a lot of people have been asking for a free tier comparison, so here you go:
luvr - daily login tokens mean you can technically keep using it for free indefinitely if you're consistent about logging in. the trade-off is image and video gen are locked, and memory doesn't carry over.
candy - 20 free messages, no credit card needed, and nsfw is actually included in the free tier which almost nobody else does. enough to have a real conversation and get a sense of the memory and chat quality. the 20 messages go fast though.
joi - free trial gives you access to the full platform including video gen before committing. more useful than a message cap because you can actually test the features that matter rather than just the basic chat. lowest cost upgrade of anything tested at $2.38/mo annual if you decide to stick with it.
secrets and darlink both offer short trials. secrets is worth using just to see the visual quality before deciding - that's genuinely the thing you can't evaluate any other way. darlink's trial gives you a feel for the memory system which is its main differentiator.
full comparison is here if anyone needs more details