Subscore

Free AccessTesting methodology

Free Access measures what you can do before paying.

Some apps let free users chat, create images, try voice features, and use several characters. Other apps ask for payment almost immediately.

We record exactly what a free user receives and whether a credit card is required.

The live database uses manual scores for six of these tests. Free Value uses the fixed Yes = 10, Limited = 5, No = 0 rule. Every manual result shows the exact free allowance and a simple reason for the score.

7 evidence groups
7 scored tests

Free Access is organized into 7 evidence groups. Each group contains one scored test: Free Chat, Free Images, Free Video, Free Voice, Free Characters, Free Value, and Restrictions.

How the Free Access score is calculated

Each test receives a score from 0 to 10. We multiply each score by its weight and add the results together.

Free Chat and Free Images each contribute 20%. Free Video contributes 15%. Free Value contributes 15%. Free Voice, Free Characters, and Restrictions each contribute 10%.

Free Value uses automatic scoring. The other six tests use manual scores because the database does not currently have fixed rules such as 50 free messages always scoring 8. Free Access makes up 20% of the Pricing score.

20%Free Chat
20%Free Images
15%Free Video
10%Free Voice
10%Free Characters
15%Free Value
10%Restrictions

Weighted evidence groups (combined 100%)Free Access score20% of Pricing score

View exact calculation

Each test receives a score from 0 to 10. We multiply each score by its weight and add the results together.

Free Access makes up 20% of the Pricing score. Pricing makes up 10% of the overall performance score.

Scored tests and weights

Scored test	How much it counts	See scoring
Free Chat	20.00%	View
Free Images	20.00%	View
Free Video	15.00%	View
Free Voice	10.00%	View
Free Characters	10.00%	View
Free Value	15.00%	View
Restrictions	10.00%	View
Total	100%

How the score is calculated

Each test gets a score from 0–10
Test score × how much it counts
Example: 8 × 20.00% = 1.60 points
We do this for every test
We add all the points together
Final Free Access score
Counts for 20% of Pricing

Example calculation

We multiply each test score by how much it counts. We then add all the points together.

Scored test	Test score	How much it counts	Calculation	Points added
Free Chat	8.00	20.00%	8.00 × 20.00%	1.60
Free Images	6.00	20.00%	6.00 × 20.00%	1.20
Free Video	4.00	15.00%	4.00 × 15.00%	0.60
Free Voice	4.00	10.00%	4.00 × 10.00%	0.40
Free Characters	8.00	10.00%	8.00 × 10.00%	0.80
Free Value	10.00	15.00%	10.00 × 15.00%	1.50
Restrictions	8.00	10.00%	8.00 × 10.00%	0.80
Final Free Access score	—	100%	Add all points	6.90/10

Automatic and manual scores

Free Value

Yes = 10/10, Limited = 5/10, No = 0/10, and Unknown = 0/10.

Manual scoring

Free Chat, Free Images, Free Video, Free Voice, Free Characters, and Restrictions show the exact free allowance and explain the score clearly instead of using fixed count bands.

Unknown

If we cannot verify a result, the test receives a score of 0.

Why Free Access matters

A free plan lets users test an app before spending money.

This is especially useful for AI girlfriend apps because it can be difficult to judge them from screenshots or advertising.

Before paying, users may want to check whether the chat feels natural, whether they like the characters, whether image generation works, whether voice sounds good, and whether the app is easy to use.

A free plan is less useful when it only gives one or two messages before asking for payment.

Credit-card requirements also matter. A free trial is not completely risk-free when users must enter payment details and remember to cancel.

What good Free Access looks like

A strong free plan usually gives users enough access to properly test the app. This may include enough messages for a real conversation, at least a few free images, a chance to try video or voice, access to several characters, no credit card required, free allowances that reset, and clear rules about when free credits expire. Common problems include payment being required after only a few messages, no media features on the free plan, a credit card required to start the trial, a trial that automatically becomes paid, free credits that expire very quickly, unclear reset rules, free users limited to one character, and a homepage that says free while most features are locked.

Main benchmarks

GoodLimitedWeak

Free Chat

Enough messages for a real conversationOnly a short chat before paymentPayment required after very few messages

Free Images

Several free images or regular resetsOnly a small one-time allowanceNo free image generation

Free Value

YesLimitedNo

Restrictions

Clear rules and useful reset periodsSome confusing or tight limitsHarsh or quickly expiring allowances

Minimum useful standard

Free Chat: The exact free message allowance and reset period are shown
Free Images: The number of free images and whether they reset are recorded
Free Value: Yes
Restrictions: Reset, expiry, and trial rules are explained

Common red flags

Payment is required after only a few messages
The free plan does not include media features
A credit card is required to start the trial
The trial automatically becomes a paid subscription
Free credits expire very quickly
The app does not explain when allowances reset
Free users can only speak to one character
The homepage says free, but most features are locked

How we test Free Access

We create a new free account without buying a subscription.

We then use each main feature until the free allowance runs out, a payment screen appears, or the app blocks further use.

We record the number of free chat messages, free images, free videos, free voice time, available characters, whether a credit card is required, and when free allowances reset or expire.

We test the normal free offer available to new users. We do not include affiliate bonuses, referral rewards, or special coupon codes.

Limitations

Free offers can change quickly.

They may also differ because of country, device, website or mobile app, new-user promotions, test groups, App Store rules, or limited-time offers.

We test the normal free offer available to our account on the recorded test date.

We clearly separate permanent free access, one-time signup credits, a temporary free trial, and promotional rewards.

Free Access makes up 20% of the Pricing score.

Evidence groups

Free Access has 7 evidence groups made up of 7 scored tests.

Free Chat measures how many messages a free user can send before payment is required.

Users need enough messages to judge whether the chat feels natural.

Free Chat

20%of Free Chat (20% total)

How many messages a free user can send before payment is required.

How we test

We create a free account and start a normal conversation. We continue sending messages until the app blocks the chat or asks for payment. We also check whether the allowance resets.

What counts

Messages available without payment
Daily free messages
Monthly free messages
Unlimited free chat with clear fair-use rules
Messages available immediately after signup

What does not count

Messages given only after buying something
Referral rewards
Temporary promotional bonuses
Messages available only with a credit card trial
Messages sent through a paid account

Result shown

20 free messages per day

Scoring

In this example, Free Chat scores 8/10.

Free Chat receives a score from 0 to 10. More useful free chat normally receives a higher score. The exact message allowance and reset period are always shown beside the score.

Evidence group 2 of 7

Free Images measures how many images a free user can generate before payment is required.

Image generation is often a main reason people try these apps.

Free Images

20%of Free Images (20% total)

How many images a free user can generate before payment is required.

How we test

We try to create images through every image tool available to free users. We continue until the allowance ends or the app asks for payment.

What counts

Images generated without payment
Daily or monthly free images
Images created using free signup credits
Images created inside chat or through a separate generator

What does not count

Ready-made character profile images
Marketing examples
Images unlocked only after subscribing
Referral rewards
Temporary coupon bonuses

Result shown

3 free images after signup

Scoring

In this example, Free Images scores 6/10.

Free Images receives a score from 0 to 10. More free generations and better reset rules normally lead to a higher score. The database does not currently use fixed image-count bands.

Evidence group 3 of 7

Free Video measures how many videos a free user can create before payment is required.

Even one free video can help users understand what the feature is like.

Free Video

15%of Free Video (15% total)

How many videos a free user can create before payment is required.

How we test

We try to generate videos through every video option available to free users. We record how many successful videos can be created.

What counts

Free text-to-video generations
Free image-to-video generations
Videos requested inside chat
Free video credits given to new users

What does not count

Video previews on the homepage
Pre-recorded character videos
Videos requiring a paid subscription
Failed attempts that produce no video
Referral bonuses

Result shown

1 free five-second video

Scoring

In this example, Free Video scores 4/10.

Free Video receives a score from 0 to 10. More useful free video access normally receives a higher score. The exact video allowance is always shown.

Evidence group 4 of 7

Free Voice measures how much voice use is available without payment.

This can include voice messages or live calls.

Free Voice

10%of Free Voice (10% total)

How much voice use is available without payment.

How we test

We use the available free voice features until the allowance runs out. We record the total amount of free voice time in seconds.

What counts

AI voice messages
Voice replies received in chat
Live voice-call time
Free voice time that resets
Voice credits included with the free account

What does not count

Short voice previews in the character creator
Device text-to-speech
Audio from marketing videos
Voice available only after payment
Promotional rewards from referrals

Result shown

30 seconds of free voice messages

Scoring

In this example, Free Voice scores 4/10.

Free Voice receives a score from 0 to 10. More useful voice time normally receives a higher score. The exact number of seconds and the type of voice feature are shown with the result.

Evidence group 5 of 7

Free Characters measures how many characters a free user can create or chat with.

A free plan is less useful when users can only test one character.

Free Characters

10%of Free Characters (10% total)

How many characters a free user can create or chat with.

How we test

We check how many ready-made characters can be opened by a free user. We also check whether free users can create their own characters.

What counts

Ready-made characters available to free users
Characters that can actually be chatted with
Custom characters that can be created for free
Character access that resets or remains available

What does not count

Character profiles that can be viewed but not used
Paid-only characters
Locked characters shown in the library
Characters available only through referral rewards
Marketing screenshots

Result shown

Free users can chat with all ready-made characters and create 1 custom character

Scoring

In this example, Free Characters scores 8/10.

Free Characters receives a score from 0 to 10. Access to more usable characters normally leads to a higher score.

Evidence group 6 of 7

Free Value checks whether the app offers a useful free experience without requiring payment details.

This test is mainly about whether users can safely try the app before paying.

Free Value

15%of Free Value (15% total)

Whether the app offers a useful free experience without requiring payment details.

How we test

We create a new account and check whether useful features are available, whether a credit card is required, whether the free offer is only a short trial, and whether the trial automatically becomes paid.

What counts

No credit card is required
Users can properly try the app
The free account offers more than a basic preview

What does not count

Users cannot meaningfully try the app without paying
Payment is required immediately
A marketing preview presented as a full free plan

Result shown

Yes — useful free access with no credit card required

Scoring

We use the result categories below.

Result	Score
Yes — useful free access without a credit card	10/10
Limited — free access has an important restriction	5/10
No — payment details are required	0/10
Unknown	0/10

In this example, Free Value scores 10/10.

Evidence group 7 of 7

Restrictions records the rules placed on the free plan.

A free allowance may reset every day, expire after one week, or disappear when the user closes the account.

Restrictions

10%of Restrictions (10% total)

The rules placed on the free plan.

How we test

We check the app, pricing page, account balance, and terms. We record when free access resets, whether free credits expire, how long a free trial lasts, whether payment details are required, and whether some features are completely blocked.

What counts

Daily reset rules
Monthly reset rules
Trial length
Credit-expiry periods
Important free-account limits
Clear fair-use rules

What does not count

Normal safety rules
File-size limits
Restrictions that only affect paid users
Temporary technical problems
Rules we cannot confirm

Result shown

Free messages reset daily, but signup credits expire after seven days

Scoring

In this example, Restrictions scores 8/10.

Restrictions receives a score from 0 to 10. Clear and generous rules normally receive a higher score. Harsh, confusing, or quickly expiring allowances receive a lower score.

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