Chat&Yamo and Heyama go after the same people: singles in Africa and across the diaspora. Where they really differ is how you pay. Chat&Yamo runs on subscription packs that renew automatically, each with its own set of features. Heyama has no subscription at all: you pay for a specific action when you need it, and a lot stays free.
If you're looking for a Chat&Yamo review before you sign up, here's what its own pages say, side by side with how Heyama works. This is the Heyama blog, so we won't pretend to be neutral. Our rule: for Chat&Yamo, only what's on Chat&Yamo's official website, with a link. No prices and no app store ratings, since both change too often. Pages checked in October 2026, so if you're reading this much later, check the source.
Chat&Yamo vs Heyama: side by side
| Chat&Yamo | Heyama | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Singles in Africa and the diaspora | Africans on the continent and in the diaspora, in English and French |
| Free | Creating a profile, browsing singles, matching. Likes are limited without a plan | Profile, Likes, matching, chatting after a match, replying to DMs |
| Paid model | Plans of 1, 3, 6 or 12 months that renew automatically | No subscription: coins, Boost and Incognito as one-off purchases |
| Profiles in other countries | Pack Solo: your country of residence. Pack Diaspora Élite adds "Passport" for profiles worldwide | Pick the city you search in from the Filters, among thousands of cities worldwide |
| Messaging before a match | Part of the paid plans ("Likes with a message", direct messages before a match) | Paid DM in coins. Replying to a DM is free |
| Intention filter | Included in Pack Premium Plus | Available for 200 coins |
| Payment | Card, or Mobile Money depending on your country, app stores | Mobile Money depending on the country, PayPal (cards included), App Store, Google Play |
Same community, different rules
Chat&Yamo's French homepage sums itself up as "verified singles, in Africa and in the diaspora". Its site runs in English and French, and its contact page lists offices in Yaoundé and Abuja. So this is a direct competitor, not a general dating app with a few African profiles.
Heyama starts from the same place: meeting someone who shares your roots, from Douala and Dakar to Peckham and Brampton. Both apps ask what you're after. Chat&Yamo offers marriage, long-term love, friendship, flirting or "exploring". Heyama has four intentions: Wedding, Friends, Fun and Sex.
With such a similar audience, the choice comes down to three practical things: what you pay, how you reach someone, and what the app does for your safety and privacy.
Subscription or pay as you go
Chat&Yamo's plans
According to Chat&Yamo's subscription page, creating a profile, browsing singles and matching are free. Without a plan, likes are limited. There are three packs:
- Pack Solo: unlimited likes and conversations, video dating, and local dating in your country of residence.
- Pack Diaspora Élite: everything in Solo, plus "Passport" for profiles from around the world and "Likes with a message".
- Pack Premium Plus: everything in Diaspora Élite, plus filtering by dating intent and control over who can see you and who you see.
Plans run for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months and renew automatically, with a notice before each payment and the option to cancel at any time. Chat&Yamo's terms of use say you need to cancel before the next billing date in your app store or payment settings, and that deleting your account doesn't cancel an app store subscription. Simple habit: note the renewal date the day you subscribe.
How Heyama charges
Heyama isn't "all free", so let's be straight about it. Free: your profile, Likes (20 a day before you verify, 200 after), matches, chatting once you've matched, and replying to DMs.
Paid in coins: a DM before a match (200 coins), going back to a profile you passed (100), creating a match from the Likes screen (300), the intention filter (200) and a few other options. Boost and Incognito are bought with money. No subscription: each purchase is a one-off, and nothing renews unless you buy it again. You can also earn coins for free through the daily login streak or by inviting friends.
Which works out cheaper? It depends on how you use it. If you message lots of new people every day for months, a subscription can pay for itself. If you mostly chat with your matches and only send the odd DM, paying per action stays lighter.
Dating across borders
For the diaspora, this is usually the first question. You live in London and want to meet someone in Abidjan, or the other way round.
On Chat&Yamo, Pack Solo covers your country of residence. To see profiles worldwide you need "Passport", which comes with Pack Diaspora Élite and above.
On Heyama, you choose the city you search in from the Filters (the magnifier on the Dates screen), among thousands of cities worldwide, or search a whole country. There's no special plan for it. If you're heading into a relationship across two continents, our piece on the challenges Africans face finding love abroad will help you ask the right questions early.
Messaging before you match
You've seen a profile you like and you don't want to wait for a match that may never come.
On Chat&Yamo, writing before a match is part of the paid plans: "Likes with a message" in Pack Diaspora Élite, and direct messages before a match among the premium features it promotes.
On Heyama, you tap "Send a DM" on the profile card, between the X and the heart. It costs 200 coins and lands in the other person's DMs tab, and they reply for free. Nobody has to pay to answer you. Our guide to contacting a profile on Heyama shows where the buttons are.
Verification, safety and privacy
Chat&Yamo says every account can be certified by photo or video, that its team reviews every reported profile, and that photos showing nudity or violence are refused. Its safety tips page explains how to block and report someone from their profile or from the chat, including for money requests.
Heyama checks every photo, automatically and then by the team, and reviews bios. Verification is optional: a selfie copying a gesture, reviewed by the team within 24 hours, then the "Certified profile" badge. DMs and bios containing a phone number or email address are refused. Screenshots are blocked across the whole app by default. And Incognito mode (a paid pack for 3, 6 or 12 months) makes you visible only to the people you've liked or written to.
Whichever app you use, one rule protects you better than any feature: never send money to someone you haven't met. For the other warning signs, read our guide to red flags on dating apps.
Paying and getting help
Both apps take Mobile Money, which matters a lot if you don't have an international card. Chat&Yamo lists card payments, or Mobile Money depending on your country (its French FAQ names Wave and MTN MoMo). Heyama offers MTN, Orange, Moov, Wave, Airtel and other services depending on the country, plus PayPal (cards included), the App Store and Google Play.
For help, Chat&Yamo's contact page lists in-app chat, a form, email, WhatsApp and phone. On Heyama you reach support by WhatsApp or by email from the app (Settings, Support).
So, Chat&Yamo or Heyama?
Chat&Yamo suits you if you like one subscription that bundles everything for a month or more, you plan to use the app heavily during that time, or video dating matters to you.
Heyama suits you if you don't want a subscription that renews, you want to search another city or country without a special plan, and you want the person you write to to be able to reply without paying.
The easiest way to decide is to try. If you're comparing several apps, our guide to the best dating app to meet Africans covers the options. And to make up your own mind, join Heyama and create your profile for free.
FAQ
Is Chat&Yamo free?
Partly. Creating a profile, browsing singles and matching are free, but likes are limited without a plan, and several features (profiles worldwide, likes with a message, the intention filter) need a paid pack.
How do I cancel a Chat&Yamo subscription?
According to its terms of use, cancel before the next billing date in your App Store, Google Play or payment provider settings. Deleting your account isn't enough to stop an app store subscription.
Chat&Yamo or Heyama for the diaspora?
Both target the diaspora. On Chat&Yamo, seeing profiles worldwide comes with the Passport feature in the higher packs. On Heyama, you set the city you search in from the Filters.
Does Heyama have a subscription?
No. Coins, Boost and Incognito are one-off purchases with no automatic renewal.
