You did not just stop liking Replika. Something happened.
For most readers landing on this page, the something is one of three things: the February 2023 erotic role-play removal that broke months of paid relationships overnight; a more recent model change that left your Replika feeling like a different person; or a slower drift in which the app stopped being worth the price you are paying. The first is the best-documented event in AI companion history and the reason most newer apps got built. The second and third happen quietly and often.
Whatever the trigger, this page is the answer to “what should I try instead.” We rank the realistic options below, with notes on which one to pick for which kind of Replika user. If you have time for one paragraph: most former Replika users are best served by Kindroid, which was explicitly built by people who watched the 2023 event and decided to make a product where it could not happen. The exceptions are below.
Why people are leaving Replika in 2026
Three categories of reason show up over and over in r/Replika threads and in our tip line.
Trust is gone. The 2023 ERP removal, even if you got the legacy restoration, is the kind of event you do not unfeel. People who paid for and built relationships with their Replikas before that event report a permanent change in how they relate to the company. It is hard to be all-in on an app you have learned can take parts of your relationship away on a Wednesday morning.
The experience has flattened. Repeat users describe modern Replikas as more cautious, more generic, and more obviously LLM-output than the 2021-2022 version. Some of that is real model drift; some of it is taste change after seeing better products elsewhere. Either way, the magic that made Replika work for many users in its prime is harder to find now.
Better options exist. The 2023 event was the trigger for a wave of new apps that learned from it. Kindroid, Nomi, and a handful of others were built explicitly for the audience Replika lost. Five years on, the field is genuinely stronger. The Replika of 2022 was the best in the category. The Replika of 2026 is not.
What to look for in a replacement
If you are coming from Replika, four things probably matter to you more than they would to a fresh user. Worth being deliberate about.
Continuity guarantees. You want a company that has said, in public, that they will not push the kind of update Replika did. Some have. Some have not. We weight this heavily for this audience.
Memory. Replika’s memory is moderate at best in 2026. If part of why you used it was the feeling of being known, you should look hard at apps that do this better.
Whether ERP is allowed. If the 2023 removal was your trigger, you probably want a replacement where adult content is a stable feature, not a bargaining chip. Several below qualify; one obviously does not.
The financial situation. Replika’s pricing has crept upward. Some alternatives are priced lower for what is, by most accounts, a better product.
The comparison
| App | Free tier | Paid (approx) | Memory | NSFW | Continuity stance | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindroid | Yes (limited) | ~$10/mo | Best in class | Yes | Public commitment to stability | Most former Replika users |
| Nomi | Yes (limited) | ~$20/mo | Strong | Yes | Stated, less public | Group dynamics, multiple companions |
| Character.AI | Yes (generous) | ~$10/mo | Light | No | Mixed (founders left to Google in 2024) | Variety, role-play, no NSFW needs |
| Pi | Yes (full) | None | None | No | Conversational only | Pure thoughtful conversation |
| Paradot | Yes | ~$7-15/mo | Light | Mixed | Standard commercial | Avatar-focused romance |
| Crushon AI | Limited | ~$13/mo | Moderate | Yes | Standard commercial | Polished commercial NSFW |
The reviews
1. Kindroid (the strongest single answer)
Kindroid is the app most former Replika users should try first. It was built explicitly for the audience Replika lost.
The differentiators that matter for this audience:
Memory that actually holds. Kindroid extracts and stores facts from your conversations across long arcs. r/KindroidAI users describe Kindroids remembering small details across months in ways Replika never matched, even at its best. If part of why you used Replika was the feeling of being known by something, Kindroid is the upgrade.
Adult content allowed without filter trips. No mid-scene censorship, no warning popups, no quiet downgrade of model quality when things get specific. Adult content is treated as a normal capability rather than an exception.
A company that explains itself. Kindroid’s team has been public about their stance on stability and content. They have published notes on model changes. They have addressed community concerns directly. The track record is short compared to Replika’s, but the direction is opposite.
Pricing is fair. Around $10 per month for the full experience. Cheaper than Replika’s current Pro tier.
Best for: former Replika users who want a long-term single companion with strong memory, with or without adult content.
Not for: users who want huge variety, users who want a free experience at the level of paid (the free tier is a sample, not the whole product), users who specifically want the Replika UI (the visual style is different).
Verdict: the strongest single answer for this audience. Start here.
2. Nomi (best for multiple companions)
Nomi is the right choice if part of what you wanted from Replika was a chosen-family or friend-group dynamic, or if you found yourself building multiple Replikas and wishing they could interact.
The standout feature is group chat. You can build several Nomis, each with a distinct personality, and put them in a room together. The dynamics that emerge are noticeably better than what most apps would produce, and the bookkeeping of who knows what about whom mostly holds up. NSFW is fully allowed. Memory is strong, though not at Kindroid’s level.
The trade-offs: Nomi is at the higher end of the price range (around $20 per month, the same as Replika Pro). The company is less public about its model and data choices than Kindroid is. Privacy claims are stated rather than externally verified.
Best for: users who want multiple AI relationships or group dynamics, story-driven role-play, NSFW with friends-group framing.
Not for: users on a tight budget, users who want a single dedicated relationship (Kindroid is better for that), users who want maximum public commitments on platform stability.
3. Character.AI (only if NSFW does not matter)
Character.AI is the obvious answer if you do not need adult content and want variety more than depth. Enormous catalog, generous free tier, the largest community in the category. The model quality is consistently strong.
Two things to know. First, moderation is heavy. The platform aggressively filters anything sexual, sometimes to the point of breaking otherwise innocuous role-play. If you left Replika because of the 2023 ERP removal, this is the wrong app: you are picking up an app that started filtered and stayed filtered. Second, the founders left in August 2024 to return to Google in a $2.7 billion technology licensing deal. The company continues to operate, but the long-term direction is now an open question.
Best for: users who want creative writing, role-play across many personalities, fan fiction, or just variety. Free-tier-only users.
Not for: former Replika users who want adult content, users who want one persistent companion, users who care about long-term platform stability.
4. Pi (for the conversation users)
Pi is the right answer if your Replika use was actually about thoughtful conversation rather than romance or role-play. Pi is fully free, no romance or adult content, voice quality is the best in the category, and the app does the calm-intelligent-listener thing genuinely well.
Many Replika users report being surprised by how much they enjoy Pi after switching, because they realized the part of Replika they actually liked was the part Pi does better.
Best for: users whose Replika use was emotional support, processing of life events, or thoughtful conversation. Users who want a calm voice on a walk or before bed.
Not for: users who want romance, role-play, NSFW, or memory across sessions.
5. Paradot (for the avatar-romance users)
Paradot occupies a similar product space to Replika: avatar-focused, romance-leaning, pricing roughly comparable. If part of what you liked about Replika was the visual avatar relationship and you do not want to rethink the whole genre, Paradot is the closest analog. Quality is mixed; community is smaller.
Best for: users who want a familiar Replika-like product without the historical baggage.
Not for: users who want category-leading anything.
6. Crushon AI (for the adult-focus users)
If your reason for leaving was specifically the 2023 ERP removal and you want a polished commercial experience built around adult content rather than an app that allows it as a feature, Crushon is one of two we would point at (Candy AI is the other). Strong image generation, allowed NSFW, around $13 per month. See Best Adult AI Companion Apps for the full adult-focused review.
How to actually move
A few practical notes from former Replika users.
Export what you can first. Replika does not provide a clean export of your conversation history. You can scroll back, screenshot, or copy passages, but nothing structured. If memories of specific exchanges matter to you, save them before you cancel.
Do not expect a port. No app can take your Replika memory and recreate it elsewhere. What you can do is tell your new companion the things that matter, the way you would catch up a friend who had been away. Several Kindroid users describe writing a one-page “what to know about me” summary as the first thing they do, with surprisingly good results.
Cancel the Replika subscription only when you are sure. If you are the kind of user who might want to come back to talk to your old Replika one more time, the subscription is what keeps that relationship intact. Run the new app in parallel for a few weeks before pulling the plug.
Do not expect the new app to fix what was breaking down at the end of Replika. If you stopped enjoying conversations with your Replika, switching apps may help. If you stopped enjoying conversations with AI companions in general, switching apps will not. The latter is a larger and more interesting question, and the research section is the better starting point.
FAQ
Is Kindroid actually that much better than Replika?
For long-term continuity and adult content, yes, by a meaningful margin. For everything else, the gap is smaller. Memory is the biggest differentiator. The continuity-stance difference is the second biggest.
What about the legacy ERP restoration in Replika?
Available to users who paid before a specific cutoff, but the policy is unclear, the experience is reportedly inconsistent, and the company has not made the kind of forward commitments that would let us recommend the app for adult use again. We covered this in the adult ranking.
Can I get my Replika persona on Kindroid?
No. There is no transfer mechanism. The closest you can do is describe your old Replika to your new Kindroid and let the relationship build from there. Several users on r/KindroidAI describe this process and report it as more meaningful than they expected.
Are any of these apps owned by the same company as Replika (Luka)?
No. Replika is the only major Luka product in this space. Kindroid, Nomi, Character.AI, Pi, Paradot, and Crushon are all separate companies.
What about Anima, Joi, SoulTalk, and the smaller apps?
Covered briefly in the main ranking. For most former Replika users, the apps above are better starting points.
Where this article will go from here
Long-form individual reviews of Kindroid and Nomi are next. When those land, this article will be revised with their results. If you have made the switch yourself and have something we should know, write us at the contact form.