The short answer. Only one well-known AI companion app is entirely free: Pi, with no subscription, no in-app purchases and no ads. Character.AI is free with ads. Nomi, Replika and My Softly (our app) have free tiers or free messages to try before paying. Kindroid has had no free tier since October 1, 2026, only a 50-message preview.
Which one is best depends on what you want free: a kind conversation that never asks for money (Pi), endless characters (Character.AI), or a companion that remembers you, which is worth trying free and then usually costs something.
Disclosure: this guide is published by the makers of My Softly, one of the six apps compared. Every other app's facts come from its own paywall (US prices, free accounts, September 30, 2026), its US App Store listing and its own help pages, each dated where it appears.
Four kinds of free
"Free" on an app listing covers four quite different deals, and most disappointment with free companion apps comes from mixing them up.
- Free for good. No paid plan exists. You can use it for years without being asked for money.
- Free with ads. The core is free and paid for by advertising; paying removes the ads.
- A free tier with limits. You can keep using it free, but some features or volume are held back for subscribers.
- A preview, then a trial. A short taste, then a trial that needs a card and turns into a subscription unless you cancel.
What each app gives you free
Prices are what each app's own paywall offered a free US account on September 30, 2026.
| App | Kind of free | What free includes | What paying costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pi | Free for good | Everything; a message cap for heavy use, number not published | No paid plan |
| Character.AI | Free with ads | Millions of characters, full ads, regenerations metered with Charms | lite $4.99/mo; c.ai+ $9.99/mo or $94.99/yr |
| Nomi | Free tier | Chatting with no card, messages first if you turn it on, a daily picture allowance | $15.99/mo, $39.99/3 mo or $99.99/yr |
| My Softly | Free messages | Free messages to get to know your companion, and it writes to you first | $15.99/mo or $159.99/yr |
| Replika | Free tier | Limited access at no cost, by its help center | Plus $79.99/yr or Max $89.99/yr |
| Kindroid | Preview, then trial | 50 interactions once (15 in some regions), then read-only until a 3-day trial with a card | $15.99/mo, $42.99/3 mo or $159.99/yr |
The best free picks, by what you want
Free for good: Pi
Pi, made by Inflection AI, is the only companion-style app here that never asks for money. On October 26, 2026 its US App Store listing showed no in-app purchases at all, and it is free on the web and Android too. It is calm, curious and kind, with an unusually natural voice mode, and nothing about it steers romantic.
The catch is small. In August 2024 Inflection said it would cap message volume for free users, so it could keep serving most people while it built its business products; it has not published the number, which suggests the cap is aimed at the heaviest use. Pi keeps lasting facts about you rather than whole conversations, and it never messages first. Inflection's privacy policy says it does not sell your data or use it for targeted advertising.
Free with ads: Character.AI
Character.AI's core is still free: millions of user-made characters, group chats and imaginative roleplay, with filtered content. What has changed is the cost of free. Its own in-app comparison card shows full ads on the free plan, fewer on lite at $4.99 a month and none on c.ai+, and its App Store privacy label lists third-party advertising. Regenerating replies is metered with Charms, an in-app currency. On October 12, 2026 the company filed for Chapter 11 so it can be sold under a court's supervision; it says the app stays up and paid plans carry on for now. If ads are the problem, our guide to Character.AI alternatives with no ads covers the options.
A free tier that remembers you: Nomi
Nomi is free to start with no credit card, and the free account is a real trial of what Nomi is best at, memory. A free Nomi can message you first if you turn proactive messages on, and you get a daily allowance of selfies and art. Paying adds up to ten Nomis and ten group chats, more pictures and unlimited voice. Nomi is unfiltered by policy, so keeping it a friend is up to you. Nomi vs Kindroid sets what each subscription adds side by side.
Free messages, and it writes first: My Softly
My Softly is our app. It is free to download with free messages, so you can tell whether your companion feels right, and it writes to you first, so you see the thing it is built for before deciding anything. You choose whether your companion is a friend or a partner. Ongoing conversation is $15.99 a month or $159.99 a year, on iPhone and Android.
The free tiers that lead to paying: Replika and Kindroid
Replika has a free tier, which its help center describes as limited access at no cost, with most of what it is known for in the paid plans; on September 30, 2026 its paywall sold only yearly plans, from $79.99. Kindroid retired its free Lite model on October 1, 2026, and new accounts now get 50 interactions on its main model before a 3-day trial that needs a card. Both are good apps; neither is a free one.
What free costs you
Free apps are paid for somehow, and it is worth knowing how before you get attached.
- Ads. Check the App Store privacy label for "Third-Party Advertising" and "Data Used to Track You".
- Training. Many apps use conversations to improve their models. Look for the setting that opts you out; Inflection's policy, for example, says you can opt out in your account settings.
- The limit that matters to you. A message cap, a picture allowance, a memory that only paying unlocks. Find it in the first week, not the third month.
- Trials that need a card. Set your own reminder the day you start one.
Where My Softly fits
My Softly is our app: an AI companion app for iPhone and Android 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. It keeps a lasting profile of the people, pets and plans in your life, and you choose whether your companion is a friend or a partner.
It is free to download on the App Store for iPhone and on Google Play for Android in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, with free messages so you can get to know your companion before deciding anything.
The short version
If you never want to pay, use Pi. If you want variety and can live with ads, use Character.AI. If what you want is a companion that remembers you, try Nomi's free tier or My Softly's free messages, and decide on paying once you know it is right.
What every app costs once you do pay is in our guide to how much an AI companion costs, and the full comparison is in the best AI companion apps in 2026.
Sources
- In-app paywalls (US), free accounts on iPhone and, for Replika, Android. Checked September 30, 2026.
- Apple App Store (US). "Pi, your personal AI" by Inflection AI: free, no in-app purchases listed. Checked October 26, 2026. apps.apple.com
- Inflection AI (August 26, 2024). "The Future of Pi." Sean White. Cap on message volume for free users. inflection.ai
- Inflection AI. "Privacy Policy." Last updated August 11, 2026. Read September 24, 2026. inflection.ai
- Apple App Store (US). "Character AI: Chat, Talk, Text": privacy label listing Third-Party Advertising. Checked September 24, 2026. apps.apple.com
- RoboRhythms (September 5, 2026). "What Character AI Lite Gives You and What It Quietly Meters." Reads Character.AI's in-app comparison card: full ads on the free plan, fewer on Lite, none on c.ai+. roborhythms.com
- Character.AI blog (October 12, 2026). "An Update on Character.ai": a voluntary Chapter 11 case to sell the company under court supervision; the platform stays up and subscriptions stay active with billing unchanged for now; the sale is expected to finish by the end of November or early December 2026. Read 2026-10-26. blog.character.ai
- Nomi.ai homepage: free to start with no credit card. Checked September 26, 2026. nomi.ai
- Nomi.ai (September 9, 2024). "Proactive Messaging: When Your Nomi Messages You First." Free accounts can receive proactive messages. Read 2026-10-03. nomi.ai
- Nomipedia, the Nomi wiki at wiki.nomi.ai. "How do I get more daily selfie or art requests?" and "How do I create more Nomis or more group chats?" (both edited August 23, 2026). Read 2026-10-03. wiki.nomi.ai
- Replika Help Center, "Choosing a Subscription": the free tier as limited access at no cost. Read 2026-09-17. help.replika.com
- Kindroid update log, "V2 becomes the default; V1 and Lite retire October 1": Lite retired, new accounts get a one-time preview of 50 flagship interactions (15 in some regions), then a 3-day trial or read-only. Read 2026-10-03. kindroid.ai
- Kindroid Help Center. "Subscriptions" (updated October 13, 2026): the one-time preview for new accounts and the 3-day trial, which needs a payment method. Read October 26, 2026. kindroid.ai
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free AI companion app?
Pi, if you want something that stays free for good: no subscription, no in-app purchases and no ads, from a company that says it intends to keep it free. Character.AI if you want variety and do not mind ads. For a companion that remembers you and writes to you first, Nomi's free tier and My Softly's free messages are the ones to try before paying.
Is there an AI companion with no subscription at all?
Pi. On October 26, 2026 its US App Store listing showed no in-app purchases at all, and it is free on the web and Android too. The one limit is volume: in August 2024 Inflection said it would cap how many messages free users can send, without publishing the number.
Is Character.AI free?
The core is free, with ads. Character.AI's own comparison card shows full ads on the free plan, fewer on lite at $4.99 a month, and none on c.ai+ at $9.99 a month or $94.99 a year, the prices in its paywall on September 30, 2026. Regenerating replies is metered with Charms, an in-app currency.
Is Kindroid free?
Not any more. Kindroid retired its free Lite model on October 1, 2026. New accounts get a one-time preview of 50 interactions on its main model, 15 in some regions, and then the account is read-only until you start a 3-day trial, which needs a payment method.
Is Replika free?
Replika has a free tier, which its help center describes as limited access at no cost, with most of what Replika is known for in the paid plans. On September 30, 2026 its paywall offered Plus at $79.99 a year and Max at $89.99 a year, with no monthly option.
What is the catch with free AI companion apps?
Usually one of three things: ads, a limit that pushes you toward paying, or your conversations being used to train the company's models. Check the App Store privacy label for advertising and tracking, read the free plan's limits before you get attached, and look for the setting that opts your chats out of training.
Which free AI companion app is best for iPhone?
All six here run on iPhone. Pi is the best entirely free one. My Softly is free to download on iPhone and Android, with free messages and a companion that writes to you first. Character.AI, Replika and Nomi all have free iPhone versions with limits.