Summary
- According to Appfigures Intelligence, global consumer expenditure on NSFW and romantic AI companion apps has reached $427.3 million.
- Since late 2022, the sector consists of 214 apps that have collectively been downloaded over 165 million times.
- In the first half of 2026, users spent $162.8 million on these AI companions.
Spending on AI girlfriend applications is soaring, with no indication of a decline.
Data from analytics company Appfigures Intelligence, shared with Decrypt, reveals that since the introduction of ChatGPT in late 2022, NSFW and romantic AI companion apps available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play have accumulated 165.3 million downloads and generated $427.3 million in consumer expenditure globally.
Randy Nelson, Head of Insights and Media Relations at Appfigures, stated, “The rankings are categorized by type and reflect either downloads or gross consumer spending before Apple/Google extract their platform fees, typically 30%.”
Nelson noted that Appfigures has identified 214 NSFW and romantic AI companion applications, which collectively earned $162.8 million in consumer spending during the first half of 2026.
Among these applications, Zeta led the category in revenue for the first half of 2026, earning $33 million. It was followed by Tipsy Chat: Live Your Story with $15.2 million, ChatBox: AI Chat Bot Assistant at $13 million, Crushie AI: Chat & Companion with $8.8 million, and Emochi: Chat With Character at $7.5 million.
Emochi also emerged as the most downloaded romantic AI companion app, achieving 7.9 million installations. In second place was Amora: A Hint of Your Soulmate with 3.6 million downloads, followed by Zeta at 3 million, BIMOBIMO at 2.8 million, and MiraiMind at 2.6 million.
While general or “PG” AI companions saw nearly double the downloads, the revenue generated by romantic apps was almost on par. In the first half of 2026, PG/general apps amassed $164.8 million.
This data reflects a growing trend of individuals seeking companionship and romance through AI chatbots, contributing to an emerging “digisexual” subculture focused on emotional bonds with AI companions.
A study conducted in May 2026 by Brigham Young University, the Institute for Family Studies, and the Wheatley Institute discovered that 15% of partnered U.S. adults aged 18 to 30 regularly interact with AI romantic companions, with 69% of these users admitting they conceal the extent of their usage from their partners.
In the same month, AI companion platform Joi AI announced its plan to compensate 10 individuals with $2,000 monthly to evaluate an AI-guided masturbation feature and document its effects on stress, sleep, mood, and confidence. This initiative aimed to gather product feedback and explore AI's role in digital intimacy.
By July 2026, Joi AI reported receiving over 150,000 applicants globally for the campaign, prompting the company to implement a formal selection process.
Appfigures categorized these applications based on store metadata, descriptions, age ratings, and terms related to romance and adult content. However, the figures are limited to the visible mobile market and do not include web-only platforms like Joi AI, Candy AI, and SpicyChat AI.