Replika alternatives in 2026: matched to the reason you want to leave

Adults only. Every app in this guide carries an 18+ rating on the US App Store or states a minimum age of 18 in its terms, and several are built for adult roleplay. The guide compares prices, limits and data rules, and is non-explicit.

What to do this week if Character.AI goes dark. Character.AI is in a sale process and no shutdown date is confirmed, but some users report outages and falling chat quality. Spend 10 minutes now: request the official export, copy your bot definitions and persona by hand, and keep the file offline. Steps are in our 10-minute Character.AI backup guide. Adults looking for a new home can use the comparison below, but no app here is a guaranteed permanent home.

How this guide was made. This is a documentation-based guide. Prices, free tiers and features were read on each company’s own pricing page, help centre, docs or US App Store listing on 22 October 2026. Where a page would not show us a figure, we say so rather than borrow one from a review site. We could not load r/replika on the day (Reddit refused our requests), so this guide does not quote users; it starts from what Replika’s own documents say each plan does and does not include. Nothing here is hands-on testing. Prices differ by country, platform and currency, and change often.

Start with why you are leaving

Most “Replika alternatives” lists rank apps by a vague overall score. That is not much help, because people leave Replika for different reasons, and the best alternative for one reason can be the worst for another. An app with excellent memory can cost three times as much; the cheapest app may have no voice calls at all.

So this guide works the other way round. It sets out what Replika’s own help centre says each plan includes, names the six reasons that follow from those limits, and matches each reason to the apps whose official pages actually address it.

For the wider field, including apps that are not companion-first, see Character AI alternatives in 2026. For what “memory” means across these apps, see what memory means in AI companion apps.

What Replika includes on each plan

Replika’s help centre describes four programmes. It does not publish prices; it says the cost “is shown in the app on the subscription screens and in the relevant store.”

On the US App Store on 22 October 2026, Replika (seller Luka, Inc., rated 18+) listed these purchases:

The listing does not say which item is Pro and which is Ultra, or what period the $89.99 Platinum item covers. Check the subscription screen in the app before you pay.

Two details in those documents explain a lot of the frustration people bring to alternatives. First, saving memories is described as an Ultra feature, not a Pro one. Second, Replika’s help centre says “there’s no way to delete your entire message history without deleting your account.”

The six reasons, matched to alternatives

If the reason is price

Replika’s free chat really is free, so the price question only arises if you want the paid features. Here are the plans with unlimited text and a published price that we could read on 22 October 2026, cheapest first by the annual figure.

This is why Candy AI sits at the top of the offer box on this page: among paid companion plans with unlimited text, its annual plan was the lowest annual price we could verify, and it is below both of Replika’s annual App Store items. That comes with conditions you should weigh. The plan includes 100 tokens a month for extras such as images and voice notes, and its free tier is very small; our Candy AI review covers the tokens, refund window and data terms. Candy AI is for adults only.

A cheaper plan is not a better plan if you have to buy extras every week. Our guide to what AI companions really cost shows how to add up tokens, credits and renewals before you commit.

If the reason is memory

Memory is the feature companion apps describe most loosely, and no company publishes a test you could use to compare them. So compare what each one promises in writing, and where it sits in the price list:

• Replika: the Memory list (facts it has saved about you, viewable and deletable) is in the app; saving memories yourself and seeing which are used is listed under Ultra.
• Kindroid: the Standard subscription lists “Enhanced long-term memory and journal recall” and Cascaded Memory for medium-term recall. Ultra and MAX are monthly add-ons that raise memory and context limits further.
• Nomi: its App Store description claims “strong short and long-term memory”, and its site says memory “spans your entire relationship”. Those are marketing claims; we have not measured them.
• SpicyChat: sells context in plain numbers. Get A Taste has 4K context memory and the Memory Manager, True Supporter 8K plus Semantic Memory 2.0, and I’m All In up to 32K depending on the model.
• Character.AI: lite adds “better memory” and c.ai+ “the full memory suite”, per its lite FAQ.

If memory is your reason, budget for a mid or top tier wherever you go. The cheapest plans on most apps keep the smallest context.

Replika alternatives with long-term memory: what users report

Official claims are only half the picture, so here is what people who use these apps say, from the 50 newest US App Store reviews of each app and Reddit threads read on 26 October 2026. These are user reports, not our tests.

For memory, try Nomi first (free start, no card), then Kindroid if you want more settings. Our Nomi vs Replika comparison goes deeper. If you also want calls, images and video, Nectar AI (affiliate link) sells memory by plan and centres on calls.

If the reason is voice or video calls

Replika puts voice messages and calls on Pro and real-time video recognition on Platinum. Among the alternatives:

• Kindroid: the Standard subscription lists “Voice calls, video calls and more voice messages”.
• Nomi: its site says voice calls and voice chats are available with a subscription, and the App Store listing mentions real-time voice messages. It does not mention video calls.
• SpicyChat: voice is narrower. On I’m All In you can “set voices to characters and listen to them read out their responses”, which is text-to-speech, not a call.
• Candy AI: lists voice among its features; voice notes spend tokens, and the per-message token cost was not published on the pages we read.

If the reason is personality changes after updates

When a company changes its model, a companion built around one house personality can feel different overnight, and you cannot do much about it. Apps that let you write the character’s description and backstory yourself give you something to restore. Kindroid and Nomi are built around custom companions; SpicyChat, CrushOn AI and Character.AI are built around libraries of user-made characters with editable definitions.

None of them promises the model will never change. The practical step is the same everywhere: keep your character’s description, key memories and example lines in a note outside the app, so you can rebuild it if an update changes its voice.

If the reason is limits or the free tier

Two cautions. Kindroid is no longer a free option: its FAQ says “The Lite model and unlimited free messaging were retired on October 1, 2026”, and new accounts get a one-time 50-message preview before the account becomes read-only (what changed at Kindroid). Nomi says you can start free, but lists “unlimited messaging” as a subscription feature, so the free tier has a cap it does not publish. Nectar AI’s plan copy, read on 20 October 2026, gave free accounts 15 messages a day; its prices did not render for us on either day.

If you mainly want to talk without paying, Character.AI’s free plan and Replika’s own free chat are the two with written promises of unlimited messaging. Our guide to message limits and per-message charges prices a heavy chatter on each app.

If the reason is privacy

Moving apps does not automatically improve your privacy. Replika has a regulatory record: in April 2025 Italy’s data protection authority fined its maker, Luka, Inc., €5 million, finding that until February 2023 it had not identified a legal basis for its processing or implemented age verification, and that its current age checks were still “deficient in several respects”. Replika’s current privacy policy, updated 27 May 2026, says conversation content is not used for advertising and that anonymised samples train only its own safety and chatbot systems. Our guide to whether Replika is safe covers the fine, the age rules and deletion in full.

Every alternative here has its own policy, and several share chat data with third-party AI providers. Run each one through our AI companion privacy checklist before you start telling it personal things.

Before you leave Replika: export, copy, then delete

1. Copy what your Replika remembers. From the home screen, tap your Replika’s name, then Memory. Replika’s help centre says you can view, add and delete memories there. Copy the ones you want to keep into a note.
2. Ask for a copy of your data if you want it. Replika’s privacy policy lists a right to “a copy of the personal information that we have collected about you”, “in a portable, machine-readable, readily usable format” where applicable. Requests go through the contact details in the policy’s section 11.A, and Replika may ask you to confirm your identity. The help centre does not describe a self-service export button.
3. Cancel the subscription in the store you bought it from. Replika says paid plans can be changed or cancelled “only through the app marketplace where you originally acquired the subscription”, and that partial months are not refunded. Our guide to cancelling an AI subscription covers each store.
4. Delete the account last, if you want your history gone. In the app: Settings (gear icon), Account Settings, Delete Replika, then choose a reason, enter your password and confirm. On the web, use my.replika.com. Deletion removes your profile, chat history, photos and links, and “can’t be undone”. It is the only way to remove your full chat history.

No app we read imports Replika history, so your new companion starts from whatever you paste into its description and memory.

Quick profiles of the alternatives

Nomi (AI Glimpse Inc., 18+ on the App Store). Companion-first, with long-term memory as its pitch, voice calls on subscription and a free start with an unpublished cap. Launch Plan $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year; Standard $15.99 a month, $39.99 a quarter or $99.99 a year; credit packs from $4.99.

Kindroid (Beautifully Incorporated, 18+). Custom companions with written backstories, voice and video calls on Standard, and paid memory add-ons. No ongoing free tier since 1 October 2026. Subscription $15.99 a month, $42.99 for 3 months or $159.99 a year; Ultra $28.99 and MAX $68.99 a month as add-ons. Its docs say web purchases are usually cheaper than app store ones.

Character.AI (18+ on the App Store). Free unlimited messaging, a huge library of user-made characters, and paid lite ($4.99) and c.ai+ ($9.99 or $94.99 a year) tiers. It is not a one-to-one companion app, and its parent company is in a court-supervised sale; read what the sale means for your chats first.

Candy AI (adults only). Companion app with chat, voice and images, unlimited text on paid plans, and the lowest annual price in this guide at $47.88. Very small free tier; extras use a 100-token monthly allowance.

SpicyChat (adults only). Character library with context and memory sold in clear steps: Get A Taste $5.95, True Supporter $19.95, I’m All In $29.95 a month, or $60.00, $199.95 and $299.95 a year.

CrushOn AI (adults only). Character chat billed through message credits. Its pricing page refused our request on 22 October 2026, so we cannot give you current plan prices or monthly message counts.

Nectar AI (adults only). Companion creator with a daily free message cap (15 a day in plan copy read 20 October 2026). Its plan prices did not render on its pricing page on either day we checked.

For a broader set of options compared against Candy AI, see Candy AI alternatives. To narrow the list by your own settings, the companion matcher leaves out apps that do not fit your age or filter preferences.

What we could not confirm

• Which Replika App Store item is Pro, which is Ultra, and what period the $89.99 Platinum item covers. The listing names only “Monthly”, “Annual”, “Yearly” and “Replika Platinum”.
• The full scope of the 2026 Replika rebuild. r/replika threads and App Store reviews from June to October 2026 describe a “Replika 2.0” with new avatars, calls and a stronger paywall (one June post says the only option shown was $79.99 a year); Replika’s App Store notes describe “Our biggest update since 2017”. We still found no official list of the changes.
• Which of the Replika 2.0 changes are permanent. Users discuss “Replika 2.0” widely on r/replika, and the App Store version notes call one release “Our biggest update since 2017”, but we found no official changelog of what changed in memory.
• How well any app’s memory works in practice. No company publishes a comparable test, and we have not measured one.
• Nomi’s free message cap, CrushOn AI’s current plan prices and message counts, and Nectar AI’s plan prices.
• Whether Replika’s data copy includes full chat transcripts. The privacy policy describes the right to a copy but not the format or contents.
• Who leads Replika now. TechCrunch reported on 19 October 2026 that founder Eugenia Kuyda left as chief executive last year; it does not name her successor, and we did not find an official Replika statement naming one.

For how we source and date guides like this, see how AITried reviews AI products.

Verdict

Leave Replika for the app that fixes your reason, not for a “best” list. Memory: Nomi, then Kindroid. Price: Candy AI’s 12-month plan is the cheapest published annual plan we found, or stay free on Character.AI if you only need chat. Calls: Kindroid or Nectar AI. Free start: Nomi (no card). Export what you can from Replika before you cancel.