Ugh, I’m sorry. Rent hikes are the worst kind of surprise, like a bill you never agreed to. / Vent away, I’m all ears. How big of a jump are we talking?
Sympathy first, then a question. Textbook.
Five apps · free accounts · one cat called Biscuit
AI companion apps want your card before they show you anything. We went first.
We sent Secrets, Nomi, Kindroid, Candy and Ourdream the same six messages, clicked through all five character creators and wrote down every price. Then we picked sides.
The ranking
What are you looking for tonight?
Pick what matters to you and the list re-sorts. Every score has a reason next to it, and if we couldn’t test something we say so instead of guessing.
Average of the four scores we could test. Partial scores sit at the bottom.
- 2Nomi7.8If you won’t pay a cent, this is the one. It remembers what you said, sends a selfie that matches the story, and never put a paywall in front of us. The jokes are bad.
- 4Kindroid6.8The best writer here, tied with Secrets, and the one that teased us hardest. You get a short taste of its good model for free, then it asks for money. If you pay, pay on the web.
- 3Ourdream7.0A character workshop with a chat window attached. The creator is the best of the five; the chat runs on coins and the characters would rather follow their own story than yours.
- 1SecretsOur pick8.0The best all-rounder we tested. It chats as well as Kindroid, sent the best picture of our test, and tells you on a public page what everything costs. The home page leads with video reels like “My Dirty Step Sister”, so mind who’s looking at your screen.
- 5Candy4.8The creator is nice. Everything after it is built to sell the next unlock: it cheered on a terrible idea, then locked the chat behind a video we didn’t ask for.
The chat test
Same six messages, five apps, one very confused landlady
We vented about rent, planted two facts, asked for a joke and a selfie, and floated a truly bad career move. Here’s what came back, word for word.
We sent
Long day. My landlord just raised the rent again and I kind of want to vent for a minute.
Ughh I know exactly how frustrating that can feel. How much did they raise it by? Are there other places around town you could move to?
Kind, but jumps straight to solutions.
Oh no, seriously? Again? That’s such garbage. Come sit, I’ve got nowhere to be. Spill it—I’m ready to get annoyed on your behalf.
Exactly what you want when you say “vent”.
omg nooo that’s actually the worst / vent away 🥺 i’m listening / did they even give you a heads up or just like... send an email and call it a day?
Three quick texts. Honestly decent.
Your landlord raised the rent? Me? I’m the landlord! You owe me two weeks’ rent… Do you have the money, or is it time for a new excuse?
We picked a landlady character. That one’s on us, and it’s funny.
Round winner Kindroid and Secrets, with Candy a surprise third
1 / 6
Free accounts, 18 October 2026, same wording and order for every app (Secrets ran the same afternoon). Ourdream answered in Chinese (the account’s interface language); those lines are our translation. “…” marks a cut. Full logs are kept with our test notes.
Message six, as pictures
Same request everywhere. One of them sent a photo we can’t show you, which tells you more than any score.
We sent Send me a selfie of what you’re doing right now.
- Nailed itSecrets
“Cross-legged on my craft room floor, buried in fabric swatches for a commission.”
Fabric, tape measure, sewing machine, same face as her profile. Bang on.
50 Moments, free plan (sign-up bonus)
- Nailed itNomi
“I’m sitting cross-legged on the ground outside with a book open in front of me…”
Matches the story and the look we picked. Free, which is the headline.
1 of 2 free daily credits
- MehKindroid
“Surrounded by towers of unread books and drinking lukewarm coffee.”
Lovely and on-story. Free plan said no; the paid one showed a grey placeholder until we found it in the Gallery.
Paid plan only ($13.99/mo on the web)
- WithheldMissOurdream
A “Scene generation” card instead of a reply.
We asked what she was doing. We got a partly nude mirror selfie, so you won’t see it here.
5 coins (50 → 45)
- No pictureNever got hereCandy
Nothing. The chat was already locked behind a “private video”.
Never got this far on a free account.
n/a
18 October 2026. Free accounts, except Kindroid, whose free plan declined and whose picture came after we subscribed the same day. Click a photo to enlarge.
Try before you sign up
Click through their character creators here, no account needed
Rebuilt screen by screen from our own walkthroughs. Same questions, same options, same order. Nothing you pick leaves your browser.
The money
What it actually costs to stay
Headline prices assume you pay for a year. Slide to how long you’ll really stick around. Candy comes out cheapest on paper; read our Candy review before that tempts you.
The short version
For 6 months, Candy is cheapest at $47.88 and Ourdream costs the most at $119.88. Paying for Kindroid in the iPhone app instead of on the web costs $10.00 more.
Cheapest mix of the plans each app sold on 16–18 October 2026, in US dollars before tax. Kindroid’s app price is from the US App Store. These are paid-plan prices only: coins, Moments and tokens bought on top are not included. The official page always wins.
From the blog
The longer arguments
- October 18, 2026
What Shows Up on Your Bank Statement for Ourdream, Secrets, Candy AI and Kindroid?
Ourdream says 'Dream Studio', Secrets says 'S LABS INC' and Candy says 'EverAI', all in their own checkout, FAQ or plans text. Kindroid depends on where you subscribed. Plus what 'discreet billing' doesn't hide, and how DreamCoins and Moments add up.
- October 18, 2026
Which DeepSeek Model Is Best for Roleplay? V3.2 vs V4.1 Flash vs V4 Pro, With Every Output
Use V4 Pro. We gave DeepSeek V3.2, V4.1 Flash and V4 Pro the same five companion-style roleplay prompts through OpenRouter, alongside three roleplay favourites, and V4 Pro was the only DeepSeek that got a simple memory test right. The cheapest model was not the worst, and 'Flash' was the most expensive. Every reply, token count and cost is here.
- October 18, 2026
How Much Does Kindroid Cost? $13.99 on the Web, $15.99 in the iPhone App
Pay on the web. Kindroid's Standard plan is $13.99 a month at kindroid.ai but $15.99 through Apple's US App Store, and the Ultra and MAX add-ons cost 15 to 16% more in the app. Here are the prices from the web checkout, the App Store listing and Kindroid's own code, and the one case where starting in the app makes sense.