Hinge Roses and Standouts: How They Work and When to Send One

Hinge has two features that confuse almost every guy I coach: Roses and Standouts. Is a Rose the same as a Super Like? Is sending one desperate? Why can you only like some women with a Rose? And how do you end up in other people's Standouts?

I've coached guys on Hinge for years at Playing With Fire. Here's how Roses and Standouts actually work, when a Rose is worth sending, and the one thing that decides whether any of it pays off.

The quick answer

• A Rose is Hinge's version of a Super Like. It puts your like at the top of her "Likes You" list, so she sees you before everyone else.
• You get one free Rose a week. Free Roses don't stack, so use it or lose it. You can buy more in packs.
• Standouts are a separate tab with a small daily selection of especially popular profiles that Hinge thinks you'll like. You can only like someone in Standouts with a Rose.
• Is it worth it? Your free weekly Rose, yes, always use it. Paid Roses, only once your photos and prompts are already strong.

What is a Rose on Hinge?

A Rose is a stronger kind of like. A normal like on Hinge goes into her "Likes You" list along with everyone else's, usually behind dozens of other guys. A Rose skips the line: it shows up at the top of her list, marked with a rose, so it's one of the first things she sees.

That's all it does. It doesn't force a match, and it doesn't make her like your photos more. It just guarantees she looks at your profile. If your profile is good, that's a real advantage. If it isn't, you've just made sure she sees a weak profile first.

You can send a Rose to someone in your normal Discover feed or to someone in Standouts. Like a regular like, you send it on a specific photo or prompt, and you can add a comment. Always add a comment.

How many Roses do you get on Hinge?

Every member, free or paid, gets one free Rose per week. It refreshes once a week (most people see it reset on Sunday), and unused free Roses don't carry over, so if you don't send it, it's gone.

If you want more, you can buy Roses in packs of 3, 12 or 50 inside the app. Prices change and vary by country, so check the app for what's current.

The paid subscriptions, Hinge+ and HingeX, are about unlimited likes and filters rather than extra Roses. HingeX does include "priority likes", which keep your likes near the top of her list for a while, a bit like a lighter version of a Rose.

What are Standouts on Hinge?

Standouts is a separate tab (the star icon) with a small selection of profiles that Hinge thinks you'll be especially into. It refreshes every day, so you see a new set daily.

The profiles in Standouts tend to be the most popular on the app: great photos, good prompts, lots of likes. That's why they're there.

The catch: you can't send a normal like to someone in Standouts. You can only send a Rose. That's why guys call it "rose jail". Some of the most attractive women you'll see on Hinge sit behind a Rose, and with one free Rose a week, you can't reach many of them without paying.

If a woman in Standouts also shows up in your normal Discover feed later, you can like her there for free. Standouts doesn't hide her from you forever; it just puts her on a separate shelf for the day.

How do you become a Standout on Hinge?

Hinge doesn't publish the formula, but Standouts are made from profiles that get a lot of engagement: lots of likes, lots of comments, and lots of conversations. In practice, that means:

• Strong photos, starting with a clear, smiling main photo.
• Prompts that get comments, like the ones in these Hinge profile examples.
• Being active, opening the app regularly and replying to matches.

There's no way to see whether you're in other people's Standouts. The clearest sign is that you start getting more Roses yourself.

Are Hinge Roses worth it?

In my experience, Roses are less powerful than Tinder's Super Likes. Women on Hinge already take time to look through your profile, so a Rose mostly changes when she sees you, not whether she likes you.

Here's how I'd use them:

• Always use your free Rose. It costs nothing, and it gets one profile you really like to the top of her list.
• Send it to someone you're actually excited about, not to the most attractive person you see. A Rose to a woman who would have liked your profile anyway is a guaranteed look; a Rose to someone out of reach is usually wasted.
• Use it on Standouts if someone there really stands out to you. That's the only way to reach her today.
• Don't buy Rose packs until your profile is strong. Paying to put a weak profile in front of more women doesn't help. Fix your photos first.

Is sending a Rose on Hinge weird?

No. Most women take a Rose as a compliment: it tells her you're more interested than the average like, and she'll usually give your profile a proper look. It only comes across badly when it's paired with a creepy or try-hard comment.

How to send a Rose that gets a match

1. Pick a specific photo or prompt to send it on, just like a normal like.
2. Add a short, playful comment. Tease her answer, ask a quick follow-up, or riff on something in her photo. "Cute dog" isn't enough; "Is he always this photogenic or did you bribe him?" is.
3. Make sure your profile is ready first. She's going to look at your profile right away. Your first photo and your prompts need to be your best.

Your photos decide whether a Rose works

A Rose gets her attention. Your photos decide what she does with it. On Hinge, women scroll your whole profile, and the guys who get matches from Roses all have the same thing: natural, high-quality photos that show their face, their body and their life.

Most guys don't have those. They have a few selfies and some group shots. UnrealPhotos fixes that: upload a few normal selfies, and it creates natural, candid-looking photos of you that you can use on Hinge, Bumble and Tinder. All of the photos below were made with UnrealPhotos.

Not sure which app to focus on? Here's my Hinge vs Bumble vs Tinder comparison. And if you'd rather take your own photos, start with how to pose for pictures.

FAQ

What does it mean when someone sends you a Rose on Hinge? It means she's especially interested. A Rose puts her like at the top of your "Likes You" list so you see it first.

How many Roses do you get on Hinge? One free Rose per week for every member. You can buy more in packs of 3, 12 or 50.

When do Hinge Roses reset? Your free Rose refreshes once a week, and most people see it reset on Sunday. Unused free Roses don't carry over.

What are Standouts on Hinge? A daily selection of popular profiles Hinge thinks you'll like. You can only like someone in Standouts by sending a Rose.

What is Hinge "rose jail"? A nickname for Standouts. Many of the most attractive profiles appear there, where you can only reach them with a Rose.

Do Hinge Roses work? They guarantee she sees your profile first, which helps if your profile is strong. They don't make her like you. Use your free one every week and only buy more once your photos are great.

Can you see who's in your Standouts again tomorrow? No. Standouts refresh daily. If you don't send a Rose, that profile may show up later in your normal feed, where a regular like works.

The bottom line

A Rose moves you to the top of her list, and Standouts are where Hinge puts its most popular profiles behind a Rose. Use your free Rose every week on someone you're genuinely excited about, always add a comment, and don't pay for more until your profile is strong. Your photos decide whether a Rose turns into a match, and if yours aren't there yet, UnrealPhotos can create a full set from a few selfies.