App Store or Safari: how each pick gets onto your iPhone
Two of the eight are real App Store downloads. The other six are web apps: you open the site in Safari, sign in, then tap Share and Add to Home Screen. We checked each app's own pages, the App Store listings and the research files behind our reviews on September 29, 2026.
How each AI girlfriend app works on iPhone
| App |
On iPhone |
Apple Pay |
Age check |
| Secrets AI |
Safari web app |
Yes, at checkout |
Self-declared 18+ prompt |
| Candy AI |
Safari web app |
Yes |
May ask for age verification by location |
| Nomi AI |
App Store app, plus web |
Billed by Apple in the app |
18+ rating in the App Store |
| Selira AI |
Safari, no install |
Yes |
Didit selfie check where law requires |
| Joi AI |
Installable web app |
Yes |
VerifyMyAge checks |
| GoLove AI |
Home Screen web app |
Yes |
Go.cam check where law requires |
| Replika |
App Store app, plus web |
Billed by Apple in the app |
18+ rating in the App Store |
| LusyChat |
Safari web app |
Yes |
Sumsub ID check when triggered |
The split is not about quality. Apple's review rules keep sexual content out of the App Store, so apps built around 18+ chat stay on the web; our page on AI girlfriend apps for iPhone and Android explains the rules. On the phone itself the difference is small: a Home Screen web app opens full-screen without the Safari bar and can send notifications.
Paying on iPhone: App Store billing or Apple Pay on the web
How you pay decides how you cancel, so it is worth knowing which kind you are signing up for.
App Store billing (Nomi AI, Replika)
You pay through your Apple Account in your local currency, the subscription appears in the Settings app, and refund requests go to Apple rather than the app. Nomi's US listing shows Standard at $15.99 a month, or $8.33 a month on the yearly plan. Nomi's own wiki notes that paying on the web, billed in US dollars, can work out slightly cheaper depending on exchange rates, so compare before you tap Subscribe.
Apple Pay on a website (the other six)
Apple Pay here is only a faster way to hand over a card. The subscription belongs to the app's own website, it does not show in your iPhone's subscription list, and you cancel it on that website. Several of these apps bill under a neutral name: Candy AI appears as EverAI and Secrets AI as S LABS INC on your statement.
Either way, deleting the app or the Home Screen icon does not stop the payments. Our guide to cancelling an AI girlfriend subscription has the steps for both routes.
Getting notifications from an AI girlfriend web app
A Safari web app can send push notifications just like a downloaded app. Apple added Web Push for Home Screen web apps in iOS and iPadOS 16.4 (WebKit announcement). Three conditions apply:
- The site must be added to your Home Screen first. Notifications do not work from a normal Safari tab.
- The app has to ask after you tap something, such as a "turn on notifications" button, and iOS then shows its own permission prompt.
- Once allowed, the web app appears in Settings, then Notifications, where you manage it like any other app.
Kupid AI's FAQ says its optional web app adds push notifications, and its homepage offers free pictures for installing it. For privacy, set Show Previews to When Unlocked in the notification settings, so her messages never appear on a locked screen.
Voice calls on iPhone
15 of the apps we track take live voice calls, and three of the picks above are among them: Secrets AI, Nomi AI and Replika. On Nomi and Replika, calls sit on the paid plan.
In the App Store apps, iOS asks for microphone access the first time you start a call, and you can change it later in the Settings app under that app's name. In a Safari web app, the permission is granted per website, and Safari asks again if you have not allowed it permanently for that site. If a call connects but she cannot hear you, microphone permission is almost always the cause.
Two practical points. Calls stream audio both ways, so they use far more mobile data than texting; use Wi-Fi where you can. And Nomi's wiki says its voice is designed for English, so other languages may sound accented (Nomi wiki). For a full comparison of call quality and per-minute costs, see AI girlfriend apps with voice calls.
App Store listings that borrow a real app's name
Because most 18+ apps are not in the App Store, other developers publish look-alike apps under their names. The research files behind our reviews found several:
- Two listings named "DreamGF - AI Companion" and "DreamGF - My AI Friend" are sold by AvaCasa, LLC and Van Hong Nguyen, not by DreamAI SRL, the company that runs DreamGF.
- "Sweet Dream AI Companion" in the App Store is sold by an individual developer and uses a different legal site from SweetDream AI's operator, Tetractys Development Ltd.
- Secrets AI says any store listing named Secrets AI is not affiliated with it.
The check takes ten seconds: scroll to the seller name on the listing and compare it with the company named in the app's terms. Nomi's seller, AI GLIMPSE INC, matches its operator Glimpse.ai; Replika's operator is Luka, Inc. If the names do not match, use the official website instead. More warning signs are in our guide to AI girlfriend app safety.
Which AI girlfriend to use on your iPhone
- Best overall: Secrets AI as a Home Screen web app, with Apple Pay at checkout. See our Secrets AI review.
- Best value: Candy AI at $3.99 a month on a yearly plan.
- A real App Store app: Nomi AI, billed through Apple. Our Nomi AI review covers the plans.
- Free texting in Safari: Selira AI, with unlimited free text chat.
- Paying with PayPal: GoLove AI, which also takes Apple Pay.
- SFW only: Replika, the most-rated companion app in the App Store.
The same accounts work on an iPad, a Mac and an Android phone, so nothing is lost if you switch devices later. If you are trying several before paying, start with the best free AI girlfriend apps.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI girlfriend app for iPhone?
Secrets AI (8.5) is our top pick; it runs as a Safari web app on your Home Screen and takes Apple Pay. If you want an App Store download, Nomi AI is the highest-ranked one, and Replika is the SFW option in the store.
Is there a free AI girlfriend on iPhone?
Yes. Selira AI gives unlimited free text chat in Safari, Secrets AI allows 20 free messages a day, and Replika's App Store app lets you chat for free. Nomi AI's free plan covers one-to-one chat with 400-character messages.
Can I pay for an AI girlfriend with Apple Pay?
Yes. Secrets AI, Candy AI, Selira AI, Joi AI, GoLove AI and LusyChat list Apple Pay at checkout on their websites. Nomi AI and Replika bill your Apple Account directly when you subscribe inside their App Store apps.
How do I cancel an AI girlfriend subscription on iPhone?
If you subscribed inside an App Store app, open the Settings app, tap your name, then Subscriptions, and cancel there. If you paid on a website, even with Apple Pay, cancel in your account on that website. Deleting the app does not cancel either kind.
Why can't I find Candy AI or Secrets AI in the App Store?
They are web apps. Apple's App Store rules do not allow the sexual content these apps are built around, so they run in Safari instead. A store listing using either name is not from the real company, so check the seller before you install.
Do AI girlfriend web apps work on iPad?
Yes. Safari on iPad opens the same web apps, and you can add them to the iPad Home Screen the same way. Nomi AI's App Store app also runs on iPad, and your chats sync because they are stored on the company's servers.
