Every Character AI plan and price
| Plan | Price | Where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.ai+ (monthly) | $9.99/mo | iOS App Store | in-app paywall, checked |
| c.ai+ (yearly) | $94.99/yr | iOS App Store | in-app paywall, checked |
| (c.ai) lite (monthly) | $4.99/mo | iOS App Store | in-app paywall, checked |
| c.ai+ (monthly) | $9.99/mo | Google Play | in-app paywall, checked |
| c.ai+ (annual) | $94.99/yr | Google Play | in-app paywall, checked |
| c.ai lite (weekly) | $2.49/wk | Google Play | in-app paywall, checked |
| c.ai lite (monthly) | $4.99/mo | Google Play | in-app paywall, checked |
| c.ai+ (annual) | $94.99/yr | Web | character.ai, checked |
| c.ai lite (monthly) | $4.99/mo | Web | support.character.ai, checked |
| Includes: A daily allowance of premium chat-style messages (vs. c.ai+'s unlimited), fewer ads (not zero), better memory: 30 pins (up from 15 free), detailed usage view, chat customization. No annual option exists for lite. | |||
The cheapest paid route works out at $4.99 a month, from the plans above.
Is Character AI free?
A free account gets unlimited chats, with ads, basic memory (Pins and Lorebook) and slower replies. Character.AI's own comparison table lists Free, c.ai lite and c.ai+ as three separate tiers. The free plan did not change when lite launched: 'Free stays as it is, including unlimited messaging.'. In Character AI's words: Free lite (c.ai+) Ads Full Less None ... MEMORY Memory Basic Better Best Pins 15 30 30 ... DAILY LIMITS Feature limits Limited Limited Highest ... Slow mode Yes Less None
Source: character.ai, checked
What the app's free tier and paywall showed
- The paywall before the first chat
- The paywall opened straight after the interest picker, before any chat. It showed c.ai+ yearly first, with a struck-through yearly price and "save 21%"; the (c.ai) lite tab sells weekly or monthly, with "save 54%" on monthly. No free trial was offered, and the button line read "cancel anytime, no strings".
- What free lacks, by the paywall's table
- The paywall's comparison table lists ads as Full on free, Less on lite and None on c.ai+; memory as Basic, Better and Best; and memory pins as 15, 30 and 30. The premium chat styles DeepSqueak and LongSqueak are not included on free, and lite gets a "Daily taste" of them.
- Free allowance
- The free account showed no message counter or cap, and no limit prompt appeared during the 18 messages.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Weekly | Ads | Memory | Pins | DeepSqueak and LongSqueak | Struck-through price shown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free | Full | Basic | 15 | Not included | ||
| (c.ai) lite | $4.99 | not offered | $2.49 | Less | Better | 30 | Daily taste | $10.83 beside the monthly price |
| (c.ai+) | $9.99 | $94.99 | None | Best | 30 | Included | $119.88 beside the yearly price |
One chat, one character, one day, connecting through a US VPN. The app does not show how long a character card is. Screenshots are cropped to the part of the screen described. Source: Character.AI store listing.
Character AI price history
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pricing
Character AI adds a cheaper "Lite" subscription tier
A new Character.AI Lite subscription appeared on Character.AI's US App Store listing between August 16 and September 7, 2026, below the existing c.ai+. Character.AI's help center says (c.ai) lite starts at $4.99 a month. The Android app's paywall sold it at $4.99 a month or $2.49 a week on September 26; the iPhone app's paywall offered it at $4.99 a month only on September 30, next to c.ai+ at $9.99 a month or $94.99 a year.
Source: support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/5... · apps.apple.com/us/app/character-ai-chat-... · web.archive.org/web/20260907182452/apps.... · web.archive.org/web/20260816062325/apps....
Three plans, one app
Character AI now has three levels. Free keeps unlimited messaging, with full ads, slow mode when the service is busy, 15 memory pins and basic memory. c.ai lite gives less ads, less slow mode, better memory and 30 pins. c.ai+ removes ads and slow mode entirely, gives the best memory, 30 pins, advanced Lorebook and the highest daily feature limits.
The table above lists every plan as the app's own paywall and Character.AI's pricing page show it, with the date each was checked.
c.ai+ monthly or yearly
c.ai+ is the plan most people mean by Character AI Plus. The yearly plan is discounted against twelve monthly payments, and Character.AI's own pricing page shows the saving. If you already know you will keep it, yearly is the cheaper route; if you are trying it, one month tells you whether the memory and the lack of ads matter to you.
The yearly price on Character.AI's website matched the apps' on the dates we checked. Buying in the app puts billing and cancellation in your Apple or Google account; buying on the web means paying Character.AI directly, through Stripe.
To cancel, go to wherever you paid: your App Store or Google Play subscription settings for an in-app purchase. For a web subscription, Character.AI's help centre says to submit a request on its support page under Payments and purchases. Deleting the app from your phone does not cancel an App Store subscription on its own.
c.ai lite: the cheaper middle plan
c.ai lite appeared in September 2026 and costs about half of c.ai+ per month. Character.AI's help centre says it starts at the US price and that pricing varies by region so it stays affordable in local markets. The Android app's paywall sold lite weekly or monthly, with no yearly option; the iPhone app's paywall offers it monthly only.
Lite suits someone who mainly wants fewer interruptions and a little more memory. It keeps some ads and some slow mode, so heavy users who chat every evening will notice the difference from c.ai+.
Charms: paying per extra
Charms are Character AI's in-app currency, introduced in December 2025 and sold in packs. They buy extra Imagine image generations, skips past slow mode and ad-skip passes. They are optional and sit on top of any plan, including free; c.ai+ adds bonus Charms to every pack bought.
Charms can make the free tier feel like a paid one for an evening, but they add up quickly. If you find yourself buying them regularly, a subscription is usually the better value.
Is c.ai+ worth it?
If you chat a few times a week, the free tier is enough: there is no message cap, and Story Memory and pinning are free. The two reasons to pay are ads and memory. c.ai+ is worth it for people who chat daily, run long stories where remembered details matter, or find ads and slow mode break the mood.
What no plan changes is the content policy. Paying does not unlock adult content, which Character AI's guidelines prohibit for every user.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Character AI Plus?
c.ai+ is sold monthly or yearly; the iPhone and Android paywalls showed the same prices. Current prices, with the date checked, are in the table at the top of this page.
What is c.ai lite?
A cheaper plan added in September 2026 that reduces ads and slow mode and improves memory, without removing them the way c.ai+ does. It costs about half of c.ai+ per month.
Is Character AI free?
Yes. The free tier allows unlimited messaging with ads and slow mode, and Character.AI says free stays as it is.
Does c.ai+ allow NSFW?
No. No plan unlocks adult content; the Community Guidelines prohibit pornographic content and nudity for everyone.
What are Charms on Character AI?
An optional in-app currency, sold in packs, for extra image generations, slow-mode skips and ad-skip passes.
How do you cancel c.ai+?
Cancel where you bought it: in your Apple or Google account for an in-app purchase. For a web purchase, Character.AI's help centre says to submit a request on its support page under Payments and purchases.
Sources
- apps.apple.com/us/app/character-ai-chat-talk-text/id1671705818
- character.ai/subscription/plus/pricing
- support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/55388952900379--c-ai-lite-FAQ
- play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.character.app&hl=en_US
- character.ai/community-guidelines
- support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/21704914723995-Safety-Center
- character.ai/tos
- character.ai/privacy
- support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/39030432883099-Privacy-Policy
- blog.character.ai/introducing-charms/
- character.ai/
- techcrunch.com/2024/08/02/character-ai-ceo-noam-shazeer-returns-to-google
- www.courtlistener.com/docket/69300919/garcia-v-character-technologies-inc/
- www.courtlistener.com/docket/69450881/af-on-behalf-of-jf-v-character-technologies-inc/
- www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-launches-investigat...
- www.fire.org/sites/default/files/2025/07/Order%20on%20Motion%20to%20Dismiss%20-%20Garcia%2...
- blog.character.ai/character-ai-names-karandeep-anand-as-ceo/
- www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-investigates-meta-a...
- www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/ftc-launches-inquiry-ai-chatbots-actin...
- www.courtlistener.com/docket/71355059/montoya-v-character-technologies-inc/
- www.courtlistener.com/docket/71359395/pj-v-character-technologies-inc/
- techcrunch.com/2025/10/01/character-ai-removes-disney-characters-after-receiving-cease-and...
- blog.character.ai/u18-chat-announcement/
- blog.character.ai/an-update-on-changes-to-our-under-18-experience/
- web.archive.org/web/20260914124114/www.kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=AttorneyG...
- www.pa.gov/governor/newsroom/2026-press-releases/shapiro-administration-sues-character-ai-...
- web.archive.org/web/20260816022954/www.garanteprivacy.it/home/docweb/-/docweb-display/docw...
- www.courtlistener.com/docket/74645761/ad-v-character-technologies-inc/
- www.trustpilot.com/review/character.ai