Character AI
Rating source: app-store aggregate, re-verification pending. See methodology.
The largest character-chat platform by a wide margin, with millions of user-made AI personas across every fandom, trope, and personality type. Safe-for-work by default, which narrows roleplay compared to uncensored competitors but makes it the only app in the top 10 that's genuinely free for serious daily use. Best entry point for anyone who doesn't want to pay to try the category.
Character AI key facts
| Price | Free / $9.99/mo |
|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android |
| Adult content | Not the focus / restricted |
| Official site | character.ai/ |
Facts current as of . Spotted something stale? The change timeline below records every correction.
Memory benchmark
Not yet benchmarked. We run every companion through the same published memory test: the same facts planted at increasing distance, then probed. No score appears here until a real run exists, and every score links to its raw data. How the benchmark works.
Character AI pricing
Current price: Free / $9.99/mo (Freemium). Prices in this category change quietly and often; any price change we record appears as a dated entry in the timeline below, so this page doubles as Character AI's price history.
Character AI change timeline
Every recorded price, model, policy, and feature change, newest first. This is the record we maintain for every companion: what you sign up for today is rarely what the app was a year ago.
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model
Roar model removed as PipSqueak 2 becomes the default
On April 28, 2026 Character AI made PipSqueak 2 the default for every user and removed Roar immediately with no legacy fallback; Meow, Nyan, Soft Launch, and Goro moved to a legacy menu retired on May 8. Users reported longer replies, invented chat references, and mid-message character drift — model swaps on character platforms are experienced as personality changes, not upgrades.
Source: www.roborhythms.com/character-ai-pulled-... · piunikaweb.com/2026/05/04/outrage-charac...
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feature
Swipes and go-ons capped, playbacks and Memos removed
Rolling out from March 18, 2026, Character AI capped free-tier swipes (community reports ~400/day account-wide) and go-ons (~15–25/day), and removed playbacks/Memos outright — including for paid subscribers. The company cited infrastructure costs; free users experienced it as a steady narrowing of features that had been standard since launch.
Source: piunikaweb.com/2026/03/11/character-ai-l... · www.roborhythms.com/character-ai-removed...
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policy
Character AI rolls out age verification via Persona
Following the under-18 ban, Character AI layered in age assurance: an in-house age-estimation model screens accounts, and unconfident cases are pushed to third-party verifier Persona for selfie or government-ID checks. The rollout started US-only in late November 2025 and reached most users through Q1 2026, with some accounts shown a 14-day verify-or-lose-access countdown.
Source: support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/4... · piunikaweb.com/2025/11/25/character-ai-a... · piunikaweb.com/2026/03/20/character-ai-1...
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policy
Character AI ends open-ended chat for under-18 users
Announced October 29, 2025 and in full effect by November 25, 2025: users under 18 lost access to open-ended companion chat (daily limits ramped down during the transition), replaced by a restricted creative mode. One of the largest policy changes in the category's history, made under lawsuit and regulator pressure.
Source: blog.character.ai/u18-chat-announcement/ · techcrunch.com/2025/10/29/character-ai-i...
Character AI alternatives
Frequently asked questions
Is Character AI still free?
Yes, Character AI has a free tier, with a c.ai+ subscription at $9.99/month for faster responses and perks. The free tier has been restricted several times during 2026; each change is recorded in the timeline on this page.
Did Character AI ban users under 18?
Character AI announced in late 2025 that users under 18 would lose access to open-ended companion chat, with age verification rolling out afterwards. See the change timeline on this page for the dated sequence.