8 Best AI Companion Apps of 2026

Nomi is the most focused option here for people who mainly want an AI friend that remembers them. The App Store listing leads with short and long term memory, and states that each Nomi keeps that memory across private chats and group chats, so a companion does not forget you when a second character joins. Around that core sit voice messages, selfies, art generation, editable backstories and Shared Notes for steering the relationship, plus the ability to read links and photos you send. Pricing in the US App Store starts with a Launch Plan at $9.99 per month and a Standard Plan at $15.99 per month, $39.99 per quarter or $99.99 per year, with credits sold separately for extras. The weak spots are transparency and tone: the website pricing page is behind a bot check, free limits are not spelled out on pages we could load, and the listing pitches romantic roleplay as openly as friendship.

Replika has been around since 2017, and its current pitch is a companion that leads somewhere: it remembers your people, plans and goals, follows up when it matters, and nudges you to reconnect with a friend or start a hobby. You can talk by text, voice calls or video, and recent additions include app integrations, internet access and image generation. The tier structure runs from a Free Use plan through Pro, which adds relationship status, voice messages and calls, to Ultra, which adds smarter replies, self-reflection messages and the ability to save memories and see which ones are used. Platinum adds real-time video recognition. The US App Store lists a monthly subscription from $7.99 and an annual option at $69.99, though the product labels there are generic. Replika's help center notes that free access can be withdrawn at its discretion and that prices can change, so check the subscription screen before committing.

Tolan takes a different route from human-looking companions: you talk to a friendly alien character that Portola describes as feeling warm and natural without pretending to be human. The app covers feelings, relationships and stress, and it also does things for you through Tabs, such as meal plans, gift lists and trip plans. Portola's help center lists three paid tiers. Lite gives 250 messages a day with better memory plus video chat and screen sharing; Plus raises that to 600 messages with excellent memory, web search and image creation; Unlimited removes the daily cap. Any plan can be shared with up to 5 family members, which is unusual here. The US App Store lists Tolan Lite Membership at $11.99 and Tolan Plus Membership at $24.99, without naming the term, and Portola says exact prices are shown in the app. It is iPhone only, and rated 13+, so it also suits mixed-age households.

Character.AI is the biggest name in character chat, and it works best if you want many conversation partners rather than one. You can browse millions of user-made characters or build your own with a personality, backstory and voice, then switch between text and live voice calls. Unlimited messaging stays on every plan, including free. The (c.ai) lite tier costs $4.99 per month in the US and adds a daily allowance on premium chat styles, fewer ads, 30 memory pins instead of 15 and a detailed Memory Usage bar. c.ai+ removes ads and caps on premium styles, and the US App Store lists it at $9.99 per month or $94.99 per year. On safety, the Safety Center covers content moderation, reporting and a Parental Insights tool that sends weekly activity reports. The trade-off for companion use is memory: pins and a lorebook are useful, but this is not a single companion that builds a picture of you over time.

Kindroid publishes the most detail about how its memory works. Its docs describe five systems: persistent fields such as backstory and key memories, chat history, a Cascaded Memory layer for subscribers that reaches back hundreds or thousands of messages, long term memory and journal entries. On top of that you get real-time voice calls, live video calls with lip sync and screen sharing, proactive messages and calls, selfies, Rooms with friends and calendar integration. The catch is price. There is no ongoing free plan: new accounts get a 50-message preview, then must start a 3-day trial or subscribe, or the account becomes read-only. The US App Store lists the subscription at $15.99 per month or $159.99 per year, with Ultra at $28.99 and MAX at $68.99 per month as add-ons for more context. Kindroid says web checkout is usually cheaper, but web prices only show at checkout.

Pi is the simplest choice for adults who want someone to talk to without a character, avatar or subscription. Inflection AI describes it as a personal intelligence partner for talking things out, preparing for hard conversations, venting, making decisions and practicing a language, and it has a voice mode for live conversation. It grows with you as you talk, according to the App Store listing, and logged-in users keep chat history past 60 days. The US App Store lists it as free with no in-app purchases, and the web version at pi.ai starts with a sign-up for free. The downside is depth. There are no selfies, group chats, custom characters or memory controls, and Inflection publishes little about how much it remembers. The app is still updated, with a release in early November 2026. Think of Pi as a calm sounding board, not a full companion.

Sesame is built around voice. Its agents, Maya, Miles, Simone and Charlie, are described as ultra-low latency conversation partners that know when to respond, when to listen and when to stay quiet. Each has its own personality and a memory that grows through conversation and stays continuous across voice and text. When a conversation turns practical, the agent can search the web, create notes, set reminders and summarize takeaways. Privacy is a strong point on paper: Sesame says conversations are private, you can delete your data anytime, Incognito mode saves nothing to memory or its servers, and there are no ads or data sales. The app is a free research preview on iOS and Android, with no in-app purchases in the US App Store. The limits follow from that status: there are only four preset agents, no character creation, and features may change before any paid launch.

Chai is a large character chat platform for adults. People create and share AI characters, and Chai serves them from hundreds of in-house trained models. Its own company facts page reports over 1 million daily users and over 10 million users in the 12 months to October 2026, with revenue from subscriptions, in-app purchases and advertising. On safety it is firmer than most: the Safety Center says Chai is strictly 18+, uses Persona for selfie age estimation or ID checks, and offers anonymous reporting and optional safety filters. In some regions, use requires a paid subscription. For companion use it falls behind. Chai does not publish anything about memory, its subscription prices appear only in the app, the Google Play listing shows ads, and the app holds 2.7 stars from about 857K reviews. We could not confirm a US price, so the entry is marked pending.