Secrets AI vs Joi AI: Which Companion to Pick

Secrets AI puts more weight on privacy and a steadier chat allowance, and it asks more per month unless you go yearly.

The free starts are shaped very differently. Joi AI gives 6 free image generations for the lifetime of the account, stored for 7 days, a free character to begin with and a balance of 10 Neurons, and no cap on free chat could be found. Secrets AI's Free plan is 20 messages a day with basic memory, plus a one-time 200 Moments at sign-up and one free custom companion.

I prefer the Secrets AI version, because a daily allowance is a promise you can plan around. Secrets AI's Free plan also opens all companions, while Joi AI's free account is described as a basic tier with limited access.

Why not just crown the cheaper app? Because the free chat on Joi AI is described as stiff and forgetful, with the warmth only arriving on Premium. That makes the free start less useful for judging the app than it looks.

My bias is simple: I care a lot about privacy and billing, and that is where Secrets AI earns its extra dollars. Its statement name is S LABS INC., which tells nobody anything, and reviewers rate its discretion highly. If you want the full picture of its plans and limits, my Secrets AI review goes deeper.

Both apps also let you design a companion rather than accept a stock one, which I count as a real plus for anyone whose type is not the default on the landing page. The side-by-side table that follows this text puts every feature in one row per app, so you can check your must-haves in seconds.

For a companion who'll still know your cat's name, the evidence favours Secrets AI; if you want one that texts like you do, Joi AI does.

Voice calls are paid on both. Joi AI's live video calls get special praise for low latency when they work. For more on its picture side, read my Joi AI review. Both apps allow adult content.

For someone who enjoys making pictures of their companion as much as talking to her, that is a fair deal.

What I do not love is how little the free account tells you. Six lifetime images that vanish after 7 days are a taster, not a trial. And the reports on free chat are blunt: it is described as poor, while Premium is described as genuinely fun and flirty.

So if you want to judge Joi AI, the honest way is one month of Premium, not a week on Free.

There is a new-user discount of 50% with code HELLO50, verified on 2026-09-22, which takes the sting out of that first month. I would use it, then decide.

The refund rule is the part to read twice. As a rule, a subscription can't be refunded after it's switched on, since you get full Premium straight away, and part-used periods are not refunded either. A proven card fraud case is one of the exceptions. In plain terms: once you pay, plan to keep that month.

One useful detail: should a renewal go unpaid for 7 days past its due date, you're moved down to Basic. Renewal is automatic until you cancel, so set a reminder if one month is enough. To cancel, open My Subscriptions in your account. For other matchups, my app comparisons hub has more pairs to read.

• Starting free: Free tier
• Lowest price: $13.99 monthly (Premium - Monthly)
• Allowed: mature chat permitted
• Runs on: web

The Free plan is honest in a way I appreciate. You get 20 messages a day, all companions and basic memory, plus 200 Moments once at sign-up, enough for about 4 images. After that the Free plan adds no Moments and cannot buy any, so pictures mean paying. That is a clear rule, and clear rules are what I want from a free start.

At $19.99 a month, Premium asks more than Joi AI does, but paying $109.99 for the year brings it to $9.17 a month. I would still start monthly: the policy gives no partial refunds for unused days, and all Moments purchases are final. Ultimate at $39.99 a month only earns its price if group chats, personas and advanced customisation are what you're after.

The weak spots are calm but real. Images can stray from the character's look, a failed try still uses Moments, and video motion is sometimes jittery. The Advanced image model is said to be much more consistent than the default one, so if pictures matter, lean on it.

To cancel, use your account settings or write to [email protected]; the plan then runs until the current billing period closes. To see how I weigh official pages and reviewer notes, read how I check the apps.

• Starting free: Free tier, 20 free messages daily
• Lowest price: $9.17 monthly (Premium)
• Allowed: mature chat permitted
• Runs on: web

The light user who mostly chats should start with Secrets AI Free. Twenty messages a day costs nothing and does not run out after a single evening. Joi AI's free chat has no known cap, but reviews rank it as the app's low point, which makes it a shaky basis for a decision.

The regular user wants one paid plan and no surprises. Joi AI Premium at $13.99 is the cheaper monthly option, and the HELLO50 code cuts the first month in half for new users. Secrets AI Premium is $19.99 a month, so on monthly billing Joi AI wins by $6.00.

The committed user should look at yearly billing, and only Secrets AI offers it. At $109.99 a year, Premium comes to $9.17 a month, clearly below Joi AI's monthly price. I would only take it after a month you enjoyed, since unused days are not refunded.

The picture-heavy user needs to count currency. Secrets AI Premium includes 8,000 Moments a month, about 160 images at around 50 Moments each, while Joi AI Premium includes about 50 free image generations a month. On both apps a failed attempt still spends currency, so leave some room for retries.

Ultimate on Secrets AI ($39.99 monthly, $319.99 yearly) is a luxury I would skip unless group chats or deeper customisation are the point for you. If images and video are your main reason to pay, also read my Candy AI vs OurDream AI breakdown, two other apps that sell them.

It also handles the part many people worry about quietly. The charge reads S LABS INC., and the app is known for an anonymous sign-up and a crypto payment option. That is a lot of privacy for a mainstream companion app.

My advice for the first step: spend the 200 sign-up Moments on a few images, see whether the look works for you, and only then think about Premium. Once those Moments are gone, the Free plan will not give you more, so do not save them for later and forget about them. Its voice calls are paid, but one reviewer rates the audio top-tier, and I would make that the first upgrade to budget for.

• Sharing a bank account or a laptop? Secrets AI, for the S LABS INC. billing name and the anonymous sign-up option.
• Mostly in it for pictures? Joi AI, with its image generator and monthly free generations on Premium.
• Tight monthly budget? Joi AI Premium at $13.99, even less in month one with the new-user code.
• Planning to stay a year? Secrets AI yearly at $9.17 a month.
• Want a companion who recalls what you said last week? Secrets AI, based on the planted-fact report.

My own pick is Secrets AI, narrowly, because I value discretion and an honest free plan more than a few dollars a month. Joi AI is the better buy for anyone whose main joy is making images of the character they built. I would not call either one a bad choice.

They simply reward different habits: Secrets AI rewards patience and privacy, Joi AI rewards a creative streak and a smaller monthly budget. Pick the habit that sounds like you.

Neither app refunds partial periods, so the smart move on both is the same: one paid month, then decide. And if memory is your real priority, a dedicated memory app could suit you better than either; my Candy AI vs Nomi AI page looks at one of those.