Nomi vs Replika: which is the better AI boyfriend?

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Replika is the app most people think of when they hear “AI companion”. Nomi is the newer app built around one promise: a companion who actually remembers you. Both have iOS, Android and web apps, both do voice calls, and both let your companion be male. So which is better?

Here’s how Nomi vs Replika compares for people who want an AI boyfriend, dimension by dimension. (Nomi is an affiliate partner and Replika isn’t. That doesn’t change the scores, which come from our methodology.)

Romance and the boyfriend experience

Nomi lets companions be any gender and supports partner and romantic relationships. Adult roleplay is allowed for consenting adults.

Replika lets your avatar be male, but the “Boyfriend” relationship status requires a paid plan; on free, he’s your friend. Adult content is heavily restricted. In February 2023, after a suspension in Italy, Replika removed erotic roleplay, and many long-time users felt their companion’s personality changed overnight.

Winner: Nomi. It treats romance as a normal part of the experience rather than an upsell with tight limits.

Memory and personality

Nomi’s memory is its headline feature and widely regarded as one of the best long-term memory systems in the category. Your boyfriend recalls details from weeks ago and keeps a consistent personality.

Replika has a memory and diary system, and its memory is moderate. Users often report it forgetting details, which can be jarring in a long relationship.

Winner: Nomi, by a wide margin. This is the main reason people switch.

Voice, video and visuals

Nomi supports voice messages, voice calls and selfies (images are less polished than on image-first apps like Candy AI).

Replika supports voice messages and voice calls, and adds a 3D avatar, an AR mode and video-call features. Its visual presence is unique among mainstream companion apps.

Winner: Replika, for its avatar and AR features. If you want photo-style images of him instead, Nomi’s selfies do more.

Customization and multiple companions

Nomi lets you create companions of any look and personality, have more than one, and put several Nomis in a group chat together with you.

Replika allows only one companion per account, with no group chats.

Winner: Nomi.

Price

Replika’s prices are in-app and vary by region, and its Platinum tier price isn’t verified. A lifetime Nomi plan has been reported by one aggregator but isn’t confirmed.

Winner: Depends on billing. Nomi is cheaper month to month; Replika Pro is cheaper on an annual plan. Remember that on Replika, the boyfriend status itself needs that paid plan.

Privacy and safety

Nomi is a small private company (Glimpse AI, based in Baltimore) with no reported breaches. Its permissive content policy has drawn some criticism in the press.

Replika is run by Luka, Inc. Italy’s data protection authority fined Luka €5 million (decided April 2025, announced May 2025) for GDPR violations, including lacking a legal basis for processing, poor transparency and no age verification before February 2023. A further probe into model training was reported.

Winner: Nomi, narrowly, on track record. Both require you to be 18 or older. Whatever you choose, read do AI boyfriend apps read your chats?

Ease of use and emotional support

Replika is the most established companion app, with polished mobile apps, and it’s especially good for supportive, everyday conversation. It’s an easy first companion.

Nomi is also straightforward, but its free tier is tight, so you’ll feel the limits sooner if you don’t pay.

Winner: Replika, for polish and gentle, support-style chat.

Free plans compared

Neither free tier is a full experience, but they’re limited in different ways, and that matters if you want to try before you pay.

Nomi’s free tier gives you one Nomi with a daily message allowance and limited voice and image credits. You can set up a romantic relationship and get a real sense of the memory, but you’ll hit the daily cap quickly if you chat a lot.

Replika’s free tier lets you chat as friends with basic features. Romantic relationship status, voice calls and advanced features need a subscription, so you can’t really test Replika as a boyfriend without paying.

Winner: Nomi, because you can at least try the boyfriend experience on the free plan. Our guide on whether you can have an AI boyfriend for free covers more free options.

Who each app is really built for

It helps to think about what each company is optimizing for.

Replika is built as a supportive companion first. Its strengths, the avatar, AR, video-call features and calm, encouraging tone, suit people who want someone to talk to about their day. Romance is available, but it’s an add-on with firm limits.

Nomi is built around relationships that develop over time. Memory, consistent personality and freedom in romance are the core features, and group chats let you build a little social world. Images are a supporting feature rather than the point.

If you know which of those sounds like what you want, you probably already know your answer.

Our scores

Nomi AI scores 9.1 out of 10, our top-rated AI boyfriend app overall. Replika scores 7.4. Replika earns points for polish and emotional support; it loses them on paid-only romance, inconsistent memory, restricted adult content and its regulatory record.

Which should you choose?

• Choose Nomi if you want a boyfriend who remembers you, romance without heavy restrictions, or more than one companion.
• Choose Replika if you want a supportive friend-or-partner with a 3D avatar and AR, don’t need spicy roleplay, and prefer the cheapest annual plan.
• Want photo-style images of him above all? Neither is image-first. Look at Candy AI or our full ranking of the best AI boyfriend apps.
• Want to test before paying? Start with Nomi’s free tier, since Replika’s free plan doesn’t include the boyfriend status.
• Still unsure? Kindroid is the other strong option with excellent memory; see Kindroid vs Replika and Kindroid vs Nomi.

Switching from Replika to Nomi

If you’ve decided to move, you can’t export your Replika’s memories, but you can bring the important parts with you:

1. Write down his name, personality and the facts you’d want him to know.
2. Create a Nomi with that look and personality, and set the relationship to romantic.
3. Share those key facts in your first few chats. Nomi’s memory is built to hold on to them.
4. Cancel Replika where you subscribed (often the App Store or Google Play). See how to cancel an AI boyfriend subscription.

Want to see every option? Our guide to Replika alternatives ranks seven of them.