"Is Roavi legit" is a fair question about a young platform you have probably not heard of before today. Here is the honest answer from the person who runs it, including what we do not do.
What Roavi is#
A free directory, founded in 2025, where travellers and newcomers message local residents (Local Friends) and pay them directly by the hour for platonic company and local knowledge. No commission, no membership. What is Roavi has the full description and the numbers (133 cities, 52 countries, 286 Local Friends in October 2026).
What we check#
- Every profile is reviewed by a person before it goes live; profiles that do not meet the rules are not published.
- 18 or over, a verified email, three real photos.
- Reviews from previous meetups on the profile.
- An optional identity-verified badge for Local Friends who choose to verify a government ID.
- Platonic, in public: community guidelines, reporting tools and moderation; people who treat it otherwise are removed.
What we do not check#
- Criminal background checks. We do not run them, in any country. We say so because RentAFriend does not either and rarely says so.
- Payments. Roavi is not in the payment; you and the Local Friend agree the rate and the method. That means no refunds through us, and no record other than your own.
Where the reviews are, and where they are not#
Reviews live on Local Friend profiles, left after meetups. On third-party sites there are almost none yet: as of October 2026 Roavi has a Product Hunt listing without reviews and no Trustpilot presence. That is what a platform founded in 2025 looks like, and we would rather say it than imply otherwise. If you want independent opinions before you book, ask the Local Friend for the names on their reviews, or start with a one-hour coffee.
The real risks#
For travellers: a stranger, a plan that does not match expectations, a dispute about money with no record. For Local Friends: a private first meeting, someone who did not read "platonic", not being paid. Human review and real photos shrink the first; the rules below handle the rest.
The rules that keep any meetup safe#
Meet in public. Keep your own transport. Agree hours, rate and what is included in writing before you meet. Tell someone where you are. Pay or be paid as agreed, nothing else. Leave the moment anything feels off. Is rent a friend safe? applies the same list to the whole category.
Browse local guides free, message free, pay only the person's own rate.
Meet local guidesEn español: ¿Roavi es confiable?.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Roavi legit?
Yes. Roavi is a real platform founded in 2025, free to browse and message, with no commission; a person reviews every Local Friend profile before it goes live, every member is 18 or over with a verified email and three real photos, and profiles carry reviews from previous meetups and an optional identity-verified badge. It does not run criminal background checks and does not process payments; both are stated on the site.Is Roavi safe?
As safe as a meetup you arrange carefully: Roavi removes the anonymous-stranger problem with human review, real photos and reviews, and the public-place rules do the rest: meet in public, keep your own transport, agree hours and rate before you meet, tell someone where you are, leave if anything is off. Report tools and moderation exist on the platform.Where are the Roavi reviews?
On Local Friend profiles, left after meetups. On third-party sites there are almost none yet (a Product Hunt listing without reviews as of October 2026); Roavi is young and small, and this page says so rather than pretending otherwise.