Replika alternatives come in five kinds: other companion apps, character sites, a plain assistant that remembers you, a partner you write yourself in an adults-only chat app, and a model on your own computer. The right one depends on what Replika was giving you. For some people that is company at the end of the day. For others it is a relationship, a place to say things out loud, or a story.
If you are here because the app changed, or because you want something it does not do, that is an ordinary reason to look around. Wanting someone to talk to is nothing to be embarrassed about.
We make Hemmingway and Hemmingway Unlocked, its adults-only side. Neither is a companion app. We have not tested Replika or the other apps named here, so we do not rank them. What we say about each comes from its own site.
What Replika is
Replika's site calls it an AI companion and "the AI friend to do life with". You have one companion, your Rep, and you shape how they look and who they are. The site says your Rep remembers what matters, such as your people, your routines and your plans. You can call them, and they send selfies. There are apps for iPhone and Android. The site also says the app has been rebuilt from the ground up.
Why people look elsewhere
- You want more than one character, or stories. Replika is one ongoing relationship. Roleplay with a cast is a different kind of product.
- You want adult roleplay. The pages of Replika's site that we could read do not say what it allows in romantic or adult chat. Check its own rules.
- Privacy. You tell a companion more than you tell almost any other app. You may want those chats kept on your own device.
- The one you knew changed. A hosted companion changes when its maker changes it. That is true of every hosted app, ours included. Only a model on your own computer stays exactly as it is.
The options side by side
| Tool | What it is | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nomi | A companion app built around memory | One ongoing friend or partner who remembers you | It is a product. Read what it keeps |
| Kindroid | An app for building a custom companion | Shaping a character in detail, with selfies and voices | The same |
| Character sites | Janitor AI, SpicyChat and similar | Many characters and stories | Not one companion who knows you. Adults only |
| Hemmingway | Our writing app, with a Memory you can read | Talking something through, then writing the message | No face, no voice, no persona |
| Hemmingway Unlocked | Our adults-only chat and writing app | A romantic or adult roleplay partner you write yourself | No avatar or voice. Text only. Chats do not sync |
| Running an open model yourself | SillyTavern with a model on your computer | Privacy, and a companion nobody can change | Strong hardware and some set-up |
Other companion apps
Nomi calls itself an AI companion with memory. Its site says you can build a friendship, a relationship or a mentor, that your Nomi remembers your preferences and the small details, and that there are group chats and selfies. It also says Nomi is unfiltered and uncensored, and that chats are anonymised and not shared with other sites.
Kindroid describes itself as an app for building your own AI character and companion, with text chat, AI selfies and human-like voices.
These two are the closest in kind to Replika: one companion, shaped by you, with a face. Before you settle in, read each one's privacy page, and find out what sits behind the paid plan.
Character sites
Janitor AI's help pages and SpicyChat's docs both describe sites full of characters made by other users, for adults only. They suit roleplay and variety more than one steady presence who knows your week. Janitor AI alternatives compares them, and Character.AI alternatives covers the general-audience kind.
A plain assistant that remembers you
Regular Hemmingway is a writing app, not a companion. It does have a Memory, which you can read, change or delete line by line, and People, where you tell it who your sister or your boss is. We never train on your chats, Memory or People.
It suits you if you want to talk something over and then find the words for the real person. An AI to talk to is about that, and AI companion sets out the kinds in more detail.
Where Hemmingway Unlocked fits
Hemmingway Unlocked is the adults-only side of Hemmingway: the same app with an uncensored model. It asks first whether you are 18 or over, then shows its rules. It writes romance and sex between adults, explicit and in full, and dark stories, and it does not lecture. A few things it never writes: nothing sexual involving anyone under 18, a real person, animals, family or anyone who does not consent, and no help with hurting a real person or with self-harm. The list is in our terms.
You can set up a partner in it by describing them in your first message:
"You play Noor, 33, a night-shift paramedic with a dry sense of humour. I am Sam, 35. We have been together a year. Talk to me the way she would at the end of a long shift: short messages, and real questions about my day. You are an AI playing Noor, and if I ask, say so."
Your chats are kept in your browser, on your device. They are never saved to your account or our servers, and never trained on. Each message passes through our servers to be answered and is not kept. So a long chat is still there when you come back on the same device, but not on another one, and clearing the browser's data deletes it for good.
Open Hemmingway UnlockedTry Hemmingway
Where it does not fit:
- It is a chat app, not a companion app. No avatar, no voice, no selfies. It writes text only, and you write the character.
- It costs money after the trial. It is free to try with no card, then a monthly membership.
AI girlfriend and boyfriend chat goes through setting one up properly.
Running one yourself
SillyTavern is a front end with character cards, and a program such as KoboldCpp runs an open model on your own computer. Together they give you a companion that never leaves your machine and never changes unless you change it. The cost is a strong graphics card and an afternoon of set-up. Open-source models for roleplay has the steps.
What no app can be
An AI companion can make an evening easier, and that counts for something. It works best alongside people, not in place of them. It is not a therapist or a crisis service. If things are hard and staying hard, tell a doctor or someone you trust. If you are in danger, contact your local emergency services.
How to choose
- You want what Replika is, from someone else. Nomi or Kindroid.
- You want characters and stories. A character site.
- You want to think out loud and then write to a real person. Hemmingway.
- You want an adult roleplay partner, with chats kept on your device. Hemmingway Unlocked.
- You want a companion that is yours alone. A model on your own computer.
Common questions
What is the best alternative to Replika?
It depends on what you want from it. For another companion with a face and a memory, Nomi and Kindroid are the same kind of app. For stories, a character site. For talking something through, a plain assistant with a memory, such as Hemmingway.
Is there a Replika alternative for adult roleplay?
Yes, of several kinds. Nomi's own site says it is unfiltered and uncensored. Janitor AI and SpicyChat are character sites for adults. Hemmingway Unlocked is an adults-only chat app where you write the partner yourself. Each has its own rules, so read them first.
Can I move my Replika to another app?
The Replika pages we could read do not mention a way to move a companion to another app. What you can carry is the description. Write down their name, how they talk, what they care about and what you two have been through, and give that to the new app as the first message.
Can an AI companion help with loneliness?
It can help with the quiet hours: someone to tell about the day, at any time. It cannot know you the way a person does. If it has become the only one you talk to, that is worth telling a person.