What is Ember?
Ember, sold as Ember: Talk It Out, is made by Oriscen, Inc. of San Francisco. You talk to an AI by voice or text, on the web, in the iPhone or Android app, by phone call or by text message, about something that keeps coming back: a breakup, grief, a job, a hard decision. It asks questions rather than telling you what to do, then writes what you said into a private first-person page called an Ember.
Its twist is other people's outcomes. Ember draws on what users in a similar situation went through, with names and details removed, and may offer you a page another user agreed to share, or an introduction to one person or a small anonymous group of three to eight. It is for adults 18 and over. Ember is in beta: most people are not asked to pay, and some new accounts are trialling a $9.99 monthly subscription with a free first week.
Is Ember worth it?
Some worries do not go away when you think about them. You turn the same question over for weeks, whether to text an ex again or leave a job, and friends have heard it too many times.
Ember gives you somewhere to say it out loud. You can call it, text it or type, and it listens and asks questions without handing you a verdict. What it adds is a report of what happened to other people who stood in the same place: some kept texting, some waited, some set a limit. If a person agreed to share their own story, Ember may show you that page, and you can leave a thank-you note without either of you learning who the other is.
It is clear about what it is not. Ember says it is not therapy, medical care, crisis counselling or an emergency service. A separate check runs beside every reply, and if your words suggest you want to harm yourself it shows 988, the Crisis Text Line and 911, and reminds you it cannot send help.
The catch: the price of that help is your disclosures. Conversations, call recordings and transcripts are kept as long as your account exists and erased 30 days after you delete it. By default, a version with identifying details removed helps Ember answer other people, and Oriscen says that rewrite is not perfect: a very unusual story could still be recognised by someone who knows you. Outside AI providers, including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google, are set not to train on your requests, but Oriscen may train its own models on de-identified data unless you turn off a setting. The site also uses Meta, TikTok, Google and Reddit ad measurement, though Oriscen says conversation contents never reach them. Texts from Ember sit on your phone like any others.
Our take: Ember is closer to a well-run support group than to a therapist, and worth a look if you want company in a decision. Before you start, switch off both sharing settings and reject the cookies.
Where it earns its place
A 34-year-old deciding whether to leave a stable job for a start-up
Talk it through without friends getting tired of the subject
Call or type a few times over a week; Ember keeps what you said in one page and shows how the move went for people who made it or stayed. Free for most users during the beta.
Someone a few months after a breakup
Decide whether to get back in touch with an ex
Ember reports what people who texted again, waited or set a limit found, and may offer a small anonymous group for a few days. Turn off Help Ember understand similar situations first if you do not want your own story used.
A person grieving a parent who prefers speaking to typing
Say things out loud at night when no one else is awake
Phone calls work like the app, but the recording and transcript are held by ElevenLabs until you delete the account; if late-night thoughts turn to self-harm, Ember shows 988 and 911 and says it cannot send help.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Start typing on ember.space without an account, or sign in with a phone number to keep your history; you must confirm you are 18 or over.
- Integrations
- Web, iPhone and Android apps, phone calls and text messages; no API is published.
- Data and privacy
- Conversations, call recordings and transcripts are kept as long as your account exists and erased 30 days after you delete it; guest sessions after 7 days. Outside AI providers are set not to train on your requests, but Oriscen may train its own models on de-identified data unless you switch off Help improve Ember's models. Health and religion details stay out of shared answers unless you opt in. Which AI tools train on your data?
- Cost at scale
- Free for most during the beta; those offered a subscription pay $9.99 a month, about $120 a year, after a free first week.
- Limits
- Adults only; crisis lines listed are US services; no published encryption detail; Oriscen calls anonymity a designed feature, not an absolute guarantee.
What’s good
- Says plainly it is not therapy and shows crisis lines when risk appears
- Shows real outcomes from people in a similar spot, not invented stories
- Sharing your page with another user needs your yes, page by page
- Works by web, app, phone call or text
What’s not
- De-identified stories feed other users' answers by default
- Ad trackers from Meta, TikTok, Google and Reddit on the site
- Oriscen admits a detailed story may still be recognisable
- Beta, with pricing still being tested
Best for
Adults stuck on a personal decision who want to hear how it went for others, and who are comfortable with a young startup holding what they say.
Ember alternatives
Ember: common questions
- Is Ember worth it?
- Ember is a careful, honest attempt at letting strangers' experience help you decide, but it asks for very personal material while running ad trackers on the same site. We rate it 3.5 out of 5.
- How much does Ember cost?
- Free for most users during the beta; some new accounts are offered a $9.99/month subscription with a free first week.
- What are the downsides of Ember?
- De-identified stories feed other users' answers by default; ad trackers from Meta, TikTok, Google and Reddit on the site; oriscen admits a detailed story may still be recognisable; beta, with pricing still being tested.
- Who is Ember best for?
- Adults stuck on a personal decision who want to hear how it went for others, and who are comfortable with a young startup holding what they say.
- How much does Ember cost for a team or in production?
- Free for most during the beta; those offered a subscription pay $9.99 a month, about $120 a year, after a free first week.
- Is Ember safe for company data?
- Conversations, call recordings and transcripts are kept as long as your account exists and erased 30 days after you delete it; guest sessions after 7 days. Outside AI providers are set not to train on your requests, but Oriscen may train its own models on de-identified data unless you switch off Help improve Ember's models. Health and religion details stay out of shared answers unless you opt in.
- What are the best Ember alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Claude and ChatGPT.
Answers checked Nov 11, 2026.