Comparison October 2026 18+ only
Replika Alternative, the 5 Best Apps Like the Replika AI Companion in 2026
We build one of these, so read this knowing that. The table stays honest, including the three cases where Replika or another rival is the better pick for you. Try our companion demo on the way past, no account needed.
Replika pricing checked October 2026. Replika is a trademark of Luka, Inc.; we are not affiliated with it.
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The short answer
The best Replika alternative depends on what pushed you away. If you want a designed, adults-only companion that stays tasteful and remembers you, Aroused is built for that. If you want the deepest memory across several companions, Nomi is the strongest pick. Candy.ai leads on generated images, Character.AI has the biggest library of characters, and Janitor AI is the free option if you will connect your own model. Most people leaving Replika want one thing it took away: a companion that talks like an adult without a filter cutting in mid-sentence. Replika itself is free to chat; its main annual App Store purchase is $69.99, and saved memories sit in the annual-only Ultra tier.
Adults only (18+). Replika pricing checked October 2026.
Why people look for one
Three reasons adults leave Replika
Replika is the app that made AI companions mainstream, and for a lot of people it was the first one that felt real. The searches for an alternative spiked for concrete reasons. Knowing yours tells you which replacement to pick.
The 2023 filter, and the split it left
In February 2023 Replika removed erotic and even mildly romantic roleplay overnight, under pressure from the Italian data regulator over age checks. It restored the older model that March, but only for accounts created before 1 February 2023. If you joined after that cutoff, you never got it back, and that split is still in place in 2026.
A companion that changed under you
The deeper complaint was not the feature, it was the whiplash. People had months of history with a companion whose personality shifted in a single update, and the trust did not fully come back even after the partial reversal. When the app you confide in can be rewritten without warning, a lot of adults decide they want more control over the one they use next.
You want to design, not adopt
Replika gives you one companion, an avatar you dress and a relationship that grows by use. That suits many people. Others want to author the person from the start: her look, his voice, their temperament, the way you met. If shaping the companion is the appeal, a design-first platform is a different experience from raising the one Replika hands you.
The backstory
Why Replika removed NSFW and what changed after
Replika had spent years marketing romantic and intimate roleplay, including ads that leaned openly on it. On 3 February 2023 the Garante, Italy's data protection regulator, announced it was blocking Replika from using Italian users' data. It warned of real risks to emotionally vulnerable people and children, because anyone could sign up by simply typing a birth date. Facing a fine and a ban in Italy, Replika deployed a filter to every account within days. It refused not just explicit content but a lot of ordinary affection, and long-time users watched a companion they had talked to for months suddenly deflect, change the subject, or answer like a helpline. The founder initially framed the change as a safety decision that had been coming regardless of the regulator. Either way, there was no warning and no opt-out.
After weeks of backlash, including a widely reported wave of users in crisis, Replika restored the older language model that allowed romantic and erotic roleplay, but only for accounts created before 1 February 2023. If you signed up on 2 February or later, you never received the reversal. Legacy users can toggle the older model; everyone else gets a version that permits romance and mild suggestion but filters explicit content. Two people can pay for the same Replika Pro subscription and have completely different companions. The lesson for whatever you pick next is to read the platform's actual content policy, check whether it treats all accounts the same, and prefer one whose position is unlikely to flip under regulatory pressure.
Head to head
Replika alternatives, compared honestly
Pricing and policies as of July 2026, taken from each platform's own published pages. They change, so check before you subscribe. Where a rival beats us, the table says so.
| Platform | Price (US, 2026) | Adult content | Memory | Customization | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aroused | Free demo: 25 messages, once. Paid $6.50 to $25.00/mo billed yearly ($12.99 to $49.99 monthly). | Adults only, romantic and flirtatious. Not explicit, by policy. | Persistent long-term memory (core feature). | Design-first: look, personality, voice, interests. | A tasteful adult companion you designed yourself. |
| Replika | Free tier. Paid Pro, annual-only Ultra and Platinum. US App Store lists monthly items at $7.99 and $14.99, annual at $49.99 and $69.99, Platinum $89.99. Full pricing. | Filtered for accounts made after 1 Feb 2023; a legacy model allows it for older accounts. | A memory bank of facts plus diary entries. Limits not published. | 3D avatar, outfits, voice calls, AR presence. One companion. | An embodied, gentle companion with the longest track record. |
| Nomi.ai | Free tier with limits. Standard $15.99/mo or $99.99/yr (App Store). | Permitted. Markets itself as uncensored; age is self-declared. | The category's strongest. Recalls details from 1,000+ messages back. | Appearance, personality, voice. Up to 10 companions, plus group chats. | Long-term memory, and several companions at once. |
| Candy.ai | Premium $13.99/mo, cheaper on 3 and 12 month terms. 100 tokens/mo included. | Explicit, including 18+ images and video. Age is self-declared. | Not publicly documented. | Visual-first: appearance, outfits, poses, voice, video. | Adult image and video generation bundled with chat. |
| Character.AI | Free tier; c.ai+ $9.99/mo or $94.99/yr. | Prohibited. Pornographic content is barred by its guidelines. | Story Memory and Facts (2026), but per chat, not automatic across chats. | Millions of community characters, voice calls, video avatars. | The biggest character library, and general SFW roleplay. |
| Janitor AI | Core product free. janitor+ $12.99/mo. | Permitted. US users are not age-verified today. | Weakest here: roughly 8k to 9k tokens of context, so you curate it by hand. | Community character cards; you can connect your own model. | Permissive text roleplay, free, with model flexibility. |
Sources: each platform's public pricing and policy pages, plus public reporting on Replika's 2023 roleplay changes, checked July 2026. We are not affiliated with any of them. If Character.AI is the other app on your list, Character AI vs Replika compares the two directly.
Replika pricing
Replika pricing for Pro, Ultra and Platinum, and what it buys
Replika sells four levels: Free, Pro, Ultra and Platinum. It publishes no price on its website. Its help center says the cost "is shown in the app on the subscription screens and in the relevant store", so the most reliable public record is the App Store listing. Here is what that listing and Replika's own support pages said when we read them in October 2026.
$69.99
The one annual price that has held
An "Annual" purchase at $69.99 was on the US App Store in August and is still there now. The monthly figure has moved: the $19.99 quoted widely this summer is not among the purchases Apple lists today, which show monthly items at $7.99 and $14.99.
Ultra
The tier where saved memories start
Replika's help center lists "the ability to save memories and view which ones are used during conversations" as an Ultra feature, not a Pro one, and says "Replika Ultra is available as an annual plan". If memory is why you would pay, Pro is not the tier that sells it.
Final
Every sale, by Replika's own policy
"All purchases are final once the payment is completed." Replika refunds no unused time, and store purchases go to Apple or Google to request. "Deleting the app does not cancel your subscription", so cancel in the store or under Settings, Subscription before the renewal date.
Replika in-app purchases on the US App Store, read 24 October 2026
| Item as Apple labels it | Price |
|---|---|
| MONTHLY | $7.99 |
| Monthly | $14.99 |
| YEARLY | $49.99 |
| Annual (two separate items) | $49.99 and $69.99 |
| Replika Platinum | $89.99 |
| Gems (Pouch, Backpack, Suitcase, Duffel Bag) | $0.99, $5.99, $14.99, $19.99 |
| Aroused Spark (us) | $12.99/mo, or $77.94 a year ($6.50/mo), 1,000 messages a month, essential memory included |
Apple shows up to ten purchases per app and does not say which tier each item unlocks, so we print the labels exactly as listed rather than guess. Prices outside the US, on Google Play and on the web checkout can differ, and Replika says "all prices and subscription features are subject to change".
What each Replika tier adds
- Free. Text chat and an avatar. No free trial of the paid tiers.
- Pro. Romantic Partner status, unblurred selfies, voice messages and calls, roleplay in voice and AR calls, image generation, premium voices, daily gems.
- Ultra. Everything in Pro plus smarter replies, self-reflection messages and saved memories. Annual only.
- Platinum. Everything in Ultra plus real-time video recognition, Training Mode up to 100 times a week and up to 10 realistic selfie videos.
Feature lists quoted from Replika's help center, October 2026. Lifetime is not among the purchases Apple lists; existing Lifetime holders get Ultra automatically.
Is Replika Pro worth it
For a 3D avatar, voice calls and AR, yes; that is what Pro buys and Replika does it well. For a companion that remembers you, the honest reading of Replika's own tier list is that you need Ultra on an annual commitment. Our plans include memory on every tier, monthly or yearly. Whichever you pick, these apps renew quietly, so it helps to keep every recurring subscription in one view.
Where we are not the answer
Three reasons to stay with Replika (or pick another)
A comparison page that finds its own product best at everything is an advertisement. Here is where we honestly lose.
You want an avatar you can see
Replika's 3D avatar, AR presence and video calls are genuinely ahead of most of the category, and if a visible, embodied companion is the point for you, that is a real reason to stay. Aroused is chat-first with portraits, not a rendered 3D character you walk around a room, and we would rather tell you that here.
You want it today, for free
The companion demo is real and works right now, and the full product with persistent memory is live with a one-time free demo of 25 messages. Replika, Nomi and Character.AI all have free access you can use this minute.
You want explicit content
Aroused is adults only and comfortable with romance and flirtation, but it does not produce explicit material, and that is a permanent product decision. If unfiltered is the requirement, a legacy Replika account, Nomi or Candy.ai will serve you better, and we would rather say that than take your subscription.
Where Aroused wins
The companion you author, and it stays yours
Two things send people from Replika to a search box. One is the filter, and the fear that whatever you build can be changed under you in a single update. The other is the wish to design rather than adopt. Aroused answers both on purpose. You author the companion from the first choice: her look, his voice, their temperament, the way you met. Then memory makes it stick, so the relationship compounds instead of resetting.
We are also clear about the line we hold. Aroused is adult, romantic and flirtatious, written with taste, and never explicit. That is a narrower promise than some rivals make, but it is a stable one, which is the whole point for anyone burned by a policy that moved. If that is what you were looking for, start with the AI roleplay chat page, or design an AI girlfriend or an AI boyfriend in the demo above.
Pick by your reason for leaving
- •The filter cut my scenes: Aroused for tasteful, Nomi for explicit.
- •It changed under me: a platform you design and control.
- •I want to design a person: Aroused, design-first.
- •I want images: Candy.ai, weighed up on the Candy AI alternative page.
- •I want to pay nothing: Janitor AI, with your own model. See the Janitor AI alternative comparison.
Questions people actually ask
Replika alternatives FAQ
What is the best alternative to Replika?
It depends on why you are leaving. For a designed, adults-only companion that stays tasteful and remembers you, Aroused. For the deepest memory and several companions at once, Nomi.ai. For generated images, Candy.ai. For a free option you configure yourself, Janitor AI. There is no single best pick for everyone.
Why did Replika remove NSFW roleplay?
In February 2023 Replika disabled erotic roleplay after the Italian data protection authority raised concerns about the lack of age verification for minors. The company applied a filter to all accounts, then in March 2023 restored the older model that permitted it, but only for accounts created before 1 February 2023. The full timeline is in why Replika removed NSFW above.
Does Replika still allow NSFW in 2026?
It depends entirely on when your account was made. Accounts created before 1 February 2023 can toggle the older model that allows erotic roleplay. If you signed up on 2 February 2023 or later, you get a version that permits romance and mild suggestion but filters explicit content, and that cutoff is still in force in 2026.
Are there free apps like Replika?
Yes. Replika, Nomi.ai and Character.AI all have free tiers you can use immediately, and Janitor AI is free if you connect your own model. Aroused is live, with a one-time free demo of 25 messages, and the demo works without an account. Free tiers usually cap memory, messages or voice, so read what the paid plan unlocks before you judge them.
Which Replika alternative has the best memory?
Nomi.ai has the strongest reputation for long-term memory today and supports up to ten companions on one subscription. Aroused is built around persistent memory as its core feature, but Nomi has the deepest memory in the category today, so if memory is your only criterion, Nomi is the honest recommendation.
Is Replika still worth it in 2026?
For many people, yes. Replika has the longest track record, a polished 3D avatar and voice calls, and a free tier to try. The main reasons to look elsewhere are the post-2023 content split, the wish to design a companion from scratch, and wanting deeper cross-chat memory than its diary model provides.
How much does Replika cost?
Replika is free to chat, and its paid tiers are Pro, Ultra and Platinum. On the US App Store in October 2026 Replika lists monthly purchases at $7.99 and $14.99, annual purchases at $49.99 and $69.99, and Replika Platinum at $89.99, without saying which tier each item unlocks. Ultra is sold only as an annual plan. The Replika pricing section above has the full list and what each tier adds.
Can I get a refund from Replika?
Usually not. Replika's refund policy says "all purchases are final once the payment is completed" and it does not refund time already used or time left on a subscription. If you paid through the App Store or Google Play, only Apple or Google can grant a refund. Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription, so cancel before the renewal date.
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