Google completes "paid friend" with "jobs", "paid friendship", "paid friendship meaning", "earn money" and "app". Here is the whole category in plain words.
What paid friendship means#
A paid friend is a person paid by the hour for platonic company and local knowledge: dinner with someone who did not want to eat alone, a game with a fan, an afternoon showing a visitor the neighbourhood, a newcomer's first weekend in a city. Both sides know it is paid; nobody pretends it is an old friendship; it stays in public. Roavi calls these people Local Friends; RentAFriend calls them friends; Japan has called them rental friends for decades.
The jobs and apps that exist#
There is no employer anywhere in this category; every "paid friend job" is a profile on a marketplace.
- Roavi (ours): in person, by the hour, free to list, free for people to message you, no commission, human-reviewed profiles; you set the rate.
- RentAFriend: in person, by the hour, free to list; the hirer pays about $24.95 a month to message; no vetting; cash.
- Rent a Cyber Friend: online, by the minute, video or chat; the platform keeps 20%.
Get paid to be a friend compares them in a table.
How much a paid friend earns#
In person most people list $15 to $50 an hour, higher in New York, San Francisco and Tokyo, paid directly. Online, a per-minute rate minus 20%. The number that decides your month is volume, and volume is your city and your profile: busy in places people visit or move to, slow elsewhere. Nobody should quit a job for it.
The line#
Paid friendship is not dating, not escorting, not therapy and not caregiving. The honest platforms say so and remove people who cross it; a listing that is vague about this is the warning sign. Can you rent a friend? has the legal side, which is simple: paying for platonic company is as legal as hiring a tutor.
How to start#
Local Friend on Roavi (disclosure: our platform): you list free, set an hourly rate (most list $15 to $50; New York, San Francisco and Tokyo at the top), and visitors or newcomers to your city message you free to spend a few hours with you, platonic and in public: food, a game, a neighbourhood, a first weekend. You are paid directly and Roavi takes no commission. A person reviews your profile (18+, verified email, three real photos) before it goes live. Volume depends on your city: strong in Santo Domingo, Medellín, Bogotá, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and New York, thin in most other US cities today. Three real photos, a bio that says what you are good company for, a rate you would be glad to get, and replies within the hour.
Your rate, your hours, no commission, no membership between you and the people who message.
Become a Local FriendEvery city where you can do this today, with the live number of Local Friends in each: rent a friend, by the hour. In the United States the list is also by state.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does paid friend mean?
A person paid by the hour for platonic company: a meal, a game, a walk, showing someone their city. The relationship is honest about being paid, stays in public, and is not dating, escorting or therapy. Roavi calls these people Local Friends; in Japan the term is rental friend.Are there paid friend jobs?
As freelancing, yes: you list on a platform, set an hourly rate and are paid by the people who book you. Roavi is free to list with no commission; RentAFriend is free to list and charges the hirer a membership; Rent a Cyber Friend pays per minute online and keeps 20%. There is no employer, salary or schedule.