The word “free” on dating and hookup apps is often a misnomer. That is why when an app comes along with a self-proclaimed user base of 50 million and that also claims to offer a fully-functional free version, it will grab your attention. That is the case with Twoo. In operation since 2011, Twoo is a multi-platform app that is designed to “help you meet new people around you.” Being free, that would be excellent if true. We reviewed Twoo precisely to discover how true its claims are. Will Twoo be worth your time?

Twoo Review Results Popularity - 65

Value - 71

Features - 62

Quality of Members - 57

Safety - 64

Customer Satisfaction - 70 65 Final Word on Twoo We found Twoo to be a decent general purpose social app. We really wouldn't describe it as a true dating, much less a hookup app. Yes, depending on where you find yourself, in some areas of the world it might facilitate meeting people. For the most part, however, Twoo seems more suited for online socializing more than anything else. The one thing that did concern us was how the privacy of your Facebook and email contacts are not protected by default. Overall, we would rate Twoo as FAIR for a social app.

If you were looking for an app specifically for dating or hookups, then we would rate it as POOR.

— Pros and Cons —

Pros

A functional and powerful free version

Large user base

Available for mobile and desktop

Basic set of features that do not confuse users

Cons

The majority of the user base resides outside of the U.S.

Most active users are 22 or younger

Display ads are served on free version

Premium monthly membership offers few added features

Unique features require additional pay-per-event fees

— In-Depth Twoo Review —

Twoo was launched in 2011, so its platform has had time to mature and coalesce around a specific user experience. This being one that is light, breezy and easy to use. Twoo appears to be part social network, part dating site, part hookup app, and part chat app. While that may sound like too many functions to be grouped into a single app without it becoming bloated, Twoo pulls that part off rather well. The user interface never appears cluttered. The diverse functionality of Twoo is always presented in such a way that the user feels like they can customize the user experience to their own likes and needs. In other words, if you enjoy searching for potential matches, you can do that. If you prefer forming a tight circle of friends and not explore beyond that, you can do that. If you prefer to interact with a wide variety of people and play online social games, you can do that.

— User Base —

Being free, it should be no surprise that Twoo has a worldwide user base numbering over 50 million people. This is the number that the site proclaims and it also matches independent industry estimates. While that number may sound impressive, the number that matters most is the one that corresponds to active users. This figure is estimated to be 15 million.

When that number is analyzed further, about 10 million belong to English-speaking countries. The actual number of U.S. based active members is a bit fuzzier. It is estimated to be between 7 to 8 million. Even so, it is still a healthy number for a multi-purpose dating app.

During our testing, our main complaint about the most active users was that the vast majority appear to be below 22 years of age — there is even a significant number of teens. While you can find profiles of older people, most of these profiles fall into the category of inactive or occasionally active.

— Available Platforms —

Twoo is available as an iPhone and Android mobile app. It can be downloaded for free from iTunes or Google Play. You can also access Twoo from your desktop via its website Twoo.com.

The best user experience comes from its mobile apps. Using Twoo on a desktop browser provides for a less dynamic user experience. Add-on extensions for Firefox and Chrome are available that do a decent job at boosting the desktop user experience, but for optimal performance, we would strongly suggest sticking to the mobile versions.

— Registration —

Users can register for free on Twoo from either the mobile or desktop version. New users have their choice of registering by using their Facebook credentials or using an email address. The fastest method is to register through Facebook. Twoo uses your Facebook first name, profile picture, and location to pre-populate your new account. That is enough information to get your profile launched. Later, you can always add more details, such as physical attributes, hobbies, astrological sign, personality traits, favorite music, etc.

One thing that should be noted is that unlike other dating apps that use your Facebook credentials to register, Twoo actively imports your contacts. Under the settings section, there is a checkbox that you can uncheck to prevent Twoo from posting under your account or importing your contacts. By default, this is left activated. This is likely why so many complaints are posted by users regarding a lack of proper privacy controls.

Also, if you register with a personal email, if this email comes from a free service, such as Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc, Twoo also imports your contacts unless you specifically deny them from doing so under your account settings. During our test, two of our testers used the email method for registration. The default settings were used. Those two users did not encounter any detectable instances of Twoo sending promotional emails to their contacts. However, there are too many complaints posted online to dismiss from other Twoo users who claim such activity does occur.

— Features —

The feature set from Twoo is rather basic. There is a “Discover” feature that functions like a standard swiping app. This presents the profile pictures of other users that match your search criteria. You must then either swipe right to “like” or left to “pass.”

It also has a search engine that allows you to search with added filtering capability for people in your area or from throughout the world.

You can “like” any profile on Twoo. However, in order to establish instant communication, the other person must also “like” you. This is true regardless of whether you came across the person through the search or discovery feature. Messaging via Twoo’s internal email can take place whether members have mutually liked each other or not.

There is also a “message in a bottle” feature that allows you to send a message to the community as a whole and see what response you get.

— Cost —

Twoo is free and is monetized by display ads. There is also a premium version that removes the ads. This costs $0.99 for the first week and then you’ll be charged $30.99 for 3 months. Unlike other premium services that open up a vast array of additional services, Twoo does not.

Its special features, such as the message in the bottle, improved search positioning, priority messaging and the ability to send video messages require the use of a “pay-per-event” credit system. These credits blocks are priced from $9.99 to $39.99. Twoo accepts credit cards as well as PayPal. Each individual instance of a special feature is priced from one to 10 credits.