Needs
AI Companions for Someone to Talk To
Sometimes the immediate need is simply a low-pressure place to begin a conversation, not a feature-packed roleplay app or a promise of therapy. This guide compares four currently eligible AI products that offer different ways to talk: an ongoing companion with optional check-ins, an offline-capable friend mode, an open-ended conversational AI, and a Japanese voice-first character. We checked public catalog eligibility and official sources on September 23, 2026. These are conditional choices, not evidence that any product reduces loneliness or replaces contact with other people.
01 — Editorial conclusion
For adults 18 and over, choose Replika when a continuing companion and optional notifications matter, but review paid tiers, its conversation-data policy and whether proactive messages feel helpful or intrusive. Choose Layla when local, on-device conversation matters more than a uniform cloud experience; its optional cloud mode changes that privacy boundary. Pi is also restricted to users 18 and over and suits open-ended everyday discussion with visible memory controls rather than a designed relationship or fictional character. Choose Cotomo when Japanese voice conversation is the main preference, while noting that its policy covers submitted audio and other content and permits several processing purposes. None is a substitute for human connection, counseling or crisis care. The right choice depends on how much continuity, initiative, language support and data sharing you actually want.
02 — Quick picks
Quick picks
Replika
Built by Luka, Inc. and running since 2017, Replika treats its AI companion as an ongoing relationship rather than a task-focused assistant. Users chat by text, voice calls, and video, and the companion sends selfies, accesses the internet, and generates images. It keeps persistent memory of a user's people, routines, and goals, with a customizable avatar and relationship style. Core conversation is free; richer relationship and media features require a paid subscription.
Why selectedReplika documents a continuing companion relationship, configurable notifications and visible saved memories.
Best forAdults aged 18 or over who appreciate occasional prompts to talk and want an ongoing conversational history.
Main trade-offUse is restricted to adults; proactive messages can add pressure, some features require a paid plan, and conversation data follows the provider's cloud and third-party model policy.
Layla
Layla is an AI companion that runs its language models locally on the phone for offline chat, roleplay, character creation, and image generation. Most modes keep chats and inference on the device with encrypted storage, so conversations work without a network connection; an optional Cloud mode routes requests to a user-chosen hosted provider instead. Users can load their own GGUF models, attach VRM avatars, and choose from more than 100 local voices.
Why selectedLayla offers a Friend setup for casual conversation and a local-model path that can work offline after download.
Best forPeople who prioritize local storage and are comfortable choosing a phone model and settings.
Main trade-offDevice capability affects speed and results; enabling Layla Cloud or other hosted models moves processing off-device.
Pi
Pi is Inflection AI's personal conversational AI for open-ended text and voice dialogue, described by its developer as an emotionally intelligent personal intelligence partner. It centers on supportive conversation for talking through ideas, decisions, and everyday problems, with live voice mode plus reminders, checklists, and shareable plans. The app is free, and it is not framed as a roleplay or romantic companion.
Why selectedPi supports free-form conversation and documents editable memory that can carry across chats.
Best forAdults aged 18 or over who want to discuss daily topics without setting up a fictional character or relationship role.
Main trade-offUse is restricted to adults; the catalog currently lists English as the product language, training uses account controls, and Pi is not human or professional support.
Cotomo
Cotomo is a Japanese voice-first AI companion for everyday conversation, roleplay, and interactive stories. Users name a companion and set its icon, personality, speaking style, memory, and voice, choosing from four default voices plus paid voices from Japanese voice actors. The Google Play listing describes Japanese voice chats with live English subtitles. Extra voices and story modes are sold through a coin-based in-app purchase system.
Why selectedCotomo is positioned around Japanese voice chat and provides editable, removable and lockable remembered items.
Best forJapanese-speaking adults who prefer speaking to a customizable character.
Main trade-offPlatform and English support are not fully verified; the privacy policy covers submitted audio and advertising, and the terms allow service-improvement use of user content without a specific retention or model-training rule in the reviewed PDFs.
03 — How we compared
How we compared
Low-pressure start
Look for an easy way to begin with a small everyday topic, without promising that any product feels welcoming to every user.
Proactive contact
Some people value a check-in; others prefer silence until they initiate. Replika documents notification controls. Confirm how to turn prompts off before enabling them.
Memory you can correct
Replika exposes some saved memories, Pi documents editable cross-chat memory, and Cotomo lets users edit or lock remembered items. These controls do not prove perfect recall.
Private or cloud processing
Layla can run a downloaded model on-device, while its optional cloud mode sends data off-device. Hosted services have separate policies for messages, model providers and deletion.
Language and conversation mode
Cotomo is documented as Japanese voice-first. Pi's catalog language is English. A Japanese guide page does not establish Japanese product support, and voice is not required for every reader.
Time and spending boundaries
Check account tiers, message limits, optional purchases and notification settings; use a time limit if the interaction starts displacing sleep or real-world plans.
Evidence rather than outcomes
Official documentation supports feature descriptions, not therapeutic results, emotional safety for every person or a measured conversation-quality winner.
04 — Current product facts
Current product facts
| Product | Pricing | Languages | Platforms | Key capabilities | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replika | freemium | DE, EN, ES, FR, PT | web, ios, android | long term memory, voice calls, voice messages, avatar | |
| Layla | freemium | EN, JA | ios, android | long term memory, voice messages, avatar, image generation | |
| Pi | free | EN | web, ios, android | long term memory, voice calls, voice messages | |
| Cotomo | freemium | EN, JA | web, ios, android | long term memory, voice calls, avatar, custom characters |
Replika
- Pricing
- freemium
- Languages
- DE, EN, ES, FR, PT
- Platforms
- web, ios, android
- Key capabilities
- long term memory, voice calls, voice messages, avatar
- Last verified
Layla
- Pricing
- freemium
- Languages
- EN, JA
- Platforms
- ios, android
- Key capabilities
- long term memory, voice messages, avatar, image generation
- Last verified
Pi
- Pricing
- free
- Languages
- EN
- Platforms
- web, ios, android
- Key capabilities
- long term memory, voice calls, voice messages
- Last verified
Cotomo
- Pricing
- freemium
- Languages
- EN, JA
- Platforms
- web, ios, android
- Key capabilities
- long term memory, voice calls, avatar, custom characters
- Last verified
A good fit for
- Adults looking for a low-pressure everyday conversation option while keeping real relationships and activities in their lives.
- People who want to choose deliberately between optional check-ins, on-device privacy, open-ended talk and Japanese voice conversation.
- Readers willing to review memory, notification, data-use and deletion controls before sharing personal stories.
May not fit
- Anyone needing diagnosis, therapy, crisis intervention, emergency help or a guarantee of relief from loneliness.
- People who need an AI to act as a human friend or to remember every important detail correctly.
- Users unwilling to check product age rules, cloud/data processing, spending limits or the effect of proactive messages on their own routines.
Important limitations
- We have not tested whether these products reduce loneliness, improve mood or outperform one another in conversational quality.
- Proactive contact can feel supportive or intrusive; turn off notifications if they add pressure or interrupt your day.
- Memories can be missing or wrong, and deleting an in-app memory may not mean all underlying conversation data has been erased.
- Prices, feature limits, supported languages and privacy terms can change by device, location and account tier.
- Cotomo's published policy covers audio and other submitted content, service improvement, advertising and specified third-party processing. Its terms also permit use of user content to provide and improve the service; neither reviewed PDF states a clear retention period or specific model-training rule.
- Replika and Pi restrict use to people aged 18 or over; an App Store age rating alone should not be treated as a service term.
05 — Evidence and review dates
Evidence and review dates
- Replika notification settingshigh ·
- Replika memory controlshigh ·
- Replika privacy policyhigh ·
- Replika terms and minimum agehigh ·
- Replika Apple App Store age ratinghigh ·
- Layla getting startedhigh ·
- Layla privacy policyhigh ·
- Pi memory helphigh ·
- Pi privacy helphigh ·
- Pi privacy policyhigh ·
- Pi account age helphigh ·
- Pi Apple App Store age ratinghigh ·
- Cotomo official websitehigh ·
- Cotomo editable memory noticehigh ·
- Cotomo Starley privacy policy PDFhigh ·
- Cotomo Starley terms PDFhigh ·
- AI Soul Map methodologyhigh ·
06 — FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI companion make loneliness go away?
We have no evidence that a listed product treats loneliness or produces a lasting health outcome. It can offer a conversation, but it should complement rather than replace human contact and support.
Which option can check in first?
Replika documents optional notifications and follow-up messages. Check the current app settings and switch them off if they feel intrusive; do not assume every candidate sends proactive messages.
Which choice offers more local control?
Layla documents a Friend mode that can run a downloaded model on-device. Optional Layla Cloud and third-party engines use different data pathways; choose and verify the mode you use.
Can I correct what the AI remembers?
Replika describes visible saved memories, Pi describes editable cross-chat memory, and Cotomo describes editable, removable and lockable items. These controls do not guarantee accurate recall or identical deletion of all chat data.
Is there a Japanese conversation option?
Cotomo's official site centers Japanese voice conversation. Other candidates' Japanese interface, chat and speech support must be checked separately; a Japanese AI Soul Map page is not proof.
Are Replika and Pi available to minors?
No. Both currently require users to be at least 18 under their own terms or help guidance. Their Apple App Store listings also show an 18+ age rating, which is a separate kind of notice.
Is this mental-health advice?
No. This page covers everyday conversation choices, not diagnosis, treatment or crisis support. For clinical or urgent needs, reach a qualified professional or local emergency service.