A Philippine platform is offering users a way to hire companions by the hour for activities ranging from coffee meetups and food trips to sporting events, errands, and hospital visits.
Launched this year, Phriend allows users aged 18 and older to book ID-verified individuals for strictly platonic activities. The browser-based service is available nationwide, with rates typically ranging from P300 to P1,500 per hour.
The model resembles paid-companion services operating in Japan and Thailand, where customers can hire people to accompany them to social activities or provide local assistance.
“Paying a local to show you the best lechon in Cebu is not strange. Tour guides, tutors, and hospital companions have always worked this way. Phriend puts them on one screen,” the Phriend team said.
Users can search profiles based on more than 46 activity categories. Each companion, called a “Phriend,” can list up to 12 services, set hourly or per-session rates, specify minimum booking periods, and indicate available days and hours.
Clients select an activity, date, starting time, duration of one to eight hours, and a public meeting place. Requests may be submitted up to 60 days in advance, subject to the companion’s acceptance.
The platform does not process payments. During a first meeting, clients are instructed to pay 50% in cash upon arrival and the remaining amount after the activity. E-wallet payments are allowed only for repeat bookings between users who already trust each other.
Phriend said it does not collect a commission from companions.
“For many Filipinos this is a side income built on what they already have: their city, their free time and their stories. Phriend takes no cut, so they keep all of it,” the company said.
The platform requires members to undergo government ID and selfie verification through identity-verification provider Didit. Meetings must take place in public, while dating and romantic or sexual services are prohibited.
“We wrote the rules before we wrote the code: public places, verified IDs, half in cash when you meet, leave if something is off. Safety is the product,” the Phriend team said.
Other platform features include in-app chat, booking and cancellation tools, reviews, availability schedules, activity logs, and listings for short-term gigs.
Phriend said reports, profiles, and gig postings undergo an initial AI-assisted moderation process before potentially being forwarded for human review.
The company positions the service as both a response to social isolation and a source of flexible income. However, the platform’s terms state that Phriend serves only as an intermediary and is not a party to meetings arranged by its users.
