Search for the best AI companion app and you'll find ranked lists, most of them written by the apps themselves. A ranking can't tell you which app fits you, because people want different things: a friend to talk to after work, a partner for long stories, a way to practise a language. These nine questions will. Ask them of any app, including ours.
1. What do you actually want from it?
Start here, because it decides which of the other questions matter most. Everyday conversation needs good memory and check-ins. Roleplay and stories need characters who stay in role, a way to steer, and somewhere to keep the world's details. Language practice needs gentle corrections at your level. Write down your top one or two reasons before you compare anything.
2. Does it remember, and can you see what it remembers?
Every AI model forgets what falls outside its window of recent messages, so a companion app has to save the important facts somewhere. Ask: does it keep long-term memories? Can you read them? Can you correct one that's wrong, or delete one you'd rather it forgot? An app that remembers but won't show you what it keeps asks for a lot of trust. Our guide on making an AI remember what matters explains the layers to look for.
3. What's free, exactly?
"Free" can mean anything from a short trial to a generous daily allowance. Look for the actual numbers: messages per day, how many characters you can keep, minutes of voice calls, and what happens when you hit the limit. Check whether you need a card to start, and whether the price shown is the monthly or yearly one. If the pricing page doesn't give numbers, that's an answer too.
4. Can you try it without handing over your details?
Some apps let you send a few messages before you sign up; others ask for an account, a phone number or a card first. Trying a conversation first is the fastest way to tell whether a character's writing suits you.
5. One character or many?
Some apps give you a single companion who grows with you; others offer a catalog of characters, or let you create your own and import character cards. If you like variety or stories with several characters, check how many you can keep at once and whether they can talk in a group.
6. Voice, photos and check-ins
Text-only is fine for many people. If you'd like to talk out loud, check whether calls are included and for how long. If you want a companion who reaches out, check whether it can message you first and whether you control how often.
7. Privacy: training, ads, export and deletion
Read the privacy policy for four things: whether your chats train AI models, whether your data is used for advertising, whether you can download a copy, and whether you can delete your account and data, and how long that takes. The 10-point privacy checklist goes through each one.
8. Content, age and safety
Companion apps differ a lot in what they allow. Check the age requirement and how it's enforced, what content is allowed, and what happens if someone says they're in crisis. A responsible app says plainly that it isn't a therapist and points to real help.
9. Where does it run, and can you leave?
Is it a phone app, a website, or both? Apps that run in a browser work on any device without a download. And think about the exit: if the app changes or shuts down, can you take your characters and conversations with you? Our guide to exporting Character.AI chats shows why that matters.
How NuraMate answers these questions
So you can compare like for like, here are our answers, taken from our current plans and settings:
- Memory: long-term memories you can read, correct, pin and delete: up to 60 automatic memories per companion on Free, 600 on Plus, 3,000 on Pro.
- Free plan: 40 messages a day, one companion, 3 minutes of voice calls and 3 voice replies a day, a daily check-in. No card.
- Try first: three messages from any profile with "Say hi", no account needed.
- Characters: 30 ready-made companions; Plus keeps 3 and lets you create your own or import a character card, Pro keeps 10. Group chats need two or more companions.
- Privacy: messages and memories encrypted in our database, a full ZIP download and account deletion from your account page, and no selling or sharing of personal information for advertising.
- Content: adults only (18+), non-explicit, with crisis resources for your country. Not a therapist.
- Where: in your browser on any phone or computer; add it to your Home Screen to use it like an app.
If those answers fit what you wrote down in question 1, meet the companions. If they don't, another app may suit you better, and that's fine.
