UPDATED OCTOBER 28, 2026
Best AI Friend Apps (2026): 9 Apps Compared
The best AI friend apps in 2026 are Tolan for a friendly guide open to teens, Pi for a free friend to talk things through with, Sesame for talking out loud, Fellow for hands-free calls with a cartoon friend, Duple for AI friends you design and make pictures with, Replika for one long-term companion, Nomi for a friend or mentor with strong memory, Daydream for a cute goal buddy, and Hi Jisoo for Korean-speaking friends. We picked apps built for friendship rather than romance, and checked each one’s age rating, price, voice and memory against its own App Store listing and help pages on October 28, 2026. Prices are in USD.
AI friend apps compared
Every app here is free to download. They differ most in who they are for, whether you can talk out loud, and how much you can do before paying.
| App | Best for | Age rating | Free to start | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tolan | A friendly guide for everyday life, for teens and adults | 13+ | Free to download | Tolan Lite $11.99; Tolan Plus $24.99 (billing period not shown on the listing) |
| Pi | A free friend to talk things through with | 18+ | Everything: the App Store listing shows no in-app purchases | None listed |
| Sesame | A friend you talk to out loud | 18+ | Everything, for now: no in-app purchases listed and no ads | None listed |
| Fellow | Hands-free voice calls with a cartoon friend, no account needed | 13+ | Free download; unlimited text chat is listed as a feature | $14.99/mo or $39.99/yr |
| Duple | AI friends you design and make pictures with | 16+ | Duple Lite: up to 2 companions, text chat, long-term memory, 150 chat replies a day | Duple Plus $6.99/wk · $14.99/mo · $69.99/yr |
| Replika | One long-term companion who checks in on your life | 18+ | Chatting is free, with avatar customization | Subscriptions from $7.99/mo up to Replika Platinum at $89.99 |
| Nomi | A friend or mentor with strong memory, plus group chats | 18+ | An indefinite free plan with 50 messages a day | Standard $15.99/mo, $39.99/quarter or $99.99/yr; Launch $9.99/mo or $59.99/yr |
| Daydream | A cute goal buddy that lives on your lock screen | 4+ | Your companion, goals, adventures and decorating are free | Daydream Pro $4.99/wk or $19.99/mo |
| Hi Jisoo | Making Korean-speaking friends and practising Korean | 18+ | 10 free stars once after sign-up | Star packs from $0.99 to $29.99; no subscription |
Voice, characters and memory
A friend should remember you, and many people want to talk rather than type. Here is how each app handles the three things that matter most for friendship. “Not listed” means the app’s listing and pages we checked do not mention it.
| App | Talk out loud | Characters | Memory | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tolan | Voice-first, Tolan’s maker says | Your own Tolan and planet | Remembers your life over time | iPhone |
| Pi | Live voice mode | Pi only | Memories you can view and edit | iPhone, Android, Web |
| Sesame | Voice-first | 4 set characters | Shared across voice and text; Incognito option | iPhone, Android |
| Fellow | Hands-free calls you can interrupt | 6 cartoon characters to choose from | View and delete memories | iPhone |
| Duple | No voice | Up to 2 you design free; 10 to 30 on Plus | Long-term memory | iPhone |
| Replika | Voice and video calls (paid) | 1 avatar you design | Long-term memory | iPhone, Android, Web |
| Nomi | Voice messages and calls | Several you create, with group chats | Long-term memory | iPhone, Android, Web |
| Daydream | Not listed | BROWN, CONY and SALLY | Remembers your goals; infinite on Pro | iPhone |
| Hi Jisoo | Not listed | 5 set Korean friends | Stored encrypted on your phone | iPhone, Android |
Which AI friend app fits you?
Want a friend to vent to, for free? Start with Pi; it listed no in-app purchases when we checked. Would rather talk than type? Sesame and Fellow are built around voice. Want to create your friends? Duple lets you design several companions and make pictures with them, and Nomi lets you put several in a group chat. Want one companion who knows your whole life? Replika and Nomi are built for that. Under 18? Tolan and Fellow are rated 13+, and Daydream is rated 4+. Learning Korean? Hi Jisoo is the only app here where every chat is in Korean.
If you want flirting or romance rather than friendship, our AI girlfriend and AI boyfriend guides cover those apps.
Tolan
Tolan is the most popular friendship-first app here, with more than 186,000 App Store ratings averaging 4.8 when we checked. Your Tolan is a cartoon alien who wants to be your friend: you talk about your interests, your feelings and your goals, share photos, and design a planet together. Tolan’s maker says it builds “voice-first AI”, and its site says more than 70 million conversations happened with Tolans in the past year. It is also one of the few friend apps rated 13+ rather than 18+.
Free to start: Free to download.
Watch out: It is iPhone-only. The App Store lists several older membership prices alongside the current Tolan Lite and Tolan Plus ones, so check the price shown in the app before you subscribe.
Age / paid: rated 13+ · Tolan Lite $11.99; Tolan Plus $24.99 (billing period not shown on the listing). Sources: App Store listing · official site (checked October 28, 2026).
Pi
Pi, from Inflection AI, is a warm, curious personality you talk to by text or a live voice mode: to vent, prepare for a hard conversation, think through a decision or just ask questions. It does not pretend to be a person or play characters, and there is no romance. Pi now remembers lasting details such as your name and goals, and you can view, edit or delete those memories in Settings. When we checked, its App Store listing showed no in-app purchases at all.
Free to start: Everything: the App Store listing shows no in-app purchases.
Watch out: You cannot design a character or change how Pi looks. Some App Store reviewers say it interrupts, forgets things or crashes.
Age / paid: rated 18+ · None listed. Sources: App Store listing · official site (checked October 28, 2026).
Sesame
Sesame is the pick if you would rather talk than type. You choose Maya, Miles, Simone or Charlie, each with a distinct personality and point of view, and have a voice conversation built to know “when to respond, when to listen, and when to get out of the way”. Memory carries across voice and text, Incognito mode saves nothing, and Sesame says there are no ads and it never sells your data. Its App Store ratings average 4.9 from about 1,900 ratings.
Free to start: Everything, for now: no in-app purchases listed and no ads.
Watch out: You cannot create your own characters. Sesame calls the app a preview, so features and pricing may change.
Age / paid: rated 18+ · None listed. Sources: App Store listing · official site (checked October 28, 2026).
Fellow
Fellow says it is “designed to feel less like an assistant and more like a supportive friend”. You pick one of six cartoon characters at the Fellow House, name them, then text any time or start a hands-free voice call you can interrupt, like a normal conversation. Voice recognition and spoken replies run on your iPhone, so your raw voice audio is not uploaded. You can start without an account and view or delete what your Fellow remembers.
Free to start: Free download; unlimited text chat is listed as a feature.
Watch out: It is new and iPhone-only, with about 220 App Store ratings so far. The listing does not say which features need the subscription.
Age / paid: rated 13+ · $14.99/mo or $39.99/yr. Sources: App Store listing · privacy policy (checked October 28, 2026).
Duple
Duple suits people who want to create their friends rather than pick a ready-made one. You design each companion’s background, appearance and style, chat by text, and they keep long-term memory of your conversations. Duple companions also send generated selfies and photos, and you can change their outfits, so it suits people who enjoy the visual side of a friendship. You can have several companions: up to 2 on Duple Lite, the free default, and 10, 15 or 30 on Duple Plus depending on the billing interval.
Free to start: Duple Lite: up to 2 companions, text chat, long-term memory, 150 chat replies a day.
Watch out: Duple is text only, with no live voice, and it is iPhone-only. Lite caps chat replies at 150 a day.
Age / paid: rated 16+ · Duple Plus $6.99/wk · $14.99/mo · $69.99/yr. Sources: Duple pricing · Duple guide · App Store listing (checked October 28, 2026).
Replika
Replika has been around since 2017 and has the most App Store ratings of any one-companion app here, about 228,000 averaging 4.4. You design an avatar and talk by text, voice calls or video. Its listing now leans into friendship and real life: it says Replika “gently nudges you toward the life you actually want”, such as reconnecting with a friend or starting a hobby.
Free to start: Chatting is free, with avatar customization.
Watch out: Voice calls, roleplay and more sit behind a subscription, and there are several overlapping plans on the App Store. Read what each includes first.
Age / paid: rated 18+ · Subscriptions from $7.99/mo up to Replika Platinum at $89.99. Sources: App Store listing · help center (checked October 28, 2026).
Nomi
Nomi is built around companions you create and give a backstory, and memory is what people praise most. Its listing pitches it as anything from a “mentor chatbot” to a romantic companion, and it describes voice messages, hands-free calls and group chats where several of your Nomis talk together. Nomi’s wiki says its free plan is indefinite, with 50 messages a day.
Free to start: An indefinite free plan with 50 messages a day.
Watch out: Fifty messages goes fast. Nomi’s terms say subscriptions are nonrefundable, and App Store reviewers are most critical of voice and photos.
Age / paid: rated 18+ · Standard $15.99/mo, $39.99/quarter or $99.99/yr; Launch $9.99/mo or $59.99/yr. Sources: App Store listing · help center (checked October 28, 2026).
Daydream
Daydream is a different kind of AI friend: BROWN, CONY and SALLY from LINE FRIENDS as a “best friend who helps you become the best version of yourself”. Your companion checks in each day, remembers your goals, naps in the Dynamic Island and goes on adventures on your lock screen when you get things done. Daydream says it is an official LINE FRIENDS partner. Rated 4+, it is the most family-friendly app on this list.
Free to start: Your companion, goals, adventures and decorating are free.
Watch out: It is not built for long, deep conversations; Daydream says outright it is not an AI that “can do everything”. It is new, with only a handful of ratings so far.
Age / paid: rated 4+ · Daydream Pro $4.99/wk or $19.99/mo. Sources: App Store listing · official site (checked October 28, 2026).
Hi Jisoo
Hi Jisoo, from Gatepop, launched on October 8, 2026 and is a friendship app, not a romance one. You chat in Korean with five fictional adult friends, Jisoo, Eunyoung, Hyein, Seoha and Hayoon, choose a polite or casual speaking style for each, and can turn on easy Korean. Gatepop says conversations and memories are stored encrypted on your phone, with no automatic cloud sync.
Free to start: 10 free stars once after sign-up.
Watch out: The chats are always in Korean, though the menus come in English too. Every reply costs stars, and it is too new to have any App Store ratings.
Age / paid: rated 18+ · Star packs from $0.99 to $29.99; no subscription. Sources: App Store listing · official site (checked October 28, 2026).
What about the Friend pendant?
Friend is the product most people picture when they hear “AI friend”, but it is a $249 gadget, not just an app. It is a pendant worn on a necklace that is always listening, paired with a free iPhone app. Friend says each friend has its own voice and personality, builds memories from what it hears through the day and messages you about them. The app is rated 18+, and when we checked its App Store ratings averaged 3.6 from 118 ratings, far lower than the apps above (friend.com, App Store listing). Because it hears the people around you too, think about their privacy as well as yours. Read the Friend profile.
Before you make an AI friend
An AI friend can be good company, but it is still a company storing your words. Read the privacy policy, check you can view and delete memories, and set a budget before you buy stars, credits or a subscription. Tolan’s own site cites its survey in which 86% of people said their Tolan helped them through an emotionally difficult experience; that is encouraging, but an app is not a substitute for people you trust or professional help. If you are struggling, contact someone you trust or a local support line.
How we built this list
We started from the AI companion apps in our directory and kept those whose own listing presents them as a friend, guide or everyday companion rather than mainly a romance or roleplay app. For each one we read its App Store listing, official site and help pages on October 28, 2026, including age rating, prices and in-app purchases. Ratings and rating counts are the App Store figures shown that day. Apps are ordered by how well they fit the friendship use case given, weighing popularity, price and age rating, not by a hands-on score. Features are what each publisher advertises, not test results. Read our methodology. Also see our best AI companion apps and best free AI companion apps guides.
AI friend apps: common questions
What is the best AI friend app?
It depends on the friend you want. For a friendly companion that is popular and open to teens, Tolan. For a free friend to talk things through with, Pi. For talking out loud, Sesame or Fellow. For friends you design and make pictures with, Duple. For one long-term companion, Replika or Nomi. For a cute goal buddy, Daydream.
Is there a free AI friend app?
Yes. Pi and Sesame listed no in-app purchases when we checked on October 28, 2026. Duple Lite is free with up to 2 companions and 150 chat replies a day, Nomi’s free plan gives 50 messages a day, and Replika’s chat is free. Free plans change, so check the store listing first.
Is there an AI friend you can talk to out loud?
Yes. Sesame is built for voice conversations, Fellow has hands-free voice calls you can interrupt, Pi has a live voice mode, and Tolan’s maker describes it as voice-first. Replika and Nomi also offer calls. Duple has no live voice.
What is the best AI friend app for teens?
Most AI friend apps are rated 18+ on the App Store. Of the apps here, Tolan and Fellow are rated 13+ and Daydream is rated 4+. Parents should still read each app’s privacy policy and talk with teens about what they share.
What is the difference between an AI friend app and an AI girlfriend app?
AI friend apps are built for everyday company, venting and support. AI girlfriend and boyfriend apps are built for flirting and romance and are usually rated 18+. Some apps, such as Replika and Nomi, let you choose. See our best AI girlfriend apps guide for the romance side.
Are AI friend apps safe?
Your chats are usually stored on the company’s servers, so read the privacy policy, look for delete options and avoid sharing anything you would not want stored. Hi Jisoo and Fellow keep more on your phone, and Sesame has an Incognito mode. An AI friend is not a replacement for professional help.
Can you have more than one AI friend?
Yes. Duple lets you design up to 2 companions free and 10 to 30 on Duple Plus, Nomi supports group chats with several of your Nomis, Sesame and Fellow let you pick from set characters, and Hi Jisoo has five friends.
Is the Friend pendant an AI friend app?
Friend is a $249 pendant that listens through the day, paired with a free iPhone app. It is a gadget more than an app, so we cover it separately below the list.
Want to design your own AI friends?
Duple Lite is free on iPhone. Create up to 2 companions, chat, and make pictures together.