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

No download, no installation, no lengthy setup process. Secrets AI runs in any browser — the only technical step is navigating to secrets.ai. What actually takes time for new users is learning the Moments system, understanding what free versus paid unlocks, and setting up a character properly so conversations feel right from the start.

This guide walks through the full onboarding sequence — from account creation to first conversation to managing your Moments budget — with practical advice at each step based on how the platform actually behaves.

For a broader understanding of what the platform offers, the full review covers everything in context.

Step 1 — Create Your Account

Go to secrets.ai in any browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox — all work). Click the signup button and you'll be asked for:

• An email address
• A password

That's it. No real name, no phone number, no social media login. If account privacy matters to you, a throwaway email address is fine — the platform doesn't verify your identity beyond email ownership.

Account creation completes in under 60 seconds. Once registered, you start with:

• 200 free Moments (one-time starting credit)
• Full access to the character library for browsing and chatting
• 20 messages per day (free tier limit)

No credit card is required to create an account. You can evaluate the platform's interface and basic conversation quality before committing any payment.

Step 2 — Choose Your First Character

After signup, you'll see the character library: approximately 94 pre-built hyper-realistic companions, with anime-style options also available. Browse by scrolling — characters display with their starting personality descriptors and visual previews.

Alternatively, create a custom character for free on your first creation:

• Appearance: Ethnicity (9 options), skin tone, eye color, hairstyle, body type (6 options)
• Voice: 6 options covering different tones
• Personality: Confidence, playfulness, dominance, intelligence
• Profession: 5 preset categories
• Hobbies and free-text: Open field for any additional personalization

Practical tip: Invest time in the personality configuration. The more specific your trait settings, the more distinctively the AI behaves in conversation. Generic settings produce generic responses. The free-text field is underused by new users — specific details here ("values directness," "has a dry sense of humor," "professional by day but relaxed in private") meaningfully affect conversation quality.

When you finalize your character, 4 images are auto-generated at no additional Moments cost. This gives you immediate visual content without spending from your 200 Moments.

Step 3 — Start Your First Conversation

The first conversation screen offers pre-written conversation starters — a mix of casual and suggestive options. These are provided for convenience; you can use them or write your own opening.

The AI adapts to your conversation style from the first exchange. Opening with a specific scenario or dynamic gives the AI more to work with than a generic greeting. If you want a particular roleplay context, establish it early — the AI will maintain it throughout the session.

Free tier users get 20 messages per day with a 500-character maximum. That's roughly 15-20 minutes of active conversation depending on message length. It's enough to evaluate whether the conversation quality justifies upgrading.

The AI asks follow-up questions, maintains tonal consistency, and doesn't lose track of what you established earlier in a session. If the AI seems less responsive or generic than expected, check which AI model is selected — the base model on free accounts performs at a lower level than premium models available on paid tiers.

Step 4 — Explore Media Features

Generate Images

Image generation is accessible from within a conversation. Tap the image generation option and describe what you want. Cost: 25-50 Moments per image.

With 200 starting Moments, you can generate 4-8 images before the free allocation is gone. Recommendation: generate 1-2 images to evaluate quality rather than spending all 200 Moments at once. Character consistency is good — the AI maintains your companion's visual identity across different generated images.

Create Videos

Video generation is Secrets AI's standout feature in the category. Select an existing character image, write a prompt describing movement or action, and wait approximately 2 minutes for the clip to generate.

Short 3-second clips cost around 50 Moments; longer clips reach 600 Moments. Video is not accessible on the free tier — it requires Lite plan or above. If you're on the free tier testing with 200 Moments, use those on images first to evaluate visual quality before committing to a plan that includes video.

The video generator guide has detailed advice on getting the best output from different prompt types.

Try Voice Calls

Six voice options are available. Voice calls cost 100 Moments per minute — at that rate, 200 starting Moments would cover 2 minutes of voice. Recommendation for new users: try text and image first before spending Moments on voice calls, since 100/minute depletes budgets quickly.

Voice quality is rated 4.3/5. The AI adapts vocal delivery to conversation context rather than just reading with flat intonation.

Step 5 — Manage Your Moments

The Moments system is where new users most often get tripped up. Treating Moments like a standard subscription credit — spending freely without tracking — leads to depleting the allocation within the first few days. The budget management mindset matters from the start.

Moments cost reference:

Budget strategy by use type:

• Text-only focus: text messaging is cheap enough that Moments aren't a significant constraint even on lower tiers
• Image focus: Plus ($9.99, 3,000 Moments/mo) allows 60-120 images per month
• Video focus: consider Premium ($19.99, 8,000 Moments) or Ultimate for regular clip generation
• Voice focus: Premium covers ~80 minutes of voice per month

If you run low, Moments top-ups are available: starting at 1,980 Moments for $5.99 up to 118,800 for $249.99.

For a detailed tier comparison, the pricing breakdown has the full math on what each plan's allocation covers.

Step 6 — Enable Privacy Features

Private Mode applies end-to-end encryption to a conversation and prevents it from being used for AI training. Enable it at the start of any conversation you want protected — it cannot be applied retroactively.

Check your billing settings: charges appear as "Sun Clinical Laboratories" on statements. No reference to the platform name or adult content. If you want zero financial trace, cryptocurrency payments are accepted (minimum $20).

For users concerned about account data: deletion is available through account settings and permanently removes all chat history, characters, and generated content within 30 days.

The full safety analysis covers all privacy features in detail.

Which Plan to Choose

Based on real use patterns, here is the honest tier recommendation:

The free vs premium breakdown provides a side-by-side comparison of what changes at each upgrade level — worth reading before committing to a plan.

Try Secrets AI Free →

Common Issues and Solutions

Messages not sending: Check your daily message limit. Free tier allows 20 messages per 24 hours. Once that limit is reached, no further messages process until the counter resets (midnight UTC).

AI seems forgetful or generic: Two causes. First, free tier memory covers only the last 2-3 exchanges — there is no cross-session memory at that level. Second, basic AI models produce less nuanced responses; premium models on paid tiers show the clearest improvement.

Slow response times: Peak hours cause server load delays. Early morning and late-night windows typically produce faster response times. This is a platform load issue, not a device or connection problem.

Can't generate video: Video generation requires Lite tier or above. Free accounts cannot generate video clips. Check both your current plan and your remaining Moments balance — even on eligible tiers, insufficient Moments will block generation.

Forgot password: Use the password reset option on the login page. A reset link goes to your registered email. Sessions persist in browsers, so this typically only occurs when logging in on a new device.

FAQ