The AI Companion Glossary, Warmly Explained

The words around AI girlfriend apps can feel more tangled than they need to be. Here is what each one really means, said gently, so you can read any review, ours included, without a dictionary open beside you.

NSFW

Not safe for work. Adult or explicit content. In AI companion apps it means the service permits sexual roleplay and adult imagery for verified adults 18+. Swipey is NSFW-friendly; Character.AI and Replika are not.

SFW

Safe for work. Content kept non-explicit. SFW-leaning apps such as Replika gently steer conversations away from adult territory, by policy or with a filter.

LLM

Large language model. The AI system that writes a companion's replies by predicting language from patterns in its training data. How warm and coherent the chat feels largely tracks the model behind it.

Persona

The character an AI plays: her name, personality, backstory, and way of speaking. A lovely app keeps the persona consistent across a long evening instead of slipping into flat assistant tone.

Hearts / credits

A pay-as-you-go currency. You buy a pack and spend it on premium moments such as images or voice. Swipey uses hearts. Because nothing recurs, spending stops when you stop, unlike a subscription.

Roleplay

Acting out a scenario together, from a casual chat to a scene with a setting and real feeling. The heart of what most AI girlfriend apps are for.

Roleplay archetype (scenario)

A ready-made premise, such as a nurse, a teacher, or a neighbor. Choosing one sets the frame your companion stays inside. See our archetype reviews.

Character creation

Tools to design your own companion by choosing a personality, look, and scenario, or starting from a blank page, rather than picking a pre-made one.

Voice mode

Spoken replies instead of, or alongside, text. It turns a chat into something closer to a call, and it usually costs a few extra credits. More in our voice guide.

Image generation

The AI creating pictures of a companion on request. Quality, and whether adult images are allowed, vary widely between apps.

Memory / context window

How much of your history a companion can hold. Short-term memory lives in the context window; long-term memory is a separate feature some apps add to remember past chats, which matters most over weeks.

Content filter

An automatic system that blocks certain outputs. On SFW apps the filter stops adult content. A "filter wall" is when it interrupts a moment mid-scene.

Free tier

A version you can use without paying, often with limits on messages, images, or features. A genuine free tier lets you feel a companion out before you spend.

Subscription vs pay-as-you-go

Two billing styles. A subscription recurs on a schedule until you cancel. Pay-as-you-go (credits) charges only when you choose to buy, with nothing to cancel.

18+ gating

Age restriction. Adult AI companion products are for verified adults only. Every app we cover is for adults 18+.

18+Every AI companion product mentioned here is for adults 18+ only. Definitions are offered for clarity and contain no explicit content.