Research report · Published 2026-10-10 · ChatCompare Editorial

AI Companion Privacy Checklist: What Happens to Your Chats

People tell AI companions things they wouldn't post anywhere else. That makes the privacy terms of these apps unusually important, and unusually unread. We went through the published privacy policies, terms of service and independent privacy assessments for the apps on our specification sheet. This report sets out what to check and what we found, using the vendors' own wording where we could read it.

How a companion chat actually travels

When you send a message, it typically goes from your browser or app to the company's server. There it is stored in your chat history and combined with the character's description and any memories. It is then sent to a large language model, which may be run by the company or by a third-party AI provider. The reply comes back the same way. Images you upload or generate, voice clips and call audio follow similar paths, sometimes through additional specialist services.

Desire AI, which is owned by this site's operator, describes this openly. Its about page says messages "are also sent to the AI providers that generate replies", that "provider routing can change for reliability, cost, and safety", and that "no account does not mean no stored data". That's a fair description of the whole category, not just one app.

The ten-point checklist

1. Is chat history stored, and for how long?

Almost always yes. Retention varies. Erogen AI's plan page lists one year of chat history on free and unlimited history on paid tiers. CrushOn AI deletes free users' history after seven days of inactivity, according to its pricing details as captured by reviewers. Look for a stated retention period. "Until you delete it" is common.

2. Are conversations used to train or improve AI?

This is the single most important sentence to find. Policies differ:

• Joi AI's privacy policy, as read by an October 2026 reviewer, says text and voice messages are used to improve replies and develop its AI. The reviewer found no opt-out.
• FantasyGF's policy, per an independent assessment, says it may use conversations to improve its models, typically in aggregate.
• Nectar AI's FAQ says chats and generated content are not used to train external AI models. The qualifier "external" is worth noticing.

If a policy is silent on this, assume your chats may be used.

3. Which third parties receive your content?

Look for AI model providers, cloud hosts, payment processors, analytics firms and content-moderation services. Joi AI's policy notes that images you send may be checked by outside services for objects and faces. Session recording, if offered, should be opt-in. The same reviewer reported that Joi AI asks for consent at sign-up.

4. Are advertising trackers on the site?

Many companion sites load ad-platform pixels. A reviewer counted advertising and analytics cookies from four large ad platforms on Joi AI, and another found a Facebook tracking pixel on Nectar AI's pages. Trackers don't read your chats, but they can link your visit to ad profiles. A privacy-focused browser or tracker blocker reduces this.

5. What happens if you dispute a charge?

This is a surprisingly common clause. Joi AI's terms allow it to share your conversations to prove a disputed charge was yours. GirlfriendGPT's terms list disputing charges among the grounds for terminating an account. CrushOn AI's terms, as captured in 2025, asked users not to seek chargebacks except for fraud. If you want your money back, use the cancellation and refund route first.

6. Can you delete your data, and how?

Look for an in-app deletion option, not just "contact support". FantasyGF offers account and data deletion through Account Settings or email, which is a GDPR obligation for its Romania-based operator. Nectar AI handles deletion on request through support or Discord. Swipey AI lets you see and delete individual memories, which is useful even if you keep the account.

7. What does the bank statement show?

Many companion apps advertise discreet billing. Swipey AI says statements show a neutral merchant name, and FantasyGF's checkout states that no adult transaction appears on the statement. Joi AI's charge appears under the site's own name, according to one reviewer. Apps without payment, such as Desire AI during its beta, leave nothing on a statement at all.

8. Who is the company, and where?

A named, registered operator gives you a legal counterparty and a jurisdiction. Examples from published terms include ADVANCED AI LABS S.R.L. in Oradea, Romania (FantasyGF), Lanoto Solutions Inc. in New Rochelle, New York (Joi AI), Techiepie Ltd in Nicosia, Cyprus (CrushOn AI), INVAI LTD in Nicosia, Cyprus (Swipey AI), and Nectar AI with a Delaware registered address plus Lick Labs Ltd in London. EU and UK operators are subject to GDPR-style rights. Elsewhere, arbitration clauses and class-action waivers are common. Nectar's terms require individual JAMS arbitration but allow an opt-out within 30 days.

9. How is age verified?

Adult apps should gate access. Approaches range from self-declaration to third-party checks where law or card networks require them. Desire AI says its age gate is designed to "fail closed", sending you back to the gate if verification breaks. Content rules almost universally ban minors, real-person sexual content and non-consent. Read them if you want to understand when a classifier might interrupt.

10. Is there a breach history?

Search the app's name with "breach" or "leak" before you sign up. One independent assessment of FantasyGF found no publicly reported breach as of mid-2026. A clean history is not a guarantee, but a recent breach is a clear signal.

Comparison: published privacy positions

For the other apps on our sheet, we could not confirm comparable statements from publicly readable pages, so we have left them out rather than guess.

Habits that protect you whatever the policy says

1. Use a dedicated email address for companion apps, not your work or main personal address. One reviewer also warns that Joi AI's emails contain links that log you straight in, so don't forward them.
2. Keep identifiers out of chat: surnames, employers, addresses, school names and photos of real people. Most apps ban real-person images in any case.
3. Don't upload your own face unless you're comfortable with it being processed by third-party image services.
4. Review stored memories where the app lets you, and delete anything you'd rather it didn't keep.
5. Delete before you leave. Cancelling a subscription usually doesn't delete data, so request deletion separately.
6. Cancel, don't charge back, unless the charge was genuinely fraudulent.
7. Prefer apps with named operators in jurisdictions with strong data rights if privacy is your top concern.

How privacy affects our ratings

Privacy and billing practices make up 15% of each independent app's score on ChatCompare, and complaints add another 10%. Apps with explicit training use, chargeback-sharing clauses or no clear deletion route lose points. Apps with named operators, deletion tools and fair refund terms gain them. You can see the effect in the pros and cons.

Sources: vendor privacy policies, terms and FAQs as quoted in dated 2026 independent reviews (AI Soulmate Guide on Joi AI, CompanionRater on FantasyGF, AI Companion Library on Nectar AI), Swipey AI's pricing page, Erogen AI's plan page and Desire AI's about page. Policies change, so read the current version before signing up.