terrible freeway at night, with cars zooming past me haphazardly. I’d barely been on the road a few minutes and I already wanted to turn off.

The best dating sites know user interface matters most. They want to make sure their site feels open and easy to use. Their menus are simple to find so that members can search for people to date without hassle. Good sites aren’t bogged down with bright, flashy ads that distract from the content.

When a site looks as shabby as WellHello did, it means the owners either don’t care about their customers, or they don’t know how to make a pleasing online experience. Neither of these scenarios fills me with hope.

How to Spot and Avoid Fake Dating Sites

Heart Insider has a great article entitled “The List of Fake Dating Sites You Should Avoid,” authored by dating and relationship expert Tom Senkus. Including a comprehensive list of counterfeit dating platforms that aim to mislead and exploit users’ trust, this article features ways to safeguard yourself from the pitfalls of fake dating sites. 

Here are some key points from the article:

• Conduct Thorough Research: “Investigate the dating site by reading user reviews and comments. Platforms like Reddit can offer valuable insights from real users. A high volume of scam accusations or negative experiences, particularly regarding refunds, should raise alarms.”
• Verify Contact Details: “Authentic dating platforms typically include contact details like a physical address and customer service email. The absence of such information is a significant warning sign, suggesting you should approach the site with skepticism.”
• Steer Clear of Suspicious Behavior: “Be wary of users who request money or personal details, or who make urgent demands. These are clear indicators of fraudulent activity. A genuine person interested in dating is unlikely to make such requests, especially before establishing a genuine connection in person.”
• Be Cautious of Unrealistic Profiles: “Fraudulent dating sites may use exceptionally attractive profiles as bait. Remember the adage: if it appears too good to be true, it probably is.”

Using the WellHello App

For most sites these days we evaluate both the website as well as the app. For many, either the site or the app is significantly better and worth talking about. In this case, we couldn’t even try out the WellHello app because they don’t have one!

If you’re a site this small and don’t even have an app you’re not even really trying anymore. This is a major red flag.

What you can do with a free account

As I perused WellHello, everything I did led me to account upgrade pages. Logging in did it, as did trying to respond to messages. It was quite frustrating. When a site advertises that they’re “free,” you should be able to expect some basic functionality with your membership. Browsing member profiles and sending messages should be included, at the very least.

Basically, you can’t do anything worthwhile on this site without paying.

Paid memberships are usually reserved for special features, like getting your profile to show up first in the search results. There are too many good, actually free dating sites to spend money on the unknown.

Our experience communicating with other members

Adding to the chaos was the deluge of messages I was receiving. As soon as I signed up, WellHello inundated me with inquiries from the profiles of beautiful women. “Hey there” said one. “Were you trying to message me on snapchat?”

I don’t really know what that one was supposed to mean. How would I have messaged a woman I don’t know on Snapchat?

Another WellHello message demanded, “add more pictures! u r close 2 me – i just got divorced and want uncomplicated fun Grrrrrrrrrrr.” This was followed by another from another user. And another. They were coming on strong; too strong.

Any guy who has spent some time on an online dating site knows that getting messages takes work. To start even one conversation with a beautiful woman can take hours of searching and crafting the perfect message. The fact that I was getting so many messages right away (without even putting up a profile picture) made me suspicious.

As I figured would happen, when I tried to respond to the messages, the WellHello site informed me I needed to upgrade to a paid account. This is a common tactic among sketchy sites. They send you a bunch of fake messages from fake profiles with attractive women to encourage you to sign up for a paid account. Once you do, you never hear back. A huge red flag.

Who is actually using this site (profiles)

All of these unprompted messages from beautiful women got me wondering who was behind the profiles. I clicked on a few of them but there wasn’t much information available. Most of the women didn’t even have a basic self-description. So, I turned to an old trick that has helped me a lot in the past: I used Google’s reverse image search function on their pictures.

What I found was unsurprisingly not good. There were a bunch of matches on a few of the profile pictures. One photo was featured on trashy sites (it’s what you’d expect).

Usually, when a profile has a photo lifted from other sites, it means the whole thing is fake, probably even run by the company or by a bot. I went to the Terms of Use page for WellHello, where it said:

“You acknowledge that Smoochy Brands [the people who run WellHello.com] creates and maintains some of the profiles on the site, and that some ‘members’ of the site are actually fictitious persons created by employees or agents of Smoochy Brands, who we refer to ‘Love Hostesses.’ You further acknowledge and agree that Smoochy Brands may respond to your communications to Love Hostesses through employees, agents or chat bots.”

I’ve seen a lot of euphemistic names for fake profiles doing reviews of dating sites, but “Love Hostesses” has to be one of the strangest.  

They also use your personal content

I found even more unsettling issues when I looked through the fine print on the WellHello site. It stated, “You hereby grant to Us a perpetual, royalty-free and non-exclusive worldwide license to publish Your Content on the Site or on any other Site or in any other media.” Like hell I did.

Imagine browsing on another site and seeing a photo of yourself on an advertisement for WellHello (or one of the other sites under the Smoochy Brands umbrella). Given the permissions of this user agreement, it could happen. They can take your private photos and use them for whatever they want. That was enough for me to know WellHello.com was not worth my time.

Who should use Well Hello – Our Final Recommendation

If there’s one thing you need to take away from this WellHello review, it’s that this site really doesn’t have a lot to offer you. It’s a jumbled site overstuffed with fake profiles. It claims to be free but isn’t and the creators might even take your personal content and use it for their own profit. This is not what real dating sites act like.

Thankfully, the internet is flush with real dating sites, so don’t lose heart. In our experience, AFF (which you can try for free here) is the first option most guys need to try, especially if Tinder hasn’t worked out for them. It really does deliver for way more guys. The relationship of your dreams might just be a “hello” away.

User Testimonial for WellHello:

Derek Byrne – TrustPilot

“WellGoodBye to this con site with all of its scammers! Absolutely fraudulent company! They steal your data and pass it on to other sites. They pilfer from bank accounts. What’s the need to deal with it, if there are sites like AdultsFlirt.com

and quite a few other decent sites where you can contact anyone you like without any tricks with automatic subscriptions for the features you don’t need and never use. All profiles on WellHello are questionable to say the least. Most often it turns out to be appaling scam! Just avoid this place, it’s not worth the financial risks!

Tim – TrustPilot

“Wellhello.com was recommended by a friend. So obviously it works in general just not for me. Just seem to be getting nowhere with the site. Still does not look like a scam to me. But I prefer other options (Adultfriendfinder.com is always worth a shot, CasualsexOnly.com is pretty solid as well).

Ghost g. – SiteJabber

“A computer is probably running the hole site with pretty pictures of females… There are ads that take you every where just to rip you off some more… This site steals your money trust me it stole my money by hiding fees in the terms and conditions be careful”

Are you currently using AFF for hookups? Comment below and share your experience with the HeartInsider community.

Interested in Dating Older Women?

HeartInsider offers a wealth of advice for those seeking casual relationships with mature women. To maximize your chances of success, our team of dating experts has put together a comprehensive guide titled “Experts Review and Rank The Best Cougar Dating Apps and Sites,” providing essential insights for your pursuit. This guide features valuable input from author Michael Stevens (Dating Coach) and other experts, including: 

• “There are numerous dating sites that claim to be the best places to meet anyone, but many of them are a complete waste of time and money. Our annual review, found here, highlights the top options. However, Older Women Dating falls somewhere in the middle. It sports an outdated design, is frustrating to use, and, most importantly, suffers from an overabundance of male users in comparison to female members.” – Michael Stevens
• “Older women have an extremely sensitive BS detector, so always maintain complete honesty. They appreciate open communication. If you desire a physical relationship without commitment, be straightforward about it. You might be pleasantly surprised by her response.” – David Wygant, an internationally renowned dating and relationship coach
• “You and your older partner may have different interests and tastes in everything, from movies and music to food and wine. However, this can be an asset if you’re open-minded—don’t shy away from trying new things, refining your tastes, and embracing new concepts. This is how you can invigorate your relationship and make it more engaging for both of you.” – Joshua Harrington, author specializing in dating and men’s health at Datingology.com

Safety & Precautions: The Cost of Online Romance Scams

The threat of online romance scams is a growing concern, with staggering financial losses reported in recent years. According to the National Cybersecurity Alliance, Americans lost an alarming $1.3 billion to such scams from 2017 to 2021, a figure that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) believes is an underestimation.

In 2021 alone, the amount lost to romance scams soared to $547 million, a significant increase from $87 million in 2017, as reported by Norton’s study. This rise highlights the intensifying nature of these scams. Carl Wearn, Head of Threat Intelligence Analysis and Future Ops at Mimecast, points out that over two years, more than 7,000 UK residents were victimized by romance scams, losing approximately £65 million. Wearn emphasizes the complex tactics of these scams, often involving social engineering and multi-channel strategies.

Furthermore, The Register noted that in 2022, romance scams cost victims at least $1.3 billion according to the FTC. The median loss per victim was $4,400, with scammers frequently using the ploy of a personal emergency to deceive their targets. These findings underscore the critical need for heightened awareness and preventive measures to combat online romance scams.

More FAQ’s About WellHello

Is WellHello legit?

A lot of people have asked us if WellHello is legit and the answer is “kinda”. While it certainly is a decent site that isn’t trying to scam you in any way we could see it isn’t the best option out there. You can safely use it but a lot of guys aren’t going to get great results from it.

Is the WellHello app real?

Similar to the question about WellHello being legit, we didn’t see any reason not to think this is a “real” site. Real doesn’t mean effective, it just means that you can log in and see other real people. In our experience, you’re unlikely to get great results but if you do get any messages they are probably from real people.

Is WellHello a scam?

It’s funny how people ask the same question three times just using different words! Based on our review we wouldn’t say that WellHello is a scam. It’s a perfectly real app that has the potential to be useful but falls short. If they had a lot more users it could be pretty solid because the actual WellHello app is pretty decent. It just needs more people using it.

Is WellHello safe?

After using it for many weeks we can definitely say that we think WellHello is a safe and trusted site to use. We don’t’ think they will try to steal your credit card info or charge you for random things. It’s a safe site that just doesn’t have enough members to be useful for most.

What are good alternatives to WellHello?

This is a question we’ve spent a lot of time on. After reviewing 100+ different hookup apps and sites for our rankings, we can say that AFF tends to be the best option for most, especially for men. They have millions and millions of users and a very strict focus on hookups instead of relationships. Give them a try and see.

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References:

Discover (2023) How to recover from scams.

Hardcastle, J. L. (2023) Romance scammers’ favorite lies cost $1.3B last year. The Register.

Internet Matters. (2018). Be Internet Legends. Retrieved from 

Luthi, B. (2019) How to protect yourself if you’ve been scammed online. Experian.

National Cyberspace Alliance (2023) Online romance and dating scams. 

Senkus, T. (2024) List of fake dating sites you should avoid in 2024. Heart Insider.

Stevens, M. (2024) Experts review and rank the best cougar dating apps and sites for 2024. Heart Insider.

Stouffer, C. (2023) Romance scams in 2023: What you need to know + online dating scam statistics. Norton.

Vogels, E. & McClain, C. (2023) Key findings about online dating in the U.S. Pew Research Center. 

Wygant, D. (2023) The secret to dating “older” women. Dating Advice.

Harrington, J. (n.d.) Dating a cougar. Datingology.

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