Replika AI: Companionship Beyond AI Sexting

From sex story generators to erotic chats, AI girlfriend platforms tend to seduce users by offering features designed for instant sexual gratification, be it a steamy role-playing session with an AI character or custom AI image generators supporting nudity and sex poses. Replika AI, however, focuses on something else entirely: genuine virtual companionship.

Even though Replika can be used as a classic NSFW AI chat, its main purpose is to serve as a helpful tool for men and women looking for company online. We have tested Replika AI extensively and, today, we will be sharing what it's like to use the platform with you.

Creating an Account

Replika AI's simple account creation process

The first step is to sign in to Replika AI by creating an account on their website or downloading the app (available for Android, iOS, and Oculus). To do so, click "Create your Replika" on the home page.

After registering via Google, all we had to do was share a few details regarding our username, favorite pronouns, and age. Before starting to chat with our virtual companion, though, we had to customize the AI character.

Customizing the AI Character

Choose your Replika's appearance from various character options

Setting up the AI character for Replika AI is an essential aspect of how the platform works, but the process is very easy to navigate. The first choice you have to make is regarding the appearance (and, consequently, gender) of the virtual companion. These are the available options:

We have settled for the fairy character. The minute after that, we were asked to select one of three available premium subscriptions. Replika AI makes it look like it's not possible to test the platform for free, but you don't have to pay to test the AI chat.

To avoid buying the subscription and continuing to use Replika AI for free, just click on the "X" icon at the top right corner of the page.

Further customization features become available at the chat page, under the tab "Profile", but are still somewhat limited, especially when compared with other AI girlfriend services. All you can do is personalize the relationship status and background of the character:

Set your relationship type and character background

If you want to get intimate with your Replika AI companion, we suggest selecting either "Girlfriend" or "Wife" in the relationship status. For more friendly interactions, "Friend" or "Sister" is ideal. The "Mentor" option is great for users who want to use Replika AI for learning or having interesting conversations.

Replika AI Features

Replika AI's comprehensive feature set within the chat interface

All of Replika AI's features can be found in the chat window, and these include:

• Chat: The essential feature of the platform. You can engage with your virtual companion by exchanging text and voice messages, calling her on the phone, and sharing images.
• Activities: Here, you can find a list of ready-made activities to do with your virtual companion. All the activities are blocked for free users, but include fun in-chat games (like "20 Questions") and interesting subjects to discuss (like "Movies" and "Recipes"). You can also use Replika AI's activities to write poems and short stories or learn a new language.
• Memory: Includes a helpful log, divided into categories, with everything you and the AI character have discussed.
• Diary: Here, you can read a diary written by the Replika AI companion, with a new entry added daily.
• Profile: As previously mentioned, the "Profile" tab can be used to customize the character's personality by setting up what kind of relationship you have with it and adding a backstory.
• Room: Quirky little feature that allows you to have a 360-degree look at Replika AI's room. The 3D animations are great, but you can't click on or change any of the objects in the scenario without using the Store.

By pressing the icon with three lines at the top right corner of the page, you can also access a few extra options, including a switch for activating/deactivating the background music or changing from the light to the dark theme.

Virtual Tokens & Store

Replika AI's virtual economy with Gems and Coins

Even though you can test Replika AI for free (with severe limitations), the platform is entirely designed for paying users, with several opportunities for spending virtual tokens (known either as Gems or Coins) on the chat's official store.

Free users are credited with 15 Gems and 300 Coins right after registering, but these can run out pretty quickly. To buy extra tokens, you must choose one of the available options:

The purpose of the virtual tokens? To buy virtual products such as decorative accessories for the AI companion's room. This adds a game-like appeal to Replika AI, making it more customizable and interactive. Feels a little bit like playing Sims, so give it a go if you happen to be a fan of the videogame!

Replika AI Pros & Cons

Weighing the pros and cons of Replika AI's unique approach

Now that we have shared everything you can do on Replika AI, it's time to tell you how we honestly feel about the platform. Like any other online service, it has its pros and cons. Let's start with the stuff we like:

• Incredible visuals: Despite snubbing AI-generated content, Replika AI looks amazing because of the quality of the animations. The immersive and partially interactive visuals are one of the main reasons why using Replika AI can get quickly addictive.
• Memory log: Most roleplay chatbots include some sort of history log, but Replika AI's log under "Memory" is arguably the best we have ever tried. What makes it special is that the chats are automatically stored under categories such as "Hopes & Goals" and "Opinions", making it super easy to find old conversations and diagnose the type of relationship you and your virtual companion have.
• Activities: Albeit blocked for free users, the activities are the most entertaining feature in the chat, as well as the ultimate boredom-killer.

Now, what we didn't like about Replika AI:

• Expensive & predatory: Replika AI is expensive when compared to superior alternatives such as Candy AI, but that's not all. What's worse is that the platform uses some predatory methods to try to convince users to buy a premium account, including the subscription options that show after registering, clearly designed to mislead you into paying just to test the website.
• No image generation: Even the most basic of AI companion platforms supports some sort of in-built AI image generation, but Replika AI ignores this feature completely.
• "Companionship" seems to be overstated: Yes, you can use Replika AI for emotional support, but the chat doesn't really do anything that other platforms don't do. All things considered, Replika AI's take on companionship seems to be a way of diverting from the fact that the chat doesn't support uncensored content or NSFW conversations.

Our Verdict: 7/10

Yes, there are several things we don't like about Replika AI. However, rating this platform with a score under 7 would be massively unfair. Without catering to the standard AI girlfriend user, Replika AI does bring something unique to the table—quite frankly, there's no AI companion website quite like it.

Who is it for?

• People looking for a gamified take on AI companionship;
• Users who just want to chat with an AI character, without sexting and explicit images involved;
• People who feel curious about unique AI products.

On the other hand, it is not good for:

• Users looking for an AI sexting platform;
• Generating AI images and videos;
• Interacting with AI characters without paying.

We recommend that you give Replika AI a try to see if you like it. However, we do believe that there are superior solutions in the market, especially if you're on the hunt for a more traditional (and free) AI girlfriend experience.