The Character.AI Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Character.AI in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Character.AI
The Insider’s Guide
Chat and voice calls with user-made AI characters
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI assistants, read from Character.AI’s own pages.
Made by Character Technologies, Inc. · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Character.AI’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Character.AI’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 41 of the 71 other AI assistants we grade
Character.AI is a chat app built around AI characters, most of them made by other users, that you can text or call. People use it for roleplay, storytelling and casual conversation, and can build their own characters with a personality, backstory and voice. The company filed for Chapter 11 in October 2026 and is selling its assets.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Character.AI, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Free has ads and slower replies, and premium chat styles are paid.
- 1
Best for chat and voice calls with user-made characters
Character.AI gives you free text chat and voice calls with characters people made.
- 2
Paid plans start at $4.99 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $4.99 per month (Lite); US App Store price.
- 3
There is a free plan
Unlimited messaging with the free chat styles, with ads and slower responses when the service is busy.
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 5
Text chat and voice calls
Each character can be texted or called, and a conversation can move between the two.
- 6
Character creation
Users build their own characters with a personality, backstory and voice, and can share them with the community.
- 7
Chat styles
Responses come from selectable chat styles. PipSqueak 3 and ShortSqueak are free, while DeepSqueak and LongSqueak are premium styles.
- 8
A 2.8 GPA, above 41 of 71
That is against the other AI assistants we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Character.AI 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.
Character.AI at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $4.99 per month (Lite); US App Store price
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Character Technologies, Inc.
- Category
- AI Assistants
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
- Store rating
- 4.3 on the App Store, 561,437 ratings
The report card
Best for chat and voice calls with user-made characters
Character.AI gives you free text chat and voice calls with characters people made. The company filed for Chapter 11 on 12 October 2026 and its blog says the platform will be wound down if no buyer is found. Free has ads and slower replies, and premium chat styles are paid.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Lite is $4.99 a month, inside the category's cheaper quarter. c.ai+ is $9.99 and its billing period isn't shown. |
| Free plan and trial | B | Free: unlimited messaging on the free chat styles, with ads and slow mode when busy. One person can live on that. |
| Features | C | Text and voice, character creation, chat styles and memory pins on paid plans. A narrow job: character chat. |
| Ease of use | B | No rating on record, but it's an app you install and start chatting in with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, iPhone and Android. There's no desktop app or API listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Character.AI is for
- Fits if you want to chat or call characters made by other users
- Works for people who want to build their own character
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Roleplay, interactive fiction and casual character chat
- Creating and sharing custom AI characters
- Voice conversations with a character
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$4.99
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Character.AI has a free plan. Paid plans start at $4.99 per month (Lite); US App Store price.
Free: unlimited messaging on the free chat styles, with ads and slow mode when busy.
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.
The free plan
Unlimited messaging with the free chat styles, with ads and slower responses when the service is busy.
Read from apps.apple.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Chat and voice calls with user-made AI characters. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, chat assistant, community.
Text and voice, character creation, chat styles and memory pins on paid plans.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Character.AI is made by Character Technologies, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
41/71
Other AI assistants it is graded above
Character.AI's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 41 of the 71 other AI assistants we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 42 of 71) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $4.99 a month, against a middle price of $11 for the category: 5 of the 43 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 72 AI assistants we grade, cut by the letter each got. Character.AI’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 42 of 71
- BFree plan and trialAbove 42 of 71
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 71
- BEase of useAbove 30 of 71
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 32 of 71
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 52 AI assistants. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Character.AI is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Character.AI 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.
It costs $59.88 a year.
What you could not
- An AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make.
- A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. Character.AI’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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
ChatGPT, Grok, Poe, Pi and Sesame
The 5 tools Character.AI is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.4GPA
ChatGPT
Free plan · from $8/mo
OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant for chat, images and voice.
- Only ChatGPT lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Character.AI also covers community.
- ChatGPT also covers AI search.
- 2.6GPA
Grok
Free plan · from $10.00
AI assistant with live X and web search, images, video and voice.
- Character.AI also covers community.
- Grok also covers AI search and research.
- 3.4GPA
Poe
Free plan · from $4.17/mo
One app for chatting with AI models from many different labs.
- Only Poe lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Character.AI also covers community.
- Poe also covers AI search.
- 2.8GPA
Pi
Free
Emotionally intelligent personal AI for talking things through.
- Character.AI also covers community.
- Pi also covers natural-language input.
- 3.2GPA
Sesame
Free
Voice-first personal AI agents on iOS and Android.
- Only Character.AI lists a web app.
- Character.AI also covers community.
- Sesame also covers dictation and AI agents.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Character.AI free?
Character.AI has a free plan. Unlimited messaging with the free chat styles, with ads and slower responses when the service is busy.
How much does Character.AI cost?
Character.AI lists 3 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Character.AI work on?
Character.AI is available on Web, iOS and Android.
How is Character.AI rated?
Character.AI's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.3 out of 5 from 561,437 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Character.AI have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Character.AI is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Character.AI have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Character.AI is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Character.AI open source?
Character.AI is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Who makes Character.AI?
Character.AI is made by Character Technologies, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Character.AI?
The closest alternatives to Character.AI in our directory are ChatGPT, Grok, Poe, Pi and Sesame.
How does Character.AI compare with other AI assistants?
Character.AI's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 41 of the 71 other AI assistants we grade, and level with 10.
Is Character.AI good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Character.AI B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $4.99 a month, against a middle price of $11 for the category: 5 of the 43 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Character.AI?
To replace Character.AI you would be making an AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Character.AI’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Character.AI's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Character Technologies, Inc. Prices change, so check character.ai before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Character.AI, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/character-ai
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Character.AI: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/character-ai
Know someone choosing between AI assistants?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/character-ai/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI assistants after Character.AI, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Assistants Insider's GuideEvery one of the 72 AI assistants we grade, compared
- Gemini Insider's GuideGoogle's AI assistant, tied into Gmail, Docs and other Google apps3.8 GPA
- Chatbox Insider's GuideAI chat client for your own API keys or a hosted model plan3.4 GPA
- ChatGPT Insider's GuideOpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant for chat, images and voice3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Character.AI’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Character.AI is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Character Technologies, Inc. Prices and plans change: check character.ai before you buy.