What is an AI girlfriend, and is one right for you?

Most apps build her out of the same few pieces. Here is how I'd break it down:

• Chat: the core of every app, usually text first, with a free start of some kind
• Memory: how much of your history she keeps, often better on paid plans
• Voice: voice messages or live calls, which on many apps cost extra
• Pictures: images, and on some apps short video, usually paid or counted in coins
• Your own character: you design her looks and personality, or pick one from a library

My take: the chat is what you'll judge the app by, so don't let a pretty picture sell you a weak conversation. The extras are nice. The talking is the product.

Each app also draws its own content line, from romance only to adult chat for adults. That line matters as much as the price, and it varies more than people expect. If you have already bumped into a filter somewhere else, my guide on the PolyBuzz chat filter question walks through that frustration honestly, without tricks that put an account at risk.

The table right after this section sets three popular apps side by side: Candy AI, OurDream AI and Nomi AI. Read it as a map of how differently the same idea can be built. One leans on voice and images, one on coins and group chat, one on a generous daily free plan. None of them is the "right" AI girlfriend.

It also changes what you pay for. On a companion app the money usually goes to things that make her feel more present, such as longer memory, voice and pictures. Nomi AI, for example, lists memory as a feature and paid voice calls; Candy AI lists memory and voice calls; OurDream AI adds group chat, so more than one character can join a conversation.

Here is who I think gets the most out of one:

• People who enjoy roleplay and want a character who stays consistent
• Anyone who wants a low-pressure place to chat in the evening, without an audience
• Writers and daydreamers who like building a character and seeing her respond
• Curious adults who want to explore a romantic scenario privately

And who I'd steer elsewhere: anyone hoping an app will replace real support in a hard moment. A companion can be good company. It isn't a counsellor, and I wouldn't lean on it as one.

If a specific question about billing, cancelling or deleting data is holding you back, my help section answers those one app at a time. Honestly, knowing the exit before you walk in is the best way to relax and enjoy the entrance. The matrix just below shows which of three apps offers memory, voice, images and group chat, so you can match features to what you actually want.

• SpicyChat: no cap on text messages with the Default model, paid for with ads and the odd waiting line, and no images or voice
• Nomi AI: 50 messages a day forever, each up to 400 characters, with no ads
• GirlfriendGPT: 20 bonus messages that never expire, a Daily Login top-up of 10 each day, plus 30 coins when you sign up
• OurDream AI: 55 Dreamcoins to start at 1 Dreamcoin a message, though its help centre says it does not currently offer free dreamcoins, so sources differ
• Joi AI: 6 free image generations for life and a 10-Neuron balance on the free account

Candy AI is the tightest start, with only a few free messages in total before it asks for a plan.

Once you pay, the monthly prices sit close together: SpicyChat's Get a Taste at $5.95, Joi AI Premium at $13.99, Candy AI at €13.99, GirlfriendGPT Premium at $15, Nomi AI at $15.99 and OurDream AI Standard at $19.99. The catch is what sits on top. Candy AI includes 100 tokens a month, OurDream AI gives 1,000 dreamcoins, and Joi AI spends Neurons, so images and video can cost more than the plan suggests.

My take: a free start with a daily reset, like Nomi AI's, is the most honest way to find out whether you enjoy this at all. A one-off handful tells you less. If you already know you want pictures and voice, budget for one monthly plan and treat it as a trial month, not a commitment.

I care a lot about whether the free start is fair, and it's one of the things I weigh. You can read how the apps on this site are checked to see the rest. The box right below sums up Nomi AI, the app I'd point most first-timers to, precisely because its free plan doesn't vanish after a day.

On the apps on file, it breaks down like this. Nomi AI, OurDream AI, SpicyChat and Joi AI allow adult content under their policies. Candy AI and GirlfriendGPT allow it on paid plans only, so the free start there stays on the tamer side.

GirlfriendGPT's Premium plan at $15 a month lists NSFW chat among its features, and its Deluxe plan adds unfiltered chat access.

Why does this matter if you just want company? Because it shapes the whole feel of the app. An app built around adult content often puts that front and centre, while a companion-first app like Nomi AI, summed up in the box above, puts memory and conversation first. Neither is better. They're built for different evenings.

Honestly, work out what you're after first, and only then choose an app. If romance and conversation are the point, a companion-first app will feel more natural. If you're an adult who wants adult content too, choose an app whose policy says yes clearly, instead of one where you'll hit a wall mid-scene.

Other reviewers report that Nomi AI's image generator frequently refuses NSFW requests, even though its chat policy allows adult content. That's a nice example of why "allowed" can mean different things for chat and for pictures. If images matter to you, look at the image rules, not just the chat rules.

Not every character app goes in this direction, of course. My guide asking will Character AI allow NSFW covers one of the best-known apps and why its answer matters if you're coming from there.

One last point, since it comes up quietly: wanting a flirty or intimate companion as an adult is ordinary. What I'd skip is any app that hides its content level until after you've paid. Every app on this page has a stated policy on file, and that openness is part of why I'm comfortable discussing them. Start free wherever you can, and let the policy, not the ads, decide.

Candy AI bills as EverAI, the OurDream AI charge reads DREAM STUDIO LLC AL, a Nomi AI charge reads NOMI.AI, GirlfriendGPT as NDAI.CC, SpicyChat as NDAI.CHAT and Joi AI as joi.com. My view: EverAI and the two NDAI names are the most neutral on a shared statement. NOMI.AI and joi.com carry the app's name, which some people won't mind and others will.

The second part is what happens to your chats: how long they're stored, whether they train a model, who else sees them. None of the apps on this page has those details on file, so I won't guess. My advice is to read the app's privacy policy before you share anything you'd hate to see again, and to use a character name rather than your full real name if that helps you relax.

Cancel OurDream AI and it still works for you through the rest of the billing period you already paid.

Deleting is where I'd take my time. If you've built a character you like, copy the details you care about first, because a rebuild elsewhere is easier with notes. Then remove what you don't want kept.

For a worked example of how that looks on a large character app, my walkthrough for deleting Character AI chats covers each step. The same questions carry over to any companion app: what can you delete yourself, and what needs a request?

Privacy isn't a reason to avoid these apps. It's a reason to pick one with care, keep your details light and know your exit. That's true of every app you'll ever try, not just companions.

First, decide what you want most: conversation and memory, voice, pictures, or roleplay with a cast of characters. Second, pick one app with a free start that covers that, such as Nomi AI for conversation or SpicyChat for roleplay. Third, sign up, create or pick a character, and give it a proper week on the free plan. Fourth, only if you still enjoy it, choose a monthly plan rather than a yearly one.

That last step is where money goes wrong. Yearly plans look cheaper per month, and some are, like Nomi AI's yearly plan at $99.99, or the €3.99 a month you pay on Candy AI's 12-month plan. But refund rules are strict almost everywhere: Nomi AI's payments are nonrefundable, and GirlfriendGPT offers no refunds for subscriptions already paid for. A month you regret costs less than a year you regret.

My take: coins aren't a trick by themselves, but they make the real monthly cost harder to see. If an app shows a coin balance, find out what one image or one minute of voice costs before you get attached. Free tiers exist to let you fall a little in love with the product, and that's fine, as long as you choose the plan with your head.

For a wider view of how chat apps pay their bills, including why some stay free for everyone, my explainer on how Character AI makes money is a useful comparison, even if you never use that app.

And a final friendly word: an AI girlfriend works best as one good thing in a full life, not the only thing. Enjoy the chats, keep your budget clear, and switch apps without guilt if one stops feeling right.