Chai review (2026): is it worth it?
Mobile app for chatting with AI characters that users create
Black Friday: is there a Chai sale?
Chai report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for a mobile app for chatting with AI characters
Chai is an iOS and Android app for chatting with characters that users create. No prices are published on the vendor's site or its Google Play listing, and it's adults only. It isn't a work assistant, and the website lists a web version as coming soon.
Who Chai is for
- Fits if you want to chat with characters other users made on your phone
- Works for adults who want to write their own character
Who Chai is not for
- Not for you if you're under 18: age is checked by selfie or ID
- Not for you if you want a work assistant, as it's character chat only
- Watch out: no price is published, and some regions need a paid subscription
- Watch out: the web version is listed as coming soon
Why Chai gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyNo price is shown on the vendor's site or the Google Play listing, which says only that there are in-app purchases and ads.
- CFree plan and trialThe app carries ads and in-app purchases, and the Safety Center says some regions need a paid subscription.
- CFeaturesUser-made characters, in-character chat, in-house models and safety filters. A narrow job: character chat, not general work.
- BEase of useNo rating on record, but it's an app you install and start chatting in, with nothing to set up. Age checks apply.
- CPlatforms and integrationsiOS and Android only, with no web version yet and no integrations.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Chai's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/chai#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/chai.svg" alt="Chai: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Chai stands among AI assistants
Chai's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 9 of the 71 other AI assistants we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on ease of use (B, above 30 of 71) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 72 AI assistants we grade, cut by the letter each got. Chai’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 6 of 71, level with 35
- CFree plan and trialAbove 8 of 71, level with 33
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 71, level with 39
- BEase of useAbove 30 of 71, level with 26
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 71, level with 29
Keep Chai, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Chai you would be making an AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 52 of the 71 other AI assistants grade higher.
What you could not
- An AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. Chai’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Chai?
Chai is a consumer app where people build AI characters and stories and talk to them. It is made by Chai Research Corp., which trains its own language models for the product. The app is adults-only and sold through the iOS and Android stores.
Worth knowing
- Prices could not be confirmed: the vendor's site and its Google Play listing show none, which says only that the app has in-app purchases and ads.
- The company's Safety Center says that in some regions use of the service requires a paid subscription.
- Adults only: users must be 18 or older, and the company says it checks age through selfie estimation or ID verification by a third party.
- Runs as an iOS and Android app; the website lists a web version as coming soon. It is a character-chat product, not a general work assistant.
Key features
- User-made AI characters
- People create their own AI characters and stories and share them with others on the platform.
- Conversations in character
- The Google Play listing says the chatbots reply in character, with a large selection of characters to choose from.
- In-house language models
- The company says it trains its own models for the product rather than relying on open-source ones.
- Safety filters and reporting
- The app has optional filters for mature content and anonymous in-app reporting of characters and messages.
Chai pricing
We could not confirm Chai’s current pricing from its own site, so we are not listing plans here. See chai-research.com for current prices.
Chai alternatives
- Chai vs Character.AI
Free plan · from $4.99/mo
- Chai vs Poe
Free plan · from $4.17/mo
- Chai vs Pi
Free
- Chai vs ChatOn
Free plan · from $6.99
Common questions
Does Chai have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Chai is listed for iOS and Android.
Does Chai have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Chai is listed for iOS and Android.
Is Chai open source?
Chai is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.