How to choose an AI companion
Decide first whether you want to talk or type. Then check what it remembers, how much is free, what a month really buys, what happens to your data and how adult content is handled. Here are 10 questions to ask any AI companion app, with TwoPeas's own answers, weak spots included.
A note before the list
This guide is made by TwoPeas. The questions work for any app; the answers are only ours, from our own pricing and privacy policy. For other apps’ published features and prices, side by side with a source for each, see AI voice companion apps compared.
Do you want to talk, or type?
Some companion apps are built around text chat, with voice messages or a call mode alongside. If you want to talk out loud, check whether voice is a live, two-way conversation or recorded clips sent back and forth, and how long a reply takes.
TwoPeas: Voice only. Every conversation is a live call, and replies come in under a second. There's no text chat, so if you'd rather type, a chat-first app will suit you better.
A face, a picture, or nothing at all?
Some apps show a still portrait, some send generated pictures of your companion, and some animate a character while it talks. If seeing a reaction matters to you, look for one that moves as it speaks.
TwoPeas: An animated Live2D character that lip-syncs and shows 17 emotions as you talk. It's an illustrated 2D character, not a photorealistic or 3D one, and there are three to choose from.
Does it remember you, and can you see what it keeps?
Memory is what turns separate chats into an ongoing conversation: it's how a companion can ask how the interview went. It also means the app keeps notes about your life, so you should be able to read them and delete them.
TwoPeas: Memory between calls comes with Best Friend and Inseparable; on Free and Companion, each call starts fresh. What she keeps is on the Memory page, where you can read and delete it on any plan. Your name, pronouns, boundaries and important dates are kept on every plan.
How is free use measured?
"Free" can mean a few messages a day, a short trial or a small daily allowance. For voice apps it's usually counted in minutes, so check how many, and whether they come back.
TwoPeas: A new account gets 10 free minutes, then 3 free minutes every day, with no card needed. A minute is connected voice time, counted by the second.
What does a month really buy?
Compare what you get, not just the price: how many minutes of voice a month, which voice you talk to, and what happens when the minutes run out.
TwoPeas: Companion is $14.99 a month for 110 voice minutes. Best Friend is $24.99 for 89 minutes and Inseparable $49.99 for 175, both on our most lifelike real-time voice, which costs more to run, so Best Friend includes fewer minutes than Companion. Annual billing costs less, with fewer minutes a month. When minutes run out you can keep talking with Peas, the app's credits: 5 a minute on Companion, 10 on Best Friend and Inseparable, and 5 on Free.
How is adult content handled?
Companion apps differ a lot here. Look for clear age rules in the terms, and whether anything explicit is something you opt into rather than the default.
TwoPeas: Regular calls stay PG-13. There is an optional 18+ mode for verified adults.
What happens to your data, and can you delete it?
A companion hears personal things. Read who the app shares conversations with, how long it keeps them, and whether you can delete your memories, and your whole account, yourself.
TwoPeas: Our privacy policy says we never sell or rent your data, don't collect biometric voiceprints and don't store raw audio recordings. What's kept is text: call transcripts and the memories made from them, held by our memory provider, Supermemory. The policy lists every provider that handles your data, the speech and language models among them (OpenAI, xAI and Google Cloud). Memories are kept until you delete them, or for up to 24 months after you close your account. Delete a single memory or a whole conversation on the Memory page; Settings → Data & account → Delete account cancels any subscription and erases your account and memories. Payment records are kept for 7 years.
Where does it run?
Store apps live on your phone; web apps run in a browser on your phone and computer alike, with nothing to install. Check that it works on the devices you actually use.
TwoPeas: In the web browser on computers, iPhone, iPad and Android, with no download. Add it to your Home Screen to open it like an app. There's no App Store or Google Play app, it needs an internet connection, and on iPhone notifications work only once it's on your Home Screen.
One companion, or a whole cast?
Some apps let you create any number of characters, write their backstories and put several in a group chat. Others give you a companion to talk to and put the effort into how it talks and listens.
TwoPeas: Three companions to choose from. You can rename yours, pick its voice and choose the relationship, from friend to coach or mentor. You can't design a character from scratch, so if building characters is the point, a chat-first app gives you more room.
How do you cancel?
Check that you can cancel yourself, in the app, and what happens to the time you've already paid for. If there's a free trial, know when it turns into a paid plan.
TwoPeas: Cancel anytime from your subscription page: you keep your plan until the end of the period you paid for, and there's no cancellation fee. A first subscription starts with a free trial: Companion is free for 7 days or until you've used 26 trial minutes, whichever comes first.
TwoPeas, in one table
| Question | TwoPeas |
|---|---|
| Do you want to talk, or type? | Talk: live voice calls, replies in under a second. No text chat. |
| A face, a picture, or nothing at all? | An animated Live2D character with 17 emotions. |
| Does it remember you, and can you see what it keeps? | Between calls on Best Friend and Inseparable. Saved memories can be read and deleted on any plan. |
| How is free use measured? | 10 minutes to start, then 3 a day. No card. |
| What does a month really buy? | $14.99 for 110 min, $24.99 for 89 min or $49.99 for 175 min a month. |
| How is adult content handled? | Regular calls stay PG-13; an optional 18+ mode for verified adults. |
| What happens to your data, and can you delete it? | Never sold or rented; no raw audio or voiceprints stored; delete memories or your account yourself. |
| Where does it run? | In the browser on computers and phones. No app-store app. |
| One companion, or a whole cast? | Three companions to choose from; no custom characters. |
| How do you cancel? | Anytime, from your subscription page. |
Questions about choosing an AI companion
What matters most in an AI companion?
Whether you want to talk or type comes first, because it decides which apps are even in the running. After that, memory, the real monthly cost and how your data is handled make the biggest everyday difference.
Should I pay for an AI companion?
Try the free tier first, and pay only once you know you'll use it. Check how many minutes or messages a plan includes and that you can cancel yourself, so you pay for the conversations you actually have.
Are AI companions private?
It depends on the app, so read each privacy policy. TwoPeas's says it never sells or rents your data and doesn't store raw audio recordings or voiceprints; transcripts and memories are kept until you delete them, or for up to 24 months after you close your account.
Can an AI companion replace friends or professional help?
No. A companion can be good company and a place to think out loud, but it doesn't replace the people in your life or professional care. TwoPeas is not therapy or a crisis service: in the US, call or text 988; elsewhere, findahelpline.com lists free helplines by country.
How do I try TwoPeas without paying?
Sign up in your browser: a new account gets 10 free minutes, then 3 free minutes every day. No card is needed for the free plan.
Related pages
Seven apps side by side, with sources.
The free plan, paid plans and what each includes.
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Free ways to talk to AI out loud, with sources.
Privacy, billing, safety and more.
