Global consumer spending on romance and adult artificial intelligence (AI) companion apps has topped $400 million. More than one third of total cumulative spending occurred in the past six months, underscoring rapid market growth. The tally also shows the number of users using AI as a means of forming emotional relationships is rising quickly.

Decrypto, a blockchain media outlet, reported on Sunday that romance and adult AI companion apps listed on Apple App Store and Google Play have logged a cumulative 165.3 million downloads and $427.3 million in spending since the end of 2022.

The tally covers 214 AI companion apps with romance and adult-content characteristics. These apps generated $162.8 million in revenue in the first half of 2026 alone. A significant share of total cumulative spending occurred in the past six months.

Market research firm Appfigures ranked the apps by downloads and spending. Randy Nelson, Appfigures' head of insights and media relations, explained that the spending figure is before platform fees charged by Apple and Google are deducted. App marketplace fees typically run as high as 30 percent.

Zeta ranked first in first-half revenue among AI companion apps with about $33.0 million. Tipsy Chat: Live Your Story posted $15.2 million, followed by ChatBox with $13.0 million, Crush AI with $8.8 million and Emochi with $7.5 million.

Download rankings differed from revenue. Emochi was the most installed app, with 7.9 million downloads in the first half. Amora had 3.6 million, Zeta had 3.0 million, Bimovimo had 2.8 million and MiraiMind had 2.6 million, the tally showed.

A notable point is the difference in revenue structure compared with general AI companion apps. General or "PG"-rated AI companion apps had nearly twice as many downloads as romance-focused apps, but revenue did not show a large gap. In the first half of 2026, general AI companion apps generated $164.8 million in revenue, similar to romance-focused AI companion apps. This is interpreted as users having a higher payment conversion rate and a higher average level of spending than download figures suggest.

Decrypto analysed the trend as the result of a growing number of users treating AI not as a simple productivity tool but as something used to form emotional exchange and intimacy. It said a so-called "Digisexual" culture, in which people form emotional relationships with AI, is gradually spreading.

Survey results also support the shift. A study released in May 2026 by researchers at Brigham Young University, the Wheatley Institute and the Institute for Family Studies found 15 percent of married or dating U.S. adults aged 18 to 30 said they regularly use an AI dating companion. Among those who regularly use an AI dating companion, 69 percent said they had not fully disclosed that use to their partner.

Service companies are also expanding their businesses in step with growing demand. Joy AI announced a programme in May to pay $2,000 a month to 10 participants in a trial of AI-based adult features. The company said it was a project to gather product feedback and study how AI-based digital intimacy services are used. More than 150,000 people worldwide were reported to have applied by July, and Joy AI later 마련했다 a separate formal selection process.

The tally is limited to the mobile app market. Appfigures classified apps based on app store metadata and service descriptions, age ratings and romance and adult-related keywords. Web-based services such as Joy AI, Candy AI and SpicyChat AI were excluded from the statistics. As a result, some analysis suggests that the actual AI companion market could be larger if web platforms beyond mobile are included.