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

Three minutes. That's roughly how long it takes to go from landing on secrets.ai to having your first conversation with an AI companion. No app download, no complex configuration, no credit card required to start. This guide walks through every step of the process — from account creation through your first video generation — so you hit the ground running without burning your free Moments on the wrong things.

Before diving in: Secrets AI's full feature breakdown covers what each feature costs and how the platform is structured. The pricing guide explains the Moments system in detail. Read this guide first if you just want to get started.

Step 1 — Create Your Account

Open secrets.ai in any web browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge all work. There's no app to download; the platform runs entirely in the browser.

Click the sign-up option on the homepage. You'll need:

• An email address
• A password of your choice

That's it. No real name is required. No phone number. No social media account connection. If you want to keep the account completely disconnected from your identity, use a purpose-created anonymous email address — the platform has no way to verify it against your real identity.

After confirming your email (if prompted), you're logged in. Your account immediately includes:

• 200 Moments — your starting trial credit
• Full access to the character library for browsing
• 20 free messages per day

Account creation takes under 60 seconds from start to first login.

Step 2 — Choose Your First Character

The character library presents approximately 94 pre-built, hyper-realistic characters plus a selection of anime-style options. Each character comes with defined personality traits, a backstory, and associated scenarios.

Browse by appearance, personality type, or scenario category. When you open a character's profile, you'll see their personality summary and a preview of the scenarios available with them. Take a few minutes here — the character you start with shapes your initial impression of the platform significantly.

Alternatively, create a custom character. Your first custom character is free. The creation tool offers:

• Ethnicity (9 options)
• Body type (6 options)
• Skin tone, eye color, and hairstyle
• Voice (6 options)
• Personality traits: confidence, playfulness, dominance, and intelligence
• Profession (5 preset categories) and personality presets (5 options)
• Hobbies and a free-text details field for specific personalization

The free-text details field is the most important one. Entering specific personality details — communication style, interests, relationship dynamic preferences — produces noticeably more tailored conversations than leaving it generic. Put thought into this and it pays off immediately in conversation quality.

When you create a character, four images are automatically generated based on their defined appearance, giving you a visual library to work from immediately.

Step 3 — Start Your First Conversation

Once you've selected or created your character, you're in the chat interface. Conversation starters appear at the top of the screen — a mix of casual openers and more suggestive prompts that signal the platform's adult-content stance.

You can use a starter or open with your own message. The AI responds within seconds. In the first few exchanges, set the conversational tone you want: casual and getting-to-know-you, or more forward if that's your preference. The AI adapts its responses to match your register.

A few things to know from the first session:

• Free accounts get 20 messages per day — they reset after 24 hours
• The AI asks follow-up questions and responds to what you've shared — treat it like a real conversation rather than issuing commands
• Being specific in your messages produces better responses than vague prompts
• The AI on free tier has very limited memory (last 2-3 exchanges only) — it will not remember your first session when you return tomorrow

If the conversation isn't what you expected, don't write off the platform yet. The AI quality is significantly better on paid tiers with premium models, and relationship depth requires the memory system that only paid plans provide.

Step 4 — Explore Media Features

Generate Images

Image generation is available from within the chat interface — look for the media generation option in the chat controls. Each image costs 25-50 Moments. You can request images based on the current conversation context, a specific scenario, or a general character pose.

The system auto-generates four images when you first create a character, so you start with a visual library before spending any Moments. On the free tier, your 200 starting Moments support 4-8 additional images if you choose to use them there. On paid tiers, the monthly Moments allocation covers a regular image generation rhythm.

Two generation models are available: standard (lower tiers) and advanced (Premium and Ultimate). The advanced model produces noticeably sharper, more consistent results — if image quality matters to you, the Premium tier is the threshold where it improves meaningfully.

Create Videos

Video generation is Secrets AI's signature feature and the one that sets it apart from most competitors. It's available from Lite tier and above — the free tier cannot generate videos.

The process:

1. Select an existing character image (one you've generated or the auto-generated character images)
2. Write a text prompt describing the movement or action you want
3. Wait approximately 2 minutes for generation to complete
4. View and save your clip

Short 3-second clips cost around 50 Moments. Longer, higher-quality clips cost up to 600 Moments. Start with short clips to evaluate quality before spending on longer ones. The video generator guide covers cost optimization and tips for better outputs in depth.

Don't burn your free 200 Moments on video — you need at least the Lite plan ($5.99/mo) to access this feature, and at 200 Moments you'd only get a few 3-second clips anyway. Save the starting credit for images and text.

Try Voice Calls

Voice calls are available from within character conversations. Choose from six voice options, each with distinct tone and character. Voice calls cost 100 Moments per minute — the second most expensive feature after video generation.

For a first session, try a short voice exchange (2-3 minutes) to evaluate the voice quality before committing extended Moments to it. The voice system is rated 4.3/5 independently — one of the platform's strongest features.

Step 5 — Manage Your Moments

Moments management is where most new users make costly mistakes. The key principles:

Track your balance actively. Your Moments balance is visible in account settings. Check it before starting a media-heavy session — running out of Moments mid-video generation is frustrating.

Cost hierarchy from cheapest to most expensive:

Monthly Moments do not roll over. Grants reset each billing cycle. If you have unused Moments at month-end, they're lost. Plan your usage through the month rather than saving them.

Top-up options start at 1,980 Moments for $5.99 if your monthly allocation runs short. Larger bundles offer up to 30.4% discount.

Upgrade decision point: If you're consistently hitting your monthly Moments limit before the billing cycle ends, the math usually favors upgrading tiers over repeatedly buying top-ups. The pricing guide includes the specific math on this.

Step 6 — Enable Privacy Features

Before any sensitive conversation, enable Private Mode. This applies end-to-end encryption to that specific conversation and prevents it from being used for AI training data.

Private Mode is per-conversation — you enable it at the start of each session you want protected. It doesn't retroactively cover previous conversations, and it isn't a global account setting.

Other privacy notes:

• Your billing statement shows "Sun Clinical Laboratories" — no reference to Secrets AI
• No real name was required at signup, keeping your account pseudonymous
• Account deletion removes all data (including chat history, characters, generated content) within 30 days — permanent and non-reversible

Tips for New Users

Seven practices that separate good experiences from mediocre ones:

• Start with the free tier before paying — 20 messages and 200 Moments are enough to evaluate whether this platform suits your preferences
• Don't spend starting Moments on video — save them for images and text; video requires a paid plan anyway
• Fill out character profiles in detail — the free-text field for personality details has a disproportionate impact on conversation quality
• Set tone in the first three messages — the AI learns your preferred register quickly and maintains it
• Memory is the real paid upgrade — the jump from free (2-3 exchanges) to Plus (30-day recall) transforms the relationship simulation experience
• Add secrets.ai to your home screen for near-native mobile access (see the mobile access guide for exact steps)
• Consider Plus ($9.99/mo) as the sweet spot — unlimited messaging, 3,000 Moments, and 30-day memory cover most use cases without overbuying

Common Issues and Solutions

Messages not sending: Check your daily message limit. Free accounts max out at 20 messages per 24 hours. The counter resets daily, not at a fixed time — it's 24 hours from your first message of the session.

AI seems forgetful: This is expected on the free tier and Lite plan — both have significant memory limitations (2-3 exchanges and ~14 days respectively). The solution is upgrading to Plus or Premium, not troubleshooting a bug.

Slow response times: The platform is web-based and experiences server load variation during peak hours. If responses are consistently slow, try during off-peak hours (early morning US time tends to be fastest).

Can't generate video: Video generation requires Lite plan or above. Free accounts cannot access this feature regardless of Moments balance. If you're on a paid plan and encountering issues, verify your Moments balance first.

Forgot password: Use the email-based password reset on the login page. Sessions are email/password only — no social login fallback exists.

Frequently Asked Questions