How to secure AI companion privacy (2026), step by step

• What you type: every personal detail you share is data the app holds
• How you pay: which company name your bank prints next to the charge
• What you create: images, video and voice add more than text does
• How you leave: the cancel path and whether a refund is possible

Here is the honest part up front. For the six apps on this page, detailed rules on training models with your chats or how long chats are kept are not on file. I will not guess at them. What is on file is billing: statement names, cancel paths and refund rules.

That is where I would start, because it is the layer that reaches the rest of your life, through a shared card, a partner who sees the bank app, or a family account.

If you are not out to everyone around you, or you just like your hobbies private, that billing layer matters even more. A discreet statement name is a small thing that saves a lot of awkward conversations.

The table right below, "The apps side by side", lines up the six apps side by side. Read it with privacy in mind: a real free tier means you can judge an app before any card details go in, which is the most private way to start.

My take on the whole topic: you do not need to be paranoid, just deliberate. Pick your billing, guard your details, and know your exit before you enter.

Voice is its own question. Talking out loud adds a new kind of data, and on several apps voice calls sit on paid plans only. My explainer on how AI companion voice calls work covers what changes when you move from typing to talking, and I would read it before your first call.

What makes me more comfortable with an app is simple: a named company, a clear cancel path and a published refund rule. On that score, the apps on this page are a mixed bunch. Candy AI names EverAI Limited in Malta with a registration number, C107181. Nomi AI names Glimpse.ai, Inc., a Baltimore company registered in Maryland.

Joi AI names Novi Limited, reg. number HE 407352. OurDream AI names Dream Studio USA, Inc. GirlfriendGPT and SpicyChat both sit under NextDay AI Incorporated in Quebec, Canada. Every one of them has a real company name to hold to account, which I count as the baseline for trust.

Where they fall short is detail on data. None of these six has its training or retention rules on file for this page, so I cannot rank them on that. My advice is to read each privacy policy before you pay, and to assume that anything you type is stored.

• Your full name, home address or workplace
• Passwords, card numbers or security answers, even in a joke
• Photos of documents, or of other people who did not agree to it
• Anything about friends or family you would hate to see quoted back

You can still have warm, detailed conversations without any of that. Give your companion a nickname for you, change small details about your life, and keep real places vague. The story stays yours, and the data stays thin.

Treat the list above as your first filter. For the second step, if you are still choosing where to start, my ranked list of the best AI companion apps weighs companion focus, memory and voice.

Other reviewers report GirlfriendGPT returning explicit output on 2 of 4 style presets in one image test with Safe Mode on. That is a content miss rather than a leak, but it is a reminder that settings do not always behave as labelled.

My practical rule for romantic chats: write them as if a screenshot could exist. Not because it will, but because that mindset keeps you from sharing the details that would actually hurt. Flirt freely, share feelings freely, and keep identifying facts out.

It also helps to keep the app in its own corner of your digital life. Sign up with an email you keep for hobbies rather than your work address, and think twice before linking an account you would rather keep separate. It is a small choice that pays off if you ever leave.

My ranking for discretion: EverAI, DREAM STUDIO LLC AL, NDAI.CC and NDAI.CHAT say nothing about companions, which I like. NOMI.AI and joi.com carry the app's own name, which is fine if nobody else reads your statement, and less fine if someone does. Joi AI also has a renewal detail worth knowing: a payment still missing 7 days after it was due drops the account down to Basic.

Candy AI's offer line below is for anyone who wants the most neutral statement name on this page. And if you are still deciding which app suits you beyond billing, my list of the best AI girlfriend apps ranks them on companion focus, memory, voice and images.

Third, keep your devices private: a lock on your phone, and notifications that do not show message text on the lock screen.

That third habit is easy to skip, and it is the one most likely to cause real embarrassment. A preview popping up on a shared tablet does more damage than any data policy. It costs you nothing to switch previews off in your phone's settings.

I would add one more for anyone who uses several apps: do not reuse the same password across them. If one service has a problem, the others stay safe.

Nomi AI says all payments are nonrefundable except as the agreement states. SpicyChat says fees are non-refundable once the account has been used. Joi AI treats subscriptions as generally non-refundable once activated. GirlfriendGPT says paid subscriptions aren't refunded, apart from limited cases.

My opinion: OurDream AI's 14 days is the kindest window here, and Candy AI's 24 hours is tight but at least written down. For everyone else, assume the money is gone once you pay, and start with the free tier wherever one exists.

Also watch who handles the payment. If GirlfriendGPT billed you via CCBill, the cancel button lives on the CCBill site rather than in the app. And if a deal tempts you, such as Joi AI's 50% off for new users with the code HELLO50, read the renewal and refund terms first. A discount is only a good deal if you also know how to leave.

For the full picture on one of the more discreet options, including its free account and plans, my Candy AI review goes through everything on file.

Candy AI: Settings / Unsubscribe inside your account, cancel any time. OurDream AI: the profile page, then "Cancel subscription" and confirm; you keep what you paid for until that period is up. Nomi AI: on the web, open the Profile icon, pick the Subscription tab, go into Manage Subscription and then choose Cancel Subscription.

SpicyChat: Profile, then Manage Subscription, which redirects to the payment platform. Joi AI: the My Subscriptions section of your account. GirlfriendGPT: the manage subscription page for direct billing, or the CCBill website for CCBill billing.

Cancelling stops the charges. It does not necessarily remove your chats, and deletion rules for these apps are not on file for this page. So I would do both: cancel first, then look for a delete option in the account settings, and if there is not one, contact support and ask in writing.

I like it when your access lasts through the time you already paid for, which OurDream AI and SpicyChat both promise.

A couple of details on file are worth knowing. Joi AI's 6 free image generations are lifetime, not monthly, and they are stored for 7 days. Other reviewers report that OurDream AI voice calls used up coins quickly, partly on images the app generated mid-call without the reviewer asking.

That is a cost point more than a privacy one, but I would rather know an app might create media I did not ask for.

My advice: generate only what you would be comfortable keeping, and delete what you do not need. If an app offers a gallery, clear it now and then. And if you share a device, remember that anything you download lands in your phone's gallery, where anyone who borrows it may see it.

The quick facts box below starts the app-by-app notes with Candy AI. For more practical guides on cancelling, deleting and choosing apps, my help section collects them all.

The free account is small: in total you get 3-5 messages plus 3-5 images, and they never refill. That is barely a hello. From a privacy angle, though, it is useful: you can see the interface and the style before any card goes in. Adult content is on paid plans only, so the free account stays at a tamer level.

If you do pay, I would pick the 1-Month Plan before the 12-Month Plan, even though the yearly one costs less per month. If you share a card with a partner, EverAI is about as quiet as a statement line gets on this page. It keeps your commitment short while you decide whether you are comfortable with how the app treats you.

Cancelling is simple on paper: Settings / Unsubscribe within your account, at any time. The refund rule is the tight part. Non-EU and UK users get 24 hours after payment to request one, and nothing after that. If you want to keep that door open, set a phone alarm for the same day you pay.

What is not on file for Candy AI is any detail on chat storage, or on whether your messages are used to train its models. I would read its privacy policy before sharing anything personal, and keep to the no-identifying-details habit either way.

Candy AI is also web only on file, so there is no app icon sitting on your home screen for someone else to spot. Other features on file include memory, voice calls and custom companions, with images and video on paid plans.

My verdict: Candy AI is the smart pick when discretion on the statement comes first, as long as you respect that 24-hour window. For how I decide which of an app's official pages count as sources for facts like these, see the method behind my app notes.

• Starting free: Free tier
• Lowest price: €3.99 monthly (12-Month Plan)
• Allowed: mature chat, paid plans
• Runs on: web

What I like most here is the refund rule. Its 14-day "Quality Guarantee" lets you contact support within 14 days of purchase for a case-by-case credit, replacement, rectification or refund. That is the longest window on this page, and it takes some pressure off a first payment.

The free start is where sources disagree. The free plan lists 55 Dreamcoins to start, with chat at 1 Dreamcoin per message, but the help centre says it does not currently offer free dreamcoins. I would treat the free start as possible, not promised.

The coin model is the catch for privacy-minded budgets. Voice calls are said to drain coins quickly, and reportedly the app can generate images during a call without being asked. If you would rather control exactly what media gets created, I would keep calls short at first and watch the coin meter.

Cancelling is straightforward: from the profile page, click "Cancel subscription" and confirm. Your plan stays active for the days you've already paid for.

I would start on Standard Monthly and switch to annual after you're sure it suits you.

OurDream AI also offers video generation on its paid plans, and reviewers describe it as coin-hungry. From a privacy view, I would treat every clip like a photo: only make what you would be happy to keep, and clear out what you do not need.

My verdict: when a refund safety net matters most, I'd go with OurDream AI, provided you watch the coin balance.

Building your own companion is supported here, and it is a good privacy habit to design one from scratch rather than feed it details from your real life. The steps are in how to create an AI girlfriend, written with the same keep-it-vague approach.

• Starting free: Free tier
• Lowest price: $9.99 monthly (Standard Annual)
• Allowed: mature chat permitted
• Runs on: web

Where Nomi AI shines for privacy is the free plan. It is permanent, gives 50 messages a day at up to 400 characters each, and shows no ads. No ads means no ad network in the middle of your conversations, which I like. Two free images a day come with it.

You can use the app for weeks before any card details go in, and that is the most private way to decide.

Behind it is Glimpse.ai, Inc., incorporated in Maryland with its head office in Baltimore. A named, US-registered company gives you somewhere clear to send a data request.

The catch is money and checkout. Payments are nonrefundable except as the agreement states, and Nomi AI does not refund for lack of usage or dissatisfaction. Other reviewers report that a payment sometimes needed as long as three days to go through, and occasionally needed a VPN or US region to complete checkout.

That is frustrating, but it is one more reason to stay on the free plan until you are sure.

Upgrading costs $15.99 for the Standard Plan Monthly, $39.99 per quarter, or $99.99 for a year, roughly $8.33 monthly. Voice calls and group chats come with paid plans. Cancelling on the web runs through the Profile icon, the Subscription tab and Manage Subscription.

My verdict: Nomi AI is the calmest place to start if you want to test the waters privately. Its free plan is where I would begin. Just know your statement will say its name.

Nomi AI lists memory as a feature, and that is also a reason to be careful what you tell it. A companion that remembers well will remember the personal details too. Shape its personality through the character itself rather than your real biography; my walkthrough on customizing an AI companion's personality shows how to give it depth without oversharing.

• Starting free: Free tier, 50 free messages daily
• Lowest price: $8.33 monthly (Standard Plan Yearly)
• Allowed: mature chat permitted
• Runs on: web, ios, android