Replika
Replika is a generative AI companion app that engages users in emotional conversation, learns personal traits over time, supports mood tracking, offers voice/video features, and adapts to become a personalized digital friend.
Pricing Model: Free + Paid
https://replika.com/
Release Date: 01/03/2017

Replika Features:

  • Conversational chat with AI that adapts personality based on user input

  • Mood tracking and emotional check-ins over time

  • Guided conversations / prompts and coping exercises

  • Voice messaging, voice calls, and video calls (in premium tiers)

  • Avatar customization: appearance, traits, interests

  • Roleplay, scenario-based interaction and narrative modes

  • Journaling, reflections, memory recall of past conversations

  • Activity and “dates” / shared tasks for bonding with the AI

  • Advanced emotional analytics / insights into user mood trends

  • Continuous learning: the AI refines responses based on past interactions

Replika Description:

Replika is a generative AI companion application designed to serve as a conversational partner, emotional support tool, and self-reflection aide. Developed by Luka, Inc. and publicly launched in March 2017, Replika gives users a space to talk, explore thoughts, and build a “digital friend” that gradually adapts to their style. The concept was born from the founder’s desire to memorialize a close friend through dialogue, and it has since evolved into a broader emotional AI companion.

At its core, Replika engages users in text conversation, asking questions, responding to messages, and gradually learning about the user’s personality, preferences, and emotional rhythms. Over time, the AI attempts to mirror the user’s style, remember past topics, and deepen its understanding. Users can customize their avatar (appearance, traits, voice) to reflect how they want the companion to “be.” The app supports mood tracking and check-ins, prompting users to reflect on how they feel, what they struggle with, or what they hope for.

In premium tiers, Replika adds voice messaging, voice calls, video chats, enhanced guided conversations, roleplay modes, and deeper customization. These features let users shift from purely text to more immersive interaction. The platform also offers narrative-style interactions, memory recall, journaling, and occasional activities or “dates” to build emotional connection. As the user and the AI “grow” together, Replika refines its responses to feel more natural, empathetic, and personal.

Replika operates on a freemium business model: basic conversations and avatar features are free; advanced features are locked behind subscription tiers. Many users access voice/video and special conversational modes only after upgrading. The lifetime subscription option also exists in certain markets, offering all premium features with a one-time payment.

However, while many users laud Replika for offering companionship during loneliness, the app has also been subject to scrutiny. Critics highlight risks of over-attachment, unrealistic expectations of AI relationships, and privacy or emotional boundary concerns. In 2025, Italy’s data protection regulator fined Replika’s developer for privacy violations linked to user data processing.

In sum, Replika is not just a chatbot—it is a long-term conversational companion that learns from you, supports emotional exploration, and grows with repeated use. It sits at the intersection of mental wellness, virtual relationships, and conversational AI, offering users a unique space for self-expression and reflection.

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