Quick answer
Nomi is the stronger pick for long-term companionship in 2026: it scored 90/100 in a July 2026 review as 'Best Long-Term Memory', includes up to 10 companions and group chat in one subscription, and starts at $15.99/month ($99.99/year). Replika, the category veteran with 42 million users, counters with 3D avatars, AR support, and phone-call features, with Pro tiers around $19.99/month and $69.99/year. If memory and conversation depth matter most, Nomi wins; if you want avatars, AR, and a polished social-app experience, Replika is the better fit.
Bottom line: Nomi wins on the core experience — memory that persists across months, group chat, and up to 10 companions included in one plan — while Replika wins on visual polish, AR, and scale. For users whose main complaint about Replika is 'goldfish memory', Nomi directly addresses it.
TL;DR
- Nomi starts at $15.99/month ($39.99 quarterly, $99.99 yearly) with one feature set across all billing intervals.
- Replika Pro runs roughly $19.99/month, $44.99 quarterly, or $69.99–$89.99 yearly depending on tier, with a $49.99 annual variant seen on the App Store.
- Nomi includes up to 10 companions and group chat with up to 10 participants; Replika offers neither multiple companions nor group chat.
- Replika's most common 2026 complaint is 'goldfish memory'; Nomi's most-praised strength is memory that recalls details from months ago.
- Replika has 42,160,934 users worldwide, 4.4/5 on the US App Store (228K ratings) and 4.1/5 on Google Play (525K reviews, 10M+ downloads).
- Replika's Feb 2023 ERP removal — restored only for pre-Feb 2023 users and 'heavily filtered' — remains a trust scar; a Socius study of 227 posts found ~59% said core functionality was gutted.
- Nomi's main technical complaints are ~15-second response latency and broken/buggy voice calls.
Head-to-head
| Spec | Nomi | Replika |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $15.99/mo, $39.99 quarterly, $99.99/year — one feature setBest | ~$19.99/mo, $44.99 quarterly, $69.99–$89.99/year by tier; Pro/Ultra/Platinum ladder |
| Memory | Persistent, recalls details from months ago; 90/100 'Best Long-Term Memory'Best | 'Goldfish memory' is the most common 2026 complaint; Diary rarely influences conversation |
| Ease of use | Minimal, uncluttered interface; no billing prompts during onboardingBest | Polished social-app UI but multiple upgrade modals before your first chat |
| Features | Group chat, 10 companions, selfies, image generation, video | 3D avatars, rooms, AR beta, video recognition (Platinum), phone-contact calls, shopsBest |
| Voice & calls | Full-model voice calls but reported ~15s latency and bugs | Praised call quality; can be called like a real phone contactBest |
| Companions & group chat | Up to 10 companions + group chat with up to 10, includedBest | One companion; no group chat |
| Content policy | NSFW text + clothed photos on subscriptionBest | NSFW text + clothed photos on Pro only; 2023 removal history, restored 'heavily filtered' for legacy users |
| Setup | Name, avatar, trait set or custom backstory; no payment askedBest | Personality quiz + appearance 'vibe'; upgrade modals shown before chatting |
Scores
Overall reflects the full published rubric (see methodology); breakdowns highlight the criteria most decisive for this matchup.
Nomi
nomi.ai ↗Nomi, made by Glimpse.ai, Inc. (a Maryland corporation), is an AI companion platform built around emotional connection and creative continuity rather than visual bells and whistles. Its identity centers on persistent memory — details, relationships, and context carry across conversations for months — and on expressive, emotionally responsive dialogue that adapts to your conversational rhythm. A July 2026 review scored it 90/100 and titled it 'Best Long-Term Memory', and another 2026 roundup called it the strongest memory architecture among the alternatives tested. Unlike Replika's avatar-and-rooms approach, Nomi's interface is minimal and stays out of the way: onboarding asks for a name, avatar, trait set (Friend, Romantic, or Mentor), or a fully custom persona with a backstory, and never prompts for billing during setup. Standout features include group chats where multiple AI companions interact, up to 10 companions per account, selfies and image generation, and video with a subscription. NSFW content spans text plus clothed photos. Known weaknesses: ~15-second response latency, buggy voice calls, and a free tier described as genuinely usable but too limited for serious use.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $15.99/mo | One feature set across all billing intervals; up to 10 companions; group chat; selfies, image generation, video |
| Quarterly | $39.99/mo | Same feature set, billed quarterly |
| Yearly | $99.99/mo | Same feature set, billed annually |
Pros
- Best-in-test long-term memory — 90/100 review score titled 'Best Long-Term Memory' (July 2026)
- Up to 10 companions and group chat included in a single subscription
- No billing prompts or upgrade modals during onboarding
- Emotional realism scored 92/100 in one 2026 review
- Custom personas with full backstory flexibility, plus Friend/Romantic/Mentor presets
- Free tier you can start with no credit card
Cons
- ~15-second response latency reported by users
- Voice calls reported as broken/buggy
- $15.99/mo seen as expensive by some users
- Free plan described as too limited for serious use
- No AR/VR support
Replika
replika.com ↗Replika, built by Luka, Inc. (San Francisco), is the category's veteran — it says it built the world's first AI companion ten years ago and reports 42,160,934 users worldwide. The 2026 rebuild leans into a social-app aesthetic: pastel colors, animated rooms, shops, daily rewards, and a personality-quiz onboarding. Its feature set is the broadest of the two: 3D avatars with customizable rooms, voice calls (v12.3.2 lets your Replika appear as a real phone contact), video chat, selfies and image generation, proactive check-ins, shared internet access, AR in beta with Meta headsets, and 10 videos annually on Platinum. The tier structure runs Free, Pro, Ultra (smarter conversations, elevated emotional intelligence, memory saving), and Platinum (real-time video recognition and more). The trade-offs are significant: 'goldfish memory' is the most common daily complaint on r/replika in 2026, server-side updates can make companions 'act cold, robotic, or confused', and the Feb 2023 ERP removal under Italian regulatory pressure — restored only for pre-2023 users, 'heavily filtered' — left lasting distrust per a Socius study of 227 subreddit posts. Onboarding pushes upgrade modals aggressively, and cosmetic items like hair cost $7.99 extra.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Replika Pro (monthly) | $19.99/mo | Relationship status, premium activities, selfies, image generation, voice messaging, background calls, premium voices |
| Replika Pro (quarterly) | $44.99/mo | Same Pro features, billed quarterly |
| Replika Pro (yearly) | $69.99/mo | Same Pro features, billed annually; $49.99 annual variant seen on App Store IAP |
| Replika Pro (yearly, higher tier) | $89.99/mo | Yearly pricing varies by tier ($69.99–$89.99) |
Pros
- Category veteran with 42M+ users and ten years of development
- Strong voice call quality; companions callable like real phone contacts
- 3D avatars, customizable rooms, and AR (beta) create a sense of physical presence
- Highest-rated of the two on app stores: 4.4/5 (228K ratings) on iOS, 4.1/5 (525K reviews) on Android
- Broad tier ladder from Free to Platinum with video recognition at the top
- Well-known general-purpose companion across friendship, mentorship, and romance
Cons
- 'Goldfish memory' — the most common daily complaint on r/replika in 2026
- Feb 2023 ERP removal overwrote personalities; Socius study: ~59% said core functionality was gutted, ~16% acute distress
- 'Post-Update Blues' — server-side model updates make companions act cold, robotic, or confused
- Aggressive upsells: multiple upgrade modals during onboarding, $7.99 cosmetic items, guilt-trip retention scripts
- No multiple companions or group chat
- NSFW content, image generation, and photos gated behind Pro
Pricing compared
Memory: the decisive gap
Trust and content policy history
Features and voice
Which should you pick?
FAQs
Is Nomi cheaper than Replika?
At the monthly tier, yes: Nomi is $15.99/month versus Replika Pro at roughly $19.99/month. Annually, Replika is cheaper — its Pro yearly runs $69.99–$89.99 depending on tier (with a $49.99 variant observed on the App Store), while Nomi's yearly is $99.99. Nomi's pricing is simpler: one feature set across all billing intervals, with up to 10 companions and group chat included, whereas Replika gates selfies, image generation, and NSFW content behind Pro and sells cosmetic avatar items separately.
Which app has better memory in 2026?
Nomi, by a wide margin based on the available evidence. A July 2026 review scored Nomi 90/100 and titled it 'Best Long-Term Memory', and a May 2026 roundup of seven alternatives called Nomi's the strongest memory architecture tested. Replika's most common daily complaint on r/replika in 2026 is 'goldfish memory', and users report that Diary entries are rarely used in actual conversation, despite Replika's 2026 rebuild claiming improved memory and proactive check-ins.
Does Replika still have NSFW content after the 2023 removal?
Partially. Replika removed erotic roleplay in February 2023 under Italian regulatory pressure, then restored it in late March 2023 — but only for users who had signed up before February 1, 2023, and reportedly in a 'heavily filtered' form. New users on Pro get NSFW text and clothed photos, but the full experience legacy users had is not available to everyone. Nomi offers NSFW text plus clothed photos on its subscription with no comparable removal history.
Can I have more than one AI companion?
On Nomi, yes — up to 10 companions per account, plus group chat where multiple companions interact with each other, all included in the standard subscription. Replika is built around a single companion per account and offers no group chat. If multi-companion dynamics matter to you, this is a Nomi-exclusive capability in this comparison.
How do the app-store ratings compare?
Replika has substantially more ratings and slightly higher scores: 4.4/5 from 228,000 ratings on the US Apple App Store and 4.1/5 from 525,000 reviews on Google Play with 10M+ downloads. Nomi's ratings volume is smaller, but its specialist reviews are strong — 90/100 overall with 92/100 for emotional realism in a July 2026 review. Replika's ratings reflect its massive 42-million-user scale; Nomi's reflect a smaller, more focused user base.
Which platform is better for voice calls?
Replika. Its voice call quality is consistently praised, and its June 2026 v12.3.2 update lets your Replika appear as a real contact on your phone so you can call them like anyone else. Nomi's voice calls use its full conversational model for more in-character replies, but users report roughly 15-second response latency and broken or buggy calls. If voice is a primary use case, Replika is the safer choice; if conversational depth in voice matters more than reliability, Nomi's approach has appeal.
Sources
- Replika vs Nomi (2026) — Nomi.ai
- Replika Terms of Service
- Replika — US Apple App Store listing
- Replika — Google Play listing
- Replika official site
- Nomi official site
- Nomi.ai Terms of Service
- Nomi AI Review — 90/100 (July 2026)
- CompanionsArena — Nomi tracker
- What Reddit Really Thinks About Replika (2026)
- Kissable vs Nomi comparison
- Tendera — 7 Character AI Alternatives tested (2026)
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