How to Use Secrets AI: Complete Beginner's Guide (2026)

Twenty messages per day and 200 Moments — that is what Secrets AI gives you on the free tier, and most new users burn through both within the first session without extracting much value. The platform has more depth than the default onboarding suggests, but getting there requires understanding the Moments system, memory tiers, and character configuration before you start spending resources. This guide walks through every step from first visit to first meaningful conversation.

Step 1 — Create Your Account

Open any browser and navigate to secrets.ai. No download, installation, or plugin is required — the platform is entirely browser-based and works on both mobile and desktop.

Click "Sign Up" or "Get Started." You will be asked for an email address and a password. That is the entire registration process — no real name, phone number, or social media login is needed. Anonymous registration is supported by design.

Account creation takes under 60 seconds. Once confirmed via the verification email, you have immediate access to the full character library and your 200 starting Moments. Those Moments are a one-time credit — they do not reset monthly on the free tier. On paid tiers, Moments are replenished each billing cycle.

Before doing anything else: note how many Moments each action costs. Images run 25-50 Moments each, videos up to 600 Moments, voice calls 100 Moments per minute. Your 200 starting Moments do not go far if you try video generation immediately.

Step 2 — Choose or Build Your First Character

The character library contains approximately 94 pre-built hyper-realistic characters, with additional anime-style options. Browsing is available before any commitment — you can review character profiles, personality descriptions, and scenario fits before selecting.

Pre-built characters come with defined personalities, backstories, and 100+ scenario options. They are the fastest way to start a conversation without any configuration.

Custom character creation is more powerful and free for your first character. Additional custom characters cost 1,000-1,500 Moments each. Customization options:

• Ethnicity (9 options), skin tone, eye color, hairstyle
• Body type (6 options)
• Voice (6 options)
• Personality traits: confidence, playfulness, dominance, intelligence — each adjustable on a scale
• Profession from 5 preset categories
• Personality presets (5 options)
• Hobbies
• Free-text details field: this is the most important field. Add specific preferences, relationship context, or personality details here — the AI draws on these throughout every subsequent conversation.

Four starter images are automatically generated for any custom character, consuming no Moments. This gives you a visual baseline immediately.

For the free tier evaluation, using a pre-built character avoids spending setup Moments and gets you into conversation quickly.

Step 3 — Your First Conversation

When you enter a chat, the platform presents conversation starters. About half are casual (asking about your day, discussing interests) and half are suggestive or romantic. Select one that matches your current intent, or type your own opening message.

Set the tone in your first few messages — the AI adapts to your conversational style and mirrors the level of intimacy, playfulness, or seriousness you establish early. Starting with casual conversation and letting things develop naturally produces better long-term character consistency than jumping immediately to explicit content.

Free tier: 20 messages per day, 500 characters maximum per message. Paid tiers start at 100 messages per day (Lite) and become unlimited at Plus ($9.99) and above. On the free tier, each session is 20 messages and memory resets after 2-3 exchanges. There is no continuity from one day to the next without a paid subscription.

Practical tip: Be specific in your responses. Generic answers produce generic follow-ups. The more detail you provide about your preferences, emotional state, or scenario interests, the more textured the AI's responses become.

Step 4 — Explore Media Features

Generate Images

Image generation is available on all paid tiers. Access the image generation option within the chat interface — costs vary from 25-50 Moments per image depending on the model and preset selected. Four preset style options are available to guide the visual output.

Use images to build visual continuity with your companion. Higher-quality source images produce better video output if you plan to use the video feature.

Create Videos

Video generation is Secrets AI's most distinctive feature. Select an existing companion image (one you have generated), add a text prompt describing the desired movement or action, and submit. Processing takes approximately 2 minutes. Short 3-second clips cost around 50 Moments; longer clips cost up to 600 Moments.

Video requires Lite tier or above — it is not available on the free plan. If you are on the free tier evaluating the platform, note that video is unavailable until you upgrade. See the video generator guide for a full cost and quality analysis.

Try Voice Calls

Six voice options are available, selected during character setup. Voice calls cost 100 Moments per minute. The voice quality is rated 4.3/5 — natural and tonally adaptive rather than flat text-to-speech delivery. For a 30-minute voice session, budget 3,000 Moments — the entire monthly allocation on Plus.

Voice is best treated as an occasional supplement to text conversation rather than a primary interaction method unless you subscribe to Premium or Ultimate and have Moments to allocate.

Step 5 — Manage Your Moments Budget

Moments tracking is critical to avoiding unexpected costs. Monitor your balance in account settings regularly, especially if you use media features frequently.

Moments cost by priority (cheapest to most expensive per unit of output):

1. Text messages: 1-2 Moments each (cheapest — essentially unlimited on high-tier subscriptions)
2. Images: 25-50 Moments each
3. Short video clips: ~50 Moments
4. Voice calls: 100 Moments per minute
5. Full video clips: up to 600 Moments each

Top-up bundles are available separately from subscription tiers, starting at $5.99 for 1,980 Moments. They are a practical solution for months where media usage exceeds your allocation without requiring a subscription upgrade.

The upgrade threshold worth knowing: Plus ($9.99) provides 3,000 Moments per month and unlimited messaging, making it the point at which the platform becomes a practical ongoing tool rather than a limited demo. For a full breakdown of what each tier includes, see the pricing guide.

Step 6 — Enable Privacy Features

Private Mode applies end-to-end encryption to any conversation where it is enabled. It must be activated at the start of each conversation — it is not retroactive and not a global account setting. Enabling it also prevents those conversations from being used for AI training.

Check your billing setup: all charges appear as "Sun Clinical Laboratories" on statements, not under the Secrets AI name. Cryptocurrency payments are available for users who want no card record of the transaction.

Review the account settings for any data preferences that align with your privacy priorities. For a full analysis of the privacy architecture, see the safety overview.

Tips That Change the Experience

New users who get the most from Secrets AI typically do the following within their first week:

• Spend time on the custom character's free-text field — this is where personality specificity lives
• Start with images before attempting video — familiarize yourself with the image quality before spending 600 Moments on video
• Use Plus ($9.99) as your evaluation tier for a month before deciding if Premium features are worth it
• Enable Private Mode as a habit before starting sensitive conversations
• Save important conversational moments manually (10 Moments each) rather than relying on automatic retention, especially on Lite or Plus tiers
• Add secrets.ai to your phone's home screen for quick access without navigating via browser address bar

Common Issues and How to Fix Them

Messages are not sending

Check your daily message count. Free tier limits to 20 messages per 24-hour period. If you have hit the limit, you cannot send messages until the counter resets. Upgrading to Lite or higher removes or significantly raises this restriction.

The AI seems to forget earlier conversations

This is a memory tier limitation, not a bug. Free tier memory resets after 2-3 exchanges; Lite retains approximately 14 days. The AI on free tier genuinely cannot access what was discussed earlier in the same conversation if it exceeds the context window. Upgrading to Plus provides 30-day retention and noticeably improves continuity.

Responses are slow

Peak usage hours cause platform-wide response delays. Try again during off-peak times (typically late night in US Eastern time). This is an infrastructure load issue, not a device or connection issue.

Video generation is unavailable

Video is not accessible on the free plan. You need at least a Lite subscription ($5.99/month) and sufficient Moments to generate clips. Confirm your subscription tier and Moments balance before attempting video generation.

Cannot access account

Use the email-based password reset on the login page. Sessions persist in the browser — if you were previously logged in and now cannot access, clearing browser cookies or trying a private/incognito window can rule out session conflict issues.

Try Secrets AI Free →

For more detail on which plan fits your usage pattern, see the free vs premium comparison. For chat-specific guidance including NSFW capabilities and roleplay scenarios, the chat guide covers the conversation engine in full detail.

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