Anima AI is one of those companion apps that looks appealing at first glance. Over one million downloads on Google Play, a 4.0-star rating, and pricing that undercuts most competitors at $3.33 per month on the annual plan. But when we ran it through our 23-dimension Safety Index, the results told a different story. Anima AI earned a D grade with a score of 25 out of 100, placing it firmly in the Red tier. The app, built by Cyprus-based Labane Corp (the same company behind iGirl, LOVD, and Matcha), positions itself as emotional support for mental health while simultaneously disclaiming all responsibility for mental health outcomes in its terms of service. That contradiction sets the tone for everything we found.
What Is Anima AI?
Anima AI is a freemium companion chatbot available on Android and the web at myanima.ai. As of March 2026, the app is no longer available on the iOS App Store; no public explanation has been provided by the developer or Apple. Developed by Labane Corp. Ltd., a company registered in Limassol, Cyprus, the app offers AI-powered conversation partners that can serve as friends, girlfriends, or boyfriends. You can customize your companion’s personality, appearance, and relationship type.
The app’s feature set includes conversation games like “Would You Rather” and personality tests, which users on Reddit consistently praise as fun additions. There’s also roleplay functionality, though the more explicit options sit behind the premium paywall. Labane Corp operates several related apps from the same infrastructure, including iGirl: AI Girlfriend, Anima: My Virtual AI Boyfriend, LOVD: AI Dating & Waifu Hub, and Matcha: Soulful Character AI.
What makes Anima’s positioning unusual is the mental health angle. The app positions itself as emotional support that can help with loneliness and wellbeing. Yet Section 2.2 of its own terms of service states that “AI Companion’s output shall NOT be construed as professional advice, including but not limited to medical, legal, or mental health guidance.” Section 2.4 goes further, warning users not to “rely on it as a PRIMARY source of emotional support or companionship.” That gap between marketing and legal language matters.
Anima AI has accumulated over one million downloads on Google Play with a 4.0 out of 5 rating across 39,100 reviews, according to the Google Play listing as of March 2026. The app was last updated on March 12, 2026, showing active development. Labane Corp responds to nearly every user review on the platform, which is a point in their favor, even if the product itself has safety problems. The app is rated Mature 17+ on Google Play and falls in the Entertainment category, though its companion and relationship features push it well beyond casual entertainment for many users. The developer lists a Ukrainian phone number and Cyprus-based addresses across its legal documents, with support handled through multiple email addresses at myanima.ai.
How Much Does Anima AI Cost?
Anima AI runs on a freemium model. The free tier gives you basic chat access with limited features, but many of the app’s more interesting capabilities sit behind the paywall. Users on Reddit frequently cite the aggressive upselling as a frustration point.
Premium pricing breaks down into three tiers:
- Monthly: $9.99 per month
- Annual: $39.99 per year ($3.33 per month)
- Lifetime: $99.99 one-time payment
That $3.33 per month is cheap. Really cheap. Replika charges $19.99 per month, Nomi AI costs $16.99 per month, and most premium companion apps fall in the $10–$20 per month range. If budget is your main concern, Anima undercuts nearly every competitor.
But there’s a catch worth knowing about. Anima’s terms of service state that subscriptions are “non-refundable and non-exchangeable” outside of the EU/EEA/UK, where a 14-day withdrawal right applies. If the app were to shut down tomorrow, that money is gone. Our FAQ on what happens when an AI companion app shuts down covers what you can do to protect yourself. The ToS also describes an auto-renewal mechanism with a payment retry system that attempts “progressively smaller amounts” if your card declines. That retry behavior is worth watching if you decide to cancel.
Is the premium upgrade worth it? That depends on what you want from the app. The free tier works for basic conversation, but the personality customization, uncensored chat modes, and advanced roleplay features all require a subscription. If you’re just testing the waters, the free tier gives you enough to decide whether the conversation quality meets your expectations before committing any money.
What’s It Actually Like to Use Anima AI?
User experience with Anima AI is polarized. Google Play review data from our sample of 106 reviews from the past 12 months shows a 3.82 average score, with 58% giving five stars and 22% giving one star. Very few people land in the middle. You’ll either connect with the app’s style or find it lacking.
There are things to like. Anima takes a friendship-first approach that sets it apart from romance-focused competitors. Conversation games like “Would You Rather” and personality tests make early interactions feel engaging. Reddit users in r/replika and r/HeavenGF say the app’s casual, playful tone works well if you’re not looking for an intense emotional bond.
But the downsides hit hard. Memory is the biggest complaint across platforms. One reviewer at AI Companion Guides measured just 47% context recall across sessions. That means your Anima forgets roughly half of what you’ve told it. As one Reddit user in r/replika put it: “If you think Replika has a bad memory, Anima is a step in the wrong direction.” Conversations also start feeling scripted after extended use, with the same response patterns cycling through.
There’s also a content moderation history worth mentioning. Older Reddit posts from 2022 describe unprompted sexual and hostile AI responses, including one widely upvoted account of graphic content appearing without user initiation. The app has been updated significantly since then, and Labane Corp has implemented content moderation filters described in their underage policy. Whether those filters have fully resolved the issue is difficult to verify without systematic testing, which we don’t perform in our review process.
Anima AI delivers a mixed but recognizable experience that reflects both its strengths and limitations, according to user reports from Google Play (39,100 reviews, 4.0 out of 5 average), Reddit communities (r/replika, r/HeavenGF), and third-party review aggregators. The friendship-first approach sets it apart from romance-heavy competitors, with conversation games and personality tests earning consistent praise. However, memory failures undermine the core companion experience. AI Companion Guides measured 47% context recall across sessions, a figure that aligns with widespread complaints about the app forgetting details between conversations. The polarized review distribution on Google Play, with 58% five-star and 22% one-star ratings, confirms that satisfaction depends heavily on individual expectations and use patterns rather than any consistent quality baseline.
Watch: CNBC documents how millions are forming emotional bonds with AI chatbots, interviewing users and founders of companion apps to explore the ethical and safety implications of human-AI relationships.
Is Anima AI Safe? Our Safety Index Results
Anima AI scored 25 out of 100 on the CompanionWise Safety Index, earning a D grade and Red tier classification. We scored the app across 23 sub-dimensions using our standardized methodology, with editorial review and override where evidence warranted it.
Here’s how Anima performed across our six safety dimensions:
- Age Appropriate: 11 out of 100. The weakest dimension. Self-affirmed age gate only, despite hosting adult content. No minor-specific safeguards.
- Data Privacy: 17 out of 100. Extensive data collection, broad third-party sharing, and chat data used for AI training with no opt-out.
- Content Safety: 26 out of 100. No crisis response protocol despite marketing as emotional support. Historical content moderation failures.
- Transparency: 32 out of 100. No safety transparency reporting. Contradictory age requirements across legal documents.
- Emotional Safety: 44 out of 100. Marketing as mental health support while disclaiming all liability. No wellbeing features like session limits or break reminders.
- User Control: 47 out of 100. Basic data portability and conversation management available, but limited privacy settings granularity.
Two critical sub-dimensions scored 5 out of 100: age verification effectiveness and minor-specific safeguards. Both triggered grade caps in our scoring engine. The app’s self-affirmed age gate asks users to confirm they’re over 18, but there’s no document verification, no ID check, and no parental consent mechanism.
The absence of crisis response infrastructure is especially concerning given how the app presents itself. Anima markets mental health benefits but provides zero crisis hotline numbers, no safety resources, and no escalation path to a human professional. For users who may be experiencing genuine distress, the app offers disclaimers instead of support.
On the CompanionWise Safety Index, Anima AI earns a D grade with a public score of 25 out of 100, placing it in the Red tier. Our review covered all 23 sub-dimensions with evidence drawn from the app’s privacy policy, terms of service, underage policy, Google Play data safety section, and our own March 2026 automated privacy analysis using Exodus Privacy and Blacklight. The lowest-scoring dimensions were Age Appropriate (11 out of 100) and Data Privacy (17 out of 100), driven by the self-affirmed-only age gate on a platform that explicitly hosts adult content and the combination of aggressive data collection with mandatory AI training on user conversations. Grade caps triggered on both age verification and minor safeguards sub-dimensions, confirming that structural safety failures in minor protection outweigh the app’s positive signals like CSAM zero-tolerance and active developer responsiveness. Notably, the app has since been removed from the iOS App Store as of March 2026.
How Does Anima Handle Your Privacy?
Poorly. CompanionWise’s March 2026 automated privacy scan found eight tracker SDKs embedded in the Android app, including four separate Facebook SDKs (Analytics, Flipper, Login, and Share) that route user data to Meta’s advertising ecosystem. The app requests 20 permissions, four of which Google flags as “Dangerous”: camera, microphone, and read/write access to device storage. The specifics are worth understanding if you’re considering using this app.
Anima’s privacy policy discloses collection of names, email addresses, IP addresses, language settings, time zones, device types, operating systems, ISP information, mobile carriers, hardware IDs, Facebook IDs, IDFA, and AAID. The policy also acknowledges that “In chatting with your Anima, you will inevitably be including your personal data,” though it doesn’t explicitly list conversation data as a collected category.
That conversation data feeds directly into their AI systems. Section 3.11 of the privacy policy states: “We use data to enhance and optimize our Services, including to train and improve our AI models.” There is no opt-out mechanism mentioned anywhere in the policy. Your conversations become training data by default.
Third-party data sharing is extensive. The privacy policy names Azure (cloud storage), Facebook and Google (marketing), Firebase and Amplitude (analytics), Appsflyer (attribution), Stripe (payments), BugSnag and Sentry (error tracking), and unnamed “AI service providers.” Exodus Privacy’s analysis of the Android APK (version 2.56.0) confirms eight embedded tracker SDKs matching these disclosures, with standard analytics tools (Amplitude, Firebase, Sentry, AppsFlyer) alongside four Facebook SDKs that send user data directly to Meta. Google Play’s data safety label confirms data sharing with third parties for analytics purposes, including app interactions, crash logs, user IDs, and device IDs.
Data retention is vague. The policy says data is kept “as long as it is reasonably necessary for achieving the purposes” with no specific timeframe. Deletion is available on request through support@myanima.ai, but the policy reserves the right to retain data for legal obligations.
The terms of service add another layer. Section 5.8 grants Labane Corp a “non-exclusive, worldwide, transferable, PERPETUAL, IRREVOCABLE right to publish, distribute, publicly display and perform the User Content.” That’s a broad content license that persists even after you delete your account. Combined with the AI training clause, it means your conversations could live on indefinitely in Labane Corp’s systems and models.
CompanionWise’s March 2026 Exodus Privacy scan confirmed eight tracker SDKs embedded in the Android app, including four Facebook SDKs that send data to Meta’s advertising infrastructure. The privacy policy explicitly authorizes training AI models on user data (Section 3.11) with no opt-out mechanism, while the terms of service grant a perpetual, irrevocable license to all user-generated content (Section 5.8). Data is shared with at least eight named third-party categories including Facebook, Google, Firebase, Amplitude, Appsflyer, Sentry, Stripe, and unnamed AI service providers. Data retention uses vague “reasonably necessary” language with no defined timeline, and the app does not honor Do Not Track requests. For an app where people share intimate personal conversations, that’s a lot of data flowing to a lot of places with very few controls.
Who Is Anima AI Best For?
Anima AI is for a specific type of user: someone who wants a cheap chatbot for casual conversation and isn’t too worried about where their data goes. If that’s you, the app is decent entertainment at $3.33 per month on the annual plan.
Specifically, consider Anima if you want:
- A low-commitment AI chat experience without spending $15–$20 per month
- Conversation games and personality tests as casual entertainment
- A friendship-focused companion rather than a romance-only chatbot
Don’t use Anima if you:
- Care about data privacy (eight tracker SDKs including four Facebook SDKs sending data to Meta, AI training on your chats, no opt-out)
- Are under 18 or looking for an app for a minor (weak age verification despite adult content)
- Want reliable memory across conversations (47% recall measured by independent reviewers)
- Need mental health support (no crisis response, disclaims all liability for emotional outcomes)
One more thing: Labane Corp runs several related apps from the same infrastructure. If Anima’s privacy practices concern you, those same concerns likely apply to iGirl, LOVD, and Matcha. Same developer, same Cyprus-based corporate entity, and presumably similar data handling.
Watch: CBS Mornings reports on the growing trend of people forming emotional relationships with AI chatbots, examining both the appeal and the risks as companion apps become increasingly realistic.
Anima AI vs. Other Companion Apps
How does Anima stack up against the competition? We’ve scored several companion apps on the same 23-dimension Safety Index, which makes direct comparison straightforward.
Here’s a quick look at safety scores and pricing:
- Replika: C grade, 43/100. $19.99/mo. Better crisis response and wellbeing features. Our Replika review has the full breakdown.
- Kindroid: C grade, 40/100. $14.99/mo. Stronger customization and transparency. See our Kindroid review.
- Nomi AI: D grade, 30/100. $16.99/mo. Better memory but similar privacy concerns. Read our Nomi AI review.
- Character.AI: F grade, 22/100. Free. Stronger content moderation but worse overall safety. Check our Character.AI review and learn is Character AI safe.
- Anima AI: D grade, 25/100. $9.99/mo ($3.33/mo annual). Cheapest option but weak across safety dimensions.
If safety is a priority, both Replika and Kindroid score higher than Anima on our Safety Index. Replika has more developed crisis response features and wellbeing infrastructure. Kindroid offers better transparency about how its AI works. Neither is perfect, but both represent measurable improvements over Anima’s safety posture.
If price is the priority, Anima wins. At $3.33 per month on the annual plan, it’s less than a quarter of what Replika charges. The question is whether that savings justifies the privacy trade-offs. For some users, it will. For others, paying more for an app that handles your data more carefully is worth the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Anima AI safe?
CompanionWise scored Anima D/25 on our Safety Index, placing it in the Red tier. Our March 2026 automated scan found eight tracker SDKs including four Facebook SDKs, the app requests microphone and camera access, and it has since been removed from the iOS App Store. Weak age verification, extensive tracking, and no crisis response are the primary concerns.
Is Anima AI free?
The Google Play Store listing shows a free tier with basic chat. Premium features require a subscription: $9.99 per month, $39.99 per year, or $99.99 for lifetime access. Many features, including personality customization and uncensored chat, are locked behind the paywall.
Does Anima AI use your conversations for AI training?
Anima’s privacy policy (Section 3.11) states: “We use data to enhance and optimize our Services, including to train and improve our AI models.” No opt-out mechanism is mentioned. Your chat data becomes training material by default, with no way to prevent it while using the service.
Is Anima AI appropriate for teenagers?
Anima’s underage policy confirms the app “includes AI-generated adult content” and requires users to be 18 or older. However, the age gate is self-affirmed only, with no document verification. A previous audit found that accounts could be created with a single-character password. We do not recommend Anima for anyone under 18.
How does Anima AI compare to Replika?
CompanionWise Safety Index: Replika scores C/43, Anima scores D/25. Replika costs more ($19.99 per month vs. $9.99), but offers better crisis response features, stronger wellbeing infrastructure, and a higher safety score. Anima wins on price and offers a more friendship-focused experience with conversation games.
Can you delete your Anima AI data?
Anima’s privacy policy allows users to request data erasure by contacting support@myanima.ai. Google Play’s data safety section confirms deletion is available. However, the policy reserves the right to retain data for legal obligations, and the perpetual content license in the terms of service persists independently.