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

First-time Secrets AI users on Reddit ask the same questions: where do I start, how do I not waste my free Moments, and what should I do before upgrading? This guide covers the full setup process from account creation through your first meaningful conversation.

Step 1 — Create Your Account

No app download required. Open any web browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox — and navigate to secrets.ai directly.

On the homepage, click the signup button and enter an email address and password. That is the complete registration process:

• No real name required
• No phone number verification
• No social media account needed
• Under 60 seconds to complete

Once registered, your account starts with 200 free Moments and immediate access to the full character library. You do not need a paid subscription to browse characters or start chatting — the free tier is functional for evaluation purposes.

If you want billing and signup privacy from the start, use a dedicated email address and pay with cryptocurrency (minimum $20 transaction) if you upgrade.

Step 2 — Choose Your First Character

After account creation, you land in the character library. Two paths:

Path A: Choose a pre-built character

The library contains approximately 94 hyper-realistic female characters plus some anime-style options. Browse by appearance, scenario type, or personality. Each character has a pre-defined personality and comes with 4 auto-generated portrait images.

Path B: Create a custom character (recommended)

Your first custom character is free. Building your own takes 5-10 minutes but results in a companion specifically matched to your preferences. Customization options:

• Ethnicity: 9 options
• Body type: 6 options
• Voice: 6 options
• Skin tone, eye color, hairstyle variants
• Personality traits: confidence, playfulness, dominance, intelligence levels
• Profession: 5 preset categories
• Hobbies and a free-text detail field for specific preferences

The free-text detail field is the most impactful customization option — it shapes how the AI approaches conversation from the first message. Be specific about relationship dynamics, interests, and interaction style preferences.

Step 3 — Start Your First Conversation

Conversation starters appear when you first open a character's chat. These cover both casual openings and more suggestive prompts — choose the one that matches your intended tone.

A few things to know about the first conversation:

• The AI adapts to your writing style quickly — how you write in the first few messages sets the conversational register
• Ask questions and share details about yourself — this gives the AI material to reference and builds better engagement
• Free users get 20 messages per day maximum with a 500-character limit per message
• The AI will ask follow-up questions — respond to them for more natural conversation flow

Practical tip: Spend the first conversation establishing the relationship dynamic you want. The AI holds this context better in early sessions than it does 50 messages in on free tier.

Step 4 — Explore Media Features

Your 200 starting Moments allow limited media exploration. Spend them wisely — here is what each feature costs:

Generate Images

Images cost 25-50 Moments each. Four images are automatically generated when you create a custom character at no extra cost. To generate additional images within a conversation, use the image generation option in the chat interface. Two generation models are available; the advanced model produces noticeably higher-quality output.

With 200 Moments, you can generate approximately 4-8 images. Prioritize images over other media for your initial exploration — they give the best cost-to-value ratio.

Create Videos

Video generation costs 50-600 Moments per clip depending on length:

• Short 3-second clips: ~50 Moments
• Full-length clips: ~600 Moments

Video is available on Lite tier and above — it does not function on the free plan once starting Moments are spent. If you want to test video generation, the short clip format is the most budget-efficient approach.

Wait time: approximately 2 minutes per video. The output quality is rated 4.1/5 — character movement and expressions are natural in most outputs.

Try Voice Calls

Voice calls cost 100 Moments per minute. Six voice options are available. At 200 starting Moments, you have approximately 2 minutes of voice conversation before the initial grant runs out. Test one voice session to evaluate audio quality before deciding if it's worth the Moments investment at your plan level.

Step 5 — Manage Your Moments

Moments management is the skill most new users learn through painful experience — running out mid-video or exhausting the grant on one feature type.

Practical budgeting framework:

If you exhaust your free Moments before deciding to subscribe, you can purchase top-up bundles: 1,980 Moments for $5.99, scaling up to 118,800 Moments for $249.99.

See the pricing breakdown for the full Moments cost structure and tier comparisons.

Step 6 — Enable Privacy Features

Before continuing regular use, enable Private Mode:

1. Go into a conversation
2. Find the Private Mode toggle (usually in conversation settings)
3. Enable it for that conversation

Private Mode applies end-to-end encryption to the specific conversation and prevents it from being used for AI training. It must be enabled per-conversation — it is not a global account setting. Make it a habit to enable it at the start of each new chat if privacy matters to you.

Also note: billing appears as "Sun Clinical Laboratories" on all payment statements — no reference to Secrets AI or adult content.

Tips for New Users (From the Community)

Consistent advice from the Secrets AI Discord and Reddit users who have been on the platform since launch:

• Test the free tier fully before upgrading — 200 Moments and 20 messages/day is enough to evaluate whether the chat quality is what you want
• Do not spend all 200 starting Moments on one feature — test a bit of each: images, maybe one short video, one voice minute
• Create a detailed character profile — the more specific your customization, the better the AI performs in conversation
• Memory improves dramatically on paid tiers — free memory (2-3 exchanges) makes the AI feel forgetful; Plus ($9.99) at 30-day recall is where the companion experience starts to feel continuous
• Plus plan ($9.99/month) is the recommended starting point — unlimited messaging, 3,000 Moments, and 30-day memory covers most use cases
• Add secrets.ai to your home screen — iOS Safari and Android Chrome both support home screen shortcuts that open full-screen without browser chrome

Common Issues and Solutions

• Messages not sending: Check your daily message limit (20 on free tier). If hit, wait for the 24-hour reset.
• AI seems to forget everything: Free tier memory is limited to 2-3 exchanges. Upgrade to Lite or Plus for meaningful continuity.
• Slow responses: Server load increases during peak hours. Try again in off-peak hours if responses lag.
• Video generation not available: Free users cannot generate video after starting Moments run out. Requires Lite plan or above with Moments balance.
• Forgot password: Use the email-based password reset link on the login page.

FAQ