Joi AI Alternatives: Match the Replacement to Your Reason for Leaving

Most people don't leave Joi AI because the chat is bad. They leave because the bill is unpredictable, the bot forgets what they said an hour ago, or the voice feature isn't what the listing promised. Those are three different problems, and no single app fixes all three well. So start with your complaint, not with a leaderboard.

Joi is run by Novi Limited (reg. HE 407352, Nicosia, Cyprus). Third-party listings put Joi Premium at $17.77/month, or roughly $5.08/month on annual billing. The subscription is only half the story: Joi runs on Neurons, its internal currency. A romantic message costs 4 Neurons, a photo up to 120, a video up to 1,900. Reviewers report extra custom characters at 1,000 Neurons each, and one comparison estimates $15–$30/month in Neurons on top of the subscription. That's the trap. You can't budget for a month until it's over.

Below, each pick maps to a reason people leave. Prices are what the vendor publishes. Where a number comes from a third-party listing rather than the vendor, we say so.

Quick picks by reason

Problem	Pick	Price from	Caveat
Neurons unpredictable	OurDream AI	$9.99/month annual	Media blurred if plan lapses
Cheap consistent images	Candy AI	$3.99/month annual	100 tokens/month only
Memory loss	Secrets AI	$9.17/month annual	Best features in $39.99 tier
Emotional depth	Nomi	$8.33/month annual	No nude photos
Weak voice	Kindroid	$15.99/month App Store	Free tier is a 50-message preview
No paying	Janitor AI	Free; $12.99/month Janitor+	No voice, no image generation
Content filters	CrushOn AI	$5.99/month	Inactive free chats wiped after a week
SFW with free voice	Character AI	Free; $9.99/month c.ai+	No adult content
Simple phone app	Anima AI	Free; PRO unverified	Mozilla flagged privacy in 2024
Considering EVA AI	Skip it	$14.99/month App Store	Same company, same Neurons

Why people leave Joi, in plain terms

Four complaints come up repeatedly.

• Cost creep. The subscription looks cheap and the Neurons don't. Romantic messages are the cheapest action at 4 Neurons; photos and video eat the balance fast.
• Memory. Trustpilot reviewers describe Joi losing context in long chats. If you've built weeks of history, that's the dealbreaker.
• Voice. 2026 guides disagree on whether Joi has voice chat at all. When reviewers can't agree a feature exists, treat it as missing.
• Filters. Some users report frequent NSFW censorship, though most reviews call Joi's filtering light. Your mileage depends on what you ask for.

There's also a privacy layer worth naming. Joi's policy says messages are used for AI development, there's no end-to-end encryption, and there's no fixed retention period. Refunds are limited to three cases, requested within 14 days. And a chargeback can trigger Joi disclosing chats to verify the claim, which is a strange thing to hand a customer who's already unhappy. Ofcom opened a probe on January 15, 2026 and closed it July 31, 2026 with no findings; the regulator's file put Joi at roughly 6.5 million monthly users worldwide in late 2025.

How we matched these picks

We read published pricing pages, feature lists and privacy policies, then cross-checked against user reports. We didn't buy subscriptions or run test accounts, so where a feature is disputed between sources, we flag it rather than pick a side. None of these placements were paid for, and we use no affiliate links.

One honest limit up front: no app on this list has verified end-to-end encryption. If privacy is your reason for leaving Joi, you're choosing the least-bad policy, not a safe one. Keep identifying details out of chats regardless.

OurDream AI: for the predictable bill

OurDream is run by Dream Studio USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation. It's $19.99/month, or $9.99/month billed at $119.88 yearly. You get unlimited messages and 1,000 dreamcoins a month; annual plans add 1,000 bonus coins. Compare that to Joi's metered messaging and you see the appeal.

The coin maths: 10 coins buys two images, 100 buys a 5-second video, calls run 50 per minute. So 1,000 coins is roughly 200 images or 10 short clips. That's a real ceiling, but at least it's a fixed one.

Caveats. Memory works from recent messages, not a long-term profile. If your plan lapses, your saved media is blurred, which matters if you've collected months of images. And OurDream's homepage claims end-to-end encryption while its privacy policy describes only server-side encryption and permits training on your data. Trust the policy.

Our OurDream AI review covers the Dreamcoin maths and the privacy fine print in more detail.

Candy AI: for cheap, consistent images

Candy is operated by EverAI Limited, Malta. It's $13.99/month or $3.99/month on a 12-month commitment. Unlimited text, 18+ images, image-to-video, voice messages, beta calls, plus 100 tokens a month. Premium Plus adds 330 tokens monthly and 20 memory slots. The free account gets 5 messages, which is a demo, not a tier.

Two things to know before you commit. First, 100 tokens vanish quickly if you lean on video. Media-heavy users report bills of $25–$80/month. Second, refunds are available within one day only, and only if you've spent 20 tokens or fewer. Annual billing is where the value is, but it's also where you can't get your money back.

If your complaint is something other than price, our Candy AI alternatives guide works the same way this one does. And if you're weighing the two directly, Candy.ai vs OurDream AI compares them head to head.

Secrets AI: for memory that holds

Secrets AI is run by Secret Labs Inc. It's $19.99/month, or $109.99/year (about $9.17/month). Unlimited messaging and 8,000 Moments a month. Moments cost 50 per image, 600 per adult video, and 50 per call minute. The free tier gives 20 messages daily, basic memory, and zero Moments.

The $39.99 Ultimate tier adds personas, companions who message first, and group chats of two or three. That's the tier that actually shows off the app, which is worth knowing before you judge it on the $19.99 plan.

Privacy is better than most here: AES-256 for stored data, chat history wiped when you delete your account, no call recordings. It's web-only, with no App Store or Play Store app. Reviewers consistently rate its memory among the strongest, and you can edit what it remembers. If you're leaving Joi over memory loss, start here. Video burns Moments fast, so budget for text-first use.

Our Secrets AI review covers memory, Moments and what you actually pay.

Nomi: for emotional depth

Nomi comes from Glimpse.ai. It's $15.99/month or $99.99/year (about $8.33/month), sold through the App Store. Paid plans include voice, selfies and group chats, and explicit text is allowed. The free tier has limited daily messages.

The catch is visual: Nomi doesn't send nude photos. If images are half the reason you're there, that's disqualifying. Its Trustpilot score is low but from a small sample, and a 2025 MIT Technology Review incident involving harmful advice is worth reading about before you treat it as a confidant rather than a character.

Kindroid: for voice

Kindroid is from Beautifully Incorporated, Los Angeles. The App Store lists $15.99/month, $42.99 for three months, or $159.99/year. Selfie and audio credits are sold separately, so the sticker price isn't the whole price.

The free tier changed on October 1, 2026: the Lite tier was retired and free users now get a 50-message preview. Kindroid encrypts data at rest and in transit, but not end-to-end, and limited staff access is allowed. Voice is the reason to be here; it's the strongest on this list by most accounts.

Janitor AI: for not paying

Janitor AI is free, with JanitorLLM included, or you can plug in your own API key. Its help desk cites roughly 1.4 million public bots. Janitor+ launched in June 2026 at $12.99/month or $8.25/month yearly, adding 5x context, 300 enhanced swipes a month and priority replies.

NSFW is allowed for adults. There's no voice and no image generation. The terms allow scanning and human review of content, so treat it as public-facing. If cost is your only complaint, this is your answer. Our Character AI vs Janitor AI comparison covers the trade-offs.

CrushOn AI: for filter control

CrushOn is run by TECHIEPIE LTD, Cyprus. Filter levels are Filtered, Unfiltered and Hidden Content. It offers 20+ models, cloned-voice notes, and paid-only group chat. Free users get 100 message credits a month, though free models don't spend them. Tiers run $5.99 Standard, $14.99 Premium and $39.99 Luxe monthly, with memory from 8K to 24K context depending on plan.

Two warnings. Free chat history is deleted after 7 days of inactivity, so don't build anything on the free tier. And Trustpilot sits at 1.8 of 5 from 22 reviews as of October 2026, a small but ugly sample. Our CrushOn AI vs Candy AI piece goes deeper.

Character AI: for SFW with free voice

Character AI launched its public beta in September 2022 and had roughly 20 million monthly users in 2025 by one estimate. Voice is free, including two-way calls on app and web, and messaging is unlimited on every plan. c.ai+ is $9.99/month or $94.99/year. Pinned memories are 15 free, 30 paid.

It bans adult content. Open-ended chat for under-18s has been blocked since November 25, 2025. If you want a companion app that won't get explicit, this is the polished option, and the free voice calls are genuinely unusual.

Anima AI: for a simple phone app

Anima (myanima.ai) ships on iOS and Android with a free tier plus PRO, reported at about $9.99/month but unverified. Sources disagree on free limits, voice and video, so we won't pretend to know. Mozilla's 2024 Privacy Not Included project flagged it. Use it for convenience, not privacy.

Skip EVA AI

EVA AI Soulmate is developed by Novi Limited, the same company behind Joi. It runs on the same Neurons: 500 for $9.99 or 2,000 for $29.99, with a subscription at $14.99/month. If unpredictable currency is why you're leaving Joi, EVA walks you into the same system with a different name.

Names we won't vouch for

Kalon AI claims flat pricing with no secondary currency, uncensored NSFW and adaptive voice. GoLove AI advertises 300+ free models, though its data shows PRO and ULTRA plans and only partial free NSFW. Nectar AI lists a single subscription, but its data shows credits at about one per message and tiers at $9.99, $19.99 and $34.99. Chub.ai is known for chat memory summaries and shared character files. LustGF, MyLoves, NSFWGirlfriend and Intimate AI Girlfriend make marketing claims we can't verify. Treat all of these as leads to check yourself, not recommendations.

Side by side

Platform	Price from	Currency	Voice	Memory	Adult
Joi AI	about $5.08/month annual reported	Neurons	Weak or missing	Weak in long chats	Yes
OurDream AI	$9.99/month annual	Dreamcoins, 1,000/month	Calls, coins	Recent history	Yes
Candy AI	$3.99/month annual	Tokens, 100/month	Voice messages, beta calls	Limited	Yes
Secrets AI	$9.17/month annual	Moments, 8,000/month	Live calls	Strong, editable	Yes
Nomi	$8.33/month annual	Credits for extras	Voice and calls	Strong	Text only
Kindroid	$15.99/month	Selfie and audio credits	Strongest	Strong	Yes
Janitor AI	Free	None	No	Bigger with Janitor+	Yes
CrushOn AI	$5.99/month	Message credits	Voice messages	8K–24K context	Yes, filter settings
Character AI	Free	Optional	Free calls	Pinned memories	No
Anima AI	Free	Not verified	Sources disagree	Basic	Limited

Customization, voice and memory in practice

On customization, Joi's extra characters reportedly cost 1,000 Neurons each, which is a strange thing to meter. OurDream and Candy let you build characters within plan limits. Secrets pushes personas and group chats into the $39.99 tier. CrushOn gives you 20+ models and filter levels, which is closer to a toolkit than a companion.

On voice, the honest ranking is Kindroid first, then Secrets live calls, then OurDream calls with coins, then Candy's voice messages and beta calls. Character AI's free two-way calls are the best free option, provided you can live without adult content. Janitor has none. Sources disagree about Joi, which tells you something.

On memory, Secrets and Nomi come up most often in reviews. Secrets lets you edit what's remembered. One comparison put memory caps across apps at 25 to 200 messages, which is a useful reminder that "strong memory" is relative. If you want a wider view, our reviews hub lists every app we've scored and what each costs.

Privacy and safety checks before you pay

• Read the privacy policy, not the homepage. OurDream is the clearest example of the gap.
• Assume everything you type may be reviewed. Janitor's terms explicitly allow scanning and human review.
• Check refund windows before annual billing. Candy's is one day and 20 tokens or fewer.
• Expect inactivity wipes. CrushOn deletes free chat history after 7 days idle.
• Keep real names, addresses and workplace details out of chats. None of these apps has verified end-to-end encryption.
• Treat these apps as entertainment, not therapy.

Who should pick which

If the Neurons bill is what broke you, go OurDream for the fixed monthly coin allowance, or Candy if images matter more than chat depth. If Joi forgot your name mid-conversation, go Secrets, with Nomi as the text-only alternative. If voice is the point, go Kindroid. If you simply won't pay, Janitor for adult content or Character AI for SFW. If filters are the complaint, CrushOn's filter levels are the closest thing to a fix. If you want a phone app and nothing complicated, Anima, with your eyes open on privacy. And if you're considering EVA AI, don't.

One last piece of housekeeping: start on a free tier or a monthly plan, keep currency spending capped, and only switch to annual billing once you've had a month you'd pay for twice.