Both have a large user base and start off free, however the two applications are aimed at entirely different market segments.
Research suggests that AI chatbots are increasingly filling the role of human companions, offering what many describe as “emotional fast food” – instantly comforting and always available, but often lacking the depth and authenticity of real human connection. And if you searched online for the best AI girlfriend on Telegram and found both Softie.chat and Lucid Dreams, you may wonder: what’s the difference? In this article, I’ll break down the different available features, character and pricing options as well as how the two compare from an experiential standpoint, to help you determine:
- Which option best meets your needs without wasting money or time; and
- Which is likely to provide you with the type of experience that most closely matches what you’re looking for.
Quick overview
Softie.chat is an emotional AI companion bot for adults over the age of 18 developed using Telegram's platform. It currently has approximately 2,109 monthly users and a smaller yet engaged user base, with an emphasis on creating long-term relationships rather than brief chat sessions.
Lucid Dreams is a very popular role-play bot, generating over 1.1 million monthly users. It allows users to generate various scenarios with various characters through immersive, role-playing activities; therefore, it provides a great deal of variety and fantasy in generating role-play scenarios as it provides an extensive character list as well as two completely different visual presentation styles.
Two approaches – two styles. Get Ready for In-Depth Adventure!
Characters and variety
The two bot services differ mainly on this point.
Softie.chat has a carefully curated partner list. There are few characters to select from: Eliza, Alexandra, Alex, and Abdi, each with a unique personality and appearance. The quality is far more important than the quantity: you choose someone to create your own unique project with.
Lucid Dreams provides a complete cast of characters to select from (ie. Aurora, Coco, Asha, Mistress Hellein, Jane, Mrs. Grace, Bianca, Kate, Nya, Sakura, Riley, Nika, to just name a few that can be seen on the first screen). The other major difference is you select your character's look right away: either realistic or anime. You gain much more flexibility as a telegram ai girlfriend with this option as well.
Therefore, in this comparison, Lucid Dreams has more characters available, more styles of characters, and greater variety all around than does SoftieChat.
Getting started
Both of these bots can be accessed through Telegram, with zero downloads required.
SoftieChat: Send a /start message and browse the gallery of partners, select a character, and start chatting. This takes less than one minute.
Lucid Dreams: Send a /start message and confirm you are age 18 or over, select whether you want an anime or realistic character, browse through your options to find a character, and once you've found one, you'll open a chat with that character in a scenario.
Both options are easy to use. However, Lucid Dreams has an additional step for selecting an artistic style; this is not difficult, but it requires an additional few seconds to complete.
Overall, both bots were similarly easy to use.
Conversation quality
This is where these bots differ primarily.
Softie.chat has been designed with a strong emphasis on emotional authenticity. It will keep track of your past interactions with it and continue to learn from you, adopting your methods over time – keeping your prior dialogue in mind and most importantly, it will initiate the contact with you (as opposed to waiting for you to initiate). You won't find this kind of interaction with very many of the girlfriend bots on Telegram; this will lead you to experience this relationship as a true relationship rather than just a series of connections.
Lucid Dreams begins by placing you in a scenario – you are living in an environment that is specific to your use of the bot and develops from there based on what you provide. This method is much more engaging and enjoyable to use. However, it does not hold the same memory retention wall technology as does SoftieChat. Each time you use Lucid Dreams, you will experience a new encounter with the bot, which is great if you like to role-play, but may be less satisfying if you are looking for continuity. If that’s what you’re looking for, these Lucid Dreams Telegram alternatives focus more on memory and ongoing connection.
The clear winner of this comparison is Softie.chat if you value emotional connection and will consider memory as important as well.
Features side by side
| Feature | SoftieChat | Lucid Dreams |
|---|---|---|
| Free to start | Yes | Yes |
| Monthly users | ~2,100 | ~1.1 million |
| Character variety | Small, curated | Large roster |
| Anime-style option | No | Yes |
| AI texts you first | Yes | No |
| Conversation memory | Yes | Limited |
| AI-generated images | Yes (paid) | Yes (paid) |
| Scenario-based chat | Limited | Yes |
| 18+ content | Yes | Yes |
| No separate app needed | Yes | Yes |
Pricing
Softie.chat features a free trial for you to try it out, with paid options starting at $10 a month. The higher you go in subscription tiers, the more messages, images and advanced interactions will be available. You can explore the platform further in this detailed SoftieChat AI companion Telegram review.
You can use Lucid Dreams and its basic features for free, while you can also obtain premium access through a credit package costing anywhere from $8.80 to $200 depending on how many credits you purchase. Advanced scenes, images and character creation require credits to be used.
The cost of both programs are reasonable for what they provide, though our recommendation for the winner would be evenly split based upon whether you prefer the predictability of SoftieChat as a subscription plan or Lucid Dreams' pay-as-you-go model.
Who should use which?
Choose Softie.chat if:
- You’re looking for an artificial girlfriend that remembers you.
- Emotional depth/continuity are more important than getting variety.
- You’d prefer a relationship type dynamic instead of episodic roleplaying.
Choose Lucid Dreams if:
- You’d like to explore as many different characters/scenarios as possible.
- You’re a fan of anime type companions along side realistic.
- You are looking for fantasy/immersion over long term commitment.
Wrapping it up
In terms of variety and scale, Lucid Dreams is definitely the top-ranked Telegram bot in 2026 for role-playing; over one million users demonstrate this fact.
If you want something more personal – a buddy who contacts you, learns about you, and develops with each interaction then Softie.chat easily belongs in that role.
These are not the same markets, nor are they developing the same customer base. Spend some time checking out both for free & see which one you'll continue to return to.