Why people look for Character AI alternatives
Character.ai filed for Chapter 11 on October 12, 2026 and says service continues while it runs a sale. Its free tier now carries ads and slow mode, premium chat styles sit behind lite ($4.99) and c.ai+ ($9.99), and its guidelines ban pornography and nudity for everyone. Users looking elsewhere usually want adults-only rules, more memory, or a backup in case the sale changes the service. See every published price on the Character AI pricing page.
Character AI alternatives compared
| App | Paid plans from | Annual plan from | Free option | Voice | Images | Group chat | Adult content |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Character AI | $4.99 a month | $94.99 ($7.92 a month) | Yes | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Pornography and nudity banned; users from 13 |
| Janitor AI | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | 18+; adult art only of clearly adult fictional characters |
| SpicyChat | $5.95 a month | $60 ($5.00 a month) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Policy page did not load; not verified |
| Joyland | $19.99 a month | $107.99 ($9.00 a month) | Yes | Not checked | Yes | Not checked | Not published |
| Chai | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | 18+; fictional adult roleplay; no explicit images |
| CrushOn AI | $5.99 a month | $58.88 ($4.91 a month) | Yes | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Markets no-filter chat; 18+ only |
| Chub AI | $20 a month | Not published | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not checked | Says it supports uncensored models |
| Talkie | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Pornographic content banned |
| Kindroid | $15.99 a month | $159.99 ($13.33 a month) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 18+; nudity filtered on its social feed |
"Not published" means the app does not show the figure on its own pages or App Store listing. "Paid plans from" is the cheapest monthly plan; annual plans are the cheapest yearly charge.
The 8 best Character AI alternatives, one line each
- Janitor AI: Adults-only character chat running its own JanitorLLM model, with strict rules on minors and real people; no paid plan is published.
- SpicyChat: Character chat with group chats, in-chat images and memory sold by tier (context levels from 4K to 32K); paid plans run $5.95 to $29.95 a month.
- Joyland: Character chat where memory grows with the plan: in-conversation on free, cross-session on Standard ($19.99) and long-term on Premium ($39.99).
- Chai: Mobile app for user-built characters, 18+ only, run by Chai Research in Palo Alto; it says it reached a $120M revenue run-rate in October 2026.
- CrushOn AI: No-filter character chat for adults; the free plan gives 100 message credits a month and paid plans run from $5.99 to $199.99 a month.
- Chub AI: One $20 a month plan with unlimited access to all its models, voice and images, paid in crypto only.
- Talkie: Character chat powered by MiniMax models with tradable character cards; bans pornographic content.
- Kindroid: Voice and video calls, selfies and up to 20 group chats on Standard ($15.99 a month), with Ultra and MAX add-ons for longer memory.
Which Character AI alternative fits which need
- Adults-only character chat: Janitor AI and Chai are 18+ only and publish content rules written for adult fiction.
- More memory per dollar: SpicyChat's I'm All In plan "remembers 8x more" at $29.95 a month; Joyland Premium adds long-term memory at $39.99.
- Same rules, different app: Talkie also bans pornographic content and is built around user-made characters.
Character AI head-to-head comparisons
Or launch your own Character AI alternative
Every app on this page is someone's business. If you have traffic, an audience or a niche the big apps underserve, you can run your own companion brand instead of sending users to theirs. WhiteLabelFans builds and runs the site under your brand and domain, with companions, AI chat, memberships, tokens, tips and custom photo requests working from day one, and partners keep up to 60% of total site revenue. Read how to build an app like Character AI for the build-versus-white-label numbers.
Sources
Every price and policy above comes from the app's own website, help center, terms or US App Store listing, on the date shown. Prices are in US dollars, exclude tax and change often. Monthly equivalents of annual plans are our division by 12. The full dataset with a source for every field is on the AI companion apps directory.
- Character AI: plans and prices (checked October 26, 2026)
- Character AI: content policy (checked October 26, 2026)
- Character AI: company (checked October 26, 2026)
- Janitor AI: plans and prices (checked October 30, 2026)
- Janitor AI: content policy (checked October 30, 2026)
- SpicyChat: plans and prices (checked October 30, 2026)
- Joyland: plans and prices (checked October 30, 2026)
- Joyland: content policy (checked October 30, 2026)
- Chai: plans and prices (checked October 30, 2026)
- Chai: content policy (checked October 30, 2026)
- CrushOn AI: plans and prices (checked October 30, 2026)
- CrushOn AI: company (checked October 30, 2026)
- Chub AI: plans and prices (checked October 30, 2026)
- Talkie: plans and prices (checked October 30, 2026)
- Kindroid: plans and prices (checked October 26, 2026)
- Kindroid: free plan (checked October 26, 2026)
- Kindroid: content policy (checked October 26, 2026)
- Kindroid: company (checked October 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Is Character AI shutting down?
Character.ai filed for a voluntary Chapter 11 sale on October 12, 2026. It says subscriptions remain active during the process and that the platform would be wound down only if no buyer keeps it running.
What is the best free Character AI alternative?
SpicyChat and CrushOn AI both publish free plans: SpicyChat's runs with ads, and CrushOn AI's includes 100 message credits a month. Janitor AI does not publish a paid plan at all.
Which Character AI alternatives allow adult content?
Of the apps compared, CrushOn AI markets no-filter chat to adults and Chub AI says it supports uncensored models. Janitor AI and Chai are 18+ and allow adult fiction within published rules. Talkie bans pornographic content.