A note before the review: Roavi, which publishes this page, competes with RentAFriend. We have tried to write the review we would want to read anyway, with the good parts stated plainly, because a review that only lists flaws is not a review.
What RentAFriend is#
A US website, running since 2009, where people list themselves as platonic friends for hire at an hourly rate they set, and members pay to contact them. It invented the category, it reports hundreds of thousands of friends listed worldwide, and when someone types "rent a friend" it is the name they mean. Its rules are strictly platonic.
How it works, for a hirer#
You browse profiles by location for free. To message anyone, you buy a membership, reported at about $24.95 a month or $69.95 a year. You message friends directly or post a public request describing what you want (a plus-one for a wedding, someone to go to the gym with, a dinner), agree hours and a rate, and meet. You pay the friend directly, usually in cash, and cover the outing. The site does not process payment and does not run background checks. The full cost, with a worked example.
How it works, for a friend#
You list for free with photos, a bio and your rate, commonly $20 to $50 an hour. You keep every dollar. Then you wait for members to message you or answer public requests. That is the entire mechanism, and it is where the experience diverges by city.
What it does well#
- Scale in big cities. In New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston or Miami there are more friends listed than on any other platform, and the brand brings hirers that newer sites do not have.
- Clear rules. Platonic only, stated everywhere, which filters out a share of the wrong messages.
- Public requests. A hirer can describe what they want and let friends come to them, which works better than cold-messaging for unusual asks.
- No cut. Friends keep their whole rate.
The three complaints in every review#
The paywall before any reply. You pay the membership before you know whether anyone near you will answer. In a big city, enough do. Outside the metros, people describe paying, sending messages, and hearing nothing for weeks, then arguing about a refund.
Thin replies, both directions. Because only paying members can message, the pool of people who can actually book a friend is far smaller than the traffic suggests. Friends outside the big cities describe months of silence; hirers describe profiles that look active and are not.
A dated, sometimes dating-adjacent feel. The site looks and works much as it did a decade ago. And despite the platonic rules, enough users describe browsing and messages that feel like a dating site that it puts others off, on both sides.
Safety#
Legitimate and long-running, not a scam. But it is a directory, not a service: no background checks, cash payment, nothing verified beyond what a profile claims. The rules are the same for both sides. Meet in public. Tell someone where you are. Agree hours and rate in writing before you meet. Leave if anything feels off. Is RentAFriend legit and safe, in detail.
Who it is right for#
Hirers in a large US city who want local company several times a month, so the membership is a small share of what they spend. Friends in those same cities who want the most traffic from one listing.
Who it is wrong for#
One-off hirers, for whom the membership roughly doubles the bill. Anyone outside the big metros, on either side. And travellers, because RentAFriend is a general directory and not built around someone showing you their city.
Where Roavi fits, honestly#
Roavi is built around the travel case: someone who lives in a city shows you it, by the hour, at a rate they set. Hirers browse and message free; the friend is paid directly; Roavi takes no commission and does not process the payment; profiles are reviewed by a person and carry three real photos, reviews and an optional identity-verified badge. In the US it is thin today, a handful of Local Friends in New York and Los Angeles and a few elsewhere, and strongest in Latin America and Asia. If you are hiring in a big US city for local company, RentAFriend still has more listings. If you are travelling, or you are a friend who wants a second listing with no paywall between you and the people booking, here is the side-by-side.
Related#
Every alternative, with what each charges. Listed on RentAFriend and not getting messages? Why, and what to do. Hire a friend near you: what it costs, city by city.
The uses people hire for, each with cost and how to set it up: a wedding plus-one, a gym partner, a dinner companion on a work trip, someone to hang out with.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is RentAFriend?
A US website, running since 2009, where people list themselves as platonic friends for hire at an hourly rate they set, and members pay a monthly or yearly membership to contact them. It is strictly platonic by its rules, it reports hundreds of thousands of friends listed worldwide, and it is the best-known name in paid platonic company.How does RentAFriend work?
Friends create a free profile with photos, a bio and an hourly rate. People who want company pay the membership, browse by location, message friends directly or post a public request, agree a time and a rate, and meet. The friend is paid directly, usually in cash, and the hirer covers the outing's expenses. The site does not process payments and does not run background checks.What are the main complaints about RentAFriend?
Three, repeated across forums and review sites. For hirers: you pay the membership before you know whether anyone in your area will reply, and outside the largest cities many report paying and hearing nothing. For friends: thin traffic and long silences. For both: a site that looks and works like it did a decade ago and that, to some users, reads as dating-adjacent despite the platonic rules.What does RentAFriend do well?
Scale and name recognition: in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston or Miami there are more friends listed there than anywhere else, and the brand brings in hirers that newer platforms do not have. The rules are clearly platonic, the public-request feature lets a hirer describe what they want and let friends come to them, and friends keep every dollar of their rate.Is RentAFriend safe?
It is a legitimate, long-running business, not a scam. Safety is on you: there are no background checks, payment is cash, and the site is a directory. The usual rules apply for both sides: meet in public, tell someone where you are, agree the hours and rate in writing first, and leave if anything feels off.Who is RentAFriend right for?
Hirers in a large US city who want local company several times a month, and friends in those same cities who want the most traffic from a single listing. It is a poor fit for one-off use, for anyone outside the big metros, and for travellers who want someone to show them a city.