Hydraulic fracturing is a coupled multi-physics and scale-dependent process requiring an extensive numerical-laboratory appraisal prior to a field trial. Developing a robust model of hydraulic fracture propagation requires knowledge of the time evolution of the fracture’s geometrical attributes, e.g., width/aperture and length/radius. However, it is inherently challenging to directly measure even the simplest fracture attribute (i.e., dynamic radius) within the rock sample subjected to in-situ stress conditions. In this study, two analytical models are developed to predict the time evolution of the radius of a penny-shaped hydraulic fracture. In the first model (RE), the incremental fracture propagation of an infinite hydraulic fracture is described using linear elasticity, modified to incorporate a realistic distribution of internal fluid pressure using a Taylor series. The second model (Rd) predicts the fracture opening and internal pressure gradient using Poiseuille’s law and assuming a self-similar propagation. Scaling and dimensional analysis are used to define propagation regimes; non-linear hydro-mechanical coupling is accounted for in the near-tip region (process- or cohesive-zone). Finally, the two analytical models are compared against published experimental data. Our results show that the radius prediction based on linear elasticity (RE) is suitable only for limited conditions, i.e., non-viscous dominated propagation regimes with negligible fluid lag and a stable fracture propagation. On the other hand, the Rd model takes advantage of a fast reconstruction of the dynamic radius of finite hydraulic fracture problems under more realistic conditions, i.e., including multiscale propagation regimes, cohesive effects, stable and unstable propagation in different geomaterials.