How to Use Secrets AI: Complete Beginner's Guide (2026)
Two mistakes new users make consistently: spending their 200 free Moments on video before testing chat quality, and creating generic characters because they skipped the customization fields. Both decisions produce a mediocre first experience that does not reflect what the platform actually delivers. This guide prevents both.
Secrets AI is a browser-based AI companion platform — no download required, account creation takes under 60 seconds, and you start with 200 free Moments. Here is the complete setup process, with the decisions that actually matter flagged at each step.
Step 1 — Create Your Account
Open any modern browser and go to secrets.ai. No app download is needed — the platform is fully web-based.
Click Sign Up on the homepage. The registration form asks for:
- Email address
- Password
That is it. No real name, no phone number, no social media login. Registration is deliberately minimal to support anonymous use. Account creation takes under 60 seconds.
Once registered, you receive 200 free Moments immediately and access to the full character library. You can browse all ~94 pre-built characters and create a custom character (first one is free) before spending a single Moment.
Tip: Use an email address you control but do not associate with other services if anonymity matters to you. The registration email is your only account recovery mechanism.
Step 2 — Choose Your First Character
This decision has the most impact on your experience, and most new users underinvest in it.
Browse the pre-built character library of approximately 94 characters — a mix of hyper-realistic and anime styles across different appearance types. Over 100 pre-built scenarios are attached to these characters.
The alternative: create a custom character (free for your first one). Customization parameters include:
- Ethnicity: 9 options
- Body type: 6 options
- Hairstyle, eye color, skin tone: Multiple options each
- Voice: 6 options
- Personality: Confidence, playfulness, dominance, intelligence (adjustable)
- Profession: 5 presets
- Personality traits: 5 preset bundles
- Hobbies and free-text detail fields: Open input
The most important field: The free-text detail inputs. These are where you define specific personality characteristics, relationship context, backstory, and behavioral patterns. The AI uses this information throughout all conversations. Generic inputs produce generic AI behavior. Specific inputs produce specific, personalized interactions.
When you create a character, 4 images are auto-generated at no Moments cost. You start with visual content immediately.
Step 3 — Start Your First Conversation
Your character's chat screen provides conversation starters — a mix of casual and suggestive openers. You can use one or write your own opening.
Critical behavior to understand: The AI calibrates to the tone you establish in the first few messages. Start casually and you get casual responses. Start intimately and you get intimate responses. Set the register early because the AI adapts to it.
Free account limits:
- 20 messages per day maximum
- 500-character maximum per message
These limits are intentionally restrictive to encourage upgrades. The 20-message cap is usually hit within a session. If you want to evaluate the platform honestly, the Plus plan ($9.99/mo) removes both limits and gives you 3,000 Moments monthly.
Tip: Be specific in your responses. The AI produces better output when you give it detailed context to work with. Vague inputs produce vague responses.
Step 4 — Explore Media Features
Generate Images
Tap the image generation option within the chat interface. Two generation model quality levels are available (standard and advanced, with advanced on Premium/Ultimate).
- Cost: 25-50 Moments per image
- Four images were already auto-generated when you created your character — review these first before spending Moments on additional images
- Image quality is generally strong; occasional hand-rendering artifacts are normal across AI image tools
Create Videos
Select an existing companion image, add a text prompt describing the desired action or movement, and submit. Generation time is approximately 2 minutes.
- Short 3-second clips: ~50 Moments (Lite tier gets 3-second clips only)
- Full-length clips: Up to 600 Moments per clip
- Available from Lite tier and above — not on the free plan
Recommendation: Generate a few images first to find one you like before converting it to video. Video is the most Moments-intensive feature; wasting 600 Moments on a video from a suboptimal base image is a common beginner mistake.
The video generator guide covers prompt tips and quality expectations in detail.
Try Voice Calls
Six voice options available. Natural tone with good adaptability.
- Cost: 100 Moments per minute
- Accessible on Lite tier and above
Voice works best on Premium and Ultimate tiers where memory is functional. On free or Lite, the AI has limited memory of past sessions, which makes voice feel like starting fresh each time.
Step 5 — Manage Your Moments
Your Moments balance is visible in account settings. Track it before each session to avoid unexpected depletion.
Moments cost hierarchy, from least to most expensive:
- Text messages: 1-2 Moments each
- Manual memory saves: 10 Moments each
- Images: 25-50 Moments each
- Short video (3-second): ~50 Moments
- Voice calls: 100 Moments per minute
- Full video clips: up to 600 Moments each
- New custom characters: 1,000-1,500 Moments
Important: Unused Moments do not roll over at the end of your billing cycle. Plan to use what you have before the cycle resets rather than letting Moments expire.
Top-up bundles are available if you exhaust your monthly allocation: smallest bundle is 1,980 Moments for $5.99. Consider upgrading to the next plan tier first — the monthly Moments allocation may be more cost-efficient than repeated top-ups.
The full pricing breakdown includes real math on how many images, videos, and voice minutes each tier's Moments allocation actually covers.
Step 6 — Enable Privacy Features
Private Mode applies end-to-end encryption to conversations. You must enable it at the start of each conversation manually — it is not a global setting. Once enabled for a session, it prevents that conversation from being used for AI training.
To enable: look for the Private Mode toggle in the conversation settings or interface header when starting a new chat session.
Additional privacy defaults you should know:
- Billing appears as "Sun Clinical Laboratories" on all bank statements — no platform identification
- Your account uses only your email — no real name, phone, or social login is stored
- Cryptocurrency payment (minimum $20) is available for maximum financial privacy
Tips for New Users
These are the non-obvious things that make a difference:
- Start on the free tier, but set expectations correctly. The free 200 Moments is a genuine evaluation tool for chat quality and UI. It is not a usable product for ongoing interaction.
- Do not spend free Moments on video. A 600-Moment video clip would exhaust your entire starting allocation three times over. Test images (25-50 Moments) to evaluate visual quality first.
- Invest time in character customization. The free-text fields during character creation are the highest-leverage input in the entire platform. They directly shape AI personality and conversation behavior.
- Plus at $9.99 is the sweet spot. Unlimited messages, 3,000 Moments, 30-day memory recall, full video access. Most users do not need Premium unless they want the emotional timeline and Time Machine features.
- Add secrets.ai to your home screen on mobile for an app-like shortcut — easier than navigating to the site each time.
- Memory is the biggest free-vs-paid gap. The relationship simulation requires memory continuity. Free tier memory resets every 2-3 exchanges. The free vs premium comparison explains exactly what you gain.
Common Issues and Solutions
Messages not sending
Check your daily message limit. Free accounts hit the 20-message cap faster than expected. If the counter shows 0 remaining messages, you must wait until the daily reset or upgrade to a paid plan for unlimited or expanded messaging.
AI seems forgetful
This is memory tier behavior, not a bug. Free-tier memory covers only the last 2-3 exchanges — the AI will not remember what you discussed earlier in the same session, let alone across sessions. Upgrading to Plus ($9.99) extends recall to approximately 30 days with topic and tone awareness.
Slow responses
Server load during peak hours causes response delays. Off-peak times (overnight and early morning in US time zones) typically produce faster responses. Peak slowdowns are temporary and not a persistent technical issue.
Can't generate video
Video generation requires Lite plan or above. Free accounts cannot generate video. Also verify you have sufficient Moments — a full video clip costs up to 600 Moments. Check both plan tier and Moments balance.
Forgot password
Use the password reset option on the login page. A reset link is sent to your registration email. If you no longer have access to that email address, account recovery may not be possible — there is no alternative verification method documented.
For the broader context on platform capabilities, the full feature overview covers every function with tier availability.
FAQ
Go to secrets.ai in any browser, click Sign Up, enter an email address and password, and you have an account. The entire process takes under 60 seconds. No real name, phone number, or social media login is required. You receive 200 free Moments immediately and can browse the full character library and create your first custom character (free) before spending anything.
No. Secrets AI is entirely browser-based. There is no app to install, no APK to download, and no desktop software to set up. Open any modern browser on any device — phone, tablet, or computer — navigate to secrets.ai, and the platform loads directly. You can add it to your phone's home screen for an app-like shortcut, but this is optional.
Free accounts receive 20 messages per day with a 500-character maximum per message. The daily limit resets every 24 hours. Additionally, you receive 200 Moments as a one-time starting allocation. These are not replenished monthly — when they are spent, the free tier is limited to text chat within the 20 daily message cap only.
Yes. The platform works in any modern smartphone browser — Chrome, Safari, and Firefox are all supported. There is no native iOS or Android app, but the mobile browser experience is fully functional for all features. You can add secrets.ai to your phone's home screen via your browser's "Add to Home Screen" option for an app-like icon and full-screen experience.