Looking for an AI therapist?
Every month, thousands of South Africans type “AI therapist” or “AI psychologist” into Google. If that is how you got here, this page gives you the honest answer: what Sibona is, what it is not, and whether it is the thing you were looking for.
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What Sibona is not
Sibona is not a therapist, not a psychologist and not a counsellor. In South Africa those are registered professions, and we are not one of them. It does not provide therapy, it does not assess or diagnose anything, and it will not tell you which tablets to take or whether a symptom in your body is serious. Ask it, and it will say so plainly and point you to a clinic or a doctor.
That is not small print. It is the reason the product works the way it does: no appointment, no waiting list, no file with your name on it, and no promise it cannot keep.
An AI companion: a private space to talk things through
You write what is on your mind, the way you would text a friend who listens properly. A bad day at work, a breakup, a night when sleep will not come, a conversation you are dreading, money pressure from family, a decision you keep turning over. Sibona reads it, helps you make sense of what is going on, and suggests one small thing you can actually do tonight or tomorrow morning.
It is built for South Africa. It understands load-shedding fatigue, black tax, the job-search grind, a taxi rank at 5 a.m. and a house that goes quiet at 2 a.m. It answers in English, in your register, without lecturing. It is open day and night, from any cellphone, and it never rolls its eyes.
Many people use it exactly for the things they would never book a professional for: to say something out loud for the first time, to rehearse asking for a raise, to get through a lonely evening, to put a worry into words before it grows.
When you need a person, not an app
If you have thoughts of ending your life, if someone is hurting you, or if you are losing your grip on what is real, you need a person on the phone tonight as well as a place to write. Sibona will show you the free lines in South Africa the moment it hears any of that, and they are all listed here. If you already see a doctor or take something a doctor prescribed, that doctor is the person for questions about it. If what you are carrying has lasted for months and is getting heavier, a clinic sister, your GP or a registered professional can do what an AI companion cannot.
You can use Sibona alongside all of that. It is not a replacement for any of it.
Questions people ask on this page
Is it free?
Your first 5 answers are free, without signing up and without a card. Sign in with your email (free, about 30 seconds) and you get 5 more. After that it is R99 a month or R699 a year, and you can cancel any time. The full details are on the pricing page.
Is it private?
Your conversations are stored so you can come back to them, they are not shared with anyone you know, and you can delete them whenever you like from your account. Exactly what is kept, for how long and who can see it is written in the privacy notice.
Can it handle a crisis?
It will stay with you in the conversation and give you the free South African lines at once. It is not an emergency service and it cannot phone anyone for you. In immediate danger, call 112 from any cellphone.
Who is behind it?
Sibona is operated by GOLDMIND AI CONSULTING - FZCO, a company registered in the United Arab Emirates, and built for South Africa. Full details are on the about page and in the footer of every page. The service is for people aged 18 and over.