Been testing AI companion apps seriously for the past few months — memory quality, pricing honesty, voice features, content freedom. Most of what gets recommended online is either outdated or paid placements dressed up as reviews. A few things I've found that actually matter before picking an app: Memory is the most lied-about feature. Tell the AI something personal, come back 3 days later, see if it remembers. 80% of apps fail this completely. The "free tier" on most platforms is 10-15 messages then a hard stop. Only two apps I've tested have genuinely unlimited free chat Selira AI and SpicyChat. Token systems on top of monthly subscriptions are everywhere. The advertised price and the real monthly cost are often very different numbers. I put together a full honest review of Soulkyn AI this week one of the more interesting platforms because it runs a 70B model and owns its own GPU infrastructure. No API restrictions inherited from OpenAI. Full breakdown here: https://medium.com/@companaya/soulkyn-ai-review-2026-is-it-worth-it-tested-2631ca3164f1 Happy to answer questions about any platform tested about 40 of them at this point.

Mental health and youth service providers say they've noticed rising interest in AI chatbot companions.

In two independent studies, Australian researchers have found concerning user trends, including diminished interest in human interactions.

But users of AI companions say they can also offer support, advice and a chance to explore imaginative worlds.