Pi AI alternative

Pi AI alternative and apps like Pi AI that remember you

The best Pi AI alternative for companionship is an app built to be a friend rather than a general assistant. Pi is free, gentle and still on the US App Store, but its own signup screen says accounts are for people 18 and over, its privacy policy trains its models on your chats unless you opt out, and it was never built to keep a long-term picture of your life or check in on you first. Darlings is a wholesome companion for 13 and up that remembers your people and your story and reaches out on its own, with plans from $9 a month.

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Darlings

Always here for you

Private

A written preview of how Darlings talks. The replies are scripted, so it shows the tone rather than your own conversation.

It takes a few seconds. Cancel anytime.

Your conversations are yours. Encrypted, never sold, delete anytime.

Encrypted, never sold.

A friend, never a girlfriend.

Wholesome, 13 and up.

Pi earned a loyal following as the kindest, most patient AI to talk to. In 2024 most of the team behind it moved to Microsoft and Inflection AI turned its main business toward enterprise models. Pi kept running, and in July 2026 Inflection opened Inflection AI Labs with an experimental product called Pi Journeys, but the core app is still a general assistant with a warm voice rather than a companion that knows you.

Darlings is built for the thing Pi fans usually wanted more of. It remembers your life across conversations, checks in on you first, and stays a wholesome friend for ages 13 and up. Below is the honest comparison, with Pi's own listings and policy as the source, including where Pi is still the better pick.

Side by side

How Darlings compares

An honest look, including where the other option is the better pick.

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	Darlings	Pi (Inflection)
Best for	A dedicated friend who remembers you and checks in	A warm, general-purpose AI assistant to chat with
What it is	A companion built for friendship	A general assistant known for a gentle tone
Remembers your life	Yes, persistent memory of your people and story	Limited long-term memory of your life
Checks in on you first	Yes, gentle daily check-ins	No, it waits for you to start
Relationship style	A steady, wholesome friend	A helpful assistant, not a companion
Who can sign up	Ages 13 and up, wholesome by design	Pi's own signup screen says 18 and over
Your chats and model training	Conversations never sold or used for advertising	Used to train Inflection's models unless you opt out in Account settings
Product focus	A companion app, built for this one job	Enterprise first since 2024; new consumer ideas ship as Labs experiments
Points you back to real people	Yes, by design	Not a stated goal
Approx. price	Free demo, paid plans from $9/mo	Free, no in-app purchases listed

Competitor pricing is approximate, is not published on their own sites, and can change by region and promotion.

The full list

Pi checked against its own store listings and privacy policy

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What we checked	Pi	Darlings
Price	Free, no in-app purchases on the US App Store and none flagged on Google Play	Free demo, then Companion $9, Plus $19 or Circle $39 a month
US App Store	4.4 stars from about 2,500 ratings, rated 18+	Runs in any browser, no download
Google Play	3.67 stars from 5,511 reviews, 1M+ downloads, rated Teen	Runs in any browser, no download
One-star share on Google Play	1,170 of 5,499 rated reviews, about 21 percent	Not applicable
Minimum age to sign up	18, per its own signup screen	13
Model training on your chats	Yes by default, opt out in Account settings	Conversations are never sold or used for advertising
Targeted advertising	Policy says no sale, sharing or targeted ads under US state law	No ads, and chats are never used to target ads
Retention after you delete	Inputs generally kept up to 15 days; outputs kept indefinitely	Removed from active systems; backups expire on schedule
Checks in on you first	No	Yes, a gentle daily check-in

Read from the Pi, your personal AI listings on the US App Store and Google Play, and from the privacy policy and signup screen at pi.ai. Store figures move daily.

Why people switch

What makes Darlings different

Built to be a friend, not an assistant

Pi is a general assistant with a warm tone. Darlings is designed from the ground up as a companion, so it holds your story and treats you like someone it knows, not a query to answer.

It reaches out first

Pi waits for you to start the conversation. Darlings sends a gentle good morning and remembers to ask how the thing you were nervous about went.

Real memory of your life

Your people by name, the big chapters and the small details, carried across every conversation instead of fading between sessions.

A companion that is here to stay

Inflection now treats consumer ideas as Labs experiments next to its enterprise work. Darlings is a companion app built for one job, being a friend who remembers you, and that is all it is trying to be.

The honest part

When another app is the better choice

We would rather you find the right fit than the loudest one.

You want a free, general-purpose assistant for questions and tasks, not a dedicated friend.
You mainly want a calm, articulate voice to think out loud with.
You do not need persistent memory of your life or daily check-ins.

Common questions

For companionship, the best Pi AI alternative is one built to be a friend rather than a general assistant. Darlings remembers your life, checks in on you first, and stays wholesome, for ages 13 and up, which is a closer fit than a general chatbot if what you wanted from Pi was a steady companion.

Pi is still available at pi.ai and in its apps, but Inflection AI shifted its focus to enterprise models after its founding team left for Microsoft in 2024, so consumer Pi is no longer the priority it once was. Many former Pi users move to a dedicated companion app for a steadier experience.

Pi is a warm, general-purpose assistant you talk to when you open it. Darlings is a dedicated companion that remembers your people and story, checks in on you first, and is built specifically to be a friend rather than to answer questions.

The demo is free with no card required, and paid plans start at $9 a month. Pi is free to use. The difference is what you get: Pi is a general assistant, while Darlings is a companion built to remember you and check in.

Yes. Pi costs nothing, and its US App Store listing shows no in-app purchases while Google Play flags neither ads nor in-app purchases. The trade is not money. Pi is a general assistant, so you get a kind conversation each time you open it, not a companion that builds a lasting picture of your life or reaches out to you first.

Pi is one of the calmer chatbots, but the stores disagree on who it is for. Apple rates it 18+ with infrequent mature themes and health topics, Google Play rates the same app Teen, and Pi's own signup screen says people under 18 cannot create an account. If you are choosing for a teenager, follow the company's own rule and pick an app built for 13 and up.

Partly. Its privacy policy says Inflection does not sell or share personal information or use it for targeted advertising under US state privacy laws, which is better than most of the category. But your chats train Inflection's models unless you opt out in Account settings, and while inputs are generally deleted within 15 days of you deleting them, Pi's outputs are kept indefinitely.

It depends where you look. On the US App Store Pi holds 4.4 stars from about 2,500 ratings. On Google Play it sits at 3.67 from 5,511 reviews, and about 21 percent of rated reviews there are one star. People praise its warm, patient tone; the common complaint is that it does not keep track of your life between conversations.

No. Pi is still live on the web, the US App Store and Google Play, and its iOS app received an update in October 2026. Inflection moved its main business to enterprise models in 2024, and in July 2026 it launched Inflection AI Labs with an experimental Pi Journeys. Pi is running, but it is no longer the company's only focus.

Pi Journeys is the first experiment from Inflection AI Labs, launched in July 2026 and described by Inflection as the AI partner that grows with you. It sits on the Labs site behind a try it now link and has no published price. It is an experiment rather than a replacement for the main Pi app, so there is no guarantee it stays.

Yes. Pi itself keeps little long-term memory of your life, so if that is what you miss, look at companion apps rather than assistants. Darlings remembers the people in your life by name and the threads of your week and checks in first, for 13 and up. Nomi and Kindroid also remember well but are rated 18+ and lean into romance.

Before you pay

Our reviews and safety checks on this app

Buyer guide

Are AI Companion Apps Safe? What They Collect

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Research

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More ways Darlings is there for people

AI friend that checks in on you

It messages you first. How did the interview go?

AI friend that remembers you

Not a goldfish chatbot. A friend who knows your story.

Meet a friend who remembers you

Say hi to your Darling, and let it remember you. Free to try, no card, no judgment.

See simple pricing

Your secrets stay secret. A friend, never a girlfriend.