Chorus vs Replika
Replika is an AI companion app from Luka, Inc. that lets you create a personalized companion — with a 3D avatar, voice calls, AR, and a Meta Quest VR mode — for open-ended conversation, emotional support, and wellness. Launched in 2017 and rebuilt from the ground up as "Replika 2.0" in April 2026, its homepage counter shows over 42 million users and it brands itself "The AI friend to do life with." It is built for relationships and wellbeing, not for performing tasks or connecting to your work tools.
Chorus is a platform for hiring AI employees — autonomous AI agents that each run on their own always-on computer, connect to 70+ tools, and handle real work end to end. Here’s how the two compare, honestly.
At a glance
| Comparison dimension | Chorus | Replika |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on computer | Every agent runs on its own dedicated always-on machine (4 vCPU / 8 GB) with a real browser — it keeps working when your laptop is closed. | No — Replika is a hosted chat companion with no computer, browser, or filesystem of its own; it cannot do anything outside a live conversation. |
| Tool integrations | 70+ integrations out of the box — Gmail, Slack, Notion, GitHub, Linear, Stripe, and more. The agent handles the auth. | None — a closed app with no connections to email, calendars, docs, or any third-party services. |
| Messaging channels | Web chat, iMessage/SMS, Slack, WhatsApp, and Telegram — and it messages you proactively when work is done. | Its own apps only: iOS, Android, web, and a Meta Quest VR app with phone AR mode; no SMS, WhatsApp, Slack, or Telegram. |
| Persistent memory | Persistent memory and files live on the agent's own disk, so it remembers last week's work. | Yes — remembers personal details, relationships, and routines across sessions (Ultra adds manual save-to-memory), though the April 2026 rebuild moved to a recency-biased memory architecture and users reported partial memory loss. |
| Background automations | Scheduled jobs (crons) and background automations are built in — agents work while you're away. | None user-configurable — no scheduled tasks or background jobs; it engages only when you open a conversation. |
| Pricing | Free plan to start (no card). Pro $20/mo for one always-on agent; Max $200/mo; extra agents $50/mo. | Free unlimited text chat; Pro $19.99/mo or $69.99/yr; Ultra $29.99/mo or $119.99/yr; Platinum priced in-app only; avatar cosmetics sold separately via gems. |
Where Replika shines
- Nearly a decade of specialization in emotional companionship, with mood-aware conversation, journaling, and wellness features that general assistants don't match
- The most embodied presence in its category: expressive 3D avatars, voice calls, AR mode on phones, and a Meta Quest VR app with a mixed-reality mode on Quest 3
- Persistent memory of personal details, relationships, and routines that carries across conversations; the Ultra tier adds manual save-to-memory
- A genuinely generous free tier — unlimited text messaging with no card required
- Cheap when paid annually: Pro works out to about $5.83/month on the $69.99/year plan
Where it falls short
- No tool integrations at all — it cannot touch email, calendars, docs, or any third-party service, so it can't execute real-world tasks
- No autonomy or background work: it only responds inside a live conversation, with no scheduled jobs, no computer or browser of its own, and no ability to act while you're away
- Reachable only through its own apps (iOS, Android, web, Quest VR) — you can't message it over SMS, WhatsApp, Slack, or Telegram
- The April 2026 Replika 2.0 rebuild moved to a recency-biased memory system, and users widely reported partial memory loss and personality drift as older conversations were de-prioritized
- Regulatory and trust overhang: a €5M fine from Italy's Garante (May 2025) for GDPR legal-basis and age-verification failures, a January 2025 complaint filed with the FTC by advocacy groups alleging deceptive marketing and manipulative design (no FTC action to date), and lingering resentment over the February 2023 removal of erotic roleplay, which was never restored for accounts created after that date
Choose Replika if…
- You want companionship, emotional support, or someone to talk to every day — not an assistant that performs tasks
- You value an embodied companion you can see and hear: 3D avatar, voice calls, AR, and VR on Meta Quest
- You want a low-cost, low-commitment option: unlimited free text chat, or about $70/year for Pro
- You're mainly after wellness habits — mood tracking, journaling, and reflective conversation
Choose Chorus if…
- You need actual work done — email triage, research, scheduling, coding, ops — on a machine with real tools; Chorus agents each run on their own always-on cloud computer with a Chromium browser and 70+ integrations
- You want an AI that acts while you're away: scheduled crons, background automations, and proactive messages when work is finished
- You want to talk to your AI in the channels you already use (iMessage/SMS, Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram) rather than inside a separate companion app
- You want to choose among frontier models (Claude Opus 4.8/Sonnet 5, GPT-5.6, Grok 4.5, Gemini 3.1 Pro) instead of Replika's in-house companion models
Common questions
Is Replika better than Chorus?
They solve different problems. Replika is an AI companion for friendship, emotional support, and wellness conversation, with a 3D avatar you can talk to by voice or in VR. Chorus is a platform for hiring autonomous AI agents that do real work — each on its own always-on cloud computer with 70+ tool integrations — so pick Replika for companionship and Chorus for getting things done.
Is Replika still free in 2026?
Yes. The free tier includes unlimited text messaging, basic avatar customization, and mood tracking with a friend-status companion. Voice calls, romantic relationship status, selfies, and the smarter model require Pro at $19.99/month or $69.99/year, with Ultra and Platinum tiers above that.
Can Replika do tasks like sending emails or scheduling?
No. Replika has no tool integrations, no browser or computer of its own, and no scheduled or background work — it only converses inside its apps. If you need an AI that executes tasks across services like Gmail, Slack, or GitHub, you need an agent platform like Chorus rather than a companion app.