# Dippy vs Backyard.ai

The clearest difference is rating: Dippy at 4.3 against Backyard.ai's 3.4. Dippy also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (2.4K vs 37). Backyard.ai's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Dippy sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Backyard.ai sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Dippy holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dippy has 2.4K ratings behind it against 37, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Dippy's written reviews are positive against 29% of Backyard.ai's.

Dippy ships an update every 9 days, Backyard.ai every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dippy | Backyard.ai |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dippy-chat-with-ai-characters/id6471991500/reviews)** | [3.4 (37 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backyardai/id6498968886/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.4K** | 37 |
| Positive reviews | **39.0% of reviews** | 28.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 229 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Impel Intelligence](https://appshunter.io/developer/1715899064) | [Ahoy Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1742076359) |

## What reviewers say

### Dippy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dippy-chat-with-ai-characters/id6471991500)

Engage in authentic conversations with AI friends and characters tailored to your interests. Create unique personas, generate stunning AI art from prompts, and enjoy unlimited free messaging. Explore creative journeys and immersive role-playing with companions that learn and remember.

**Highlights:** AI character creation, AI image generation, Unlimited free messages, Personalized conversations, Immersive role-playing, Character customization

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (20)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dippy Super (Weekly) | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Dippy Super Ads Free (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Dippy Super (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Dippy Super (Monthly) | $6.99 | per month |
| Dippy Super (Weekly) | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Dippy Super (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Dippy Super (Monthly) | $12.99 | per month |
| Dippy Super (Monthly) | $14.99 | per month |
| Dippy Super Ads Free (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year |
| Dippy Super Ads Free (Yearly) | $29.99 | per year |
| Dippy Super (Yearly) | $49.99 | per year |
| Dippy Super (Yearly) | $69.99 | per year |
| Dippy Super (Yearly) | $79.99 | per year |
| Dippy Super (Yearly) | $79.99 | per year |
| Dippy Super (Yearly) | $99.00 | per year |
| Dippy Super (Yearly) | $99.00 | per year |
| Dippy Super (Yearly) | $99.99 | per year |
| Dippy Super (Yearly) | $119.99 | per year |
| Dippy Super (Yearly) | $119.99 | per year |
| 100 coins | $3.49 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Responsive AI
- 👍 No ads or limits
- 💡 Empathetic and caring AI
- 🚀 Quick responses
- 👍 Variety of characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔧 Clunky UI
- 📢 Disruptive ads
- 🔍 Limited character selection
- 🤖 Inconsistent AI behavior

**Reported bugs**

- Regeneration button not working
- Inability to create/delete accounts
- Frequent 'something went wrong' errors
- Disappearing messages due to ads
- Inconsistent character responses

**Requested features**

- Add custom character creation
- Implement message editing/deletion
- Improve character memory and consistency
- Provide more character variety
- Add a 'backtrack' feature


### Backyard.ai

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backyardai/id6498968886)

Engage in immersive text and voice conversations with AI-powered characters. Customize your characters with detailed backstories, notes, and visuals. Discover new adventures in a vibrant community and select from multiple AI models for unique interactions.

**Highlights:** AI-powered text and voice chat, Character customization (lore books, notes, images), Community hub for adventures, Choice of 12+ AI models, Extensive character memory

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Standard Plan AI Models | $6.99 | per month |
| Backyard Cloud Standard | $12.00 | per month |
| Backyard Cloud Pro | $34.99 | per month |
| Standard Plan - Yearly | $107.99 | per year |
| Pro Subscription - Yearly | $314.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dippy free?

Dippy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Backyard.ai free?

Backyard.ai is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Dippy or Backyard.ai?

Dippy is rated higher. Dippy averages 4.3 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Backyard.ai averages 3.4 from 37 ratings.

### Do Dippy or Backyard.ai have ads?

Dippy shows ads; Backyard.ai does not.

### Which is updated more often, Dippy or Backyard.ai?

Dippy ships an update every 9 days, and Backyard.ai every 2 months. Most recently, Dippy was updated on October 24, 2026 and Backyard.ai on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*