Three steps before the first message
Nomi AI has no catalogue to browse. Everything starts with creating your own companion, which the app calls a Nomi, and set-up comes before any other feature. You sign up with Google or Apple, with no payment details needed, then go through three steps: your name, birth date and gender; the kind of relationship you want, Friendship, Mentor, Romantic or Roleplay; and your Nomi's name, a written backstory and a realistic or anime appearance.
The backstory does most of the work, and the app suggests writing it in the third person. That makes set-up slower than in apps where you pick a face and start, and it reportedly relies on prompts written in English. Nomi runs in the browser and also has apps for iPhone and Android. Customization scores Fair, and so does Characters, since there is nothing ready-made to choose from.
Memory and a personality that holds
Memory is Nomi's headline. The app markets its memory and a consistent personality, and its website describes short, medium and long-term memory, so a companion can bring back something from days earlier. Nomi is on our long-term memory list, and chat quality scores Good, the highest of its ten criteria. Replies reportedly follow the backstory closely, which rewards the time spent writing it.
Text chat is the core, with a New option that restarts the character if you want a clean slate. Content follows the backstory: conversations stay safe for work unless the story you wrote points toward adult role-play, and no separate toggle is mentioned. Free accounts have a message cap, though the count is not stated, and paying removes it. The site also mentions proactive messages when you have been away for a while.
Make Art, voice messages and the yearly extras
Make Art turns a text prompt of up to 500 characters into a picture of your companion, in a vertical, horizontal or square format, with an optional pose reference. Each image reportedly takes about 30 to 45 seconds, slower than some rivals, and free users get two images in total. Image quality and Generative tools both score Fair, so pictures are a useful extra rather than the main event.
Voice comes as voice messages, with four free voices or a custom one. The phone icon in the chat gives voice messages rather than a live call, but the yearly plan lists unlimited voice chat and calls, as well as generating AI videos, so the richer media sits behind the paid tier.
Three ways to pay, and the one that makes sense
As of September 2026, Nomi costs $15.99 a month, $13.33 on the quarterly plan, which reads as a monthly equivalent, or $99.99 a year, about $8.33 a month and marked as a 48% saving. Prices reportedly change with offers. The yearly plan lists unlimited messages, 40 photo or art requests a day, AI videos, up to 10 companions and 10 group chats, unlimited voice, 800-character messages, 2,000-character backstories and early access to new features.
The plans are not metered by credits, so a heavy user's bill is simply the plan price: about $192 a year paying monthly, against $99.99 paying yearly. Its App Store listing does also name packs of Nomi credits, and its public pages do not explain what they add. Value for money scores Fair, close to Good, and the yearly plan is where that value is.
Cancelling, refunds and privacy
Nomi's terms say the service is for adults only, with nobody under 18 allowed. Its cancellation policy says you cancel where you bought the plan, on the web or through the App Store or Google Play, and keep the benefits until the billing period ends. Deleting the app does not cancel it, and unused time is not refunded. The home page also says chats are anonymized and not shared with third parties.
Verdict: worth the writing time
Nomi AI suits adults who enjoy writing a character and want it to stay consistent and remember what was said, whether as a friend, a mentor or a partner in a story. If you pay, pay yearly. It suits less well if you want to pick a ready-made face and start in seconds, lean heavily on quick pictures, or get much done before paying, since the free tier stops at one companion, a message cap and two images.
Questions
Does Nomi AI remember past conversations?
Memory is its main selling point. The website describes short, medium and long-term memory, so a companion can bring up things from days earlier, and Nomi is on our long-term memory list.
Is Nomi AI free?
Partly. A free account gets one companion, a capped number of messages and two images, and sign-up needs no payment details. Paid plans run from $15.99 a month down to about $8.33 a month on the yearly plan, as of September 2026.
What is Nomi AI's refund policy?
Its cancellation policy says unused time is not refunded. You cancel where you bought the plan and keep the benefits until the billing period ends, and deleting the app does not cancel it.
Does Nomi AI have a mobile app?
Yes. Besides the website, Nomi has apps for iPhone and Android, and a plan bought through the App Store or Google Play is cancelled there.
