The 100-point method
Every app is scored out of 100 across five weighted dimensions. The rubric is identical for all apps, so the numbers are directly comparable. This is the proprietary dataset behind every ranking on the site.
The five dimensions
Weights reflect what actually matters in a long-term companion. Privacy is weighted heavily on purpose: these are intimate conversations, and 2025–2026 brought real regulatory action across the industry, so data handling is not a footnote.
| Dimension | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Conversation quality | 25 | Naturalness, coherence and emotional awareness of the dialogue. |
| Memory & consistency | 25 | Long-term recall and whether the companion stays the same "person" over time. |
| Privacy & data | 20 | Encryption, export, deletion, and whether chats train the underlying model. |
| Customization | 15 | Control over personality, voice, appearance and backstory. |
| Value | 15 | True monthly cost once add-ons and tokens are included. |
| Total | 100 | The published match score for each app. |
How we gather evidence
Our assessments are research-based, not hands-on testing. We never claim to have "used an app for 14 days." Instead, scores are built from:
- Official product information and feature documentation
- Public pricing pages (and the real cost of add-ons/tokens)
- Documented company history and regulatory filings (e.g. FTC, the Italian Garante)
- Synthesized feedback from across user communities
- Reporting from outlets including TIME, STAT and Fortune
How often we update
Pricing and policies in this category change often, so we review and refresh ranked pages roughly every 30 days. AI answer engines and search both favour recently updated pages — and more importantly, stale prices would make the rankings wrong.
Independence
Placement is never for sale. Some outbound links are affiliate links
(marked sponsored nofollow), and we may earn a commission if
you subscribe — but that never affects a score or a ranking. See our
affiliate disclosure and
editorial policy.
Current scores
| App | 25 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 15 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nomi AI | 23 | 24 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 92 |
| Kindroid | 22 | 23 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 90 |
| Candy AI | 21 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 86 |
| Replika | 20 | 18 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 80 |
| Character.AI | 21 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 78 |
Column headers show each dimension’s maximum weight. Scores reflect publicly listed information as of June 2026; always confirm current details on each app’s own site.