HiWaifu
#18 on the ranking
HiWaifu is an anime character-chat app with a community at its centre, and after a month with it I would judge it by that rather than as an AI girlfriend.
Read my full HiWaifu analysis →AI girlfriend sites side by side · Both tested first-hand · Data through September 2026
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HiWaifu vs Candy AI
I bought a membership on both and tested each for a month. What they offer, their measured numbers and what their users say, next to each other, with my verdict on each at the end.
The scoreboard
Candy AI leads on 3 of the 4 figures that decide most choices.
HiWaifu
Candy AIRank on this site#18▲#5
Google US, “ai girlfriend”–#11
Search visits a month124K▲592K
Name searches a month, US27.1K▲301K
In short
Candy AI is the bigger site; here is what separates them.
- Candy AI ranks #11 in United States Google results for "ai girlfriend"; HiWaifu holds no tracked position for it, so it is placed by all-traffic rank instead (#5 against #18 on this site).
- Candy AI gets about 592,075 search visits a month worldwide against 123,501 for HiWaifu, roughly 4.8 times as many (DataForSEO, September 2026).
- People search for Candy AI by name about 301,000 times a month in the US, against 27,100 for HiWaifu.
- HiWaifu has no free tier and starts at $12.99/mo; Candy AI has no free tier and starts at $13.99/mo.
What they offer
| What they offer |  HiWaifu |  Candy AI |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | No | No |
| Entry paid plan | $12.99/mo | $13.99/mo |
| Adult content | Allowed on paid plans | Allowed on paid plans |
| Features |
|
|
| Best for | Users who want an anime-only AI girlfriend experience with text-based NSFW roleplay on a dedicated mobile app | Users wanting a widely recognized platform with expressive chat and flexible pricing who can tolerate slower response speeds |
| Not for | Users seeking NSFW images, voice, or realism; those wanting community interaction or a free trial | Those who need real-time live calling or a strong free tier to evaluate before paying |
| Operator | Language Power Media Limited | EverAI Limited |
| Pricing notes | Text-only 'Luxury Premium' plan unchanged at $12.99/mo ($99.99/yr). A new higher 'Synergy Premium' tier has been added that bundles in voice for $17.99/mo (up to $129.99/yr). An energy system grants a small number of free messages before requiring payment or a wait for regeneration, but there's still no persistent free tier. No crypto. No affiliate program. | 1 Month: $13.99. 3 Months: ~$26.97 (~$8.99/mo). 12 Months: ~$47.88 (~$3.99/mo). Tokens (used for voice, images, and video) are included per tier with add-on packs available. Cryptocurrency payments accepted. |
My take
Neither has a real free tier, so you are choosing on price and features from the start. HiWaifu is the cheaper way in at $12.99/mo against $13.99/mo for Candy AI. The entry price is only part of it: image, voice and video are often metered on top, so the pricing notes row matters as much as the headline. Candy AI simply does more: nsfw chat and image generation, character customization and voice messages are on its list and not on HiWaifu's. More features is only better if you will use them.
The numbers
| The numbers | HiWaifu | Candy AI |
|---|---|---|
| Rank on this siteOn the combined data gathered for every site | #18 | ▲#5 |
| Google US rank, “ai girlfriend”DataForSEO ranked keywords, September 2026 | – | #11 |
| Tranco rank, all domainsAll-traffic rank among the top million domains | #16,979 | ▲#12,246 |
| Chrome UX tierGoogle Chrome UX Report | Top 50,000 | ▲Top 10,000 |
| Search visits a month, worldwideDataForSEO estimate | 123,501 | ▲592,075 |
| Search visits a month, US | 14,009 | ▲116,063 |
| Brand searches a month, USGoogle Ads data via DataForSEO | 27,100 | ▲301,000 |
| Domain RatingDomain Rating by Ahrefs, out of 100 | 37 | ▲76 |
| Referring domains | 1,280 | ▲4,683 |
| Backlinks | 6,134 | ▲127,630,165 |
| Domain registered | March 2023 | December 2017 |
| Public record I read | 6 videos, 0 Reddit threads, 0 articles | 17 videos, 8 Reddit threads, 10 articles |
The better value in each row is marked in green. Search visits and brand searches are DataForSEO estimates; Tranco and Chrome UX tiers are ranks, not visit counts.
My take
Start with the row this site ranks on. When someone types "ai girlfriend" into Google in the US, Candy AI is there at #11; HiWaifu does not appear in the tracked positions at all. That is why Candy AI sits higher here even if it is the smaller site: it is the one the category sends newcomers to. On size, Candy AI is the busier site: 592,075 search visits a month worldwide, about 5 times what HiWaifu gets (123,501). These are estimates of visits from Google only, so a site with apps or ads can be bigger than this shows. Brand searches are the loyalty line: 301,000 people a month type Candy AI's name, against 27,100 for HiWaifu. A name people type on purpose is a site they come back to; a site with lots of visits and few brand searches is living on rankings it could lose. Candy AI's Domain Rating of 76 against 37 means far more sites link to it, which is what keeps rankings stable; the weaker link profile is the one more likely to move, up or down, when Google reshuffles. Candy AI is the older domain (2017 against 2023), which counts for something in a category where sites close without notice. In plain terms: Candy AI is both the bigger site and the one the category search points to.
What users say, and what I found
| Feature by feature | HiWaifu | Candy AI |
|---|---|---|
| Chat and roleplay | Users mixedMy test: Partly disagree | Users mixedMy test: Agree |
| Memory | Users mixedMy test: Partly disagree | Users positiveMy test: Agree |
| Images | Users negativeMy test: Agree | – |
| Voice | Users mixedMy test: Agree | – |
| Characters and customisation | Users positiveMy test: Agree | Users positiveMy test: Agree |
| Free tier and energy | Users negativeMy test: Agree | – |
| Price and Premium | Users mixedMy test: Agree | – |
| Content filter | Users mixedMy test: Partly disagree | – |
| Reliability | Users negativeMy test: Agree | – |
| Privacy and legitimacy | Users mixedMy test: Agree | – |
| Image generation | – | Users positiveMy test: Agree |
| Voice calls | – | Users mixedMy test: Agree |
| Video ('Live Action') | – | Users mixedMy test: Partly disagree |
| Free tier | – | Users negativeMy test: Agree |
| Price and tokens | – | Users negativeMy test: Agree |
| Privacy and billing | – | Users mixedMy test: Agree |
| Safety and legitimacy | – | Users positiveMy test: Agree |
“Users” is the balance of the YouTube reviews, Reddit threads and articles read for each brand page; “my test” is whether my own month on the site agreed with them.
My take
Users are happier with Candy AI: 4 of its 10 features come out positive, against HiWaifu's 1 of 10, with 3 features where the complaints win. Candy AI gets it on memory. My own month did not always match the crowd: I disagreed with users on 3 points for HiWaifu and 1 point for Candy AI, and each disagreement is spelled out on the brand page.
My verdict on each
Candy AI
#5 on the ranking
Candy AI is the category's reference point, and after a month with it I understand why.
Read my full Candy AI analysis →More comparisons
Written by Hunter Gray, Founder, Owner & Writer. Every figure is from the two brand pages and refreshes monthly. HiWaifu and Candy AI are two of the sites in my best AI girlfriend ranking, where the whole category is ordered on the same data.