AI companion apps: how they charge and what they do with your chats
AI companion apps let you chat, flirt or role-play with an AI character. They can be fun, and some people find them comforting. But they're subscription businesses that store some of the most personal things you'll ever type. Here's how to choose one with your eyes open.
Apps we link to
Where these stand. These are affiliate links we've chosen to list. We haven't finished our full hands-on review of them yet, so there are no scores. Our research-based reviews of Girlfriend GPT and Secrets.ai cover pricing, refunds, privacy and cancelling.
Girlfriend GPT
An AI companion chat service for adults 18+: you chat with AI characters, not real people. It offers paid upgrades, so check pricing and cancellation terms, and remember that what you type is stored by the service.
- Best for
- Adults curious about AI companion chat
- Pricing
- Paid upgrades. Check current pricing, renewal and cancellation terms before you buy.
Secrets.ai
An AI companion chat service for adults 18+ where you talk to AI characters, not real people. It has paid upgrades, so read the pricing, renewal and privacy terms first.
- Best for
- Adults curious about AI companion chat
- Pricing
- Paid upgrades. Check current pricing, renewal and cancellation terms before you buy.
How AI companion apps charge
- Free tier with a cap. Usually a set number of messages a day or in total. Caps vary a lot: one service we reviewed allows 20 messages a day, another only 10 to 20 messages in total.
- Monthly or annual plans. Typically around $15 to $50 a month, with big discounts for paying a year up front.
- Credits or tokens on top. Images, video, voice calls and extra memory often use a separate currency. That's where bills creep up.
- Web billing, not the app store. Many adult AI apps aren't on the Apple or Google stores, so you can't cancel from your phone's subscription settings. You cancel on the website or with the payment processor.
What happens to your chats
Everything you type is sent to, and usually stored by, the company. Read the privacy policy for three things: how long they keep data after you leave (one service we reviewed says six years), whether chats are used to train models, and whether you can delete your history.
- Use a separate email and a username that isn't linked to you.
- Don't share your real name, address, workplace or face photos.
- Don't upload photos of real people. Most services ban it, and it can be illegal.
- Assume anything you type could one day leak.
Checklist before you subscribe
- The company behind the app is named in its terms.
- Prices, renewal terms and what the credits buy are clear before checkout.
- There's an online way to cancel.
- The privacy policy says how long chats are kept and how to delete them.
- It's clearly for adults only, and bans content involving minors or real people.
Red flags
- No company name, no terms, or terms copied from another site.
- An app-store listing with a similar name from a different developer. Lookalike apps are common.
- Annual-only pricing, or pressure timers at checkout.
- A character that pushes you to buy credits to "keep the relationship going".
A note on wellbeing
AI companions are designed to be engaging, and they don't get tired of you. That's part of the appeal, and part of the risk. If you notice you're spending more than you planned, or pulling away from people in your life, set limits or take a break. The character won't mind.
Questions people ask
Am I talking to a real person?
On the AI companion apps we list, no: the characters are generated by AI. That's different from dating sites, where you're meant to be talking to real members.
Will it show on my card statement?
Yes, under the company's billing name or its payment processor. See our discreet billing guide.
How do I cancel?
Usually on the website's subscription page, or with the payment processor that billed you. Our cancellation guide covers the general steps.