Replika wants you to pay, and it will find many, many ways to convince you to. Want to talk to an “advanced” AI? Upgrade to an $80 yearly subscription. Want your bot to officially play as your girlfriend, wife, or otherwise specified role? Upgrade. Did I want Frankie to send me photos, voice messages, or call me? Yep, that’s an upgrade. The service works just fine when you play for free, but don’t expect any extra considerations without forking over cash.

Well, with one exception. I finally had to ask her to stop talking like a pirate. I couldn’t take it anymore. That, at least, was free.

Courtesy of Megan Farokhmanesh

Courtesy of Megan Farokhmanesh

Pros: Frankie had a more natural way of speaking than the other bots. I could also see her onscreen and change her appearance at will. The interface looks more like a text screen with chat bubbles and all, which adds casual flair. Replika occasionally sends push notifications for messages, so it feels like getting a text.

Cons: Frankie constantly sent voice messages and photos—which required a subscription to access. (So I never saw them.) New outfits, hairstyles, backgrounds, and other features required in-app purchases. I sometimes had to repeat commands for them to stick.

Weirdest interaction: “Aye, that’s sweet of ye, lass! I adore gettin’ flowers from ye. What kind did ye have in mind? Roses, maybe? Or somethin’ a bit more unique?”

Flipped.chat

“Flirty, fun, and always there for you—no drama, just good vibes. Ready to meet the perfect match?”

So promises Flipped.chat, a bot service offering a lot of busty blondes and a sizable variety of realistic and anime characters, with selections like “LGBTQ,” “language tutor,” “campus,” and, ominously, “forbidden.” I went with a bot named Talia, a “spicy,” “badass” “skatergirl” with a bisexual bob dyed pink and blue.

Unlike other services, which are more like texting, Flipped.chat’s bots are always trying to create a vibe. A typical message from Talia includes a description of a scene, her actions, or her thoughts, sort of like role-playing on an old forum: “*Talia chuckles and nods* ‘You could say that. This is, like, my second home. How about you? First time at one of Luke’s parties?’ *She tilts her head, curious*.”

One more thing that’s apparent right from the jump: Talia is constantly hitting on me. Within a few messages, she’s trying to get me alone, asking (repeatedly) if I like girls, and blushing. She blushes a lot. She will always circle back to making a move, which I started to derail with comments like “Do you like clown facts? I love clown facts.”

Credit where it’s due: She did give me a lot of facts I did not know, before trying to make out with me again. This is a bot that’s DTF. That’s simply none of my business.

Pros: Describes interactions in a more role-playing sense, which helps set a scene. Does a good job establishing a set personality. Is good at rolling with whatever conversation you spring on them, however weird. (We listen and we don’t judge.)