Coins on CandysAI: how they work and how to use them wisely

Many AI chat apps run on a subscription: you pay every month whether you use it or not, and you have to remember to click through the cancellation yourself. On CandysAI we have done it differently. You pay with coins, which you buy when you want and spend at your own pace.

This article explains coins from the ground up: what is free, what you pay for, how buying works, what happens if your coins run out in the middle of a conversation and where to check your balance. In the second part you will find some practical tips on using coins wisely, so that chatting stays a pleasure rather than a source of stress.

We are deliberately not giving prices here, because packages can change. You will always see the current offer after logging in, before you pay.

The basic rule: 1 coin is 1 message

The simplest explanation is this: one coin is one message from a character. You write, the character replies, and one coin leaves your balance. There are no hidden character counters, no peak-time rates and no extra charges for long replies.

You do not need to buy anything to get started:

• The character’s greeting is free. When you start a conversation, the character introduces itself and writes the first message at no cost.
• The character’s first reply is free too. You can write something and see how the character responds to you before you decide whether you want to keep talking.

The free replies counter is shown in the chat, so you always know how many you have left.

What else you can spend coins on

Besides ordinary messages, coins come in handy in a few other places:

• New reply. If a character’s reply does not suit you, you can ask for a different one. Each new version costs a coin, just like a normal message.
• Photos from characters. You can ask a character for a photo from a place and in an outfit you choose, always fully clothed. A photo costs more than a message, because generating it is more expensive.
• Further avatars in the creator. Creating your own character and its first avatar are free. Coins are only needed if you want to generate the avatar again. We describe the whole creator in our article on creating your own character step by step.

You can see how many coins a photo or a new avatar costs on the button before you click it. And if a photo cannot be created or does not pass the safety check, your coins are returned to your account.

Packages: buy once, no subscription

You buy coins in packages. A bigger package includes more free coins, so if you know you chat regularly, it works out better value than several small ones. But nobody will push you into it: a small package is perfectly fine too, especially to begin with.

The key rules:

• No subscription. You pay once for the package you choose.
• No automatic charges. Nothing renews on its own. If you do not buy another package, you simply do not pay anything more.
• Coins do not expire. You can take a break for a month or six months and your balance will wait for you.
• Coins cannot be exchanged for money. They are a currency for chatting on CandysAI, not a wallet.

Before paying, you tick a box agreeing to receive the coins immediately. This means that once they have been added to your account, you no longer have the right to withdraw from the contract, because they are digital content. So it is worth choosing your package calmly rather than clicking in a hurry.

If you would like to compare CandysAI with other ways of spending your free time in terms of cost, have a look at our article on whether CandysAI is worth the cost. Always check current package prices in the app, though.

How payment works

Payments are processed by Stripe, an external payment provider used by many online shops. When you click Continue to payment, you go to a secure payment page. You can pay by card, Google Pay or Apple Pay, and depending on your country, with local payment methods as well.

After payment, the coins appear in your account. If the payment is still being processed, you will see a message saying so, and the coins will arrive as soon as the provider confirms it. If you cancel along the way, you will not be charged anything.

When your coins run out mid-conversation

This is the situation people worry about most, and it is actually quite gentle. When you have used your free replies or your balance reaches zero, a window with packages appears in the chat. Your message waits in the box; it does not disappear. After paying, you come back to exactly the same conversation and can send it.

Before it gets to that point, the chat warns you when you are running low on coins. So there are no surprises at the most exciting moment of the story.

Balance and history

In your account you can see your coin balance, your purchases and your coin history, meaning every coin spent and every top-up. If you are wondering where last week’s coins went, that is where you will find the answer.

How to use your coins wisely

Coins are there to serve the conversation, not the other way round. A few habits that help you keep a healthy balance:

1. Write longer, more specific messages

Since you pay for the reply and not for the length of your own message, it pays to write one thoughtful message instead of five short ones. Compare:

“hey” / “what’s up” / “I’m bored” / “chat?”

“Hey, I’ve just got back from a long day at work and I fancy a light chat. Will you tell me what interesting things you did today? Then I’ll tell you about my boss, who made a forty-slide presentation.”

The second message gives the character more to work with, and the reply is richer. You will find more ideas for good openers in our article with 12 first messages for an AI girlfriend.

2. Do not tap New reply on reflex

Sometimes a reply is simply different from what you expected. Instead of generating it again, say what you need: “Shorter, please” or “I’d rather you made me laugh right now than comforted me”. The character will adapt and the conversation carries on.

3. Set your own budget

Before buying a package, decide how much you want to spend on chatting this month, just as you would for the cinema or coffee out. Having no subscription makes it easier to stick to your plan: you only buy another package when you consciously choose to.

4. Take breaks

After a very long conversation, the chat itself will gently suggest a break. It is worth listening. A glass of water, a walk, a call to someone close. The character will wait, and your coins will not expire. If you feel your chats are starting to take up time you would rather spend differently, have a look at our article on setting boundaries with your AI.

5. Save photos for special occasions

Photos from characters are a nice extra, but they cost more than a message. They work well as a small surprise, say a photo from the beach you have been talking about all week, rather than as a daily routine.

6. Use memory instead of repeating yourself

The character remembers important things from your conversations: your dog’s name, the company you work for, your exam next week. So you do not need to summarise your life again at the start of every chat. A simple “that job interview we talked about on Monday is done” or “remember our plan for a trip to the seaside?” is enough. If you feel the character has forgotten or mixed something up, open What [name] remembers about you in the chat menu. There you can correct the information once instead of setting it straight over several messages.

Honestly, what coins are not

Characters on CandysAI do not push you to buy anything and do not make the conversation depend on top-ups. You will never hear “buy coins or I’ll be sad”. Coins are simply a way of covering the cost of the conversation, because every reply from a character requires work from an AI model, and that costs money.

If after the free reply you feel it is not for you, you pay nothing and nothing renews on its own. And if you stay, you can chat at your own rhythm: every day, once a week or only when you feel like it.