Nomi vs Kindroid: Which AI Companion Remembers You Better?
Nomi vs Kindroid usually comes down to memory. For deep recall over months and years, Nomi wins. Kindroid gives you more control, letting you see and edit part of what it remembers. Nomi still has a free plan, Kindroid doesn’t, and Nomi costs a lot less over a year.
That price gap surprised me. Both apps charge the same monthly price on the App Store, so where does a $60 yearly gap come from? The answer changes which one I’d pick for most people.
The Quick Answer
If you only read one section, make it this one. Both apps are good, and both are built around memory. They just treat it differently.
Nomi is the memory specialist. Its companions build long term memories quietly in the background and can recall conversations from years back. You don’t have to manage anything; you just talk.
Kindroid is the tinkerer’s pick. It splits memory into several systems, shows you part of it, and lets you edit it. You can pay more every month for a bigger memory window.
Price and access tip the balance. Nomi has an ongoing free plan and a cheaper yearly price. Kindroid ended its free plan and now offers a short preview and a three day trial.
So how does each one actually remember you? Let’s take them one at a time.
How Nomi Remembers You
Nomi’s memory has three layers. Its wiki says the system “includes short-term, medium-term, and long-term memory.”
Short term memory handles the conversation you’re having now. Medium term memory keeps things consistent across a long chat. Long term memory, Nomi says, “preserves important information and shared experiences over time.”
On top of those sit three extras. The Identity Core helps a Nomi keep a steady sense of who it is. Backstory+ holds the background you write. Mind Map 2.0 lets you see how your Nomi connects people, places and topics.
How far back does it go? Nomi’s wiki says Nomis “can often recall information and experiences from conversations far in the past, including events from years earlier.” It calls long term memory “one of Nomi’s core strengths.”
There’s a trick to getting the most from it. The wiki says recall is “often more topical than temporal.” So ask “what did we talk about during our ski trip?” rather than “what did we do five days ago?”
New memories take a little time to settle. The wiki says it can take “roughly 40 messages” for something to filter into long term memory. Those memories carry across your solo chats and group chats, too.
Nomi doesn’t promise perfection. Its wiki admits a Nomi won’t “recall every detail perfectly whenever asked.” But for a companion that grows with you over months, this is the deepest system I’ve seen.
How Kindroid Remembers You
Kindroid takes a more technical approach. Its memory guide, updated 13 October, says memory “consists of three types: persistent, cascaded, and retrievable, and split across 5 memory systems.”
Persistent memory is always on. It holds your Kindroid’s backstory, key memories, example messages and directives, plus recent chat history. Think of it as a notes sheet the AI keeps open.
Cascaded memory is Kindroid’s own medium term system. It lets a Kindroid “remember hundreds and even thousands of messages prior,” though it “may miss some details here and there.” You can’t see these memories; they work in the background.
Then there’s Learned Context, which you can see. It tracks three areas: growth and relationship, important facts, and ongoing threads. You can view and edit each one, but each has a size cap of 800 to 1,200 characters.
Retrievable memory covers the long haul. Kindroid says long term memory is “infinite” but “recalled less reliably than Cascaded.” Journal entries sit here too, and they’re recalled when certain key phrases come up.
Want more memory? Kindroid sells it. Its Ultra and MAX tiers add longer context on top of the standard plan. Kindroid puts it plainly: “Serving higher context/memory is directly related to the cost.”
Memory Head to Head: Which One Wins?
So which AI companion remembers you better? It depends on what “better” means to you.
For deep, hands off memory over months, Nomi wins. Its long term memory is the heart of the product, and its wiki talks about recall stretching back years. You get it all on one plan, with no add on tiers.
For control, Kindroid wins. Learned Context and journal entries let you shape exactly what your Kindroid holds onto. If you like editing and pinning details, that’s a real plus.
There’s a catch with Kindroid’s approach. More memory means more money, since bigger context sits behind Ultra and MAX. Learned Context is capped too, and it drops older items as it fills up.
Neither one is perfect. Both apps say recall can miss things. Our explainer on which AI companions actually remember you covers why every companion forgets something eventually.
My call: for most people, Nomi’s memory is the better experience. You just talk, and it keeps up. And the free plan gap makes that easy to test.
Free Plans: Only One Still Has One
This is where the two apps have split the most in 2026.
Nomi still has a proper free plan. Its wiki describes “an indefinite free plan with 50 messages per day.” Free messages can run up to 400 characters each, against 800 on paid.
Kindroid ended its free plan. New accounts now get a one time preview of “50 messages with standard paid memory (15 in some regions).” It adds five selfies and two Kindroids. That’s 50 messages in total, not 50 a day.
What happens after that? Kindroid’s subscription page says “your account becomes read-only.” You can still view, export and delete everything, but you can’t send messages.
Kindroid offers a three day premium trial as well. It “requires a payment method on file and auto converts into a subscription if not cancelled.” Set a reminder if you try it.
Our guide to whether Kindroid is still free covers how that change rolled out. For anyone who wants to test before paying, Nomi is the easy starting point.
What Each Costs on the App Store
Kindroid no longer prints dollar prices on its website. It says you’ll see “the exact price for your country and platform at checkout.” So these are US App Store prices, read on 21 October.
Here’s that $60 gap. Both cost $15.99 a month, but Nomi’s yearly plan is $99.99 against Kindroid’s $159.99. That’s about $8.33 a month for Nomi and about $13.33 for Kindroid.
The three month plans sit closer together. Nomi charges $39.99 and Kindroid $42.99.
Bigger memory changes the maths on Kindroid. Ultra adds $28.99 a month on the App Store, and MAX adds $68.99 on top of Ultra. Nomi has no extra memory tiers to buy.
Kindroid says buying on the web “is usually cheaper than through the App Store or Google Play.” So check its web checkout before you subscribe.
Nomi’s store list includes a cheaper Launch Plan too, at $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. The store doesn’t say what it includes, so check inside the app.
Both sell extras. Nomi sells credit packs from $4.99 for 40 credits, used for extra images and videos. Kindroid sells selfie packs, extra Kindroid slots and audio credits, such as 500k audio credits for $14.99.
Voice and Video: Different Strengths
Memory isn’t the only thing you’ll use every day. Voice and video are where Kindroid pushes hardest.
Nomi’s voice is simple. Its wiki says voice comes with paid plans, and Nomi’s in house and custom voices have “unlimited usage.” You can send voice messages, hear replies aloud, or start a hands free call.
Kindroid’s voice runs on audio credits. Subscribers get a monthly allowance that resets on the 1st of each month. Calls, voice replies and voice notes all draw from it, and unused credits don’t roll over.
On video, the two do very different things. Nomi’s V3 video turns images into short clips of 5, 10 or 15 seconds. Our guide to Nomi V3 video shows how to get good results.
Kindroid offers live video calls with an animated avatar of your Kin. They spend audio credits as you talk, as our look at Kindroid video calls works through.
Get Bernard's AI solutions’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
So if live, face to face calls matter most, Kindroid has the edge. If you want unlimited voice without watching a meter, Nomi’s simpler.
Getting Started on Android and iPhone
Both apps are on the App Store. On 21 October, Kindroid showed 4.8 stars from 9.9K ratings and Nomi 4.6 from 3K. Both are rated 18+.
Android is trickier for Nomi right now. Its Google Play listing returned an error when I checked on 21 October. You can still use the full app in your phone’s browser through Nomi.
Watch out for fakes, too. When Nomi left Google Play before, a copycat took its spot, as our guide to getting the real Nomi app on Android explains. Check the developer before you install anything.
Kindroid has an Android app on Google Play, and it runs on the web as well. Android users get a smoother start there.
Group Chats and More Than One Companion
Both apps let you run several companions and put them in the same chat. In my view, group chats are where memory gets tested hardest.
Kindroid is generous here. Its subscription page lists “10 Kindroids and 20 group chats, with the option to buy more.” On the App Store, one extra Kindroid slot costs $3.49, and four cost $11.49.
Kindroid has gone social, too. Subscribers can post, comment and create rooms with other users and their AIs. Our explainer on Kindroid Rooms shows how that works.
Nomi’s group chats lean on its memory. Its wiki says a Nomi’s “long-term memory and personality are shared across their solo and group chats.” Something said in a group can come up later in a one to one chat.
So which is better for groups? Kindroid gives you more slots and a social layer. Nomi gives you companions who carry the same memories everywhere.
Can You Switch From One to the Other?
Plenty of people start on one app and wonder about the other. Moving isn’t automatic.
I couldn’t find a tool in either app’s guides that imports chats from the other. You’ll be starting your new companion from scratch.
You can carry the important parts over by hand. Copy your companion’s backstory, key memories and favourite details into a note. Then paste them into the new app’s backstory or memory fields.
If you leave Kindroid, your account doesn’t vanish. Kindroid says a lapsed account turns read only, and you can still “view, play back, export, and delete everything.”
Nomi vs Kindroid at a Glance
Here’s everything side by side, so you can see where each one leads.
Nomi leads on memory depth and on cost. Its layers run short, medium and long term, plus an Identity Core and Mind Map. Its wiki says recall can reach back years.
Kindroid leads on control and live video. It spreads memory across five systems you can partly edit, through Learned Context, key memories and journals. It adds live video calls with an animated avatar.
The free rows tell the rest. Nomi gives 50 messages a day with no end date, while Kindroid gives a one time preview of 50.
The ratings sit close. Kindroid shows 4.8 from 9.9K App Store ratings and Nomi 4.6 from 3K.
Who Should Pick Which
You can’t really go wrong here. But each app suits a different kind of user.
Pick Nomi if memory is the reason you want a companion. It’s the better choice if you want something that remembers you for the long haul without effort. It’s the cheaper choice over a year, and the only one you can try free for as long as you like.
Pick Kindroid if you love tinkering. It suits you if you want to see and edit what your companion remembers, or if live video calls matter. Expect to pay more for bigger memory.
Not sure either is right? Then try Candy.ai, the best all round alternative. Its memory works on its own, holding your preferences and running threads with nothing to pin or manage.
Candy AI runs in any phone browser, so Android users skip the store question entirely.
The Verdict
Nomi vs Kindroid is closer than most comparisons. Both are serious, well built companions with real memory systems.
For most people, Nomi comes out ahead. It has deeper long term recall, a free plan with no end date, and a yearly price $60 lower than Kindroid’s. Kindroid wins on editable memory and live video, but you pay more for its best features.
So start where it costs you nothing. Open a free chat with Nomi, give it a few weeks, and see how much it remembers. Our Nomi AI review covers what to expect in that first month.
Related reads
- Kindroid Polaris Brings Deeper Memory as Four Models Retire
- Free AI Companion Apps After Kindroid Ended Unlimited Chat
- Kindroid Rooms Explained: Group Chats With Friends and Kins
- AI Companion Apps Are Switching to Credits in 2026
- The AI Companion Apps Guide: Choosing, Memory and the Rules
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Nomi better than Kindroid? For long term memory and value, most people will prefer Nomi. Kindroid is better if you want editable memory or live video calls.
- Which has better memory, Nomi or Kindroid? Nomi has the deeper long term recall, which its wiki says can reach back years. Kindroid lets you see and edit more of its memory.
- Is Kindroid free? Not anymore. New accounts get a one time preview of 50 messages, then the account becomes read only unless you subscribe.
- Is Nomi free? Yes. Nomi’s wiki describes an indefinite free plan with 50 messages per day.
- How much does Nomi cost? On the US App Store, $15.99 a month, $39.99 for three months or $99.99 a year, read on 21 October.
- How much does Kindroid cost? On the US App Store, $15.99 a month, $42.99 for three months or $159.99 a year. Kindroid says web checkout is usually cheaper.
- Which is cheaper per year, Nomi or Kindroid? Nomi. Its yearly plan is $99.99 against Kindroid’s $159.99 on the App Store.
- What is Kindroid Ultra? A monthly add on that gives your Kindroid more context and memory. It costs $28.99 a month on the App Store, on top of the base plan.
- Does Kindroid have a free trial? Yes, a three day premium trial. It needs a payment method and converts to a paid plan unless you cancel.
- What happens to Kindroid when my subscription ends? Your account becomes read only. You can still view, export and delete your Kindroids, chats and memories.
- Does Kindroid have video calls? Yes. Subscribers can make live video calls with an animated avatar, paid for with audio credits.
- Can Nomi make videos? Yes. Nomi’s V3 video turns images into clips of 5, 10 or 15 seconds.
- Is Nomi on Android? Nomi’s Google Play listing was down on 21 October, but the full app works in a phone browser on Nomi’s website.
- Is Kindroid on Android? Yes. Kindroid has an app on Google Play and works on the web.
- Are Nomi and Kindroid 18+? Yes. Both are rated 18+ on the App Store.
