Guide · 2026-10-11 · By the BotRank team
What AI Companion Apps Really Cost: Subscriptions, Tokens and Renewal Traps
In a nutshell: Most AI companion apps charge in two layers: a subscription, plus an in-app currency for pictures, voice and video. Low monthly prices are usually yearly plans paid upfront. A few apps renew at a much higher price than the first term. To get your real cost, add the plan, the media you'll actually use and the renewal price, then divide by the months you'll actually use it.
Shopping for an AI companion feels a bit like buying a phone contract in a hurry. The big number on the pricing page is friendly, the small print is long, and the bill at the end of the month is often a surprise. We've read the pricing pages, help centres and terms for the 21 apps on our rankings. Here's how the money actually works, without the sales talk.
Layer one: the subscription
Nearly every app sells a membership with three or four billing lengths. The trick is in how they're shown. Prices are often displayed per month even when you pay for the whole period at once. A few real examples, as published or captured at checkout in 2026:
- Candy AI: $13.99 month to month, $8.99 a month on the quarterly plan ($26.97 at once), or $3.99 a month on the yearly plan ($47.88 at once).
- OurDream AI: $19.99 a month, or "$9.99 a month" billed as $119.88 for the year.
- Nomi AI: $15.99 a month, $39.99 a quarter, or $99.99 a year (about $8.33 a month).
- CrushOn AI: its entry Standard plan works out to about $4.91 a month on the web, paid as $58.88 a year.
None of these are hidden, and yearly plans really are cheaper per month. The point is simply that "from $3.99" means "from $47.88 today". If you aren't sure you'll still be using the app in month three, the monthly price is the honest one to compare.
Watch the renewal price
Some apps charge a discounted first term and renew at a higher rate. The most striking example we found is DreamGF. Independent price checks show $12.99 for the first month and then $25.99, $29.97 for the first quarter and then $77.97, and $69.99 for the first year and then $311.88. That's about 4.5 times as much for year two. By contrast, Candy AI's plan cards state that they renew at the same price and term, and an independent review of FantasyGF found no two-tier renewal advertised at checkout. Before you pay, look for the words "renews at". If you can't find them, ask support or assume the worst.
Weekly plans add up fast
A handful of apps sell weekly memberships. Kupid AI's Pro plan is $12.99 a week, which would be over $50 a month if you kept paying weekly, while its yearly option works out to about $3.44 a week. Candy AI also sells weekly and two-week plans, which an independent review measured at roughly 1.5 to 1.7 times its monthly rate. Weekly plans make sense only for a short test.
Layer two: tokens, coins, credits and friends
This is where most surprise bills come from. Apps give you a monthly allowance of their own currency and charge it for the expensive things: pictures, voice and video. Every app calls it something different:
| App | Currency | Included each month | Example costs (as published or reported) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candy AI | Tokens | 100 on Premium | Calls about 3 tokens a minute; images and video also use tokens |
| OurDream AI | DreamCoins | 1,000 on Premium, 5,000 on Deluxe | Vendor copy: 1,000 coins ≈ 200 images, or 20 minutes of calls, or 10 videos |
| DreamGF | Tokens | 100 on paid plans | Image 10, voice message 3, call 7 a minute |
| Erogen AI | Credits | 1,000 on Silver, 5,000 on Platinum | Image 20, voice 5 a message, calls 10 a minute |
| Joi AI | Neurons | Coins allowance plus some media | Terms: 4 per romantic message, up to 120 to view a photo, up to 1,900 to view a video |
| GoLove AI | Stars | 50 on Pro, 250 on Ultra | Photos, video, voice and live actions |
| SoulGen | Credits | 100 on Pro | Image 1–2, chat 0.2 a message, video 10–40 per 5 seconds |
The pattern is easy to spot once you see it side by side. Text chat is cheap or included, pictures are moderate, and voice calls and video are expensive. Amorous.ai's reading of OurDream's own coin guide found that a single 20-minute call, or a 50-second video, can use a whole Premium month of coins.
Does unused currency roll over?
It depends, and it matters. Erogen says its credits never expire and stay in your balance even after you cancel. OurDream's coins are reported not to expire either. Candy AI's included tokens are reported to reset at renewal. GoLove's Stars are reported to expire when your subscription ends. Honeybot's subscription tokens roll over up to a limit but are lost if you cancel. If you're a "save it for the weekend" type, pick an app where currency keeps.
When the currency pays for messages too
A few apps meter conversation as well as media. Infatuated AI's tokens are consumed by messages, images, voice and video. Honeybot draws everything from one shared pool. OurDream charges non-subscribers a coin per message. In these apps, a chatty evening and a picture-heavy evening compete for the same budget.
Free tiers: what you get before paying
Free plans range from generous to a quick peek. SpicyChat AI has no daily cap on free messages. Erogen AI allows about 600 a day. Nectar AI offers about 15 messages and 10 images a day, according to independent captures. Candy AI gives roughly five messages in total, GirlfriendGPT 10 to 20 in total, and Kupid AI 15. Our featured partner, Desire AI, is free during its open beta with daily limits and no card. It isn't ranked, and it shares an owner with BotRank. A small free tier only lets you judge the opening of a conversation, so if you're unsure, a single paid month is the safest test.
How to estimate your real monthly bill
- Pick your billing length honestly. If you've never used the app, assume monthly.
- Estimate your media. How many pictures a week? Any calls? Any video?
- Convert to the app's currency using its published costs, and compare with the monthly allowance.
- Price the shortfall at the smallest top-up pack. For example, Candy AI's packs start at $9.99 for 100 tokens when no bonus is running, and Nectar AI's at $9.99 per 100 credits in one independent review.
- Add the renewal price if it differs, spread across the months you expect to use the app.
Here's a worked example using published figures. A Candy AI user on the yearly plan who generates images daily and makes two short calls a week would cover the base cost for about $4 a month. But they would likely run past 100 tokens. Independent reviewers report that engaged users commonly spend $25 to $60 a month. A Nomi AI user on the yearly plan pays $8.33 a month with no separate currency for the included features. Neither is "better". They're built for different habits.
Refunds and cancelling: the last cost
Most apps in this category say fees are non-refundable except where the law requires otherwise. GirlfriendGPT, Infatuated AI, Nectar AI and CrushOn AI all have terms along those lines. Candy AI's guide describes a 24-hour refund rule that applies only if you've used 20 tokens or fewer. EU and UK buyers have a statutory 14-day withdrawal right on first purchases there. FantasyGF is the friendliest we found, offering refunds if you cancel before your next billing period. Several apps also warn that a chargeback can get your account closed, and Joi AI's terms say your conversations may be shared to contest a dispute. Cancelling properly is almost always better than disputing.
Because many apps bill through card processors rather than the App Store or Google Play, they won't appear in your phone's subscriptions list. Put the renewal date in your calendar the day you subscribe.
Our quick money tips
- Use the free tier to judge the writing, not the pictures.
- Buy one month before you buy a year.
- Find the "renews at" price before you pay.
- Look up the cost of one call minute and one video before you tap.
- Prefer apps where unused currency doesn't vanish.
- Cancel a day early and keep the confirmation email.
You'll find each app's starting price and free-tier details in our comparison table, and our individual reviews flag the pricing quirks worth knowing. All figures were checked in October 2026, and these apps change prices often, so always confirm at checkout.