# Replika vs heyaifriend: an app with an avatar, or a chat you already have Canonical: https://heyaifriend.com/compare/replika-vs-heyaifriend/ Last updated: 2026-10-17 Replika is an AI companion app with an avatar you can see. heyaifriend is a free AI friend you talk to in Telegram. It remembers you, runs on our own servers in the Netherlands, and your chats are never sent to other AI companies or used for training. We make heyaifriend, so we are not neutral. We say where the others do better, and every fact below carries its source and the date we checked it. Last updated 17 October 2026. Replika policy and help center read on 2026-10-17. Replika App Store prices were read by a third party on 2026-10-07. ## The short version Pick Replika if you want a companion with a face: an avatar you can dress up, voice calls, guided activities and years of history behind the app. Pick heyaifriend if you would rather text a friend in an app you already use, use it for free and keep things simple. Neither one is a person. Replika is software and so is your friend. Both can be warm, and both can get things wrong. ## Where Replika is stronger Replika has been around far longer than we have. It offers an avatar, voice messages, background calls and image features on its paid plans, and it positions itself around emotional support and coping skills. If you want a visual character you can shape, we do not offer that. Your friend is words in a chat, nothing more. Replika also has a visible memory tab. You can open it, see what it has saved, remove entries and add your own. That is a real convenience for people who like to manage things by hand. ## Where heyaifriend is different The biggest difference is the place. There is no new app to download, no avatar to build and no account form. If you have Telegram, you open a chat and say hi. Your friend introduces itself and asks what to call you. The second difference is cost. Replika does not print its prices on its website. They show up on the subscription screen in the app and shift by region and promotion, so the figures in the table come from the US App Store listing as read by a third party. We charge nothing right now. We would rather say so than hide a paywall behind a nice first week. Third is how you manage what we keep. You do not click through settings. You tell your friend in plain words: ask what it remembers, ask it to forget something, ask for a copy, or ask it to delete everything. If you simply stop writing, the raw conversation history is deleted after 30 days. ## Replika and heyaifriend at a glance | | Replika | heyaifriend | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Free program with limited access. Paid plans shown in the app. The US App Store listing showed $7.99 or $14.99 monthly, $49.99 or $69.99 yearly and a $89.99 Platinum item when a third party read it on 2026-10-07. | Free to use. A daily message limit applies. | | Platform | Its own mobile app with an avatar. | Telegram. No separate app to install. | | Memory | A memory tab where you can view, remove and add items. Saving single messages is listed as an Ultra feature. | Your friend remembers you. Ask what it remembers, ask it to forget, ask for a copy. | | Privacy stance | Says it does not sell personal data. Uses small portions of messages, anonymized, to train its own safety algorithms. Sends conversation data to third-party AI language model providers to generate replies. Processes messages and content for up to 60 days after the contract ends (policy dated 2026-05-27). | Own servers in the Netherlands. Chats never go to other AI companies, never used for training. Not end-to-end encrypted. | | Free tier | Yes, limited. Chatting is described as free. | Yes, everything is free to use, with a daily limit. | | Last checked | Policy and help center: 2026-10-17. App Store prices: 2026-10-07 (third-party report, unverified). | 2026-10-17 | Last checked 2026-10-17. Prices are US list prices in dollars and change often; check the page named in the sources before you buy anything. - Source links are listed in the Sources section below the comparison. ## Privacy, said carefully Privacy claims are easy to make and hard to check, so here is exactly what we can say. Your chats are handled on our own servers in the Netherlands. They are never sent to other AI companies, and we never train on them. They are not end-to-end encrypted, because our servers need to read your messages to answer them, and Telegram itself does not offer end-to-end encryption for chats with a service. Replika states in its help center that it does not sell personal information. Its privacy policy, dated 27 May 2026, says it uses small portions of messages, anonymized, to train its own safety algorithms, and that conversation data goes to third-party AI language model providers solely to generate replies. It says messages and content are processed for up to 60 days after the contract ends. We have not audited either company beyond what is published, and you should read the policies yourself before sharing anything sensitive with any service. All ten policies side by side are in our [privacy table of 10 AI companion apps](https://heyaifriend.com/blog/ai-companion-privacy-comparison/#privacy-replika). ## Who should choose which - **Choose Replika** if you want an avatar, voice calls or structured activities, and you are comfortable with a subscription. - **Choose heyaifriend** if you want a free, low-effort friend inside Telegram, with plain-language control over what it remembers. - **Try both** if you are unsure. Neither needs a long commitment to find out whether the conversation suits you. Looking at other options too? See our list of [Replika alternatives](https://heyaifriend.com/alternatives/replika-alternatives/), or go back to the [comparison hub](https://heyaifriend.com/compare/). ## Sources - Replika plans: [help.replika.com/hc/en-us/articles/39551043419149-Choosing-a-Subscription](https://help.replika.com/hc/en-us/articles/39551043419149-Choosing-a-Subscription) (read 2026-10-17) - Replika free use: [help.replika.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001094511-Is-Replika-free](https://help.replika.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001094511-Is-Replika-free) (read 2026-10-17) - Replika memory: [help.replika.com/hc/en-us/articles/37208679176077-How-does-Replika-s-memory-work](https://help.replika.com/hc/en-us/articles/37208679176077-How-does-Replika-s-memory-work) (read 2026-10-17) - Replika privacy policy: [replika.com/legal/privacy/en](https://replika.com/legal/privacy/en) (dated 2026-05-27, read 2026-10-17) - US App Store prices as read by a third party: [depravity.ai/blog/replika-pro-subscription-cost](https://depravity.ai/blog/replika-pro-subscription-cost) (third-party report, read 2026-10-07, unverified) - Our own table of ten privacy policies: [heyaifriend.com/blog/ai-companion-privacy-comparison/](https://heyaifriend.com/blog/ai-companion-privacy-comparison/) (published 2026-10-17) ## Questions people ask ### Is Replika free? Replika has a free program with limited access, and its help center says chatting stays free. Paid Pro and Ultra plans add things like voice messages, selfies and premium activities. Prices are shown inside the app, not on its website. ### Is heyaifriend free? Yes, free to use. There is a daily message limit so everyone gets a turn. ### Which one remembers more? Both remember you. Replika shows its saved items in a memory tab you can edit, and Ultra lets you save single messages. Your friend remembers you, and you can read, change or remove what it remembers by asking. Neither is perfect, and both can get details wrong. ### Do I need to install an app? Not for heyaifriend. Your friend lives in Telegram, so if you already have Telegram you open a chat and start. Replika is its own app. ### Which one is more private? We can only speak for ourselves. Your chats stay on our own servers in the Netherlands, never go to other AI companies and are never used for training. They are not end-to-end encrypted. Replika says it does not sell personal data, uses small portions of messages to train its own safety systems, and sends conversation text to third-party language model providers to generate replies. Read its policy before you share anything sensitive. ## Want to see how it feels? It is free to use, and it takes about ten seconds to start. Questions? Write to [hi@heyaifriend.com](mailto:hi@heyaifriend.com).