20+ Best Alternatives to Friend in 2026
Your least helpful but most honest friend.
Looking for an alternative to Friend? Below are 20 AI startups working in the same space — ranked by our Neuron score so the most credible options come first. Each card shows what makes the tool a viable substitute, pricing signals, and funding stage.
- 1View alternative →
ANORIA
$500KA bracelet that reads your emotions in real time to make EQ trainable.
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions, AI Wearables.
💵 Paid
- 2View alternative →
Oura
$1.5BThe smart ring that turns sleep, stress, and heart data into AI health guidance
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Wearables.
💵 Free trial · From $6/mo
- 3View alternative →
Mythic
$260MAnalog compute-in-memory chips for power-efficient edge AI
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Wearables.
💵 Custom
- 4View alternative →
Ultrahuman
$103MAI-driven smart ring and metabolic health wearables platform
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Wearables.
💵 Free
- 5View alternative →
XPANCEO
$290MBuilding the world's first multifunctional AI smart contact lens
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Wearables.
💵 Free
- 6View alternative →
HammerAI
UndisclosedFree, private AI character chat that runs locally or in the cloud
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions.
💵 Free
- 7View alternative →
Halter
$165MAI-powered smart collars and virtual fencing for cattle ranches and dairy farms
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Wearables.
💵 Free
- 8View alternative →
Character.AI
$150MChat with millions of user-created AI characters.
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions.
💵 Free · From $10/mo
- 9View alternative →
Status
$17MA gamified AI social world where you play any character in any universe
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions.
💵 Free
- 10View alternative →
eNOugh
$2.7MLondon-based safety-technology startup building an AI-powered wearable personal safety device
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Wearables.
💵 Free
- 11View alternative →
Backyard AI
UndisclosedUnfiltered text and voice chats with AI characters and lorebooks
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions.
💵 Free
- 12View alternative →
Darlin
UndisclosedAI companion app for gaming and chat
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions.
💵 Free
- 13View alternative →
Get Harder AI
UndisclosedCreate and chat with customizable AI companions with few content restrictions
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions.
💵 Free
- 14View alternative →
Tolan (Portola)
$30MCharacter-driven AI alien companions designed for friendship, not romance.
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions.
💵 Paid
- 15View alternative →
ImagiPortal
UndisclosedCreate living AI personas that talk, call, and remember
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions.
💵 Free
- 16View alternative →
Born
$25MSocial AI companions and virtual pets that combat loneliness
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions.
💵 Free
- 17View alternative →
Even Realities
$10MCamera-free smart glasses with a HUD display and AI assistant
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Wearables.
💵 Free
- 18View alternative →
Arya
$37MAI relationship concierge that coaches couples right inside their text messages
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions.
💵 Free
- 19View alternative →
Gyges Labs
$15MMaker of Halliday proactive AI glasses with an invisible display
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Wearables.
💵 Free
- 20View alternative →
WyvernChat
UndisclosedFree, unfiltered AI roleplay with thousands of characters
Why it's similar: Shares categories with Friend — AI Companions.
💵 Free
Frequently asked questions
What are the best alternatives to Friend?
The top-ranked alternatives to Friend on NeuronFeed are ANORIA, Oura, Mythic, Ultrahuman, XPANCEO. Rankings are based on our Neuron score, which weighs funding, momentum and editorial signal.
Is there a free alternative to Friend?
Yes — Ultrahuman, XPANCEO, HammerAI offer a free plans. See the pricing column for each alternative above.
How is this list ranked?
We rank alternatives by shared categories with Friend, then by our proprietary Neuron score (0–100) which combines funding, team quality, momentum, and editorial input. The list refreshes every 30 days.
Friend vs ANORIA — which is better?
It depends on use case. ANORIA (A bracelet that reads your emotions in real time to make EQ trainable.) is the #1-ranked alternative. See the full side-by-side at /compare/friend-vs-anoria.
Explore more around Friend
Contextual paths to related AI startups, deals and rankings.