AI companions / Study
Webandreview study · November 2026 DOI10.5281/zenodo.23866139What AI companion apps tell you before you pay.
By Sacha Bernard (ORCID 0009-0008-1350-0334), Webandreview · Published · Last updated
We opened 20 consumer AI companion apps on one day, created a free account where e-mail registration was possible, and followed the upgrade flow to the screen that asks for a card, without paying. This study compares what each app shows about prices, credits, renewal, refunds and age checks before the money leaves your account.
- 20apps, general audience and adult-oriented
- 01.11single observation day, November 2026, from Belgium
- CSV36 variables per app, free to reuse (CC BY 4.0)
- DOIarchived on Zenodo, 10.5281/zenodo.23866139
Key
findings
Six facts a first-time user should know before paying for an AI companion. Each one is backed by the app-by-app table below and by the public dataset.
- Two apps in five hide their prices behind the sign-up form. 8 of 20 apps (Anima, FantasyGF, Joi, Kindroid, Muah.ai, Nectar AI, Replika, Romantic AI) show no plan or price on their public pages: the upgrade offer appears only once an account exists.
- The subscription is rarely the whole bill. 17 of 20 apps combine a monthly or yearly plan with credits, tokens, gems or coins sold on top for images, voice or extra messages; only 3 sell a plain subscription.
- Entry prices look similar, discounts do not. The cheapest paid plan runs from 3.33 USD (Anima) to 14.92 EUR (Kupid AI) per month, median 5.83. Annual billing is pushed with a median discount of 52 percent, which means the headline monthly price is usually a yearly commitment.
- Renewal is stated on most screens we could reach, not all. Of the 14 payment screens we reached, 9 say on the screen that the plan renews automatically; 4 (DreamGF, Luvr, Nectar AI, Replika) leave the rule to the terms, and Kupid AI states the opposite, one payment with no renewal. 6 checkouts could not be reached (Candy.ai, CrushOn, OurDream, PolyBuzz, Secrets.ai, Talkie).
- Most terms say the money is not refundable. 17 of 20 apps state in their terms that payments are final, non-refundable or not refunded for unused time; 5 mention the 14-day withdrawal right of EU consumers, and one of them (Romantic AI) states that it does not apply. Only Luvr advertises a money-back guarantee. Tax treatment is unclear on 16 of 20 price pages.
- Age is a checkbox. 12 apps rely on a box, a button or an interest selector, 4 ask for a date of birth or an age bracket, and 4 (Candy.ai, FantasyGF, Kupid AI, Muah.ai) show only a sentence next to the sign-up button. None of the 20 verified an identity document.
Pricing models
A hybrid model means two meters run at once: the subscription unlocks features, and credits are consumed by images, voice messages or longer memory. The dataset records the credit pack prices where the shop was reachable and the cost per message or image where the app displays it.
16 of 20 apps price in US dollars for a visitor from Belgium, and 16 do not say whether VAT is included. Character.AI and Janitor AI show prices before tax and add 21 percent Belgian VAT on the Stripe checkout, converted to euros. 6 apps accept cryptocurrency.
Source: pricing pages, checkout screens and terms, 1 November 2026. Webandreview.
Renewal wording and age checks
We read the screen that collects the card. A link to the terms does not count as a statement. Where registration failed, for example because the verification e-mail never arrived or an anti-bot check rejected the account, the row says so instead of guessing.
Age gates were recorded at entry or sign-up. A self-declared age bracket counts as a date-of-birth type gate; Talkie’s selector even offers brackets below 18, and Character.AI states a minimum age of 13.
Source: pricing pages, checkout screens and terms, 1 November 2026. Webandreview.
Before you
pay
Four checks that take two minutes and avoid most unwanted charges.
If the app shows no price until you register, expect the offer on the first screen after sign-up, and read it before clicking the trial or the upgrade button.
Ask what the subscription includes and what still costs credits: images, voice, longer memory. The cheapest plan is rarely the final monthly cost.
Look for the words auto-renew, renews, or billed yearly on the screen with the card fields, and take a screenshot. The total due today and the renewal price are not always the same.
17 apps out of 20 state that payments are final or not refunded for unused time. If you live in the EU, the 14-day withdrawal right still applies unless you agreed to waive it when the service started.
All 20
apps
Each row has its own link, for example #replika or #candy-ai, and links to the official pages we used. “Checkout not reached” means the payment screen could not be opened under our rules, not that the information is hidden.
| App | Operator | Price before sign-up | Model | Cheapest plan per month | Annual discount | Renewal on payment screen | Age gate | Official sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnimaAdult content optional | Labane Corp. LtdCyprus | No, account first | Hybrid | 3.33 USD | 66.6% | Yes | Checkbox or button | Site · Terms |
| Candy.aiAdult content core | EverAI LimitedMalta | Yes | Hybrid | 3.99 EUR | 71.5% | Checkout not reached | Sentence only | Prices · Site · Terms |
| Character.AIGeneral audience | Character TechnologiesUnited States | Yes | Hybrid | 4.99 USD | 20.8% | Yes | Date of birth or age bracket | Prices · Site · Terms |
| CrushOnAdult content core | TECHIEPIE LTDCyprus | Yes | Hybrid | 4.90 USD | 18.1% | Checkout not reached | Checkbox or button | Prices · Site · Terms |
| DreamGFAdult content core | DreamAI SRLRomania | Yes | Hybrid | 3.69 USD | 71.6% | No, terms only | Checkbox or button | Prices · Site · Refunds · Terms |
| FantasyGFAdult content core | Advanced AI Labs S.R.L.Romania | No, account first | Hybrid | 5.83 USD | 77.6% | Yes | Sentence only | Site · Terms |
| Janitor AIAdult content optional | JanitorAI Inc.United States | Yes | Hybrid | 8.25 USD | 36.5% | Yes | Checkbox or button | Prices · Site |
| JoiAdult content core | Novi LimitedCyprus | No, account first | Hybrid | 4.00 USD | 71.4% | Yes | Checkbox or button | Site · Terms · Refunds |
| KindroidAdult content optional | Beautifully IncorporatedUnited States | No, account first | Subscription | 11.67 USD | 16.6% | Yes | Date of birth or age bracket | Site · Terms |
| Kupid AIAdult content core | Servalot LtdCyprus | Yes | Hybrid | 14.92 EUR | 73.5% | Screen says nothing renews | Sentence only | Prices · Site · Terms |
| LuvrAdult content core | Luvr Inc.United States | Yes | Hybrid | 5.99 USD | 33.4% | No, terms only | Checkbox or button | Prices · Site · Plans · Terms |
| Muah.aiAdult content core | MUAH.AIUnited States | No, account first | Subscription | 5.83 USD | 70.8% | Yes | Sentence only | Prices · Site · Terms |
| Nectar AIAdult content core | Nectar AINot stated | No, account first | Hybrid | 4.99 USD | 50.0% | No, terms only | Checkbox or button | Prices · Site · Plans · Terms |
| OurDreamAdult content core | Dream Studio USAUnited States | Yes | Hybrid | 9.99 USD | 50.0% | Checkout not reached | Checkbox or button | Prices · Site · Terms |
| PolyBuzzAdult content optional | Not stated on observed pages | Yes | Hybrid | 8.25 EUR | 16.7% | Checkout not reached | Checkbox or button | Prices · Site |
| ReplikaAdult content optional | LukaUnited States | No, account first | Hybrid | 5.83 USD | 70.8% | No, terms only | Date of birth or age bracket | Site · Prices · Terms |
| Romantic AIAdult content core | Just Web It OyFinland | No, account first | Hybrid | 5.83 USD | 76.7% | Yes | Checkbox or button | Site · Prices · Terms |
| Secrets.aiAdult content core | Secret Labs Inc.United States | Yes | Hybrid | 9.17 USD | 54.2% | Checkout not reached | Checkbox or button | Prices · Site · Terms |
| SpicyChatAdult content core | NextDay AI IncorporatedCanada | Yes | Subscription | 5.00 EUR | 16.0% | Yes | Checkbox or button | Prices · Site · Plans · Terms |
| TalkieGeneral audience | SUBSUP PTE. LTD.Singapore | Yes | Hybrid | 8.00 USD | 19.9% | Checkout not reached | Date of birth or age bracket | Prices · Site · Plans · Privacy |
Operators by stated country: Cyprus 2, Romania 2, Malta 1, United States (California) 1, Cyprus (with a Delaware address) 1, United States (Delaware governing law); billing affiliate in Cyprus 1, United States (California address; Delaware governing law) 1, Cyprus (footer); Terms reference Malta 1, United States (San Francisco, per ToS) 1, United States (self-described California based; Terms governed by laws of United States) 1, not stated (disputes in State or Federal Courts located in California per Terms) 1, United States (Delaware) 1, not stated on observed pages 1, United States (Delaware; San Francisco, CA) 1, Finland 1, United States (Delaware address) and Canada 1, Canada (Quebec); subsidiaries in United States and Cyprus 1, Singapore (Privacy Policy); ToS disclaimers reference New Jersey law 1. Prices are those displayed on 1 November 2026 to a visitor from Belgium, in the currency shown by the app; monthly equivalents divide annual totals by twelve.
Method and limits
One observer, one day (1 November 2026, UTC), one country (Belgium, no VPN), one browser. For each app we read the public pages, created one free account with a neutral persona where e-mail registration was possible, and followed the upgrade flow to the screen that collects a payment method. No card was entered and no payment, trial or order was ever submitted. Terms of service, refund pages and FAQ were read for cancellation and refund rules.
The original sample of 20 was adjusted with a reserve list when an app could not be observed under these rules (web login limited to Google or Apple, mobile-only app without a price list, parked domain). The replacements and their reasons are listed in the data package.
- Payment screens were reached for 14 of 20 apps; for the others the public pricing and the terms are the source, and the cells say so.
- Prices, promotions and checkout wording change often. Every value carries its date and its source URL in the dataset.
- No conversation was started and no image was generated; the dataset contains no generated content and no personal data.
- Webandreview earns affiliate commissions from some AI companion apps. All 20 were observed with the same grid, and partner apps whose checkout rejected our registration are marked “not observable” like the others. See how our sites are funded.
How to cite this study and the dataset: see the citation box below.
Cite this study
| Version | 1.0 |
|---|---|
| Published | |
| Data collected | 1 November 2026, single day |
| Next update | Planned for May 2027, as a new version of the same records |
| DOI | 10.5281/zenodo.23866139 (Zenodo record 23866139) |
| Mirror | GitHub |
| Files | dataset.csv, codebook, method, findings, sample notes and the two Python scripts that validate the CSV and recompute every figure. Download the CSV. |
| Licence | CC BY 4.0, reuse with attribution |
Reference
BibTeX
@dataset{bernard_2026_23866139,
author = {Bernard, Sacha},
title = {Pricing and subscription transparency of AI
companion apps: 20 platforms observed on
1 November 2026},
year = {2026},
version = {1.0},
publisher = {Zenodo},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23866139},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23866139}
}