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.
Nine apps · eight paid for · one cat called Biscuit
AI companion apps want your card before they show you anything. We went first.
We sent nine apps the same six messages, paid for eight of them, clicked through 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 pick8.3The best all-rounder we tested, and we paid to check. It chats as well as Kindroid, sent the best pictures, billed exactly as promised and let us cancel in two screens. 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.
- 7Xotic6.52 of 4 testedMolly is sharp, funny and listens. Around her, the app pushes paid pictures, sells a “Private Vault” and prices explicit video by the preset. Great character, pushy shop.
- 6SpicyChat7.52 of 4 testedA giant library of user-made characters and a $19.95 plan with nothing left to buy: unlimited chat, pictures included. The writing is earnest rather than funny, and there is no video.
- 8GirlfriendGPT6.02 of 4 testedThe funniest replies of the apps we paid for this week, and a shop that never closes: a memory upsell that froze the chat, coin-charged selfies, and pictures of your own characters locked to Deluxe or Elite.
- 9DreamGF4.02 of 4 testedRealistic photos and short clips for a handful of tokens, with a chat that’s mostly emoji. The first month is $12.99; the billing page says $25.98 after that.
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, from the first five (free accounts, 18 October). The next four, on paid accounts, are in SpicyChat vs GirlfriendGPT vs DreamGF vs Xotic.
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 Xotic costs the most at $149.94. 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 20, 2026
Kalon, Luxed, Chub, Darlink, Swipey and More: What We Found When We Checked Nine AI Girlfriend Apps
Not every AI companion app can be reviewed. On October 20, 2026 we signed up for nine that people are searching for. One has switched its AI off but still sells subscriptions, one is a funnel to a different site, one wouldn't take our card. Here's the state of each.
- October 20, 2026
What Shows Up on Your Bank Statement for Ourdream, Secrets, Candy AI and Kindroid?
We paid and checked: Secrets bills as 'S LABS INC', Ourdream as 'DREAMSTUDIOS.CO Limassol CY', and Candy as 'EverAI candy.ai MT', with its name on it. Kindroid depends on where you subscribed. Plus what 'discreet billing' doesn't hide, and how DreamCoins and Moments add up.
- October 20, 2026
SpicyChat vs GirlfriendGPT vs DreamGF vs Xotic: We Paid for All Four
Four AI girlfriend apps that kept turning up in search, one evening, one paid month each. The same six messages we sent every app, what each charged on top, what showed on the bank statement, and how hard each made it to cancel.