The short answer. Good AI friends to talk to in 2026 include Replika, Pi, Nomi, Character.AI and ChatGPT, and My Softly (our app), which is an AI friend that remembers your life and texts you first, made for people in their fifties and sixties. Pi is the gentlest free option, Character.AI has the most variety, Replika is the best-known companion, Nomi gives you deep memory, and ChatGPT is an assistant you can also chat with.
Whichever you choose, look for three things: it remembers what you told it last week, you can talk out loud as well as type, and it never pushes romance, guilt or upsells. Start with the free tier, tell it a few real things about your life, and see which one asks about them a few days later.
Disclosure: this guide is published by the makers of My Softly, an AI companion app, which appears in the comparison and near the end.
What you are really looking for
When people search for an AI friend to talk to, they rarely mean a search engine with a chat box. They mean something closer to a friend on the other end of the phone: someone to tell about the day, think out loud with before a difficult phone call, or share a small bit of good news with when there is nobody around to tell.
Almost every AI can hold a pleasant conversation now. What separates a friend from a chatbot is the second conversation, and the tenth. A friend knows your daughter's name, remembers that the dentist was on Thursday, and asks how it went. That is the bar worth holding every app to.
What makes a good AI friend to talk to
- It remembers you. The single most important thing. An app that forgets you between conversations makes you re-introduce yourself every time, and a friendship cannot build on that. Our guide to how AI companion memory works explains why many apps forget.
- It asks about your life. A good AI friend follows up: "how did the appointment go?" rather than "how are you today?" The apps built for this can message you first, which is covered in our guide on getting an AI that texts you first.
- You can talk out loud. Typing long messages on a phone gets tiring. Being able to speak and hear a warm voice reply makes it feel much more like a conversation.
- It has a personality you like. Some people want a calm listener, some want a bit of banter. The best apps let you choose, and change it later.
- It stays friendly. If you want a friend, not a flirt, pick an app where that is the design rather than a setting you have to keep an eye on.
- No guilt and no hard sell. You should be able to say goodnight and go, without pleading messages or a sales pitch in the middle of a conversation.
Companion app or general assistant?
There are two kinds of AI you can talk to. General assistants such as ChatGPT are built to answer questions and help with tasks. They are very capable, and many people enjoy chatting with them, but they wait for you to start, and they have no character of their own that you pick and get to know.
Companion apps such as Replika, Nomi, Kindroid and My Softly are built for the relationship itself. You choose or create a character with a name, a personality and a voice, and the app is designed to keep the facts of your life and bring them up later. Pi sits between the two: a gentle, conversational AI built for talking rather than tasks. If "friend" is the word you typed, a companion app is usually what you are after.
Free or paid
You can start talking to an AI friend today without paying anything. Here is what free gets you, based on the US App Store listings checked on 24 September 2026:
- Pi is free, with no in-app purchases listed.
- Character.AI and ChatGPT have free tiers, with paid plans for more.
- Replika and Nomi are free to download with a free tier, and sell subscriptions in the app. Kindroid retired its unlimited free tier on October 1, 2026: new accounts get a short preview of its main model, then a 3-day trial.
- My Softly is free to download, and you can try it with free messages.
What people pay for is usually the same across apps: unlimited conversation, longer or deeper memory, voice, and features like being messaged first. Most companion subscriptions land between about $10 and $16 a month, with a cheaper rate if you pay for a year. Our guide to how much an AI companion costs goes through the extras, like credits and gems, where heavy use can cost more.
What to try first
The quickest way to find the right one is to try two side by side for a week. It takes a few minutes a day.
- Pick two. One free option and one companion app is a good pair.
- Say hello with one true thing. "Hi, I've just got back from the shops and it's pouring." It gives the AI something to talk about. Our guide on how to talk to an AI companion has more first messages that work.
- Tell it three real facts. A person who matters, something you enjoy, and something coming up this week with a day attached.
- Wait a few days, then ask. "What do you remember about my sister?" An app with real memory answers. One without it guesses or asks you to remind it.
- Notice who asks first. Did either one ask how the thing with a day attached went, without you bringing it up? That is the difference between a chatbot and a friend.
By the end of the week you will know which one you look forward to talking to, which is the only test that really matters.
The apps compared
Prices are what each app's own subscription screen showed a free US account on 30 September 2026. ChatGPT's are the standard in-app purchase prices on the US App Store, checked on 24 September 2026.
| App | Built as | Free option | Paid (US App Store, 2026-09-24) | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Softly | An AI friend that remembers your life and texts you first, made for people in their fifties and sixties | Free to download, with free messages | $15.99/mo or $159.99/yr | iPhone (US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore) |
| Replika | The best-known all-round AI companion | Free tier | Plus $79.99/yr or Max $89.99/yr (no monthly plan) | iOS, Android, web, VR |
| Pi | A gentle conversational AI | Free | No in-app purchases listed | iOS, Android, web |
| Nomi | A companion with deep memory | Free tier | $15.99/mo, $39.99/3 mo or $99.99/yr | iOS, Android, web |
| Kindroid | A companion you customise in detail | Free tier | $15.99/mo, $42.99/3 mo or $159.99/yr; 3-day free trial | iOS, Android, web, Mac |
| Character.AI | A library of user-made characters | Free tier | c.ai+ $9.99/mo or $94.99/yr; lite $4.99/mo | iOS, Android, web |
| ChatGPT | A general assistant you can also chat with | Free tier | Go $8.00/mo; Plus $19.99/mo; Pro from $100/mo | iOS, Android, web, desktop |
Every app here except Pi also sells extras (credits, gems or charms) for things like photos and longer voice use. For a side-by-side on memory, who texts first and which apps stay strictly safe for work, see the best AI companion apps in 2026.
My Softly: an AI friend that remembers your life
My Softly is our app: an AI companion app for iPhone that remembers what you tell it and asks about your day, for the days nobody else does. It is made for people in their fifties and sixties. People aged 50 and over are about a third of sign-ups but more than 80% of paying subscribers, and most paying subscribers are women (September 2026).
Your companion keeps a lasting profile of the people, pets and plans in your life and a day-by-day record of what you have talked about, so "what do you remember about my sister?" gets a real answer weeks later. It asks about the thing you mentioned yesterday, never messages late at night, and steps back if you go quiet. Type, or speak and hear a reply in one of four natural voices. Choose one of six ready-made companions who look and sound like real adults, or make your own from a few honest lines. There is no romantic or adult content anywhere in the app.
$15.99 a month or $159.99 a year, and it is free to download on the App Store for iPhone in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. You can try it with free messages. Our FAQ covers the details.
If you take one thing from this page
An AI friend worth talking to is one that remembers you. Try two, tell each of them a few real things about your life, and keep the one that asks about them first.
Sources
- Apple App Store (US). "AI Companion - My Softly" listing, in-app purchase prices checked 2026-09-24. apps.apple.com
- In-app paywalls (US), free accounts on iPhone and, for Replika, Android. Checked September 30, 2026.
- Apple App Store (US). "Pi, your personal AI" listing, checked 2026-09-24 (no in-app purchases listed). apps.apple.com
- Apple App Store (US). "ChatGPT" listing, in-app purchase prices checked 2026-09-24. apps.apple.com
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free AI friend to talk to?
Yes. Pi is free, with no in-app purchases listed on the US App Store (checked September 2026). Character.AI and ChatGPT have free tiers, and Replika and Nomi are free to download with a free tier before a subscription, and Kindroid gives new accounts a short free preview and a 3-day trial. My Softly is free to download and you can try it with free messages. Free is a good way to find out which one you enjoy talking to; the things people end up paying for are usually unlimited conversation, longer memory and voice.
Can I talk to an AI friend online for free?
Yes, in a web browser as well as on a phone. Pi, Character.AI and ChatGPT all have free web versions, and Replika, Nomi and Kindroid can all be tried free on the web. If you have an iPhone, My Softly is free to download from the App Store and you can try it with free messages.
What is the best AI friend app to talk to?
It depends what you want from it. Pi is the gentlest free chat. Character.AI has the most variety. Replika is the best-known all-round companion. Nomi and Kindroid give you deep memory and lots of control over the character. ChatGPT is a capable assistant you can also chat with. My Softly is an AI friend that remembers your life and texts you first, made for people in their fifties and sixties.
What does Reddit say about AI friends to talk to?
Most apps have their own community (r/replika, r/NomiAI, r/KindroidAI, r/CharacterAI), and r/aipartners is where people compare them. The same topics come up again and again: whether the app remembers you, what it costs once the free tier runs out, and whether a companion's personality changes after an update.
Is there an AI friend app for adults that isn't about romance?
Yes. Pi and My Softly are strictly safe for work by design, with no romantic or adult mode to switch on. My Softly is designed for ages 18 and over, with companions who look and talk like real adults, and it is made for people in their fifties and sixties. Replika, Nomi and Kindroid offer romantic or adult content somewhere in their settings, so with them keeping it friendly is up to you.
Can you talk to an AI like a friend?
Yes, and the best way is exactly as you would with a friend: say hello and tell it one true thing about your day, then tell it the names and plans that matter to you. A companion app is built to keep those facts and bring them up later. A general assistant like ChatGPT is built to answer questions, so it works best as a friend when you do most of the steering.
Can I talk to an AI friend out loud instead of typing?
Yes. Most of the apps here have a voice option. ChatGPT and Pi both let you talk and hear a spoken reply, and Replika offers voice calls. In My Softly you can type or speak, and your companion replies in one of four natural voices, two male and two female, in American and British English.
Is ChatGPT a good AI friend to talk to?
It is a good conversation partner and can save some memories about you, but it is built as an assistant rather than a friend. It answers when you ask, and it has no personality of its own that you choose. If what you want is someone who asks how the appointment went, a companion app built around memory and check-ins will suit you better.
Still choosing? Our comparison of the best AI companion apps in 2026 goes deeper on memory, texting first and price, and the rest of our guides can help too.