Character.AI vs Sesame (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Character.AI if

• Fits if you want to chat or call characters made by other users
• Works for people who want to build their own character

Look elsewhere if

• Watch out: the company filed for Chapter 11 on 12 October 2026 and the platform could be wound down
• Tight if you stay free: ads, slow mode and no premium chat styles
• Watch out: c.ai+ is shown without a billing period
• Not for you if you want a work assistant, since this is character chat

Pick Sesame if

• Fits if you want to talk to an AI by voice on your phone for free
• Works for iPhone owners who want it to reach Gmail and Calendar

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a desktop or web app, as only phones are listed
• Watch out: the maker calls the iOS release a preview and has published no later pricing
• Not for you if you need a language other than English, which the maker calls early and less reliable
• Watch out: the app is limited to a list of supported countries

Character.AI

• The company filed for Chapter 11 on Oct 12, 2026; if no buyer is found, its blog says the platform will be wound down.
• Its blog says subscriptions and billing are unchanged for now, and subscribers would be told before any change to paid features.
• The free plan carries ads and slow mode, and premium chat styles are limited to paid plans.
• The App Store listing shows prices for c.ai+ without a billing period; the Lite price is confirmed by the maker's blog.

Sesame

• The maker still calls the iOS release a preview, and the full experience was free at launch with no later pricing published.
• Sesame officially supports English; other languages work but are described as early and less reliable.
• The app is limited to a list of supported countries, so it may not be available everywhere.
• The app list on the maker's site says it is available on iOS and Android, but only the iOS listing was read for details.

Character.AI

Text chat and voice calls

Each character can be texted or called, and a conversation can move between the two.

Character creation

Users build their own characters with a personality, backstory and voice, and can share them with the community.

Chat styles

Responses come from selectable chat styles. PipSqueak 3 and ShortSqueak are free, while DeepSqueak and LongSqueak are premium styles.

Memory

Paid plans add memory pins and a memory usage bar so a character keeps track of details across a chat.

Community characters

The app hosts a large library of characters made by other users that can be browsed and followed by creator.

Sesame

Voice and text conversation

Agents are built for spoken back-and-forth and can be texted when talking is not practical.

Four characters

Maya, Miles, Simone and Charlie each have their own personality and voice, and each keeps its own memory and app access.

Connected apps

Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive can be connected, and external MCP servers that use OAuth are supported.

Skills

A skill is a plain-language playbook created in conversation that runs on demand or on a schedule.

Incognito mode

In this mode nothing new is saved to memory or to Sesame's servers, according to the App Store description.

Character.AI

• Free$0

  Unlimited messaging on the free chat styles, with banner and interstitial ads and slow mode at busy times.

• Lite$4.99

  per month; $2.49 per week also offered

  A daily allowance of premium chats, no banner ads and fewer interstitial ads, less slow mode, and extra memory pins.

• c.ai+$9.99

  billing period not shown; $94.99 also listed

  Unlimited premium chats, no ads and the full memory suite, per the maker's description of the plan.

Sesame

• Free$0

  The app is free; the maker has published no paid plan and no usage limits.