An Honest Review of Hank (2026)
I didn't try Hank myself. I'm in my late twenties and the app is built for people 55 and up. So I did the next best thing: I downloaded it on my mom's phone during a visit, set up her profile, and checked in with her weekly for a month. She's 62, recently retired, lives on the Upper West Side, and was spending a lot of time at home after my dad passed away last year. She needed this more than she admitted.
How It Works
Hank is straightforward. You create a profile, browse a calendar of local activities (walks, coffee meetups, happy hours, museum visits, book clubs), and join anything that looks interesting. You can also host your own events. There are both in-person and online activities. Everything is free.
What She Liked
It felt safe and age-appropriate
Her exact words: "I don't feel like I'm on a dating app." That matters. A lot of social apps borrow heavily from dating app design, which is off-putting for older adults who just want to take a walk with someone. Hank's interface is clean and simple. No swiping. No profile photos to agonize over. Just a calendar of things to do.
The activities are actually good
Within her first week, she joined a walking group in Riverside Park and a coffee chat at a bakery on Amsterdam Ave. Both were organized by other Hank users, both had five or six people, and both went well. She said the walking group felt like something she'd been looking for without knowing it. She went back the next week.
It's completely free
No subscription. No premium features. For retirees on fixed incomes, this is significant. She mentioned that a friend had tried another social platform that charged $30/month and dropped it after a month. Hank costs nothing.
What She Didn't Like
New York-centric
Hank is strongest in NYC. My aunt in suburban Connecticut was interested after hearing about my mom's experience, but there were almost no activities in her area. The app technically works anywhere, but the user base drops off fast outside New York.
No Android app
My dad's old phone was an Android. If she hadn't inherited my old iPhone, she couldn't have used Hank at all. For a demographic that's less likely to upgrade phones frequently, not supporting Android is a gap.
Small user base means thin options some weeks
Some weeks the calendar was full of interesting activities. Other weeks, there were only one or two options, and they were at inconvenient times. The app needs more users hosting more events to be consistently useful.
The Verdict
Hank is the only social app I'd recommend for adults 55 and older, and it's not because there's no competition. It's because Hank actually understands its audience. The design is respectful, the activities are appropriate, and the free pricing removes the last barrier to trying it. My mom went from spending most evenings alone to having a regular walking group and a coffee buddy within a month. The geographic limitation is real, but if you're an older adult in New York, Hank should be on your phone. For other cities, download it and see what's available. The potential is there even if the density isn't yet.
