Source-backed analysis13
Review basis
Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.
13 reference sourcesInformation updated Nov 11, 2026
How we review
Shapes Review
A group chat where friends and AI agents talk, plan and work together
By AppDuo Editorial Team · Updated
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- macOS
On this page
Decide at a glance
Our verdict
Shapes suits groups of friends who want AI in the same conversation for studying, research or planning, rather than each person asking a chatbot alone. The trade-offs: Premium costs depend on how fast credits are used, the free plan shows ads, the privacy policy is thin, and the Google Play rating sits well below the App Store's.
Best for: Friend, study or project groups that want to ask AI together and split tasks inside the chat
Skip it if: Anyone who needs clear commitments on data retention and whether chats are used for model training
Pros
- One chat can host several Shapes with different personalities, each keeping its own memory of the chat
- Web search, polls, quizzes, notes as files, phone calls, computer access and connections to Gmail, Google Calendar and Notion
- Free AI engines use no credits, and the docs publish credits per dollar and how charges are calculated
Cons
- iPhone subscriptions give 30% fewer credits than the same web plan, and premium engines are charged at twice the provider's cost
- The free plan has ads (the docs list "no ads" as a Premium benefit), and all payments are nonrefundable
All pros and cons · Who is it for?
Pros
- 4.5/5 from about 2,600 ratings on the US App Store
Cons
- The privacy policy does not state retention, model-training use or AI providers
- Google Play is only 3.8/5 from about 4,300 reviews; recent ones complain of unclear menus after an update and the Shape editor not opening
Best for
- Groups that want AI to act for them: web research, phoning a restaurant, notes and reminders
Skip it if
- Anyone who needs a multilingual interface: the app is English-only
Problems it solves
Experience & key features
Shapes is a group chat app where people and AI share one room. Its AI agents are called Shapes: users pick one or invite several with different personalities, and each keeps its own memory of the conversation. TechCrunch describes it as Discord with AI characters alongside humans. According to its press release the company is based in San Francisco, and on 29 April 2026 it announced an $8 million seed round led by Lightspeed.
The homepage and store listings describe concrete uses: group study, researching a question, planning trips, splitting costs and debugging code with teammates. The docs also list Chat, Agent and Auto modes, connections to Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion and Google Drive, phone calls to shops or restaurants, computer access, inviting Claude Code or Codex into a chat, and texting through Messages. TechCrunch reports that Shapes can start conversations and decide when to message, and that AI characters are always labelled as Shapes.
On price, free AI engines use no credits, with daily allowances for images, calls and other tasks. Premium is a monthly plan from $25; web subscriptions give 100 credits per $1, the Android app 84 and the iPhone app only 70. Premium-engine replies cost twice the provider's price, so a large group on an expensive engine burns credits quickly. The free plan shows ads, and the terms say all payments are nonrefundable.
According to a press release, Shapes had more than 400,000 monthly active users at the end of March 2026, mostly aged 13 to 30; this is a company-reported figure, not independently verified. Compared with Discord or Character.AI, Shapes puts AI inside small friend groups rather than large community servers or one-on-one character chats. The trade-offs are a thin privacy policy and a Google Play rating below its App Store rating.
Screenshots
Plans & pricing
Prices last verified Nov 11, 2026
Free
PersonalFree
According to Shapes' docs, free AI engines use no credits. Each day includes 10 free standard images, 100 credits of calling, up to 2 Claude Code/Codex starts and a separate computer/browser allowance, all resetting at midnight UTC. The docs list "no ads" as a Premium benefit, meaning the free plan shows ads.
Premium
Personal$25/mo/user
A monthly plan where you choose the credit allowance. Web subscriptions give 100 credits per $1 (2,500 credits on the $25/month plan), the Android app 84 and the iPhone app 70 (1,750 credits). Web plans go up to $3,000 a month and in-app plans up to $1,000. Premium-engine replies are charged at twice the engine provider's cost. Plans include premium engines, no ads, longer memory and profile styles; purchased credits never expire.
- Free plan limits
- The free plan can use free AI engines without spending credits, with daily allowances for images, calls, voice, web research, computer use and coding (shown under Settings → Usage). The docs now list "no ads" as a Premium benefit, although the 29 April 2026 press release said the app had no ads.
- Free trial
- No free trial
Cancellation & refunds
The terms (last updated 1 May 2025) say all payments are nonrefundable, credits cannot be refunded or exchanged, and early cancellation gets no prorated refund. Cancelling takes effect at the end of the billing cycle, and credits already added stay on the account.
Privacy
The privacy policy (last updated 1 May 2025) lists collected data as email (if provided), username, profile information, a Shape's personality settings, conversations, memories and custom knowledge you add, plus usage and device data such as IP address. It says conversations and memories are encrypted and that users can access, export and request deletion of their data. It does not state a retention period, whether content is used to train models, which third-party AI providers are used, or a minimum age. Google Play's data-safety section declares no data shared with third parties, encryption in transit and a deletion-request option. The App Store label (self-reported by the developer and not verified by Apple) lists usage data as used to track you and device ID as collected for analytics but not linked to you. The app is rated 13+ on the App Store and Everyone on Google Play.
Shapes alternatives
7.0/10Discord
Server-based voice, video and text chat that grew out of gaming communities
6.8/10A vast forum of 100,000+ topic communities, from news to niche hobbies
Frequently asked questions
Is Shapes free?
There is a free plan with free AI engines and daily allowances, but it shows ads. Premium is a monthly plan from $25; subscribing on the web gets more credits than in the app (2,500 versus 1,750 credits for the $25 plan on iPhone).
What is a Shape?
A Shape is the app's name for an AI agent. You can use an existing Shape, ask for a new one inside a chat, or build your own with custom instructions, memory and skills, then add it to a group chat with friends.
Does Shapes work on a computer?
Yes. Besides the iOS and Android apps there is a web version at talk.shapes.inc and a Mac app. You can also connect a computer so Shapes can work with files on your laptop, even while you chat from your phone.
What is the minimum age?
The terms and privacy policy do not state a minimum age. The App Store rates the app 13+ while Google Play rates it Everyone.
Review evidence & sources13
Scores
- Ease of use
- 7.0
- Features
- 7.8
- Value for money
- 6.0
- Performance
- 6.5
- Support
- 6.0
- Privacy & security
- 5.0
Why this score
Starting a chat is quick: pick Auto or a Shape, invite people and go, and friends can join quizzes from a link without an account. The interface is English-only. Credit settings, however, have several layers, and some Google Play reviews complain of unclear menus after an update or the Shape editor not opening.
Why this score
Group chat with multiple AIs, per-Shape memory, web search, polls, quizzes, notes, Gmail/Calendar/Notion connections, phone calls on your behalf, computer access and inviting Claude Code or Codex into the chat. Broader than most AI chat apps, though much of it is new (texting via Messages is still rolling out) and tied to credits or daily allowances.
Why this score
Free engines and daily allowances are enough to try it, and the docs publish credit rates clearly. But the free plan has ads, real cost is hard to predict because it depends on engine and context length, iPhone purchases give 30% less than web, and all payments are nonrefundable.
Why this score
The iOS app is updated often, and the latest release notes mention link opening, sign-in and stability fixes. A 3.8/5 Google Play rating and bug-related reviews suggest an uneven experience.
Why this score
There are detailed docs, [email protected] for billing, a feedback form and a Support Chat entry in Settings. That Support Chat, however, is a public room answered by an AI named Tod and can use credits; staff response times were not verified.
Why this score
Google Play declares no third-party sharing and encryption in transit. But the policy is very short, saying nothing about retention, model training, AI providers or age, even though the app reads chats and can access users' Gmail, Drive or computer; the App Store label also lists usage data as used for tracking.
What users say
- App Store (US)4.5/5 · 2,635
- Google Play3.8/5 · 4,320
Sources
- Vendor-providedShapes homepageNov 11, 2026
- Vendor-providedShapes privacy policyNov 11, 2026
- Vendor-providedShapes terms of serviceNov 11, 2026
- Vendor-providedShapes docs: PremiumNov 11, 2026
- Vendor-providedShapes docs: Shape CreditsNov 11, 2026
- Vendor-providedShapes docs: What's newNov 11, 2026
- Vendor-providedShapes docs: Feedback and HelpNov 11, 2026
- Vendor-providedShapes docsNov 11, 2026
- Vendor-providedShapes blog (2025-07-21)Nov 10, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (US)Nov 11, 2026
- storeGoogle Play listingNov 11, 2026
- pressTechCrunch (2026-04-29)Nov 11, 2026
- pressPress release via VCA Online (2026-04-29)Nov 10, 2026
Specs & compatibility
- Developer
- Shapes, Inc. (App Store seller: Circle Labs, Inc.)
- Headquarters
- United States
- Launched
- 2021
Capabilities
- AI features
- Real-time collaboration
- Mobile app
- Integrations
Platforms
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- macOS
Interface languages
- English
Integrations
- Gmail
- Google Calendar
- Google Drive
- Notion
- Slack
- MCP servers
Support
- Help center
- Live chat
Change history
- Feature.Launches the shapes.inc Mac app, which connects a Mac to chats without an install command, plus calling Tod by phone.
- Feature.Shapes adds texting through Messages (rolling out), phone calls by Shapes to shops and restaurants, and checkout on store websites.
- Price.iOS version 1.22 brings the monthly Premium plan, with monthly credits, to the iPhone app, per the App Store version history.
Full change history (8)
- Company.Shapes announces an $8 million seed round led by Lightspeed, with more than 400,000 monthly active users by the company's account.
- Launch.iOS version 1.5 is the earliest entry in the US App Store version history.
- Feature.Shapes announces a group-chat update: per-Shape chat memory, pinned messages, GIF search, reply threads, message editing, join links and multi-owner chats.
- Update.Last-updated date shown on the privacy policy and terms of service.
- Launch.A press release says Shapes was founded in 2021 by Anushk Mittal and Noorie Dhingra; TechCrunch says 2022.
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