Six kinds of “AI clone” at a glance
| Category | Examples | Data used | Good for | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded-interview legacy | StoryFile | Filmed interviews with hundreds of answers | Museums and institutions preserving first-hand history | Life-size installations for institutions |
| Companion apps | Replika | Your conversations with the AI over time | An ongoing AI friend that remembers your life | iOS and Android |
| Character platforms | Character.AI | Character descriptions, backstories and voices set by creators | Stories, role-play and chatting with many characters | Web, iOS and Android |
| Creator and expert clones | Delphi | Documents, videos, podcasts, websites and social accounts | Experts sharing knowledge with an audience at any time | Web, with embedding on creators’ sites |
| General assistants | ChatGPT (Projects) | Files and instructions you add, plus general knowledge | Summaries, analysis and writing help | Web and mobile apps |
| Personal clones from real chats | Memory Clone | Exported WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and Discord chats, plus notes | Simulating how one real person writes to each contact | Windows desktop app |
StoryFile, Replika, Character.AI, Delphi and ChatGPT are trademarks of their respective owners. Memory Clone is not affiliated with any of them. Features change often; this comparison reflects public information checked on 6 October 2026. The list is not exhaustive: many other products exist in each category.
Recorded-interview legacy tools
These tools record a person answering many questions, then let others ask questions and receive the closest real answer. Nothing is generated, so every reply is genuine.
StoryFile now describes itself as a service for museums and institutions. It films a professional interview with hundreds of answers, indexes them with AI, and lets visitors ask questions and receive authentic video responses in real time.
Consumer apps in this space have changed. HereAfter AI, which recorded audio life stories for families, announced in 2026 that it was shutting down. Our HereAfter AI comparison explains what that means for former users.
Companion apps
Companion apps give you an AI friend with its own personality. Replika presents itself as an AI companion available by text, voice calls and video. It remembers the people, plans and goals you tell it about, and is available for iOS and Android.
A companion is not a copy of anyone. It is a new character that gets to know you, which is exactly what many users want.
Character platforms
Character.AI describes itself as an interactive entertainment platform. People chat with millions of user-created characters or design their own, with personalities, backstories and voices, on the web, iPhone and Android.
It suits creativity and storytelling. A character defined by a description can be vivid, but it is not built from one real person’s message history. Our companion and character comparison covers both categories in more detail.
Creator and expert clones
Delphi turns a person’s knowledge, thinking and voice into what it calls a Digital Mind that others can talk to. Creators add files, YouTube videos, podcast episodes, web pages and social accounts, and can correct answers in a training mode. Delphi lists voice calling and chat, a free first Digital Mind and paid plans for larger audiences.
This category is designed for public-facing expertise: coaches, authors and professionals answering their audience. It focuses on what someone knows and teaches, not on how they text their family.
General assistants with custom setups
Many people first try ChatGPT with an uploaded chat export. Projects keep files, instructions and chats together. OpenAI has stopped new custom GPT creation on personal plans and plans to retire custom GPTs on 11 December 2026, recommending plugins instead.
A general assistant is flexible and knows a lot about the world. It is not built to keep many relationships separate. Our custom GPT comparison explains what happens to your files.
Personal clones from real chats
Memory Clone builds a private AI simulation of one real person, yourself or someone you know, from chats you export and notes you write. It learns style separately for each relationship, so the clone writes to your brother the way you write to your brother. Private facts from one relationship stay out of other conversations.
Imports and the memory index stay on your Windows PC. Cloud AI processing is off until you switch it on for a clone, and then only a bounded selection of excerpts is sent. Memory Clone uses text today, not voice, photos or video, and is in alpha. Learn more about creating an AI clone of yourself.
How to choose: a checklist
- Purpose. Do you want a new AI friend, fiction, an expert answering an audience, a general helper, preserved real recordings, or a simulation of a real person’s writing?
- Data you have. Years of chats suit a personal clone. Published content suits a creator clone. A willing storyteller suits recorded interviews. If you have nothing, a companion or character app needs no data.
- Privacy. Check where files are stored, who can see them and whether your content is used to train models. Local-first tools keep originals on your device.
- Consent. Cloning yourself is simplest. For anyone else, ask permission and read our consent guide and the Acceptable Use Policy.
- Platform. Phone, web or desktop? Memory Clone needs a Windows PC; many others are phone-first.
- Honesty about AI. Prefer products that clearly label generated replies as AI and avoid promising that a clone is the person.
- Longevity and export. Services can close. Make sure you can download your material in standard formats and keep your own copies.
If a personal clone from real chats fits your answers, see plans or download Memory Clone for Windows.
Questions fréquentes
What is the best AI clone app?
There is no single best app, because the products do different jobs. Choose by purpose: companionship, fiction, expert knowledge, general help, real recordings or a simulation of one person’s writing.
Which AI clone app uses my real text messages?
Memory Clone is built specifically to learn from exported WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and Discord chats plus notes. General assistants can read uploaded chats as reference files, but are not designed around per-relationship style.
Is there an AI clone app that keeps data on my device?
Memory Clone keeps imports and its memory index on your Windows PC and uses cloud AI only after you enable it for a clone. Cloud-based apps keep data on the provider’s service, so check each privacy policy.
Can I make an AI clone of someone else?
Only with care. Ask for permission where the person is alive, consider family feelings where they have died, and check each app’s rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
Are AI clone apps the same as voice clones?
No. Some tools recreate a voice or face, while others, like Memory Clone, focus on written style and memories. Memory Clone does not clone voices.
Sources
Vérifié le . Les produits tiers et leurs pages d’aide changent souvent ; suivez les liens pour obtenir les informations à jour.
- StoryFile: Bringing History to Life Through Interactive Conversation (StoryFile)
- HereAfter AI homepage with shutdown notice (archived 21 July 2026) (HereAfter AI via Internet Archive)
- Replika: The AI Friend to do Life With (Luka, Inc.)
- Replika: AI Companion Chat app listing (Apple App Store)
- About Character.AI (Character Technologies)
- Character AI: Chat, Talk, Text app listing (Apple App Store)
- About Delphi (Delphi Help Center)
- Add Knowledge and Train Mind (Delphi Help Center)
- Delphi pricing and plans (Delphi)
- Projects in ChatGPT (OpenAI Help Center)
- Custom GPT retirement and migration FAQ (OpenAI Help Center)
- Creating and editing GPTs (OpenAI Help Center)
App menus change over time, so labels on your device may differ slightly. Memory Clone creates an AI simulation from the material you provide; it is not the person.