Ninja BuddyPricing
A subscription, and an honest reason for it.
Ninja Buddy is a paid subscription, and these are the prices. It isn't in the App Store yet, so join the launch list and we'll email you the day it is.
For families
Pick monthly or yearly
Both plans include everything in the app, up to three child profiles, and Family Sharing. Each starts with a 14-day free trial, and you don't need a card to start it.
Family monthly
$9.99 a month
Renews monthly through the App Store. Cancel any time.
Best value · save 42%
Family yearly
$69.99 a year
The same as monthly, for about $5.83 a month. We email you a reminder 7 days before it renews.
Hardship rate
$4.99 a month · $34.99 a year
Half price, and everything in Family. If money is tight, take it: there's no income check and no form to fill in, and nobody asks why.
Funder license
$199 once, for 3 years
For waiver, ESA, ABLE and grant buyers who can't pay for a subscription. It includes everything in Family, we invoice it from this website, and the receipt reads "assistive technology software license." Email us to ask for one.
Teachers, therapists and schools: see classroom, clinic and site plans.
Why a subscription?
Because every conversation has a running cost, and we'd rather tell you that than hide it.
Buddy's words cost something every time
Each time Buddy tells a joke, picks the next story beat or reacts to an answer, an AI model (Anthropic's Claude) writes that reply in the moment. We pay for every one of those replies, for as long as your child plays.
It keeps the app on your side
Paying directly means we never need ads, never need to sell your child's data, and never need to keep your child on screen longer than is good for them. Common Sense Media has warned that subscription models for AI toys can "exploit children's emotional bonds." Ours pays for the AI, and nothing in Ninja Buddy is designed to make your child more attached. Read our safety rules.
It keeps the app improving
Ninja Buddy is independent and started with one family. The subscription covers the AI with a small profit on top, which keeps the app going and pays for what comes next.
Our promise
What's never behind a paywall
Your child's information belongs to your child and the people who care for them. We made this promise when we decided to open Ninja Buddy to other families.
- Notes and transcripts. They're stored on your device, and you can always read them.
- The answer log. How each answer came (a snap, a word, a switch or a tap) and the seconds until the first sign of it, session after session.
- Deleting. Removing a session, a note or a family recording from your device never costs anything.
If you stop subscribing, Buddy stops talking. We're designing it so your child's notes and transcripts are still stored on your device for you to read.
Our commitments
Five promises about the price
- Existing subscribers keep their price. Any increase applies to new subscribers only.
- Nothing you've paid for is ever taken away.
- Your child's data stays on the iPad unless you turn on sync. Export and delete are one tap. We never sell data or train models on it.
- Hardship rate: 50% off, no questions asked. One tap in Settings.
- Where your money goes: AI sessions are about 5%, Apple takes about 15%, and the rest funds a parent-run indie app.
What you won't find
- No ads. Not for you, and never anything aimed at your child.
- No in-app purchases on your child's screen. Your child sees Buddy. Nothing there sells anything.
- No selling or sharing data for advertising. Your child is not the product.
- No engagement tricks. No daily streaks to lose, no notifications at all, and every session ends on a timer you set.
- No surprise charges. A yearly plan emails you a reminder 7 days before it renews, and a price change always comes with an announcement, an explanation and time to decide.
Teachers, therapists and schools
Classroom, clinic and site plans are sold from this website, never in the App Store, and a purchase order works.
Teachers
Classroom: $299 a year per educator
Up to 12 child profiles, a teacher dashboard and CSV export.
Classroom plansSchools and districts
Site: ask for a quote
Several classrooms under one agreement and one student-data privacy agreement.
Request a quotePricing questions
How much does it cost?
Family is $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year, after a 14-day free trial. The hardship rate is $4.99 a month or $34.99 a year. Classroom is $299 a year per educator, Clinic is $29 a month per clinician, and a funder license is $199 once for three years. See the plans.
Will there be a free trial?
Yes. Every new family gets 14 days with all the features and no card needed to start. During the trial Buddy has one session a day. After the trial a plan is needed for Buddy to talk, and your child's notes, transcripts, answer log and export stay free.
Can I get the hardship rate?
Yes, with one tap in Settings. It's half price, and nobody asks for proof of income. It's on the honor system.
Who is the funder license for?
Families whose waiver, ESA, ABLE account or grant can pay for software but not for a subscription. It's a single $199 payment that covers three years, invoiced from this website, and the receipt describes it as an assistive technology software license. We'll also provide a template letter you can attach to an IEP or waiver request. Rules differ by program, so check with yours first.
Why not a one-time purchase?
Because the biggest cost isn't building the app, it's every reply Buddy speaks. That cost keeps going as long as your child plays, so a one-time price would eventually force us to cut corners or add ads. We won't do either.
Do you sell my child's data?
No. We don't sell your child's data or share it for advertising. Your subscription pays for the AI requests, which go to Anthropic's Claude API. During a session they carry Buddy's instructions (including what you've written about your child) and short text of your child's answers. No audio is sent to the AI. After a session, its transcript is sent once so the AI can write notes. Safety & privacy lists exactly what's sent and what's stored on your device.
What happens if the internet or the AI service goes down mid-session?
If the AI can't be reached twice in a row, Buddy switches to a built-in book of jokes and riddles, plus any songs downloaded to the device, and keeps playing until time is up instead of stopping cold. It's a backup, not an offline mode: a session needs the internet to start.