Forget diamonds — some people are spending serious cash on artificial lovers. New analytics from Appfigures Intelligence, shared with Decrypt, show that NSFW and romantic AI companion apps on Apple’s App Store and Google Play have pulled in 165.3 million downloads and $427.3 million in consumer spending worldwide since the arrival of ChatGPT in late 2022.
Appfigures counted 214 NSFW and romance-focused AI apps and says those titles alone generated $162.8 million in consumer spending in the first half of 2026. “The rankings are categorized by type and reflect either downloads or gross consumer spending before Apple/Google extract their platform fees, typically 30%,” Appfigures’ Head of Insights Randy Nelson told Decrypt.
Top earners in H1 2026 (gross revenue, before store fees)
- Zeta — $33 million
- Tipsy Chat: Live Your Story — $15.2 million
- ChatBox: AI Chat Bot Assistant — $13 million
- Crushie AI: Chat & Companion — $8.8 million
- Emochi: Chat With Character — $7.5 million
Top romantic app downloads in H1 2026
- Emochi — 7.9 million installs
- Amora: A Hint of Your Soulmate — 3.6 million
- Zeta — 3 million
- BIMOBIMO — 2.8 million
- MiraiMind — 2.6 million
Interesting marketplace split: “PG” or general-purpose AI companion apps account for nearly twice as many downloads as romantic/NSFW apps, but revenue is almost even. In H1 2026, PG/general apps earned about $164.8 million, roughly matching the romantic/NSFW haul.
Why it matters beyond clicks and charts
- Cultural shift: Researchers in May 2026 from Brigham Young University, the Institute for Family Studies, and the Wheatley Institute reported that 15% of partnered U.S. adults aged 18–30 regularly used AI romantic companions — and 69% of those regular users said they hid the extent of their use from partners. That points to new privacy, relationship and social dynamics tied to AI intimacy.
- Product experimentation: Joi AI drew headlines by offering to pay 10 people $2,000 a month to test an AI-guided masturbation feature and track effects on stress, sleep, mood and confidence. The program, which aimed to collect feedback about digital intimacy, reportedly attracted over 150,000 applicants worldwide by July 2026 and required a formal selection process.
- Market coverage caveat: Appfigures’ figures are limited to visible mobile storefronts and exclude web-only platforms such as Joi AI, Candy AI, and SpicyChat AI — meaning total consumer spending across all forms of AI intimacy is likely higher.
For crypto readers: this emerging vertical highlights new monetization pathways and friction points where blockchain-native solutions could play a role — from privacy-preserving payments and subscription models to identity and content ownership. It also raises regulatory, ethical and data-protection questions that projects entering the space should be ready to address.
Bottom line: AI companions are no longer a niche experiment — they’re a multimillion-dollar consumer market reshaping how people seek connection, and they’re creating openings (and headaches) for innovators across tech — including the crypto ecosystem.
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