Rivet vs Shimy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rivet
This app redefines dating by allowing real people to vet potential matches before you invest time. It focuses on genuine connections and understanding, enabling users to find love or meaningful relationships through community-driven matchmaking and a unique 'vibe check' system.
- Community-based matchmaking
- Vibe check before matching
- No endless swiping
- Earn Karma for matching others
- Optional matchmaking for friends
- Authentic profile creation ('Reflection')
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Most dating apps get it backwards. Swipe → Match → Chat → Meet → then find out there’s no vibe. WE FLIPPED IT Rivet is the only dating app where real people help you *vibe check before* you invest your time. So skip the awkward chats and get straight to connections that feel right. You could meet new people and find love or the kind of relationship you want for yourself, where you feel connected and understood. If you’re someone who likes setting up other people, this app is also for you. DATING, THE WAY IT WAS MEANT TO BE The best relationships don’t start with endless swiping. They start with someone saying, “You two would get along.” (Yeah, it used to happen a lot before social networking apps existed.) Rivet brings that back. Right on your phone. No more wasting time with endless swiping or ghosting. HOW OUR DATING APP WORKS -Get set up by friends, mutuals, and the community. -See potential matches that already passed a Minimum Vibe Potential (MVP). -Decide who’s actually worth your time. -Help others and earn Karma that can be redeemed for real cash. DATE, MATCHMAKE OR BOTH: You could be here to find someone or play matchmaker for people on Rivet. (Including your favorite third wheel. Your BFF being single is your problem too.) You earn Karma for matching other people that you can even redeem for real money. Don’t worry, only daters are shown as profiles to others. WHY RIVET WORKS? -No swiping: Stop guessing or being judged. -Social Matching: Human Intelligence > Artificial Intelligence. -Quality over quantity: Pick from a few curated matches instead of infinite swiping. -Verified community: Real and verified people only, even when they are matching others. -Karma: Help others match, get better matches yourself, and earn Karma. Rivet is a free dating app to sign up on, chat with matches, and find relationships. You can optionally buy additional Karma or earn it by matching others. We’re on a mission to make social matchmaking the norm through our dating app. HOW DOES THE COMMUNITY KNOW YOUR VIBE? We help you bring out “The Real You” with our proprietary feature "Reflection." It helps you build an authentic representation of who you are. No prompts or standard answers that make dating app profiles generic, also allowing you to choose how you look and bring out your personality. The community sees your Reflection paired with the Reflection of potential matches. You can also be on the app just to help your friends or other people find the one, even if you are in a relationship. We’ll pay you to do it! (After all, you made yours happen.) OUR VALUES -Chemistry: We don’t want you wasting time on boring dates. -Inclusivity: We want everyone to feel welcome, regardless of gender identity or preference for who they are looking for. -No Hierarchy: We believe that you’re not meant to be ranked; you’re meant to be understood and accepted for your uniqueness. Our mission is to find the “Right for You” person. JOIN RIVET Download Rivet to meet local singles and try the new way of online dating where your community has your back, and finding love isn’t a lonely journey. You’ll love being on Rivet. Don’t waste time on apps that promise dating near you but show you matches from different cities. Rivet is launching citywise, coming to areas near you soon. Support: support@rivetdating.com Terms of Service: https://www.rivetdating.com/terms Privacy: https://www.rivetdating.com/privacy
Shimy
This app connects you with real people nearby who are also open to meeting. Share a live selfie when you're out, and others can respond with their own. Chat opens if you both approve, with conversations lasting 24 hours.
- Real-time proximity matching
- Live selfie verification
- Expiring posts (3 hours)
- Expiring chats (24 hours)
- Identity verification
- Mascot chat companion
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no swiping. no stale profiles. no wondering if anyone's out there. see someone across the bar? now you can do something about it. if you're out, say so. posts last 3 hours. chats last 24. don't waste it. how it works - post a live selfie when you're out - see who's nearby and around right now - into someone? answer with your own selfie - they're into you too? chat opens. - make something happen before it's gone why it's different - camera-only. taken now, not two years ago - you only show up when you want to - everyone you see is actually near you - the feed is never stale. posts vanish in 3 hours - 24-hour chats. less talking, more meeting - identity verification required. catfish belong in the ocean. nothing happening yet? shimy's in your chats. always up. just be yourself*ie.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Shimy at 5.0 against Rivet's 4.0. Shimy also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (100% vs 65%). Rivet's advantage is ratings volume (159 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Rivet sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Shimy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Shimy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rivet has 159 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Rivet's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shimy's.
Rivet ships an update every 8 days, Shimy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rivet | Shimy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (159 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 159 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 487 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | MeantToBe Inc. | Shimy, Inc. |
Customer experience
Rivet
Shimy
In-app purchases
Rivet
- Karma Mini Pack - 1000 Karma$2.99
- Karma Mini Pack - 2000 Karma$4.99
- Karma Medium Pack - 3000 Karma$6.99
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- Karma Mini Pack - 3000 Karma$9.99
- Karma Medium Pack - 5000 Karma$9.99
- Karma Large Pack - 7500 Karma$14.99
- Karma Large Pack - 8000 Karma$14.99
- Karma Large Pack - 12000 Karma$19.99
- Karma Medium Pack - 10000 Karma$29.99
- Karma Large Pack - 20000 Karma$49.99
Shimy
No in-app purchases









