The Afterlil blog
Understanding AI companions, honestly.
Studying what makes AI companions work — and building one that does. Independent, sourced analysis of the AI companion category — Replika, Character.AI, Grok, Nomi and the rest: where they came from, how they work, what they cost, and who they are actually safe for.
Featured
The state of AI companions in 2026
An honest map of where AI companions are in 2026 — Replika, Character.AI, Grok, Nomi and the rest: who is building what, the choices that separate them, and the forces reshaping the whole category.
7 min read
Series
Dispatches
Short, sourced reads on what just happened in AI companions — and what it actually means.
- The 'AI companion market' is worth $24 billion. Or $500 billion. Nobody actually knows.2 min
- 98 bills, 34 states: the map of AI-companion regulation in 2026.3 min
- The lawsuit that started the regulatory wave just settled — quietly, on undisclosed terms.3 min
- A state just sued Character.AI for letting a bot pose as a licensed psychiatrist.3 min
- Replika wants you out. Grok wants you in. The companion category is splitting.3 min
- OpenAI's 'adult mode' is still paused. The reason is the whole companion problem.3 min
- Replika says it wants you to leave the app. What that means for its business.5 min
Series
The Companion Files
How AI companions came to be — from ELIZA in the 1960s to the crowded, contested market of today.
Series
The Open Questions
The four questions the category still has not answered: memory, privacy, safety, and whether a companion can be good for you.
Guides & comparisons
Choosing a companion
Head-to-heads, Replika alternatives, pricing and safety — practical guides for choosing the right AI companion.