Yes, this is real. No, we can't believe it either.
Step 1 — Post.
A Hugger spots a huggee — a real person experiencing a severe tenderness deficit — uploads a photo, tells their story, and sets the urgency. Posting is free.
Step 2 — Browse.
Every Hug Story is 100% free to view. Photos included. No paywall. We know. Revolutionary.
Step 3 — Fund.
Helpers pick a story and choose their hugs — Casual ($1), Premium ($3), or VIP Bear ($5). Stack as many as the heart allows. Checkout as a guest: no account necessary, no subscription, no strings. Just hugs.
Step 4 — The hug happens.
The Hugger delivers the embrace(s) to the huggee. Professionally. Tenderly. The Helper made that happen.
Step 5 — Everybody gets paid.
Huggers keep 85% of every hug after Stripe's cut. Payouts go out through Stripe once a Hugger has collected $10 — small hugs pile up until then. Helpers get paid in feelings: like holding the elevator door open for somebody, the knowledge you helped — in this case, to accommodate a hug — is the entire product. Some would call it priceless.
Where your money goes 🤨
Tired of feeling scammed by excessive fees and charges? Us too. Our goal is to get the highest amount possible to the person doing the work. Here's the breakdown:
We take just 15% - after payment processing. Other websites and services typically take a minimum of 20%, and some as high as 45%. In this sense we are, mathematically, more tender.
You have multiple ways to pay with Stripe: cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Cash App Pay, or crypto.