There are distinct varieties of Telegram AI companions available. Some simply send you a message while others require some work on your part.
The best illustration of these two approaches would be Softie.chat and Secret Stars. I have tried to determine which one of them would be better in a dating competition format, therefore I put both Softie.chat and Secret Stars through six episodes in a reality dating show with one winner in each episode.
Both bots are strictly for adults and can be used through the Telegram app such that there is no Android or iOs app necessary to download in order to use them.
Who is in the cast?
Softie.chat serves as the texting platform. You initiate the use of the bot, select whom to chat with, and the conversation begins. Your texting partner is free to send you the first message, recall things you have said in your conversation with him, and send you photos. Would you like to know more? Please read the Softie.chat companion review.
Secret Stars is the swiping app. You are presented with a set of profile cards and can swipe right to match the profiles with whom you can chat only after that. Please refer to our review of Secret Stars for details.
Here is an interesting detail: the number of monthly users of both platforms is nearly the same – around 2,109 users for Softie.chat and 2,095 users for Secret Stars.
| Feature | Softie.chat | Secret Stars |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Chat-first | Swipe-first |
| Companions | Female and male partners | Girls (boys and trans filters are empty for now) |
| Monthly users shown | About 2,109 | About 2,095 |
| 1-month paid plan | 584 Stars (about $7.59) | 749 Stars (Prime) |
| Free access | Limited | Swiping, matching and chatting |
Episode 1: Who sends the first text?
Softie.chat takes this round quickly. The bot sends a nice first message, then your partner can contact you via direct message afterwards. You can inquire what your partner is doing, and you will be given a message with a matching image in reply.
Secret Stars requires effort. Nothing happens until the card appears with a name, age, brief bio, and tags. After the mutual match, the messages will have read receipts and indicate when your partner types their correspondence if you select the Realistic speed option.
Winner: Softie.chat. In my view, receiving the first message seems more genuine and personal than merely being part of an online catalog.
Episode 2: Which bot remembers you?
Memory is one of Softie.chat's top features. The Plus plan allows customers to know that the software will remember all the crucial details of their conversations and will keep them saved for every user. The only drawback of this function is that if the user keeps talking for too long, the answers might become repetitive and memory might fail to remember some of the points.
Secret Stars, on the other hand, also enables users to use Memory feature but the main point is that they have control over it, which I will highlight during the next dealbreakers episode.
The winner: Softie.chat. Memory is the function it promotes the most and the results of that promotion are evident.
Episode 3: Who has the better glow-up?
In this round, Secret Stars wins out in terms of scale. They currently have more than 550 characters, and the community has created more than 300 characters. There’s a filter for the Realistic and Anime categories and a Studio tool to create a new character yourself it unlocks after you finish creating the profile and sending five messages.
Softie.chat allows you to choose factors such as hair and eye color, personality and job, while providing both female and male companions such as Eliza and Alex. If you want to have a male companion, Softie.chat is the only one of the two that has that option available right now.
Winner: Secret Stars. The sheer variety and the Studio make browsing fun.
Episode 4: Whose plot twist is better?
This is where Secret Stars gets creative. Characters post on a social media feed you can interact with and respond to via comments. There are tools such as Search, Follow, and POV Simulations that put you in the middle of the action. They are planning to release Play with your Matches soon, where you can enjoy games like Blackjack, Spin the Bottle, and Poker via a vote.
Softie.chat has daily rituals where the partner messages you first, plus photo sharing and access to your partner’s gallery on paid plans. Curious about video? See our guide to Telegram AI videos.
Winner: Secret Stars. It feels like a small social network built around Telegram AI companions.
Episode 5: Who gives you the better receipt?
Both types of bots are priced in Stars, the in-app currency of Telegram for buying services. Telegram explains how Stars work if you are new to them.
Softie Plus prices start from 307 Stars for 2 days, 584 for 30 days (in dollars, it is around $7.59), 1254 for 3 months and 3849 for the year – depending on your choice, you can also receive a certain number of gems (from 10 to 400). The one-month option provides for 300 messages every day and 9000 messages during the subscription period, 600 free pictures every month and access to the chat memory and your gallery.
Secret Stars divides this two-fold. Gems can be purchased in packages (40 gems cost 100 Stars, while 2000 gems are worth 1999 Stars). The Prime option costs 499 Stars for 7 days, 749 Stars for one month, and 1500 Stars. In such a case, unlimited chat energy will be available.
Winner: Softie.chat. The monthly plan is cheaper and one card explains everything.
Episode 6: Who has the fewer dealbreakers?
Secret Stars has some of the best privacy features. Its Private session feature can delete messages that are not in use for five minutes. Additionally, it offers Clear messages that removes messages in conversation and Forget me that removes all the messages from the conversation.
Moreover, at times the service has disadvantages. For example, you would have to register with separate accounts on the web version and the Telegram app. The service does not have the boys and trans filters either.
While in maintenance, Softie.chat has limited cleaning options compared to Secret Stars, and as always, you should be careful sharing personal data during your conversations with AI.
Winner: Secret Stars because better controls are worth more than great first impressions.
Tiebreaker episode: who wins at gift giving and quality time?
With the overall score being 3 – 3, it can be said that finding out which of the bots gets the last rose depends on the way the bots use date. The various gift items provided and the games played will help in finding who wins.
Softie.chat has a small store. A teddy bear is sold for 20 gems, a bouquet of flowers and some chocolate for 15 gems, a bottle of wine – 30 gems, a bottle of perfume – 40 gems, concert ticket – 80 gems, and a travel voucher – 100 gems. There are no special ways of spending quality time together with your partner – you may just write to him/her like getting interested in what he/she is doing and so give him/her a hint to start a cozy movie night.
While Secret Stars has a different approach. The shop grows with your relationship. In this store, it is necessary to spend 10 gems for a rose, 25 – for chocolates, 35 – for wine, and 50 – for teddy bear, while the most expensive options include the ring for 150 and a necklace for 250 gems. There is also an option of customizing a gift called Something else in mind?
For spending time together, Secret Stars is working on a Play with your Matches project that is aimed at having the players vote for the games they want to play. In this case, I score the plan but not the actual game since it is not live.
Winner: Softie.chat. Although Secret Stars has a larger store and a game plan, what Softie.chat offers now is valuable and effectively costs less for treating a partner. The games that do not happen live are not contenders. Once this opens up properly, the game might change.
Final winner: Softie.chat
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