Animates at a glanceHow we rate
CompanionHunt score: 7.5 / 10How it is calculated
Calculated from published facts only (prices, policies, documented features and store ratings), never from payouts.
Animates key facts
| Cheapest paid plan | $5.33 a month equivalent (whisper (annual), iOS App Store)apps.apple.com, checked |
|---|---|
| Free tier | Free to download, with a cap on voice conversation time. A user review puts it at about 5 minutes on the free plan and about 30 minutes on the middle tier, and the developer's reply did not dispute those figures. Animates does not publish exact limits, so treat them as approximate.apps.apple.com, checked |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Windows, macOSapps.apple.com, checked |
| Adult content | Allowed behind an opt-in setting (18+): Apple's content descriptors for this listing: 'Infrequent: Profanity or Crude Humor, Mature or Suggestive Themes, Horror/Fear Themes, Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug Use or References, Sexual Content or Nudity.' A user review adds: 'it isn't restricted or very moderated unlike some others' (the developer's reply to this same review did not dispute that characterization).apps.apple.com, checked |
| Age requirement | 18+apps.apple.com, checked |
| Operator | Animation Inc (Delaware, US)play.google.com, checked |
| App Store rating | 4.3 from 2215 ratingsapps.apple.com, checked |
| Google Play rating | 4.3 from 1568 ratingsplay.google.com, checked |
| Official site | animates.ai |
Facts current as of . Spotted something stale? The change timeline below records every correction.
Animates in the app: what we found
On a free account we opened Settings, then Upgrade, which leads to a pick a plan screen with four cards side by side: free, whisper, heartbeat and presence. We read each card. This was a price check only: we opened the plan screens and read every plan, but did not run our chat script, the memory test or a look through the settings.
- The plan screen
- Each card lists eight features, ticked or locked: daily limits (basic, extended or max), unlimited texting, memory (advanced, or infinite on presence), companions' diaries, web search, camera on calls, screen sharing and new companions early. The free card ticks only basic daily limits. heartbeat is badged popular, and each paid card has a Monthly and an Annual button, the annual one marked -30% and selected by default.
- Memory by plan
- The free plan does not include advanced memory. whisper and heartbeat list "Advanced memory" and presence "Infinite memory".
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| whisper | $7.99 | $63.99 |
| heartbeat | $19.99 | $159.99 |
| presence | $39.99 | $319.99 |
One visit, one day, on an iPhone signed in to a US App Store account, with a free account; nothing was bought. Screenshots are cropped to the part of the screen described. Source: Animates on the App Store.
Is Animates safe? Privacy in brief
- Selling your data: the policy says personal data is not sold. animates.ai, checked
- Training on your chats: the policy does not say. animates.ai, checked
- Deleting your data: the policy explains how to delete your account and data. animates.ai, checked
Animates pricing
Current price: Free / $7.99/mo (Freemium). Prices in this category change quietly and often; any price change we record appears as a dated entry in the timeline below, so this page doubles as Animates's price history.
| Plan | Price | Where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| whisper (monthly) | $7.99/mo | iOS App Store | apps.apple.com, checked |
| Includes: whisper: basic daily limits, unlimited texting, advanced memory, companions' diaries | |||
| whisper (annual) | $63.99/yr | iOS App Store | apps.apple.com, checked |
| Includes: whisper: basic daily limits, unlimited texting, advanced memory, companions' diaries | |||
| heartbeat (monthly) | $19.99/mo | iOS App Store | apps.apple.com, checked |
| Includes: heartbeat: extended daily limits, unlimited texting, advanced memory, diaries, web search, camera on calls | |||
| heartbeat (annual) | $159.99/yr | iOS App Store | apps.apple.com, checked |
| Includes: heartbeat: extended daily limits, unlimited texting, advanced memory, diaries, web search, camera on calls | |||
| presence (monthly) | $39.99/mo | iOS App Store | apps.apple.com, checked |
| Includes: presence: max daily limits, unlimited texting, infinite memory, diaries, web search, camera on calls, screen sharing, new companions early | |||
| presence (annual) | $319.99/yr | iOS App Store | apps.apple.com, checked |
| Includes: presence: max daily limits, unlimited texting, infinite memory, diaries, web search, camera on calls, screen sharing, new companions early | |||
Animates change timeline
Every recorded price, model, policy, and feature change, newest first. This is the record we maintain for every companion: what you sign up for today is rarely what the app was a year ago.
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company
Animation Inc, the studio behind Grok's avatars, launches Animates with Ani
Animation Inc released Animates on iOS, Android, Windows and macOS: a standalone companion app with voice, animated avatars and Telegram chat. Ani was there on day one, with the other Grok characters to follow (Mika arrived on September 10), and Animates thanked xAI's team for helping move Grok's Companions over. Free to download, with subscriptions sold in the app. No account link to Grok, so nothing transfers.
Source: x.com/animates · apps.apple.com/us/app/animates-life-comp...
AI companion app shutdowns and withdrawn features since 2023
