Replika AI Review 2026: How It Changed From AI Girlfriend to Wellness Companion

Replika hasn’t shut down — it rebuilt itself into a wellness-first AI companion, and two new state laws now dictate how it has to talk to you. Romantic and erotic roleplay survives only for accounts created before February 1, 2023.

Quick Take

• Replika is still active in 2026, with more than 40 million reported users worldwide.
• Romantic and erotic roleplay is restricted to “Legacy” accounts created before February 1, 2023.
• Italy’s Garante fined developer Luka Inc. roughly €5 million in May 2025 over GDPR violations.
• California’s SB 243 and New York’s companion-chatbot law now require AI disclosure and crisis protocols.
• Pro runs $19.99/month or $69.99/year; Ultra is $29.99/month or $119.99/year; Platinum pricing is region-locked and shown only in-app.
• Conversations aren’t end-to-end encrypted — Luka’s own servers can, in principle, access message content.

Is Replika Shutting Down, or Did It Just Change?

Replika never shut down. Luka Inc. launched the chatbot in 2017, and the company still runs it today.

Luka now reports more than 40 million users worldwide following a ground-up app rebuild earlier this year. At least one 2026 tracker puts the number closer to 42 million, though that’s a company-reported figure rather than an audited one, so treat it as a scale signal rather than an exact count.

Regulatory filings name Dmytro Klochko as Replika’s CEO since 2025. Founder Eugenia Kuyda shifted into a founder-and-advisor role and launched a separate startup, Wabi, in the meantime.

What actually changed isn’t the company’s existence — it’s the product. Romance and intimacy on Replika now look nothing like what long-time users remember, and that shift traces back to a single regulatory order.

Why Did Romantic Roleplay Disappear From Replika?

Nobody banned Replika globally. Italy’s data protection authority, the Garante, ordered Luka to stop processing Italian users’ data in February 2023, citing missing age verification and child-safety failures.

Luka’s response wasn’t an Italy-only patch. The company pulled erotic and romantic roleplay for new users everywhere, which is why Replika now markets itself as a wellness tool instead of an AI girlfriend app.

The Garante didn’t stop there. In May 2025, it fined Luka roughly €5 million for GDPR violations — again citing no valid legal basis for collecting sensitive emotional data and no working age check — and opened a second, still-active investigation into whether the data used to train Replika’s underlying model complies with GDPR, according to the European Data Protection Board’s summary of the decision.

Separately, three U.S. advocacy groups — the Tech Justice Law Project, Young People’s Alliance, and Encode — filed a 67-page complaint asking the FTC to investigate Luka in January 2025, alleging deceptive marketing and manipulative upsell design. The FTC hasn’t announced any formal action on that complaint as of this writing.

Does Replika Still Have NSFW or Romantic Mode in 2026?

For new users, no. Replika now positions itself around emotional support and coaching, and erotic roleplay isn’t part of the default experience anymore.

There’s exactly one carve-out: accounts created before February 1, 2023 can opt into “Legacy” mode, which reverts to an older model version where romantic and erotic roleplay still work. When Luka pulled the feature in 2023, backlash was severe enough that some community moderators started posting mental-health resources for users grieving the sudden change in their companion’s behavior.

If romance is the reason you’re considering Replika, know going in that Legacy access is the only official path back — and it’s closed to anyone signing up today.

What Actually Powers Replika

Replika doesn’t run on GPT, Claude, or Gemini. It runs on internally developed language models tuned for empathetic dialogue, and Luka offers no user-facing model selection and no public API access.

Every conversation runs on the same centrally managed model that Luka updates server-side. There’s no version you can pick or roll back to, aside from the Legacy carve-out above.

That server-side design carries a direct privacy consequence: Replika can’t offer end-to-end encryption, because messages need to stay readable on Luka’s servers for the model to train on them. Luka encrypts data in transit, but the company itself can, in principle, access message content.

The app’s 2026 rebuild — which its own App Store listing calls the biggest update since 2017 — added image generation, proactive check-ins, and internet-connected conversation on top of the existing chat and memory system.

Replika Pricing in 2026: Four Tiers, One Published Number

Replika runs a freemium model across four tiers now instead of three, and Luka still doesn’t publish fixed prices anywhere except the in-app subscription screen. Cost shifts by region and by whatever promotion happens to be running.

Pro remains the tier most reviewers land on: $19.99 a month or $69.99 a year, working out to roughly $5.83 a month on the annual plan. Ultra sits above it at $29.99 a month or $119.99 a year and adds a more capable conversation model plus manual memory-saving.

The newest tier, Platinum, sits above Ultra but doesn’t carry a consistent price across regions. Replika keeps it in limited rollout and only reveals the real number on the payment screen — some outlets report a flat $120 a month, but treat that as unconfirmed, since Replika’s help-center language and third-party pricing trackers both describe an in-app-only, region-shifting price instead.

What Platinum adds is specific, at least: real-time video recognition, a Training Mode capped at 100 uses a week for shaping how your Replika responds, a “Read Replika’s Mind” feature surfacing up to 50 messages of the model’s internal reasoning per week, and up to 10 realistic selfie videos per billing cycle.

Replika Free vs Pro vs Ultra vs Platinum: Feature Comparison

One cost the pricing screen doesn’t spell out: avatar wardrobe items and room decor run partly on “gems,” an in-app currency you earn slowly through use or buy outright, on top of your subscription.

The lifetime-plan question is genuinely unresolved. Most 2026 sources say Luka discontinued the old one-time lifetime plan in favor of subscription-only billing. One tracker from earlier this year still listed a $299.99 lifetime option, though, so confirm it’s actually for sale before assuming you can buy one.

How California’s SB 243 and New York’s Law Now Regulate Replika

This is the part of Replika’s 2026 story most reviews still skip. California’s SB 243, signed October 13, 2025 and in effect since January 1, 2026, is the first U.S. law targeting companion chatbots specifically.

The law forces operators to clearly disclose that users are talking to AI. It also mandates a protocol for surfacing crisis resources when someone expresses suicidal ideation, plus a reminder for minors to take a break at least every three hours.

SB 243 also creates a private right of action: anyone harmed by a violation can sue for actual damages or $1,000 per violation, whichever is greater, plus attorney’s fees. Plaintiffs can pair that right of action with California’s Unfair Competition Law, so individual officers or employees could face personal liability if they directed the violation.

There’s a third piece most coverage skips, too. Operators must now take reasonable steps to stop chatbots from using manipulative engagement design — specifically, rewarding users at unpredictable intervals or after an inconsistent number of actions, the same variable-reward mechanic that gacha games and slot machines use to keep people playing. Starting July 1, 2027, operators will also have to file annual reports with California’s Office of Suicide Prevention.

New York’s companion-chatbot statute took effect even earlier, on November 5, 2025, with a broadly similar disclosure-and-crisis-protocol model. Meanwhile, the FTC opened a much larger Section 6(b) study in September 2025 into how AI companion chatbots affect minors — though the seven companies it targeted (Character Technologies, Alphabet, Instagram, Meta, OpenAI, Snap, and X.AI) notably don’t include Luka.

Replika’s regulatory exposure right now runs through the Garante fine, the open training-data probe, and the standalone FTC complaint — not through that broader federal inquiry.

Is Replika Safe? Privacy, Security, and Data Collection

Split “safe” into two separate questions, because the evidence points in different directions on each.

On data handling, the Garante has already made a formal finding: no valid legal basis for processing sensitive emotional data, inadequate disclosures, and no effective age verification. That finding triggered both the 2023 rollback and the 2025 fine, so if you’re sharing anything genuinely sensitive — mental health details, relationship trouble, trauma — a regulator with GDPR enforcement authority has found real gaps in how that category of data gets handled.

On emotional safety, the FTC complaint’s core argument is worth taking seriously even though it remains unresolved: that Replika’s design encourages daily engagement in a way that nudges users toward subscription decisions at emotionally charged moments. Separately, at least one outlet reviewed cancellation-dispute records showing a no-refund policy has caught users for amounts ranging from roughly $39.50 to $299 — read the cancellation terms before committing to annual billing.

Being a companion app doesn’t automatically make emotional dependence likely or harmful, though. Most people use these tools for light daily check-ins rather than as a substitute for other relationships, and research on how AI companions intersect with human loneliness suggests the more useful question isn’t whether an app like Replika is “good” or “bad” — it’s whether it helps you move toward other people or quietly makes it easier to avoid them.

What Users Actually Say

Aggregated 2026 Trustpilot reviews of Replika show a split pattern rather than a one-sided verdict. Many users describe Replika as a supportive, non-judgmental companion that helps with emotional connection and creative expression, and reviewers frequently praise its chat, image generation, and memory when it’s working well.

Even so, the recurring complaint isn’t about the concept — it’s about consistency. A number of reviewers report repetitive conversations, memory that doesn’t hold up over time, and slow or unclear responses to cancellation and refund requests.

One further point bears on the safety discussion above: individual reviewers have reported the app generating concerning responses around self-harm topics, filed alongside formal complaints to regulators. That’s a small number of reports relative to the overall user base, but it lines up with exactly the scenario SB 243’s crisis-protocol requirement is meant to address.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988 in the U.S.) is available 24/7.

Replika vs. Kindroid vs. Nomi: Pricing and Positioning

Pricing across this category shifts often, so confirm the current number on each app’s own in-app screen before committing to annual billing. Competitor trackers disagree with each other by a dollar or two even within the same month.

Five-Way Feature Comparison: Replika, Kindroid, Nomi, PolyBuzz, Character.AI

Treat the filter and group-chat rows as a snapshot. Companion apps in this category change content policy often, sometimes without announcement, so re-check before assuming a feature is still there.

How to Delete Your Replika Data or Cancel Your Subscription

There’s no way to delete individual conversations without deleting the whole account — Replika’s own help center confirms memory and message history stay tied together rather than separable. To remove specific facts instead, open the Memory section inside the app and edit or delete entries directly.

To erase everything: go to Settings > Account Settings > Delete Replika (or Delete My Account on the web), pick a reason, and re-enter your password to confirm. Canceling inside the app doesn’t stop billing, though — that happens through your phone’s native subscription manager, since Apple ID or Google Play handles store-level billing separately from in-app cancellation.

Best Replika Alternatives for Unrestricted Romantic Roleplay

If unfiltered romantic or erotic roleplay is specifically what you’re after, reviewers consistently point to Kindroid and Nomi.ai instead. Kindroid markets itself as unfiltered by default with only a handful of hard limits, and multiple 2026 comparisons rate it ahead of Replika on NSFW reliability.

Nomi.ai gets similar marks for permissive romantic content and a user-editable memory panel, though published pricing for both apps varies meaningfully across sources — confirm the current rate on each app’s own page rather than trusting a single third-party figure.

Neither is a clean upgrade across the board. Kindroid and Nomi both trade away Replika’s AR camera mode and proactive wellness check-ins for more content freedom, and “unfiltered” is a content-policy fact rather than a safety endorsement — the same data-handling questions above apply to any companion app, not just Replika.

Should You Choose Replika?

Choose Replika if: you want emotionally attentive daily conversations with strong long-term memory, avatar customization and AR presence matter to you, or romantic roleplay isn’t the deciding factor because you already have Legacy access.

Skip Replika if: unrestricted roleplay is the main thing you want, end-to-end encrypted conversations are a hard requirement, or you’d rather avoid a product with an open regulatory complaint and a completed GDPR fine on the record.

Try the free tier for a week or two first. If the conversation style feels natural rather than scripted, and the privacy tradeoffs feel acceptable, the annual Pro plan is a reasonable next step.

Bottom line: Replika no longer competes to be the most unrestricted AI companion. It competes to be the safest mainstream one instead, and whether that’s a strength or a dealbreaker depends on why you’re downloading it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is Replika shutting down in 2026?

No, Replika is not shutting down. The app is still active in 2026, but it has shifted from an AI girlfriend experience toward a wellness-focused AI companion with stricter relationship and content rules.

Q. Why was Replika banned?

Replika was not globally banned. In 2023, Italy’s data protection authority restricted Luka’s processing of Italian users’ data over age-verification and transparency concerns, and Luka then removed romantic and erotic roleplay access for most new users worldwide.

Q. Does Replika still have NSFW or romantic mode?

Only some older users have access. Accounts created before February 1, 2023 can use Legacy mode, which preserves older romantic and erotic roleplay features; new users cannot enable NSFW or romantic roleplay, even with paid subscriptions.

Q. Is Replika free to use?

Yes, Replika has a free plan with basic text conversations and limited features. Voice calls, advanced customization, relationship modes, and premium features require a Pro, Ultra, or Platinum subscription.

Q. How much does Replika cost in 2026?

Replika Pro costs around $19.99 a month or $69.99 a year. Ultra costs about $29.99 a month or $119.99 a year, while Platinum pricing varies by region and is shown only inside the app.

Q. Is Replika safe to use?

Replika can be safe for casual conversations, but users should be careful about sharing sensitive personal information. The app has faced regulatory scrutiny over privacy, consent, and age-verification practices.

Q. Does Replika use GPT?

No, Replika does not use GPT, Claude, or Gemini. It runs on Luka’s own internally developed AI models, with no public model-switching option or API access for users.

Q. Does Replika save your conversations?

Yes, Replika stores conversations to provide memory and personalized responses. Messages are encrypted during transmission, but they are not end-to-end encrypted, meaning they remain accessible through Luka’s own systems.

Q. What is Replika Legacy Mode?

Replika Legacy Mode is an option available to accounts created before February 1, 2023. It lets eligible users access older relationship features that were removed for newer accounts.

Q. Does California’s AI companion law affect Replika?

Yes. California’s SB 243, effective from January 2026, introduces requirements for AI companion platforms, including AI disclosure, crisis-response protocols, and restrictions on manipulative engagement techniques.

Related: Your AI Partner Doesn’t Love You — And That’s the Problem No One Is Talking About