Most AI companion platforms advertise $9.99 or $12.99 per month. The real monthly cost for an active user is 2-5x that once token systems kick in. One major platform I tested after tracking every transaction for 30 days advertises $12.99 — regular users end up spending $25-60 monthly once image generation and voice tokens are factored in. The subscription price is the floor not the ceiling on most platforms. The ones with genuinely flat pricing where what you see is what you pay are rare. Full breakdown: medium.com/@companaya/i-spent-500-testing-ai-companion-apps-real-monthly-costs-revealed-2026-8a6c0532778d