Verdict
Tolan is the companion app most deliberately built against dependency. WIRED found it told the reviewer to put the phone down and go outside, and it refuses romantic and sexual role-play. It is still a paid emotional companion with a 13+ App Store rating, a privacy policy that does not say whether chats train its AI, and app tracking for advertising, and some users on its own user forum worry people lean on it for mental health and medication support.
Privacy note. Policy silent on training and App Store label shows ad tracking; 13+ with self-declared age, but no romance and hourly AI reminders for minors (tolans.com/privacy-policy; tolans.com/faq)
Best for
Adults who want a light, friendly sounding board for daily plans and venting
Skip if
Anyone needing mental-health care, or children without a parent involved. It is rated 13+ with self-declared ages and its crisis links on the FAQ are US numbers
Key facts
- Category
- AI companions & chat characters
- Made by
- AQP, Inc. (trading as Portola)
- Based in
- United States
- Launched
- 2025
- Works on
- iPhone
- In the UK
- Yes
- Price from
- £11.99 a month
- Free plan
- Limited trial that can be extended by tasks such as inviting a friend; full access needs a subscription
What it does
- talks with users as an animated alien companion
- chats about interests, feelings and goals
- responds to photos users share
- lets users design a planet together with their Tolan
- remembers past conversations
Ratings
What people say
Fans in user reviews say the voice-first alien remembers their interests and has helped them think more positively, but several say its memory fails after the first month. A thread in August 2026 raised concern that some users rely on it for mental-health stability and medication reminders. UK App Store stars (4.7 from 6,643) match the warm tone of its own user forum.
“The voice first aspect is what really sold it in the beginning. I never would have interacted so much if I had to type everything to communicate.”
Individual user review, 25 June 2026 · source
“I really liked it at first, until it forgot absolutely everything I told it about my background story.”
Individual user review, 25 June 2026 · source
“I've seen some scary comments of people using Tolan reminders as their only form of medication reminder, or serious medical intervention, and basing their entire mental state on the Tolan app.”
Individual user review, 6 August 2026 · source
“This app was marketed as a friend and it became one. … I think it succeeded in what it set out to do. There are just consequences to that.”
Individual user review, 6 August 2026 · source
Press reviews
- WIRED 2025-07-02
'Quite charming and relatively harmless'; designed to avoid romance, flag unhealthy engagement and send users towards real-life activities, though it 'certainly pushes some emotional buttons'.
- GeekWire 2025-07-07
News report: $20M Series A; more than 3 million downloads, 100,000 paid users and over $1 million a month in revenue since its February 2025 launch.
Privacy
- Trains on your data
- Unclear. The privacy policy (updated 24 Aug 2026) says data is used to 'provide, maintain, improve, and enhance' the service and is shared with unnamed AI vendors, but does not say whether conversations train models
- Opt-out
- No training opt-out described; the UK App Store privacy label says purchases, location, identifiers and usage data may be used to track users across other companies' apps for advertising
- Retention
- Deleted after 'the relevant retention period' (not stated); backups may persist for a limited time
- Age limit
- UK App Store rates it 13+; the policy requires parental consent under 13 and the FAQ says it 'may not be suitable for some minors', reminding known under-18s hourly that it is an AI. Ages are self-declared
FAQ
Is Tolan safe for teenagers?
It is rated 13+ in the UK and is built to refuse romantic or sexual chat, and it reminds users it knows are under 18 that it is an AI every hour. Ages are self-declared and its own FAQ says it may not suit some minors, so parental involvement is advised.
Is Tolan free?
Only as a limited trial. UK App Store plans include Tolan Lite at £11.99 and Tolan Plus at £24.99; the listing does not say how often these are billed.
Is Tolan a therapist?
No. It is a companion app, and when talk turns to self-harm its FAQ says it points people to crisis services rather than engaging. The services it lists are US numbers (988 and Crisis Text Line), with no UK lines shown.
Is Tolan on Android?
No Android version was found. The official site links only to the Apple App Store.
Tolan vs Replika?
Tolan avoids romance and sexual role-play and encourages real-world activity, while Replika offers romantic partners. Replika's maker was fined €5 million in Italy over age checks; no regulatory action against Tolan was found.
Scores are based on published evidence, not lab tests. How we score.
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