Figlet vs Pragma for AI relationship coaching: which fits the two of you?

Figlet vs Pragma for AI relationship coaching: choose Figlet for text coaching, Pragma for a daily practice for two. Figlet is a text coach built on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) by one therapist, with an assessment first. Pragma gives each partner a 15-minute daily session by voice or chat, with three coaches. Both are coaches, not therapists.

One disclosure first: Pragma is our app. Figlet is described from Empathi's own pages.

Figlet vs Pragma, side by side

Figlet is one method, in text. Pragma is several methods, by voice or chat, for both partners.

Prices are from Empathi's facts page and the Pragma pricing page.

What Figlet is: an EFT text coach

Figlet is Empathi's AI relationship coach. It works in text and is built on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

Empathi says it was built by Figs O'Sullivan, LMFT, and is "grounded in EFT". EFT is the model that works on the pursue-and-withdraw cycle between partners. The company says the coach is built from its relationship assessments, 58,221 completed across Empathi when we read the page. Two claims on that page describe the coach's style. It "pushes back instead of just agreeing", and it "never sides against the partner who is not in the room".

You start with an assessment, then talk to Figlet in text. The first 10 messages are free with no card. The solo Back Pocket plan is $19.95 a month or $149 a year. In Your Hand is $57 a month or $297 a year. Team Us covers both partners with one payer: $34 or $97 a month. Plans are message-based, so check the allowance before you choose.

Best for: one partner who wants to understand the pursue-and-withdraw pattern in writing. The coach is built on a single method by a licensed therapist.

What Pragma is: a daily AI relationship coach for two

Pragma is an AI relationship coach built for two people who are already together. Each partner has a private account and a 15-minute daily session, by voice or chat. You talk with one of three coaches: Juno (Connection Coach), Aria (Clarity Coach) or Kai (Momentum Coach). Each session ends with one small thing to try.

The Practice adds a program of 7 to 10 days, one task a day, from 13 programs. They are built on the Gottman Method, EFT, CBT, Nonviolent Communication, attachment theory and positive psychology. Our methods page credits each one.

The Blueprint shows your sessions, exercise days and recurring patterns over time. One partner can start and invite the other later with an 8-character code. Transcripts are encrypted and never shown to the other person.

Pragma is a coach, not a therapist. It does not diagnose or treat, and it is not for crisis, trauma or abuse.

Best for: couples who want a short daily rhythm they both keep, and who prefer talking to typing. Also couples who speak Spanish, Portuguese, French, German or Arabic at home.

Figlet vs Pragma: the three real differences

They differ in method, in format and in who has an account.

1. One method, or several

Figlet is built on EFT alone. Pragma draws on six methods.

One method is a strength if EFT is what you want: the whole conversation works on the pursue-and-withdraw cycle. If you already know you want EFT, Figlet is the closer fit. In Pragma, the coach picks the tool for the moment:

• A Gottman soft start-up for a fight that keeps escalating.
• An NVC needs statement for a request that keeps getting refused.
• A CBT reframe for the story you tell yourself at 2 am.

2. Messages, or minutes

Figlet's plans count messages. Pragma's practice counts minutes: up to 15 a day for each partner, as many days as you like.

The difference is in how you use them. A message plan suits someone who writes to the coach when something comes up. A daily session suits a couple building a habit, especially one that wants to talk out loud rather than type.

3. One partner, or two private accounts

Figlet's Team Us plan lets both partners use the coach under one payer. Pragma gives each partner a separate private account and pairs them with a code.

In Pragma, the couple-level view is built from both accounts without exposing either. Neither partner can read the other's words. Pragma also lets one partner start alone. If only one of you is ready, Figlet's solo plans and Pragma's solo start both work.

What Figlet and Pragma cost for two

For a couple, Figlet's Team Us Back Pocket plan is $34 a month. Pragma is $39.98 a month for two subscriptions.

Figlet for two:

• Team Us Back Pocket: $34 a month.
• Team Us In Your Hand, the higher tier: $97 a month.
• Empathi lists no annual Team Us price on the page we read.

Pragma for two:

• Monthly: $39.98 for two subscriptions.
• Yearly: $239.98 for two.

For one person, the two are close: $19.95 against $19.99 a month. A year of Pragma for one partner costs about one counseling session, and it is not a substitute for one.

Which AI relationship coach should you choose?

Choose Figlet for EFT in text. Choose Pragma for a daily practice you both do.

Choose Figlet if:

• You want EFT specifically, in text, with an assessment first.
• You message when something comes up, not every day.

Choose Pragma if:

• You want a daily habit the two of you keep, by voice or chat.
• You want three coaching styles and six methods.
• You need Spanish, Portuguese, French, German or Arabic.

If only one of you is ready, either works: a solo plan on Figlet, or a solo start on Pragma.

Download six "Try tonight" exercises as a PDF

How we compared Figlet and Pragma

We read Empathi's own pages about Figlet, and compared it with Pragma on the same six points.

• The method each coach is built on.
• How you use it: in text, or by voice or chat.
• Who it covers: one person, or both partners.
• What it costs for one person and for two.
• How a plan is limited: by messages or by minutes.
• The free start, and the languages.

We did not run a clinical test of either app, and nobody paid to be on this page. Pragma is our app.

When to get more help than an AI coach can give

Neither coach is for abuse, a mental health crisis or thoughts of self-harm. In the US, call or text 988 at any hour. You can find more helplines on Pragma's crisis resources page.

If trust has been broken or one of you is unwell, see a licensed therapist first. Use a coach for the days in between. Figlet's maker is a licensed therapist; the coach itself is not therapy.