Alex Mercer

Alex Mercer is a consumer-technology writer who has covered the rise of AI chat apps since 2018. He started AI Companion DB because the category is full of affiliate pages that read like ads and gloss over the two things that actually matter: how the app handles your data, and how much it really costs once the tokens run out.

For every app, he signs up, uses the free and paid tiers, and judges chat quality, memory, personalization, image and voice features, content policies, and pricing transparency. He reads the privacy policy and notes any known data incidents. He writes for adults (18+) only, keeps the tone professional, and is candid that these apps can become a money and time sink and are not a substitute for human relationships. See exactly how we test.