The apps New Zealanders shortlist next to HoneyPot are Character AI, FantasyGF and Moemate. All four open from an NZ connection without a VPN and all four bill offshore, so the real differences are adult-content policy, memory depth, voice availability and how each handles a long evening session.
Every companion app looks the same on its landing page and behaves differently after ten minutes. The comparison below sticks to the five things that change the experience, and deliberately leaves prices out — plans shift, and none of these bill in New Zealand dollars anyway, so any figure printed here would be wrong on your statement regardless.
One assumption worth stating up front: all four are reachable from New Zealand as things stand, and all four run their infrastructure offshore. The latency point in our HoneyPot review therefore applies across the board. If your connection is rural, or heavily shared in the evening, that is a factor in choosing any of them rather than a reason to prefer one over another.
| App | Free tier | Adult content | Voice replies | Memory depth | Access from NZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HoneyPotBest persona consistency of the four; text-only until you upgrade. | Yes, usable | Yes, 18+ | Paid plan | Long-term | Browser, no VPN |
| Character AIEnormous character catalogue, but the filter rules out anything adult. | Yes | No | Yes | Short | Browser and apps |
| FantasyGFLeans hard into image generation; the free allowance runs out fast. | Limited | Yes, 18+ | Paid plan | Medium | Browser, no VPN |
| MoemateMore of a general-purpose character assistant than a companion. | Yes | Restricted | Yes | Medium | Browser, no VPN |
The largest catalogue here by a wide margin, and the only option with proper mobile apps — which matters if push notifications and a home-screen icon are part of what you want. The trade-off is absolute: the content filter rules out adult conversation, and it will not be argued with.
Built around visual generation rather than treating it as an upsell, so if pictures are the point this is the more natural fit. Conversation is competent but drifts sooner in a long session, and the free allowance is thin enough that you will be making a purchase decision quickly.
Sits closer to a general-purpose character assistant: it will hold a conversation, but it is equally happy being pointed at other work. Useful if you want one persona doing several jobs, less satisfying if what you specifically want is intimacy and continuity.
If you want adult conversation with a companion who stays in character, HoneyPot is the pick of this group and the 8.4 reflects that. If you would rather have a native app and a huge catalogue, and can live without the adult side, Character AI. If images are the actual goal, FantasyGF.
Whichever you land on, run the same two checks from here first: one long session at your normal evening hour to see how your connection copes, and a look at whether your card will accept an offshore adult-category merchant charging in US dollars. Both problems are cheaper to discover on a free tier than after a failed payment.