Methodology: how CrushRated scores apps and orders lists
Last updated
Short version: every fact comes from a public page we can link, carries the date we checked it, and says “not stated” when the vendor says nothing. The score and the lists follow written rules, not commissions.
Which apps we cover
We include an app when its maker publishes enough on its own pages (pricing, help center, terms, privacy policy, store listing) for us to fill in a fact label from sources. We leave an app out if we can't check it that way. We also leave out any app whose policies allow content involving minors; we don't link to those apps or take affiliate money from them.
Where facts come from
- Vendor pages first. Pricing pages, help center articles, terms of service, privacy policies, App Store and Google Play listings.
- News and official releases for safety events. Court filings, government announcements and major news outlets. An allegation in a lawsuit is labeled as an allegation.
- No accounts, no payments. We don't sign up for apps or buy plans. We say what the pages state, not how the app feels to use, and we haven't tested chat quality or how well any memory works.
Dates and freshness
Each fact links its source page. Every page states the date of our latest full check; a fact checked on another day shows its own date. A fact older than 30 days is flagged “re-check due”. Prices and terms change often, so confirm anything that matters on the vendor's own checkout or settings page.
“Not stated”
If the vendor's pages don't say, the fact is left blank and the note explains what we looked for and when. We don't fill gaps from rumor, forums or guesses. A blank is not a negative: “not stated” does not mean the answer is no.
How we label content policy
Content policy is our reading of the vendor's own rules into four labels, with the quote beside it:
- SFW only: the vendor's policies don't allow sexual content.
- 18+ opt-in: adults can turn adult content on.
- 18+ by default: the app is built around adult content.
- Policy unclear: the sources we checked don't settle it.
The age gate on this site is a self-declaration by the visitor. We don't verify age, and we can't tell you whether any app's age check works.
Profile images
Each profile photo is the app's own promotional art, taken from its store listing or official site and cropped to fit. The caption under the photo names the page and the date. We skip any image with nudity, anything that looks like a minor, or a real person's likeness, and we only use art the app published itself. When an app has nothing we can use, its profile shows text instead of a photo. A photo shows how the app markets itself; it says nothing about what using the app is like.
The CrushRated score
Every app gets a score from 0.0 to 10.0 that is calculated from its fact sheet by fixed rules, with no editor's judgment in the number. It measures what the vendor documents and which user protections it documents. It does not measure how good the chat is, how well memory works or how fun the app is, because we don't test those.
| Part | Max | How points are earned |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency | 3.0 | Up to 3.0 points, scaled by how many of the 18 facts on the fact sheet the vendor states. A fact the vendor leaves out earns nothing. |
| Privacy controls | 2.5 | Chats not used for training: 1.2 points (opt-out available: 0.8; used or unclear: 0). A stated way to delete your data: 0.8. A stated chat retention period: 0.5. |
| Age and content safeguards | 2.5 | Stated minimum age: 0.5. Stated age-check method: 0.5. Stated policy for under-18 users: 0.8. A clear content policy (not “unclear”): 0.7. |
| Pricing clarity | 2.0 | Paid plan prices stated: 1.2 points. Free-tier limits stated, or a stated absence of one: 0.8. |
- Bands: Well documented (7.5 and up), Partly documented (5.0 to 7.4), Thinly documented (below 5.0).
- Not stated costs points. If a vendor says nothing about deleting your data, that is a gap you would want to know about, so it earns nothing. It does not mean the answer is no.
- Lawsuits and incidents are not in the score. They are shown beside it with dates and sources. An allegation in a court filing is not a finding, and a score that moved on allegations would be unfair to apps that are sued more because they are bigger.
- Warnings on record sit beside the score. A warning is a documented problem with a source we already cite on the app's page, such as a regulator finding, removal from an app store, an insolvency filing or a policy that lets characters be “aged up” from minors. Every list shows a “cautions” link next to the score of an app that has any. They do not change the number; they exist so a high score is never read as a clean record.
- Commissions are not in the score. The score is computed from the fact sheet alone, and affiliate status is not a field on it.
How lists are ordered
- Ratings and “best for” lists include every app that meets a written test and order them by CrushRated score, highest first. Apps with equal scores share a rank (shown as “=1”) and run A to Z. That is only a display order: nothing but the name decides it, and no affiliate or commission data is used.
- Alternatives pages order other apps by shared category, then matching content policy, then name, and give the reason each app is listed.
- Comparisons cover pairs people commonly weigh against each other, and list where the facts differ without naming a winner.
The tests used today:
- Free: The vendor's official page describes a free plan or free use. Apps that only offer a trial or a paywall are not listed.
- Long memory: The vendor's official pages describe a specific memory feature that persists across chats (for example pinned memories, saved memories, long-term memory tiers or a journal). Apps that only market “memory” without describing it are not listed. We have not tested how well any of them recall.
- Voice: The vendor's official pages document voice messages, calls or spoken replies. Apps where the sources say nothing about voice are not listed.
- Roleplay: The app is tagged roleplay in our data: it centres on characters and scenarios, not only on one persistent companion.
- Adults only: The vendor's own policies allow adult content for verified or self-declared adults. “18+ by default” means the app is built around it; “18+ opt-in” means you switch it on.
Money and independence
The site may earn commission from affiliate links to some apps (see the disclosure). Commission never decides whether an app is listed, where it sits, or what the fact label says. Apps with no affiliate program get the same treatment as apps with one. We don't run display ads.
Vendors do not see or approve a page before it goes live, and a vendor cannot pay to change a number. We don't sell sponsored reviews, placements or guest posts on this site. If a vendor shows us a fact is wrong, we check its source like any other correction.
Corrections
If a fact is wrong or out of date, email [email protected] with the page and the source. We fix verified errors and update the check date.
