Raya App Review [Requirements, How It Works & More!]

💡 Key Takeaways:

• Extremely exclusive membership - requires committee approval, Instagram verification (reportedly 5,000+ followers), and typically referral from existing member
• Surprisingly affordable pricing - Standard membership $19.99/month (or $9.99/month annually), Raya+ $49.99/month with additional features
• High-profile user base - attracts celebrities, executives, and creative industry leaders, but primarily in major cities like LA and NYC
• Strict privacy rules - screenshots prohibited, members can't discuss other users on social media, risk removal for privacy violations
• Mixed user reviews - 4.1/5 on App Store, but complaints about waitlist length (can take months), algorithm issues, and fewer A-list celebrities than expected

When it comes to finding your ideal partner, your standards are high - and since you’re looking for Raya dating app reviews, you’ve probably hit your limit for how many times you can swipe left on Tinder.

Intelligence, creativity, ambition, successful career - is that too much to ask?

Enter Raya - the elite dating app for creatives where those qualities aren’t just in abundance, they’re required.

Since 2009, VIDA's team of dating experts has been helping thousands and thousands of singles meet quality matches on dating apps and sites, and we've found Raya to be an effective dating app for many of our clients.

This Raya review has all the details you want to know about this ultra exclusive dating app, so you can decide if it’s worth it!

Let's start with one of the most common questions people have about this exclusive dating app: How do I actually get on Raya?

Raya Dating App Requirements

Raya was designed specifically as place where people in creative industries can meet each other - either for dating or networking.

But it’s not just for any creative people - you need to be at the top of your game to make it past the metaphorical velvet ropes.

Acceptance means you’re joining the ranks of celebrities on Raya like Ben Affleck, Demi Lovato, Channing Tatum, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Lizzo and Rivers Cuomo.

In addition to celebrities, you’ll find plenty of top level executives, athletes, and influencer-types as well.

Admittance depends on their anonymous acceptance committee which is comprised of 500 individuals from around the globe.

It’s their job to determine if you’ve got that elusive something extra, which includes an Instagram presence. In fact, you are required to include your Instagram handle on your Raya profile.

Part of the sign-up process is granting access to your Instagram so the committee can check it out, and the app’s acceptance algorithm will determine your overall influence and how many other Raya members follow you. It's been rumored the bare minimum for followers is 5,000, and ideally you'll have 250,000+.

However, these are just rumors and admission can also be based on who refers you and other factors.

According to a feature in The New Yorker, a full 87% of applicants who pass the acceptance process are either referred by existing members or have Raya members listed in their phone's contacts.

If you don’t have a referral, you can still submit an application for the committee to evaluate.

Here’s Raya’s process for admission, straight from the horse’s mouth:

Raya’s waiting list is constantly changing as people are accepted or left 'pending', so the length of time you’ll be on it varies from a day to a couple of months. You may not even get a Raya rejection letter. Your application will just stay ‘pending’ indefinitely.

If that happens to you, give, Teleport, Tinder Select or The League a shot.

Getting Started: Raya Application Questions

Signing up for the app is easy - qualifying to be on Raya is the hard part. This elite celebrity dating app comes by its “Tinder Illuminati” nickname honestly.

Once you're in, you can start using it.

For starters, member privacy is paramount. You’ll have to agree to follow the app's guidelines for members:

Due to the exclusivity of its members, Raya has strict privacy guidelines. If you screenshot a profile, you’ll be sent a warning notice that you’ll be removed from the app if the image pops up anywhere online.

In fact, if you break Raya's code of silence in just about any way, you risk getting booted off the app.

In addition to the 'no screenshots' rule, users are also warned against mentioning Raya's users on other social media platforms.

Another major difference between Raya and other dating apps is your profile. Raya profiles consist of a slideshow of photos pulled from your Instagram account, set to a song you select. 

However, similar to other dating apps, Raya also has an “About” section, which includes a brief introduction of yourself, where you live, where you’re from, what you do for work, and your age as well as your listed Interests.

How To Use Raya

When you’re interested in someone, you tap the heart icon. If you’re not, tap the “X”. There’s also the option to directly message someone right away or ‘rewind’ someone if you’ve made a mistake.

If another user has given your profile a ‘heart’, indicating their interest, you will see a banner at the very top of their image to let you know they already like you.

Raya shows you members both near and far - as in all over the world. But if you want to see people currently in your immediate vicinity, you can turn on “social mode”.

That will bring up a map of members who are hanging out in clubs, bars, or hot spots nearby - and you can hopefully go from match/message to meet-up in time to grab a drink together.

Raya also has a “Directory” feature, which is a searchable roster of members. Users can search for other users by city, company, or industry. You also have the option to switch on ‘work mode’ if you’re more in the networking than dating mood.

Is Raya Better Than Apps Similar To Tinder?

Pros:

• All members are scrutinized prior to acceptance, so the singles you’ll find are likely highly intriguing people.
• At only $19.99 per month for the Standard membership, Raya is a screaming deal compared to much pricier exclusive dating apps like The League.
• It’s not just for dating. Many users use Raya and the Directory feature for networking or hiring a "Raya-approved interior designer, for example. And 10% of Raya users indicate they are "there for friends" in their profiles.
• The app is extremely security conscious, so if discretion is important to you it’s unlikely you’ll find your profile leaked to Page 6 or TMZ.

Cons:

• Like any app that requires committee approval to make it through the door, the user pool won’t be nearly the same numbers you’ll find on apps like Tinder and Bumble.
• It's speculated that Raya’s acceptance is largely determined by your level of influence - and some critics question how a social media following could make a difference in how “dateable” you are.
• If you’re not in a city like New York or Los Angeles that’s known for its creative industries, you might not find many users in your area.

Curious what Raya users have to say about their experience? Let's take a look at that next.

Raya Dating App User Reviews

On the App Store, Raya has a 4.1 out of 5 star rating based on over 11k reviews.

Several of reviewers mentioned meeting their spouse through the app:

Francescog192000 also gave Raya 5 stars, saying he appreciated how "most of the people on it have a career, education, and they want to do something with own lives a.k.a. interesting people."

Of those who left a more negative review, concerns about the Raya app included the waitlist process and perceived issues with the app's algorithm.

For instance, Cfulmer920 said he was "left on read" by Raya, despite applying twice over the course of 3 years and being stuck on the waiting list both times.

A user named brightrose managed to make it off the waitlist, and said she found higher quality men on it. But she felt that "somehow it's impossible to actually connect with anyone through this app" and said the algorithm didn't seem to work.

On Reddit, Raya users gave the dating app mixed reviews. Some singles felt it wasn't worth the money, like airyeez who claimed to have Raya and pronounced it "...absolutely not worth [it]. Unless you just want to bang low level athletes/celebrities. I haven't found a real connection on the app."

Redditor OGMWhyDoINeedOne disagreed, saying it was worth it to "Check it out for a few months. I'd spare $100 for using it for five months (just to see what the hype is about.)"

Other Redditors weighed in on the Raya debate, saying that a user's age could impact their matches. As one user explained, "I just deleted it. If you are below 30, it's probably worth it. A day above that and you can hear a pin drop."

Another Raya complaint: lack of celebrities. Considering the media hype, some Redditors expected to be scrolling through A-listers, but one complained that the profiles were of "aspiring DJs and real estate agents."

Meet The Best Singles - On Any Dating Site Or App

If you’re checking out Raya dating app reviews, you’re savvy enough to not want to waste time, effort, and money on apps that don’t work.

But if you want to meet your ideal partner sooner, rather than later - you need an overall dating strategy. No matter which app or site you use, your photos, profile, and messages need to be on point.

Whether you’re on Raya, Tinder Select, Bumble or Hinge, if those 3 pieces aren’t coming together to portray you as the Total Package, you probably won’t meet the highest quality singles in your area.

Why not let VIDA’s dating experts help you get a leg up on your competition? Not only will we determine the best possible combination of dating sites and apps for you, we’ll handle everything else too.

Profile writing, photo selection, message exchanges - every single aspect will be in our expert hands. Your job is to simply show up for the dates with the best singles in your area!

Want to know more? Just click here...