Overview
If you’re fed up with swiping left and right on Tinder, then take a look at How About We. Instead of the typical back and forth messaging and choosing whether you like someone’s profile picture or not, How About We is all about finding love through actually dating.
It gets its name through the key phrase “How about we…”, which its members use to fill out information about their perfect date.
And that’s where you find your matches – you choose whether you’d want to go on that date. It’s definitely successful – many matches end in marriage, but how does it rate? Let’s find out…
HowAboutWe member structure
The membership base is fairly small – there are around 500,000 users worldwide.
How does HowAboutWe work?
How About We aims to make dating fun and easy. There are three key parts to using the site:
- Post your favourite date ideas.
- Check out dates and profiles.
- Make plans and go out.
In a nutshell, members write about their perfect date which other singles can take a look at. If they like it, you can connect and go out on the date – you’re essentially rating them based on their date ideas.
How to sign up and join
You firstly create your profile, doing the usual stuff like choosing a username and entering your email address. You’re then asked a few questions about yourself, like your educational background, appearance etc.
Once you’ve uploaded a photo (which is required), you can start using the site. You can also answer some optional questions to let people have a better understanding of who you are.
They’re not your typical questions – you might get asked things like ‘What’s your perfect Sunday?’ and ‘What would you do if you won the lottery?’.
Sign up overall is really quick, especially as there’s no personality questionnaire to fill out. Or at least, it should be…
We found it really difficult to actually sign up. How About We uses a recommendation engine which helps you find the best dating sites for you. But all this meant was that we kept being redirected to other dating sites we weren’t interested in.
Ease of use
The site’s really easy to use, which lends itself to the fact that they want you to get out there and go dating rather than sitting on their dating site. The premise is really easy to understand, so it’s perfect for setting up a series of actual dates.
Making contact, chat and messages
If you like the look and sound of someone, you can click the ‘I’m intrigued’ button on their profile to learn more. There’s also a messaging function, but you’re more encouraged to go out and meet rather than send too many messages. You can also only message with a paid subscription.
Profile quality
Profile quality is pretty decent. Everyone has to upload at least one picture and there’s plenty of opportunity to add more details about yourself. The “How about we…” feature is great for getting an interesting and unique feel for the person behind the profile.
HowAboutWe app for mobile
Real life reviews
[su_quote]
Howaboutwe has a wonderful idea of letting people share great dates. I read some of the dates that guys wanted to create for a girl and they sounded delightful. The problem was that nobody lived near me. There are not enough people on this website for it to really work as well as match.com. I do like the idea and will check back later on to see if they have more men in my zipcode.[/su_quote]
From sitejabber.com
Key features
- Date Ideas. This is the site’s main feature where users can post their date ideas. Users can then browse through dates posted and choose the one they’d like to do. You then go on that date!
- Link your profile to Facebook. By doing this, you can read your messages, see who’s viewed your profile and check out other members.
- Instant Chat. This lets you chat with other members easily and in real time.
Special features
- Speed Dates. This is a fun feature which allows you to scroll through profiles (giving them a yes or no). It’s different to other sites though – you mark the person based on their date ideas.
- Tonight. With this, you can choose dates that you can actually do there and then (in real time).
Is How About We safe?
You really have to look out for yourself with How About We, as you’re encouraged to meet up outside the site. Always meet in a public place and let someone you trust know where you’re going to be.
How About We don’t really do any checks on members, so be very careful with who you’re talking to.
Membership cost and prices
You can come a fully fledged member for the following prices:
All payments are made in one lump sum rather than monthly.
Discounts, offers and promo codes
We did a quick search of the site and of Google, but we couldn’t find any offers or discounts available. We always encourage you to do your own search before you sign up, though.
Is HowAboutWe free to use?
Are there free trials available? It’s free to look around and there’s no time limit on your free profile, so it’s perfect for trying before you buy. However, you can’t contact anyone for dates until you sign up, so activity is limited.
Pros and Cons
✓ Pros of HowAboutWe
- Easy interface and simple, sleek website.
- There’s a money back guarantee if you don’t get a least one date.
X Cons of HowAboutWe
- Lots of ads.
- It can be a bit risky meeting people for dates offline, so make sure you look after yourself.
- We really struggled to start the sign up process, but this might not be a common problem.
Our recommendation
The premise of How About We is really interesting. It’s refreshing to see a site that encourages its users to get out there, as nothing beats connecting with someone face to face. This does mean that it’s not the best online dating site, though.
While the features are quite fun, they’re nothing new. And once you’ve used them a couple of times, the site can get a little boring.
However, the ‘How About We…’ phrase feature is great and throws up so many unique dating ideas – so get out there and give some a go! 3.1 / 5.
