Character AI vs Joyland side by side
| Character AI | Joyland | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans and prices | Free: $0 c.ai lite: $4.99 a month c.ai+: $9.99 a month, $94.99 a year | Free: $0 Standard: $19.99 a month, $107.99 a year Premium: $39.99 a month, $191.99 a year |
| Company | Character.ai; filed for Chapter 11 on October 12, 2026 | Joyland.ai (legal entity not published) |
| Headquarters | Not published | Not published |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Mobile app |
| Free option | Unlimited messaging with ads and slow mode; basic memory; 15 pins | 10 free credits daily, limited dialogue model trials, up to 3 personas; images and bot gallery need credits |
| Credits or currency | Charms: earned or bought ($0.99 to $49.99 packs on the US App Store); buy extra Imagine images and skip slow mode or ads | Credits: 10 a day free, 5,000 a month on Standard, unlimited on Premium |
| Voice | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Images | Not checked yet | Yes, image messages (20 a day on Standard, unlimited on Premium) |
| Memory | Basic (free), better (lite), best (c.ai+); pins and lorebook | Context memory (free), short-term memory across sessions (Standard), long-term memory over weeks or months (Premium) |
| Group chat | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Adult content (as stated) | Pornography and nudity prohibited for all users | Not published |
| Minimum age | 13+ (16+ in the EEA and UK); open-ended chat removed for under-18s in the US from November 24, 2025 | Not checked yet |
| Ads | Yes, for free and lite users | Standard is ad-free; implies ads on free |
"Not published" means the app does not show it on the pages we checked; "Not checked yet" means we have not verified that field. Prices are in US dollars as published.
The key differences
- Free use: Character AI: unlimited messaging with ads and slow mode. Joyland: 10 free credits a day, limited model trials and 3 personas.
- Price: Character AI: lite $4.99 and c.ai+ $9.99 a month ($94.99 a year). Joyland: Standard $19.99 ($107.99 a year) and Premium $39.99 ($191.99 a year), with early-bird prices of $9.99 and $19.99.
- Memory: Character AI sells basic, better and best memory by plan. Joyland moves from in-conversation memory to cross-session (Standard) and weeks or months (Premium).
- Images: Character AI sells extra Imagine images with Charms. Joyland includes 20 image messages a day on Standard and unlimited on Premium.
Character AI or Joyland: which to choose
- Choose Character AI if price matters most and you are fine with ads.
- Choose Joyland if long-term memory and images are worth $19.99 to $39.99 a month.
For more options, see Character AI alternatives and Joyland alternatives, or sort all 39 apps in the AI companion apps directory.
Building something like Character AI or Joyland?
Both apps show the same business: a companion people come back to, a subscription, and paid extras on top. WhiteLabelFans builds and runs that business under your own brand and domain, with companions, AI chat, memberships, tokens, tips and custom photo requests in place and high-risk payments and compliance handled. Partners keep up to 60% of total site revenue. See how to build an app like Character AI or an app like Joyland.
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)
- Joyland: plans and prices (checked October 30, 2026)
- Joyland: content policy (checked October 30, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Is Joyland better than Character AI?
Joyland's Premium plan sells long-term memory and unlimited images; Character AI is cheaper and free with ads. Character AI bans pornography and nudity; Joyland does not publish a content policy on the pages we checked.
Is Joyland free like Character AI?
Joyland's free plan gives 10 credits a day; Character AI's free plan is unlimited with ads and slow mode.
How much is Joyland compared with c.ai+?
c.ai+ is $9.99 a month. Joyland Standard is $19.99 ($9.99 early bird) and Premium $39.99 ($19.99 early bird).