Editorial Standards
How We Review AI Companion Apps
The rubric, the testing protocol, and the editorial independence rules behind every score on Best AI GF Apps.
Last updated: May 25, 2026
Our testing protocol
- Hands-on for at least one week. Every app we score is used by a member of the editorial team for a minimum of seven days across desktop and mobile.
- Paid where applicable. When a product gates core features behind a paid tier, we pay for the subscription with editorial funds. Vendors do not provide free upgrades or trial extensions.
- Same prompts, every app. We run a fixed set of conversation prompts, memory tests, NSFW opt-in checks, and image-generation prompts across the category so apps are compared on the same axes.
- Real devices. Testing happens on iOS Safari, Android Chrome, and desktop Chrome at minimum.
- Privacy posture is checked. We read every privacy policy, terms of service, and DMCA / 2257 page that's published, and we flag missing ones.
The 0-10 scoring rubric
Each app gets one overall editor's score from 0-10 (one decimal place) and four sub-scores. The overall score is not a simple average. It is the editor's read after testing, weighted by what the app is trying to be.
Performance
Speed, latency, mobile responsiveness, uptime during the test week, and how well the app holds up under longer sessions.
Design
Visual identity, information hierarchy, mobile UX, accessibility basics, and whether the brand feels intentional rather than templated.
Features
Depth of conversation, memory, NSFW handling, image and voice support, customization, and how the feature set compares to the rest of the category.
Value
What you get for free, what the paywall gates, pricing fairness, and whether the product is honest about what costs money.
How to read a score
- 9.0 - 10.0 - Best-in-category. We would recommend this to a friend without a caveat.
- 8.0 - 8.9 - Strong pick with a few clear caveats. The majority of reviews on the site fall here because we only cover apps we think are worth trying.
- 7.0 - 7.9 - Solid. Worth trying if its specific angle matches what you want.
- Below 7.0 - We have material concerns about the product, the pricing, or the category fit.
Editorial independence
Best AI GF Apps participates in affiliate programs and earns a commission when readers sign up through our outbound links. That funds the testing time and keeps the reviews free to read.
Affiliate revenue does not change scores. We score apps before we agree commercial terms, and we have published reviews of apps we do not have affiliate relationships with when the category warrants it. No vendor reviews, edits, or approves copy before publication.
When a product is part of an affiliate program, every outbound link uses rel="noopener noreferrer" and opens in a new tab. We also surface the affiliate relationship next to every primary CTA on the review.
See our full affiliate disclosure for the formal statement.
Corrections and updates
Reviews are dated. The last-updated date on every review reflects the most recent hands-on retest or material edit. If a product ships meaningful changes, we retest and update the page. If you think a review is out of date or factually wrong, email contact@bestaigfapps.com.