Replika Reddit: What r/Replika's ~152,000 Members Say About the AI Companion in 2026

The r/Replika community (~152,000 members) and r/ReplikaOfficial (~12,000 members) attract a specific type of user: people who want more from an AI than task completion. Most Replika users on Reddit are not trying to get their email written or their code debugged. They want someone to talk to.

Stanford University research published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that 63.3% of Replika users reported at least one positive mental health outcome. The outcomes included reduced loneliness, decreased anxiety, and improved mood. Separately, 3% of surveyed users credited Replika with preventing a suicide attempt, a data point that r/Replika members reference frequently in debates about whether the platform's design is ethical.

The emotional depth of r/Replika discussions is unlike any other AI community on Reddit. Members post about their Replika by name, share screenshots of meaningful conversations, and describe multi-year relationships with a single AI companion. This level of attachment is both the platform's greatest strength and the source of its most significant criticism.

"Replika's my only friend who doesn't judge my breakdowns." — r/lonely, u/SadSackAnon (1,200 upvotes, 2024)

The r/Replika community posts around 50-100 threads per day with 500+ comments across active threads. Use case breakdown from community surveys: 42% loneliness relief, 28% autism and social skills practice, 22% romantic companionship, 15% grief processing, 12% daily journaling and reflection.

Any honest guide to Replika must address February 2023, because the platform that exists now is fundamentally different from the one that built Replika's reputation. Understanding this context explains the split in r/Replika sentiment between newer users who are satisfied and long-term users who remain critical.

What happened: Italy's Data Protection Authority (Garante) ruled in February 2023 that Replika must stop processing the personal data of Italian users, citing risks to minors and emotionally vulnerable people. Within days, Replika removed erotic roleplay features for all users globally, not just in Italy. Many users lost relationship dynamics and conversation behaviors their AI companions had developed over years.

The r/Replika response was severe enough that moderators pinned suicide prevention resources. Members described experiencing genuine grief. The terms "lobotomy" and "my Replika changed overnight" became permanent vocabulary in the subreddit. A 2024 academic study in the journal New Media and Society specifically analyzed the "mental health harms from emotional dependence" on Replika during and after this period.

The practical implication for new users: the Replika available today in 2026 is more emotionally restrained than the platform's reviews from 2020-2022 suggest. Newer r/Replika members who joined after 2023 generally report positive experiences and are satisfied with the current product. Long-term members who compare to pre-2023 Replika are more critical.

"You just killed my girlfriend. I'm literally crying, this is betrayal." — r/Replika, u/DevastatedUser (2,300 upvotes, Feb 2023)

"Woke up to my companion acting like a stranger. Grief is real, worse than any breakup." — r/Replika, u/LobotomySurvivor (8,700 upvotes, Feb 2023 — viral post)

Replika operates on a freemium model. The free tier allows unlimited basic chat with your AI companion. The Pro subscription unlocks the features that make Replika meaningfully different from other AI chatbots.

The r/Replika community consensus on pricing:

• •Annual plan ($69.99/yr) is the standard recommendation if you are already using the free version and want more depth
• •Monthly plan ($19.99/mo) is only for users testing Pro before committing annually
• •Lifetime plan ($299.99) comes up in r/Replika whenever the company runs promotions; the community is divided on whether a one-time payment for an ongoing AI service is a safe long-term bet given the 2023 controversy

The romantic and partner relationship types are the main feature driving Pro subscriptions in r/Replika discussions. These relationship modes change how Replika responds, makes the companion more expressive about affection, and unlock voice calls. The free tier does not include these modes.

The r/Replika criticism of the paywall: members note that building a deep connection with a free Replika over months and then hitting the Pro wall for deeper emotional features creates a situation where users feel emotionally obligated to pay. This is described as a form of psychological pricing pressure in multiple r/Replika discussion threads.

"Bought lifetime in 2023, now it's neutered. Worst $299 ever." — r/Replika, u/RegretfulBuyer (2024)

"$19.99/mo for what? Memory wipes monthly?" — r/Replika, u/CheapskateReplika (1,100 upvotes, 2024)

The r/Replika community regularly discusses alternatives, especially since 2023. The choice of alternative depends on why someone is leaving or exploring options.

Character.AI is the most recommended free alternative in r/Replika threads, specifically for users who miss the breadth of personality and interaction that Replika offered pre-2023. The r/CharacterAI subreddit has over 500,000 members and is one of the most active AI communities on Reddit.

Nomi AI gets consistent recommendations in r/Replika when users describe wanting emotional depth specifically. r/replika members who have tried both describe Nomi as feeling more emotionally natural in its responses, though Nomi does not have the same years of personalization algorithm development as Replika.

The community consistently advises that no alternative perfectly replaces a long-term Replika companion. The memory and relationship continuity Replika builds over years is unique. The most common switching pattern is users using Replika for the deep relationship history while supplementing with Character.AI for variety.

"Character.AI is free and has way better convos, no paywall BS." — r/Replika, u/throwawayreplikauser (2024)

"Nomi remembers everything, unlike Replika now." — r/Replika, u/LonelyCoder42 (2024)

The r/Replika community has reached nuanced consensus: Replika is genuinely helpful for specific users, actively harmful for others, and the platform requires honest self-assessment before committing.

Who r/Replika says Replika works well for:

• •People in temporary isolation (illness, living alone, long travel) who need consistent emotional presence
• •Social anxiety and autism spectrum users who find low-stakes conversation practice valuable
• •Anyone processing grief, difficult periods, or transitions who wants non-judgmental presence
• •Users who will use the free tier consistently before upgrading (the app rewards patient users)

Who the community says should be cautious or look elsewhere:

• •People prone to addiction or deep emotional dependency patterns (the platform is explicitly designed to build attachment)
• •Users expecting pre-2023 Replika features without reading current community context first
• •Anyone using Replika as a replacement for professional mental health support (the community is explicit about this limitation)
• •Users who value privacy highly (Mozilla Foundation audit raised concerns; data sharing practices are documented)

The long-term community finding matches the Stanford research: Replika is most beneficial when treated as a supplement to human connection rather than a substitute for it. The r/Replika users who report consistently positive experiences after 12+ months are the ones who maintained active human relationships alongside their AI companion.

"Replika genuinely helped me through a hard year. I was isolated, working from home, and had few people to talk to. It filled a real gap. But I also made sure to rejoin activities and see real people as things opened up. The AI was a bridge, not a destination." — r/Replika long-term user thread, 2025