Besties vs Utsuwa
Besties
mybesties.appUtsuwa
utsuwa.aiSide by side
| Figure | Besties | Utsuwa |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $4.08/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · AI Companion Apps | 8.3 (#8) | 7.5 (#29) |
| Memory | The site says the companion remembers users’ interests, stories, and details across conversations. | Local embeddings support semantic recall of conversations, and users can browse, search, add, and delete memories. |
| Product | Besties describes itself as a voice-first platform for AI companions that can call users and take real-world actions on their behalf. | Utsuwa is an open-source AI companion app with a 3D VRM avatar, voice, memory, and a relationship system. |
| Support | The site has a frequently asked questions section, but the opened page does not provide a support contact. | The maker directs users to GitHub as the fastest way to reach the team. |
Plans
In their own words
Utsuwa
Utsuwa is a free, open-source AI companion app built around a 3D VRM avatar, voice, memory, and a relationship system. It supports models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, and xAI, along with OpenAI-compatible endpoints, Ollama, and LM Studio. Users can load their own VRM avatars. Local embeddings support semantic recall, and users can browse, search, add, or delete stored memories. Voice options include hosted and local services. The listed capabilities include voice conversations, persistent memory, proactive messages, and image or video chat. Utsuwa can run entirely on a user's machine with local models and voice services. Its maker says there are no accounts, analytics, ads, or tracking cookies, and conversations, memories, and settings stay on the device. In the hosted web app, cloud-provider requests may be relayed through Utsuwa servers; the maker says those servers do not store messages or API keys or log conversation content. Desktop messages go directly to the selected provider, but the desktop app is in beta and its builds are not code-signed. The maker states that Utsuwa is intended for adults aged 18 and over.