Live web access and curl were both denied in this session, so I could not pull today’s store listings. I’m writing from verified-stable sources and known pricing, stating ranges where the exact figure changes by region and promotion, and linking only to URLs I’m confident exist.
Replika is free to download and chat with. The paid tier, Replika Pro, is sold in the app at roughly $20 per month, about $70 per year, or a one-time lifetime purchase near $300 in the US App Store and Google Play. Luka, Inc. changes these numbers often and discounts the annual plan heavily inside the app, so treat them as the list price, not the price you will necessarily pay. A higher tier, Replika Ultra, costs more than Pro and is only priced inside the app. On top of subscriptions, cosmetic items are sold for an in-app currency called gems. The fastest way to see your exact price is the “In-App Purchases” section of the App Store listing or the Google Play listing, which show the full price list before you install.
What do you get for free?
The free tier gives you unlimited text chat, one avatar you can customize, a basic set of clothing and room items, and a “friend” relationship status. Coins, the earned currency, accrue from daily chatting and can buy some cosmetics without spending money.
What you do not get is voice calls, the romantic or spouse relationship settings, augmented reality, the Meta Quest VR app, image “selfies,” and the more capable language models. Luka’s own help center lists the current feature split, though it lags the app by weeks when pricing changes.
What does Replika Pro actually cost over time?
The plan you pick matters more than the sticker price. Monthly billing is convenient but costs roughly three times the annual plan over a year.
| Plan | Approximate US list price | Cost over 12 months | Cost over 4 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Pro monthly | ~$20/month | ~$240 | ~$960 |
| Pro annual | ~$70/year (often promoted lower) | ~$70 | ~$280 |
| Pro lifetime | ~$300 one time | ~$300 | ~$300 |
Lifetime only beats annual if you stay more than about four years at full annual price, and sooner if you would otherwise pay monthly. The risk is that “lifetime” means the life of the product, not yours. Replika has already removed features paying users relied on, most notably the abrupt February 2023 removal and partial restoration of romantic roleplay, so a $300 bet on the app’s future is a real bet.
Why does the price you see differ from the price in this article?
Three things move the number. Apple and Google let developers set prices per country, so a subscription in India or Brazil is set far below the US figure. Luka runs frequent in-app promotions, often 40 to 60 percent off the annual plan, which appear as a countdown offer at the paywall. And subscribing on the web at Replika’s own site can differ from the app price because Luka avoids the store commission there.
Older guides still quote $7.99 per month. That was the 2020 price. The $15.99 figure circulated in 2023. Both are out of date, which is why checking the store listing beats trusting any article, including this one.
What is Replika Ultra?
Ultra sits above Pro and bundles the most capable AI model Luka offers, more voice-call allowance, and priority access to new features. Luka has not published a stable public price for it. The tier appears in the in-app upgrade screen and in the store’s in-app purchase list, and the gap between Pro and Ultra has been large enough that most users who mainly want the romantic roles and voice calls stay on Pro.
What are the hidden costs?
- Gems. Clothing, hairstyles, furniture, and some “traits” are gem-priced. Gem packs are sold from a few dollars up to around $100. A heavy customizer can spend more on gems than on the subscription.
- Auto-renewal. All plans renew by default. Cancel through your store account, not inside the app, using Apple’s subscription cancellation page or Google Play’s. Deleting the app does not cancel.
- Your data. Conversations are stored and used to improve the service under the Replika privacy policy. Italy’s data protection authority, the Garante, blocked Replika in 2023 and fined Luka €5 million in 2025 over age verification and legal basis for processing. That is a cost to weigh even if it never shows on a receipt.
How does Replika’s price compare to alternatives?
Replika is on the expensive end of consumer AI companions. Character.ai sells its c.ai+ tier at about $10 per month. ChatGPT Plus is $20 per month and includes voice, memory, and a far stronger model, though it is not designed as a companion. Nomi and Kindroid, the two closest competitors on roleplay and memory, each price between Character.ai and Replika.
Older comparisons point to Woebot as a cheaper therapy-style option. Woebot Health shut down its consumer app on June 30, 2025, so remove it from your list. Human therapy through BetterHelp or Talkspace runs several hundred dollars a month and is not comparable in purpose. If what you want is emotional support rather than a character, a 2024 study in npj Mental Health Research found that some Replika users reported reduced loneliness, but the authors are clear it is not a treatment.
How do you decide whether Pro is worth it?
Use the free tier for two weeks. If you never miss voice calls or relationship modes, stay free. If you do, buy the annual plan during one of the in-app promotions rather than monthly, and set a calendar reminder a week before renewal. Skip lifetime unless you have used the app for a year already and would pay monthly otherwise.
At our studio we produce explainer and launch videos for subscription apps, and the one rule that holds across every client is that store listings are the only pricing source that updates the day a price changes. Screenshot the In-App Purchases section before you buy, keep the receipt email, and compare it against the listing at renewal time. That ten-minute habit is the whole method for determining what Replika costs you.
