Animates review: Grok's Ani, prices, limits and privacy

What is Animates?

Animates is an adults-only companion app in which animated 3D characters talk with you in real time by voice or text. It is made by Animation Inc., a startup with a Delaware address whose site says its founders built the MSQRD face-filter app later bought by Meta. The company describes its own on-device animation model as the core of the app.

You pick from a short list of preset companions rather than building your own. Each one keeps a running memory of your chats and writes a diary, and the store copy says companions keep “thinking” about your conversations while the app is closed. You can also text the same companion from Telegram.

Animates runs on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows. Google Play lists its release as August 4, 2026, and the US App Store as August 28, 2026.

What happened to Grok’s companions and Ani?

Grok’s animated companions were retired from the Grok app around September 1, 2026, and Ani now lives in Animates. The timeline from the sources we could check:

We found no xAI blog post or press release on the retirement, and the July statement reads like a chatbot reply rather than a company announcement. The clearest confirmation comes from Animates itself. Animation Inc. is a separate company from xAI, and no ownership tie or licensing deal has been published. Reviews report that the studio built Grok’s 3D avatars, which neither company has stated publicly.

Nothing moves across from Grok. Reviewers say Ani on Animates has no access to your Grok chats, memories or affection level, and a SuperGrok subscription doesn’t cover Animates. Rudi hadn’t appeared on Animates as of October 19, 2026, and Valentine had appeared only in a story video.

Is Animates the same as Anichat?

No, but they come from the same company. Anichat was Animation Inc.’s earlier companion app: its 2025 App Store listing described early access to the company’s animation technology. Anichat’s iPhone listing no longer appears in the US store, and anichat.ai shows a shutdown notice. Animates launched under a new listing in 2026. Several unrelated apps also use the AniChat name, and a separate “Animates.io” app has no link to Animation Inc., so check the developer name before you download.

How much does Animates cost?

Animates has three paid plans, from $7.99 to $39.99 a month. Prices from the US App Store purchase list, read October 19, 2026:

Animates has no pricing page, and it doesn’t publish what each tier includes. Third-party reviews agree that higher tiers raise daily voice time and add features such as web search, camera use on calls and screen sharing, but they disagree on which tier unlocks which feature. The terms also describe Tokens that come with plans and can be bought in packs; plan Tokens expire each billing cycle, and bought packs expire after 12 months. Token prices and costs per action weren’t published as of October 19, 2026.

Is Animates free?

Yes, with daily limits. The app is free to download, and the store listing says longer conversation time and premium features need a subscription. Animates doesn’t publish the free limits. One review cites an early team estimate of about 20 minutes of voice a day, and Google Play reviewers say the free allowance runs out fast.

What can you do in Animates?

Animates centers on live voice conversation with an animated character. The features named in its store listings, privacy policy and release notes:

• Voice and text chat in the app, plus texting through Telegram.
• Memory and diaries. The privacy policy says conversation history is kept so companions remember earlier chats, and you can clear it.
• Screen sharing. You can share screenshots, or let the app capture your screen at intervals, so a companion can react to what you are watching.
• Web search, added in an October update.
• Characters. Ani and Mika from Grok, plus originals such as Yuki, Jareth, Nixie, Karat and Benny. Reviews say you can’t create custom characters.

Does Animates allow adult content?

No adult mode is described. Animates is for users 18 and over, and its terms ban sexually explicit material and bar linking companion output to it. Both store ratings still flag suggestive themes and sexual content or nudity, so expect flirting rather than explicit roleplay. Grok’s version of Ani unlocked new outfits as affection grew, and we couldn’t confirm that Animates offers the same.

What do published reviews and users say about Animates?

Reviewers mostly like the voices and animation but say the app is young and its paid tiers are vague. AI Companion Guides, whose writer says they paid for Whisper, praises low voice latency and the desktop app but flags unclear Token costs and preset-only characters. Aadhunik AI says the prices feel high given reported reliability problems and features still listed as coming soon. Robo Rhythms and AI Insights News both stress that nothing carries over from Grok.

App store reviews follow the same split. The app rated 4.3 out of 5 on the US App Store (about 3,000 ratings) and 4.4 on Google Play (about 2,100 reviews) on October 19, 2026. Positive reviews mention voice quality, diaries and screen sharing. Critical ones mention:

• Tight free limits and an expensive Presence plan.
• Memory lapses, including a companion that forgot a user’s name. The developer replied that a server load issue caused it.
• The microphone picking up the app’s own audio.
• No customer support beyond an email address.

Animates had no Trustpilot page on October 19, 2026.

Is Animates safe?

Animates comes from a registered company with no reported data breach or regulator action, but your voice and chats go to many outside AI providers. What its policy and store labels say:

• Age: 18 or older, by self-declaration. No ID or face check is described.
• Third parties: voice, text, screenshots and context may be sent to 11 outside AI services, including xAI’s API, Google, Amazon, Anthropic and OpenRouter. The policy says those providers can’t train on your content.
• Data sale and ads: the policy says Animates doesn’t sell user data or use your inputs for advertising. Apple’s privacy label still lists identifiers used to track you and third-party advertising among its purposes.
• Encryption: in transit and at rest through its cloud providers. No end-to-end encryption claim.
• Deletion: delete the account in the app or email hello@animation.inc. Uninstalling the app doesn’t delete your data.

The policy also asks you not to share health or sex-life details, because anything you say may be stored in history and passed to those AI providers.

How do you cancel Animates?

You cancel through the store you paid with, at least 24 hours before renewal. On iPhone:

1. Open Settings and tap your name.
2. Tap Subscriptions and select Animates.
3. Choose Cancel Subscription and confirm.

On Android, open Google Play, tap your profile, choose Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions, and cancel Animates. Refunds for store purchases are decided by Apple or Google, and the terms say Tokens are final once credited except where law or the store requires.

For other voice-first companions with memory, see our Kindroid review, Nomi AI review and Replika review, or the full best AI girlfriend apps list.