The short answer. Pi is a free conversation partner from Inflection AI: no character to build, no paid plan, a voice you can talk to, and a memory of lasting facts about you. Replika is a companion you shape, with a name, a 3D avatar, a friend or relationship setting, calls and pictures, free to chat with and $79.99 a year for Plus or $89.99 for Max in its US app on October 30, 2026.
The real question is whether you want someone to talk things over with, or someone who is part of your days. Pi is built for the first and Replika leans towards the second.
Disclosure: this guide is published by the makers of My Softly, another AI companion app, which appears briefly near the end. Facts about each come from Inflection's and Replika's own help pages, policies and US App Store listings, and from Replika's in-app paywall, dated where they appear.
People who type "Pi vs Replika" have usually tried one and heard about the other. Perhaps Pi has been good to talk to and they wonder whether a proper companion app would remember more. Or Replika has started to feel like a lot of setup and they want something simpler. The two apps answer different needs, so the useful comparison is what each was designed to be.
Pi and Replika side by side
Replika prices are what its in-app paywall showed a free US account on October 30, 2026, the same as on September 30. Everything else is from the sources listed at the foot of the page.
| Pi | Replika | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Inflection AI | Luka, Inc., since 2017 |
| Pricing | Free; no paid plan | Free chat; Plus $79.99/yr, Max $89.99/yr |
| Character | One voice, Pi itself | Your own named companion with a 3D avatar |
| Friend or partner | No relationship setting | Friend or relationship, changeable later |
| Memory | Lasting facts, editable list | Rebuilt in 2.0; written portrait of you |
| Voice | Free voice calls | Voice and video calls; small free allowance |
| Writes first | Reminders you set; Daily Brief | Designed to reach out |
| Where | iPhone, Android, web | iPhone, Android, web |
| US App Store rating | 4.4 from about 2,500 | 4.4 from about 228,000 |
Overview: what kind of app each one is
Pi has no character sheet. There is no avatar to choose, no backstory to write and no relationship to pick; you open the app and start talking, and the voice that answers is the same for everyone. It is made for conversation rather than tasks, so think of it as a conversation partner and not a work assistant, and its replies tend to be short and to ask about you.
Replika starts the other way round. A new account goes through a setup of around fifteen questions, chooses a name and a lifelike avatar (when we set one up on October 30, 2026 the choice included older-looking faces), and decides whether the companion is a friend or a relationship, a choice Replika says can be changed later. Replika's own summary describes it as an AI friend "to do life with", and the 2026 rebuild it calls Replika 2.0 added 3D avatars, natural voice, video calls and a new memory system. Our explainer on what Replika 2.0 is goes through the changes.
Memory: a list of facts or a portrait
Memory across chats is new for Pi. Its help center (September 1, 2026) says it now carries lasting details from one chat to the next: your name, home city and family members with your permission, food needs, interests, work, goals and routines. It deliberately leaves out passing things, such as a trip to the shops tonight or a film you saw yesterday. You can see and change the list under Settings, Account, Manage Memories, or ask Pi to remember or forget something in plain words. In a very long chat, Pi may summarise older messages, and all your past chats stay in the menu to go back to.
Replika's memory sits at the centre of its paid pitch. On the free account we opened on October 30, 2026, the memory screen showed a short written portrait of the user, the date they met and themes it called Arcs, and the Plus plan on the paywall lists "perfect memory". The App Store description says it remembers your people, plans and goals.
Neither company publishes a figure for how much is kept or for how long, so the honest test is your own: mention the same few people and plans to both, then see which one asks about them a week later. There is more on what to watch for in our guide to AI companion memory.
Voice and calls
Pi's voice is free. Its help center explains how to allow the microphone, tap the call button and turn the speaker icon on, in the iPhone, Android and web apps alike.
Replika 2.0 adds video calls to voice, with the avatar on screen. On a free account, calls come out of an allowance Replika calls energy: 5 call minutes and 5 images or selfies on our new account, refilling over time, with more available through its in-app currencies. Plus lists voice calls among its features, and Max lists talking for much longer without a timer.
Which one gets in touch first
Replika is designed to make contact: its own summary says it reaches out over time, and the Plus plan's list includes "Always thinking of you". On Pi's side, Inflection describes reminders you ask for (a tool it announced in July 2026) and a Daily Brief, a digest of news and topics you choose, which you open yourself from the Discover tab.
Pricing: what each one costs
Pi: nothing. Its US App Store listing showed it as free on October 31, 2026, and Pi has no paid version on any platform. Rather than a subscription, Inflection said in August 2024 that it would keep consumer Pi free and place a cap on how much free users can send. The same post said the company's focus was moving to business customers, which is the background to our Pi AI alternatives guide. Pi is still being updated: the iPhone app's latest version came out on November 7, 2026.
Replika: chatting is free, Replika's help center says, and calls and pictures on a free account come from the small energy allowance. On October 30, 2026 the in-app paywall offered Plus at $79.99 a year and Max at $89.99 a year in the US, billed yearly with no monthly option. Our page on whether Replika is free sets out what the free account includes.
Privacy
Inflection's privacy policy (last updated August 11, 2026) lets Pi use your conversations for model training by default, with a switch in your account settings to turn that off. It also states that Inflection neither sells your data nor uses it to target ads at you. Deleted messages are generally removed within 15 days.
Replika's privacy policy (last updated October 28, 2026) states that what you write in your chats is kept out of marketing and advertising, that small anonymised portions of messages are used internally to train its safety systems and improve the chatbot, and that conversations are processed by third-party AI model providers to generate replies. It asks users not to share health details and explains how to request deletion. Our guide to what AI companion apps keep compares the wider field.
Strengths of each app and who it suits
- Pi is built for talking things through at no cost: a thoughtful voice, no setup, a tidy memory of the lasting facts, and nothing to buy.
- Replika is built around a relationship with one character: a face, a voice, calls, pictures and a companion that makes contact, with most of that on a yearly plan.
Key differences in one view
- Cost: Pi has no paid plan. Replika charges for its fuller version, by the year.
- Character: Pi has one voice for everyone. Replika is a named companion with an avatar you choose.
- Memory: Pi keeps a list of lasting facts you can edit. Replika keeps a written portrait of you.
- Support: both run a public help center, listed in the sources below, where the plan, memory and privacy answers on this page come from.
Pros and cons to weigh
The strengths are above. The trade-offs are worth stating plainly too. Pi gives you no avatar, no character to shape and no relationship setting, and the company said in August 2024 that its focus had moved towards business customers. Replika asks for setup, and its calls, pictures and fuller memory sit behind a yearly plan. Neither is a mistake; each costs you something the other gives.
If you have used one for a while, the thing you miss tells you most. Missing a face and a regular hello points one way; missing simplicity and a free app points the other.
A third option
Some people come to this comparison wanting a bit of both: the plain warmth of a good conversation, and a companion that keeps track of their life and gets in touch. My Softly was made for exactly that pairing. Mention your daughter's job interview or a hospital appointment and it will ask how it went, without a list for you to keep, and it writes first instead of waiting for you. Friend or partner is your choice. New accounts start with free messages, and our round-up of the best AI companion apps of 2026 sets it beside the others.
About My Softly
My Softly is our app, and the disclosure is at the top of this page.
My Softly is 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. 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, and it writes to you first. It is $15.99 a month or $159.99 a year, and 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.
Sources
- Pi Help Center. "Pi's Memory" (September 1, 2026): lasting facts kept across chats, what Pi leaves out, Settings, Account, Manage Memories. Read October 31, 2026. help.pi.ai
- Pi Help Center. "Why does Pi seem to forget earlier messages? What conversations does it remember?" (December 16, 2025): long chats summarised, past chats saved. Read October 31, 2026. help.pi.ai
- Pi Help Center. "How do I use voice to talk with Pi?" (December 16, 2025), "Why am I not getting notifications, or getting too many?" and "Daily Brief - FAQ". Read October 31, 2026. voice, notifications, Daily Brief
- Inflection AI (August 26, 2024). "The Future of Pi." inflection.ai
- Inflection AI (July 21, 2026). "Inflection AI is Shaping the Future of Personal Intelligence." Press release. inflection.ai
- Inflection AI. "Privacy Policy" (last updated August 11, 2026): model-training opt-out, no sale of data or targeted advertising, deletion. Read October 30, 2026. inflection.ai
- Apple App Store (US). "Pi, your personal AI" by Inflection AI: free, rating, version 26.1102.1 released November 7, 2026. Read November 12, 2026. apps.apple.com
- Replika. llms.txt, the company's own summary: made by Luka, Inc. in 2017, iOS, Android and web, Replika 2.0 with 3D avatars, voice, video calls and rebuilt memory. Read October 30, 2026. replika.com
- Replika. Privacy Policy (last updated October 28, 2026): conversation content and advertising, anonymised training of its own safety and chatbot systems, third-party AI model providers, deletion. Read October 30, 2026. replika.com
- Replika Help Center. "Choosing a Subscription": a Free Use program at no cost, with limited access. Read October 30, 2026, and again November 12, 2026. help.replika.com
- Apple App Store (US). "Replika - AI Companion Chat": free, rating, version 12.5.2 released November 5, 2026. Read November 12, 2026. apps.apple.com
- In-app check (US), free Replika account set up on Android, October 30, 2026: friend or relationship choice, avatars, memory screen, call minutes and images on a free account, Plus and Max paywall.
- In-app paywalls (US), free accounts on iPhone and Android. Checked September 30, 2026.
- AI Companion: My Softly, US App Store listing (subscription prices). Checked October 9, 2026. apps.apple.com
Frequently asked questions
Is Pi better than Replika?
They do different jobs. Pi is a free conversation partner with one voice and no character to set up: you open it and talk. Replika is a companion you build, with a name, a 3D avatar, a friend or relationship setting, calls and pictures, and its fuller version is a paid yearly plan. Someone who mostly wants a good listener at no cost is describing Pi; someone who wants the same character in their life every day, with a face and a voice, is describing Replika.
How much does Replika cost compared with Pi?
Pi costs nothing, and Replika's chatting is free too. For the fuller Replika, its in-app paywall for a free US account on October 30, 2026 sold Plus at $79.99 a year and Max at $89.99 a year, with no monthly plan. That works out near $6.67 or $7.50 a month if you pay yearly, and the full amount is charged at once.
What are some AI companion apps similar to Replika?
Pi is one if you want conversation without a character, and it is free. For companions with a friend or partner setting, our guides to Replika alternatives and to Pi alternatives list the options with their prices, dated. My Softly is ours, for women in their fifties and sixties, on iPhone and Android.
Is Pi free and Replika paid?
Pi is entirely free: its US App Store listing showed it as free on October 31, 2026, and there is no paid version. Inflection said in August 2024 that it would keep consumer Pi free and cap how much free users can send. Replika is free to download and chat with, and on October 30, 2026 its in-app paywall in the US sold Plus at $79.99 a year and Max at $89.99 a year, with no monthly plan.
Does Pi remember you like Replika does?
Each keeps things from one conversation to the next, but not in the same way. Pi's help center (September 1, 2026) says it keeps lasting facts such as your name, family, work, hobbies and routines, which you can edit under Settings, Account, Manage Memories, and leaves out one-off plans and events. Replika 2.0 rebuilt its memory, and a free account we set up on October 30, 2026 opened a memory screen with a written portrait of the user; its paywall lists perfect memory under Plus.
Can you call Pi and Replika?
Yes. Pi has a call button and a spoken voice in its iPhone, Android and web apps, at no cost. Replika 2.0 offers voice and video calls; a new free account had 5 call minutes on October 30, 2026, and the paid plans add more, with Max listing much longer talks.
Does Pi or Replika message you first?
Replika is built to: its own summary says it reaches out over time, and its paywall lists "Always thinking of you" among Plus features. Pi can send reminders you ask for, and its Daily Brief, a digest of news and topics you choose, is something you open yourself from Discover.
Which is more private, Pi or Replika?
Read both policies. Inflection's (last updated August 11, 2026) uses Pi chats for model training unless you turn that off in settings, and states that it neither sells your data nor targets ads with it. Replika's (last updated October 28, 2026) states that what you write is never used for its marketing or advertising, that small anonymised portions help train its own safety and chatbot systems, and that conversations are processed by third-party AI model providers to generate replies.
Can I use both Pi and Replika?
Yes. Both are free to download on iPhone and Android and run in a browser too, and neither needs the other. Nothing carries across between them, so each one learns about you separately.