Companion chat
Anima review
Mobile-first AI friend with a paid romantic mode and mini-games
Radar score
5.8
/ 10
Desk-researched profile
Pricing model
Subscription
Starting price
$7.99/mo (as reported; not verifiable from the store listing)
Free tier
Yes
Adult content
Limited
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android
Launched
Not stated
Video generation
No
Voice
Yes
Features:
Chat
Voice
Long-term memory
Verdict
A cheap, friendly chat companion that works well for light daily conversation, but memory drifts, there is no image generation, and the romantic mode sits behind a paywall with a vaguely worded content policy.
What works
Free friend mode with unlimited generic chat Low annual and lifetime prices compared with the field Bio tab lets you pin facts the companion should not forget Native iOS and Android apps plus a web client
What holds it back
Conversational memory degrades after a week or two of daily use No image or selfie generation at all Terms ban ‘obscene’ content while the paid tier sells a romantic/NSFW mode
What Anima is
Anima is a text-first AI companion from Apperry Ltd, sold as an ‘AI friend’ rather than an explicitly adult product. You create one virtual friend, pick an avatar or upload a photo, and chat. The app has been on the iOS and Android stores for several years and there is a browser version at myanima.ai. Relationship modes (friend, romantic partner, mentor) decide how the companion talks to you; the free version is limited to friend mode.
Features
The core is a single ongoing conversation with a companion that adapts its personality over time. On top of that Anima adds mini-games (trivia, ‘truth or lie’, ‘would you rather’), a story mode, personality tests and a ‘Bio’ tab where you enter hard facts the companion is meant to keep permanently. Reviews in 2026 mention a voice-call feature on the premium tier, though we could not confirm the current state of it from the official site. There is no image generation, no selfies and no video, which is unusual for a companion app at this point.
Memory works on two layers. Short-term conversational recall is decent for the first week or so; several long-term testers report repeated phrases and forgotten details after ten to twelve days of daily use, and recommend maintaining the Bio tab by hand. Treat the Bio as the reliable memory and the chat as the unreliable one.
Pricing
Pricing could not be verified directly: the App Store listing did not load for us and the FAQ is hosted on a Notion page that returns no content. Independent reviews from 2026 consistently report a monthly plan at about $7.99, an annual plan at $39.99 and a lifetime purchase at around $99.99, with some regional variation ($59.99 per year and higher lifetime prices are also quoted). The free tier gives unlimited plain chat in friend mode; romantic mode, extended roleplay and the advanced mood tools are gated or capped daily. There is no credit or token system, which keeps the maths simple: one subscription, everything unlocked.
Content policy
This is where Anima is muddled. The privacy policy says the app is not intended for anyone under 17, the App Store listing is rated 17+, and the paid tier is marketed as allowing romantic and NSFW conversation. At the same time the terms prohibit transmitting ‘obscene’ material. In practice user reports describe NSFW roleplay as opt-in and not policed on premium, but the published rules do not say what is and is not allowed. We rate the policy as limited and unclear rather than open.
Who it is for
Anima suits people who want an inexpensive, friendly chat companion on their phone, with light roleplay and some games, and who do not care about pictures or video. It is a poor fit for anyone who wants image generation, reliable long-term memory or an explicitly stated adult policy. If you go in expecting a Replika-style friend app at a lower price, it delivers roughly that.
Research basis: desk research from the official site and public user reports, September 2026.
How to cancel Anima
Anima subscriptions are billed through the app stores or, on the web, through the account settings.
Web: open myanima.ai, sign in, go to your profile or subscription settings and choose to cancel; access continues to the end of the paid period.
iPhone or iPad: Settings, tap your Apple ID, Subscriptions, select Anima, Cancel Subscription.
Android: Google Play, profile icon, Payments and subscriptions, Subscriptions, select Anima, Cancel.
Deleting the app does not stop billing. Store purchases follow Apple or Google refund rules; we found no separate refund policy on the official site.