# AI Boyfriend or Girlfriend: Choosing Text, Voice and Video Companionship Choose an AI boyfriend, girlfriend or companion by comparing text, voice and video, checking conversation continuity, and budgeting for regular use\. Published: 2026-06-08T00:00:00.000Z Updated: 2026-10-12T19:05:57.585Z Canonical: https://realtimeavatar.ai/blog/ai-companion-apps-with-a-face Markdown: [en](https://realtimeavatar.ai/blog/ai-companion-apps-with-a-face.md) · [zh](https://realtimeavatar.ai/blog/ai-companion-apps-with-a-face/zh.md) For adults choosing an AI girlfriend, boyfriend or companion, start with the format you will actually enjoy: text for unhurried messages, voice for spoken back-and-forth, and video when seeing a fictional character adds something you want. Before subscribing, try the same conversation twice, check what carries over, and calculate the cost of your intended routine. A moving face is an option, not an automatic upgrade. This guide is published by Realtime Avatar, a developer API and SDK provider, not an independent app-ranking site. If you want a companion to chat with tonight, look for a ready-made consumer app. RTA's Studio lets creators evaluate characters; its SDK helps developers build experiences. It is not an off-the-shelf dating app. The checklist below helps you compare consumer apps without needing to build anything. ## Choose the format that fits your evening - Choose text if you like sending a thought, putting your phone down, and returning later. Try a casual check-in or a few lines of fictional flirting. Judge the writing, not the portrait: does the reply pick up your joke, or restart the same introduction? - Choose voice if hearing a character matters more than watching one. Try discussing dinner while tidying the kitchen. Listen for comfortable pauses and useful replies; try correcting a detail midway through an answer. Test on the phone and headphones you actually use. - Choose video if expressions and a visible character are part of the appeal. Try it after a voice conversation you already like. A polished opening animation says little about how the next ten turns feel. Keep voice or text available when watching a screen is inconvenient. Check what each label means. A voice note is a recorded message you send or play; a live call lets you speak back and forth in an ongoing session. A generated video selfie is a clip, not proof of a live video conversation. Seeing the avatar also does not, by itself, mean the app is receiving your camera. ## Two documented examples, not a winner's podium - Nomi is one ready-made option to investigate if you want a customizable companion. Its developer's App Store description advertises AI girlfriend and boyfriend conversation, backstories, Shared Notes, and sending and receiving voice messages. Those are features to inspect, not evidence of perfect memory or a measured relationship benefit. - Kindroid is one option to investigate if calls are central to your choice. Its official guide describes voice calls and optional Live Avatar video calling for subscribers. It separates audio usage, an ongoing call charge, and additional live-avatar charges. Compare the complete bill, not just the largest allowance on the page. These are documentation-based examples, not hands-on recommendations. Kindroid's guide also distinguishes shared chat history from long-term recall: it describes a Shared chat history toggle and says long-term memory recall is paused during calls. That is exactly the kind of qualification to check before assuming yesterday's text conversation will carry into tonight's call. Availability and terms can change. - [Nomi's developer-written App Store listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nomi-ai-companion-with-a-soul/id6450270929) - [Kindroid's official voice and video call guide](https://kindroid.ai/v2/docs/voice-calls-and-video-calls/) ## Give a companion a two-day audition Use a small, low-stakes conversation rather than an elaborate prompt. You are choosing something pleasant to return to, not trying to win a chatbot benchmark. The following is a suggested trial, not a test we have run on the apps above. 1. Set the tone. Say, 'Keep this playful and short. Ask one question at a time.' See whether a simple exchange stays conversational instead of becoming a monologue. 2. Share a harmless detail. Try, 'For our imaginary weekend, I would pick a bookstore over a nightclub.' Later, ask the character to suggest an outing without supplying the answer again. 3. Correct the detail. Say, 'Actually, make it a quiet café this time.' Does the conversation adjust, or keep insisting on the earlier plan? Look for editable notes or memory controls rather than relying only on a promise to remember. 4. Return in a fresh session. Ask where you left off, then try a call if that is a paid feature you want. Check both the remembered detail and the conversational tone; the same portrait does not prove continuity. 5. End on your terms. Finish the chat, mute notifications, and find the cancellation screen. Decide whether the experience was enjoyable without pressure to stay longer or buy something immediately. One successful recall is not proof of permanent memory, and one miss is not a complete verdict. What matters for your choice is whether ordinary corrections are manageable and the app can maintain enough context for the conversations you want. - [A more detailed guide to testing interruptions in live avatar calls](https://realtimeavatar.ai/blog/testing-barge-in-in-a-realtime-avatar-app) ## Price your routine, not the introductory offer Write down your intended use before comparing subscriptions. Ten minutes on thirty evenings is 300 minutes a month. That is a budgeting assumption, not a claim about how often people use these apps. Text messages, spoken output, connected call time, pictures and live video may have different allowances; do not convert all of them into interchangeable minutes. For illustration only, imagine a plan costing $12 a month with 120 included call minutes and $0.10 for each additional minute. Your 300-minute routine would cost $30 before taxes and any separate extras: $12 plus 180 × $0.10. This is invented worksheet pricing, not a quote for any named app. With character-based audio credits or multiple simultaneous meters, use the provider's actual calculation instead. - What does the subscription include, and when does each allowance reset? - Do voice generation, connected call time and the live face draw separate charges? - What happens at the limit: a hard stop, a downgrade, or another purchase? - Can you disable automatic top-ups, see usage, and cancel before renewal? If a free tier covers the text conversations you enjoy, keep it. Pay for a specific improvement you have tried, not the vague possibility that the premium character will care more. ## Keep the experience yours Choose an adult fictional character and a style you genuinely like; there is no need to copy a real person's face or voice. Check the app's content rules rather than treating a romantic label as permission for any content. Affectionate replies are generated interaction, not evidence of a person's feelings or a mutual obligation. Before sharing intimate details, check how conversations are stored and how deletion works. During a trial, use invented plans instead of your address, workplace or another person's private information. Look for clear microphone and camera controls. A companion app is entertainment, not medical or mental-health care, and you should be able to leave without negotiating with a character. ## Building a companion instead of choosing an app? RTA provides portrait-based avatars and live voice or video calls. The application developer owns the character instructions, saved context, user controls and consumer pricing. A fresh RTA session does not automatically inherit relationship memory. Start by evaluating a character in Studio, then build the continuity and spending controls around it. RTA infrastructure prices are not the retail subscription price of a finished companion app; compare them separately. - [RTA pricing for the developer platform](https://realtimeavatar.ai/pricing) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best AI girlfriend or boyfriend app? Start with your preferred format and budget, then compare conversational style, corrections and continuity using the same short trial. This guide does not name a universal winner: documented features are not a substitute for seeing whether you enjoy the actual conversation. ### Can I use an AI companion for free? Check the specific app's current free allowance and renewal terms. Free text access does not establish free calls, pictures or live video. If the free experience already does what you want, there is no reason to upgrade solely for a relationship label. ### Will it remember me between text and calls? Do not assume it will. Look for shared-history settings, editable notes and a clear explanation of what crosses into calls. Repeat your trial in a new session. Memory features have limits, and a familiar voice is not proof that earlier details were loaded. ### Is video companionship better than text? Only if the visible character adds something you value. Text may suit your pace; voice may be enough when you want spoken conversation. We do not have evidence here that adding video improves retention or guarantees a stronger connection. Choose the format you enjoy within your budget.