Friend vs Replika

A side-by-side comparison of Friend and Replika, two Companion tools, drawn from Ignaite's continuously-verified listings.

Compared from listings verified as of 2026-06-11

Friend

Companion

Always-listening AI companion pendant that texts you about your day.

Replika

Companion

An AI companion that learns your personality through ongoing conversation.

At a glance

Feature comparison of Friend and Replika
Attribute	Friend	Replika
Category	Companion	Companion
Pricing (differs)	PAID	FREEMIUM
License	Proprietary	Proprietary
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms (differs)	iOS, Web	Web, iOS, Android
Model support (differs)	Single model (proprietary)	—
Vendor (differs)	Friend	Luka, Inc.

The honest brief

Friend

Unlike chat-app companions, it lives in always-on pendant hardware and initiates comments about your real day — one-time $129, no subscription.

One-time price, no subscription
Proactive, ambient companionship
15-hour battery, USB-C

Always-on mic raises privacy concerns
iOS app only
Text replies only — no voice
Polarizing public reception

Replika

Years of head start on long-term persona and memory, where most companion apps are far newer and shallower.

Long-running, mature companion app
Persistent avatar and memory
Free unlimited text chat
Voice/video calls on Pro

Italy fined maker Luka €5M (2025)
Abruptly cut then restored romantic content (2023)
Privacy/age-verification scrutiny
Roleplay shallower than SillyTavern setups

Friend details Replika details All Companion apps