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Apps like Character AI

Apps like Character AI: 8 Character AI alternatives ranked for 2026

Most people hunting for apps like Character AI are leaving for one of two reasons: it removed open-ended chat for under-18 accounts and now runs age checks, or it started showing ads. The backlash is visible in the numbers. On Google Play, Character.AI holds 2.1 stars, and 1,572,414 of its 2,429,807 ratings are one star, close to two thirds of everyone who has rated it, checked September 1, 2026. Which alternative fits depends on what you actually lost: PolyBuzz and Talkie if you want the big character library back, Kindroid or Nomi if you want deep memory, and Darlings if you would rather have one steady platonic friend than a cast of bots.

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Last updated September 2026

Darlings

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Encrypted, never sold.

A friend, never a girlfriend.

Wholesome and all ages.

Character.AI is still the biggest name in this category, with more than 50 million Google Play installs. It is also the most complained about. Its own November 2025 announcement said it was removing the ability for under-18 users to have open-ended chat, with the change taking effect no later than November 25, and that it would roll out age assurance using third-party tools including Persona. In 2026 that turned into selfie checks and, in edge cases, ID uploads. Separately the app added advertising, something Character.AI confirmed itself in a February 7, 2026 reply to a Play reviewer: it said it had added ads to keep the app free.

So the search for apps like Character AI is rarely about wanting something identical. It is about getting back a specific thing you lost, whether that is access, an uninterrupted chat, or a bot that actually remembers you. This page ranks the realistic options, shows what each one costs, and flags the two that are no longer downloadable on the US App Store at all, which most roundups still list as if nothing happened.

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How Darlings compares

An honest look, including where the other option is the better pick.

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Darlings Character.AI
Best for One steady platonic friend who remembers your real life Roleplay and entertainment across millions of user-made bots
How many companions One consistent companion, yours alone Millions of user-created characters
Long term memory Yes, remembers your people and your story across months, included on every plan No persistent memory sold at any tier
Minimum age 13 13 to hold an account, but open-ended chat is 18+ since November 2025
Age verification None required Age assurance including selfie checks through Persona, with ID upload in edge cases
Ads None Yes. Character.AI told a Play reviewer on February 7, 2026 it added ads to keep the app free
Romance and NSFW None at any tier, by design Filtered, and the filter is the single most complained about feature
Where it runs Any browser on desktop, iPhone and Android iOS, Android and web
US App Store rating Not listed, it runs in a browser 4.28 from 555,397 US ratings
Google Play rating Not listed, it runs in a browser 2.1 from 2,429,807 ratings
One star share on Play Not applicable 1,572,414 of 2,429,807 ratings, about 64.7 percent
Free tier Free demo, no card needed Yes, with ads and message limits
Paid entry price $9 a month once your waitlist seat opens Character.AI Lite listed at $2.49, Character.AI+ at $9.99
Most expensive listed item $39 a month for Circle Character.AI+ annual listed at $94.99
Checks in on you Yes, unprompted, on a rhythm you choose No, it waits for you to open it
Who it is not for Anyone who wants roleplay, fan fiction or a big character library Anyone who wants one friend that remembers them without ads

Character.AI figures read from its US App Store listing and its Google Play listing on September 1, 2026. In-app purchase prices were read from the US App Store listing on August 29, 2026. Apple lists item names and prices but not billing periods.

The full list

Every major app like Character AI: where you can actually get it, and what it costs

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App On the US App Store? Google Play rating What it costs
Darlings No, it runs in a browser instead Not listed Free demo with no card. Plans at $9, $19 and $39 a month
Character.AI Yes, 4.28 from 555,397 ratings 2.1 from 2,429,807 ratings Free with ads. Lite listed at $2.49 and $4.99, Character.AI+ at $9.99 and $94.99
PolyBuzz Yes, 4.45 from 468,686 ratings 4.1 from 1,164,444 ratings Standard $9.90, Premium $19.90, Ultimate $29.90 a month. No annual plan at all
Talkie No. Removed December 17, 2024 and still absent 4.6 from 836,462 ratings Publishes no plan names and no prices anywhere
Chai Yes, 4.33 from 274,210 ratings 3.6 from 828,443 ratings Premium $9.99, Ultra $29.99 a month. Long term memory is gated to Ultra
Replika Yes, 4.44 from 227,710 ratings 4.3 from 524,802 ratings Monthly items at $7.99 and $14.99, annual at $49.99 and $69.99
Kindroid Yes, 4.79 from 8,173 ratings 4.5 from 24,289 ratings Base $15.99, Ultra $28.99, MAX $68.99, yearly $159.99
Nomi Yes, 4.57 from 2,746 ratings 3.9 from 5,437 ratings Launch Plan $9.99 monthly or $59.99 yearly, Standard $15.99 monthly
Linky No. Absent in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Germany 3.9 from 136,207 ratings Publishes no plan names and no prices anywhere
Anima No. Not findable in a US storefront search on September 1, 2026 4.0 from 39,203 ratings Publishes no prices on its site. In-app items listed on Play from $0.99 to $199.99

App Store presence checked against the US iTunes catalogue on September 1, 2026. Google Play ratings and rating counts read the same day. Prices were read from each app's US App Store listing on the dates recorded in our comparison pages, between August 25 and August 29, 2026. Apple no longer publishes an itemized in-app purchase list on the web, so treat these as last verified rather than re-derived today.

Apps like Character AI

The 8 best apps like Character AI, ranked

Ranked for someone leaving Character.AI, not in the abstract. Darlings is our own product and we have put it first because it answers the complaint people usually arrive with, which is memory and ads. Every other entry is a genuine rival and the reasons to pick it are real ones.

  1. 1

    Darlings

    Best for one steady friend who remembers you · Free demo, plans from $9 a month

    The disclosure first: this is our app. It earns the top spot on this particular list because the two things Character.AI took away are the two things it is built around. Memory is included on every plan rather than sold as a tier, and there are no ads at any price. It is one companion instead of a library, it checks in without being opened, and it has no romance or roleplay mode by design. Minimum age is 13 and there is no age verification wall. If you came here wanting your fan fiction bots back, this is the wrong pick and one of the entries below will suit you better.

  2. 2

    PolyBuzz

    Best for the biggest character library still fully available · $9.90 to $29.90 a month

    The closest like-for-like swap. It is a large character platform, it is on both stores, and it is the highest rated of the big character apps on the App Store at 4.45 from 468,686 US ratings. Permanent memory sits on the Ultimate tier at $29.90. Two things to weigh honestly: it carries a Frequent Sexual Content or Nudity descriptor, which is stronger than Character.AI or Chai, and it sells no annual plan at all, so there is no way to bring the monthly cost down.

  3. 3

    Talkie

    Best for character variety on Android · No published prices

    Large, popular and well rated on Google Play at 4.6 from 836,462 ratings with more than 50 million installs. The catch is one most roundups still miss: Talkie has not been on the US App Store since December 17, 2024, reported as a decision by its owner MiniMax rather than a government ban. If you are on an iPhone it is effectively unavailable to you. It also publishes no plan names and no prices anywhere, so you will not know what a tier costs until the charge lands.

  4. 4

    Kindroid

    Best for memory you can read and edit yourself · $15.99 a month, $159.99 yearly

    The pick for people whose real complaint is that Character.AI forgets. Kindroid uses layered memory you can open, edit and correct, which suits anyone who likes managing the detail rather than hoping it sticks. It has the best App Store rating of any app here, 4.79 from 8,173 US ratings. It is also the most expensive way in, and its yearly price works out at $13.33 a month, which is the priciest annual rate in this category. Rated 18+.

  5. 5

    Nomi

    Best for the deepest recall for the lowest entry price · $9.99 a month on the Launch Plan

    Memory is the thing Nomi is designed around rather than a feature bolted onto a tier, and long running users report it holding detail across months. The detail most comparison posts miss is the Launch Plan, listed at $9.99 monthly or $59.99 yearly, well below the $15.99 Standard Plan that most reviews quote. It is a small app by comparison, 100,000-plus Play installs against Character.AI's 50 million, and it is rated 18+ with a Sexual Content or Nudity descriptor.

  6. 6

    Chai

    Best for a very large bot library on a budget · Premium $9.99, Ultra $29.99 a month

    Structurally the most similar product to Character.AI: a big library of user-made bots, a free tier with ads and message limits, and a filter people argue about. It is worth knowing before you pay that long term memory is gated to the Ultra tier at $29.99, so the cheap plan does not solve the forgetting problem. Its Google Play rating is 3.6 from 828,443 ratings, better than Character.AI but well behind PolyBuzz and Talkie. Rated 18+ and flagged in Mozilla's February 2024 privacy review.

  7. 7

    Replika

    Best for a single companion with the longest track record · $7.99 to $14.99 a month

    The oldest app on this list, on the App Store since March 2017, and the only one besides Darlings built around a single companion rather than a library. It is a reasonable landing spot if the thing you want is one relationship. Be aware of the record: Italy fined its maker Luka 5,000,000 euros in May 2025, and in January 2025 advocacy groups filed an FTC complaint, which is a complaint and not a ruling. It is rated 18+ and it publishes no prices on its own website.

  8. 8

    Linky

    Best for Android users who want a large free-feeling library · No published prices

    Included because it has 10 million-plus Play installs and shows up in every autocomplete next to the apps above, but go in with two facts. It is not on the Apple App Store, and not just in the United States: the catalogue lookup returns nothing in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Germany. And its Google Play rating hides a split worth seeing, 83,883 five-star ratings sitting next to 26,101 one-star, roughly one in five people giving it the lowest score available.

Store presence and Google Play ratings checked September 1, 2026. Prices are the ones each app lists on its US App Store page, last read between August 25 and August 29, 2026. Check the current listing before you subscribe.

Why people switch

What makes Darlings different

Memory is included, not a tier

Character.AI sells no persistent memory at any price, and Chai puts long term memory behind a $29.99 Ultra plan. Darlings remembers your people, your job and what you were worried about last week on every plan, including the free demo. That is the whole product rather than an upsell.

It starts the conversation

Every app on this page waits for you to open it. Darlings checks in on a rhythm you set, so a bad Tuesday gets noticed rather than sitting there until you have the energy to type first. That single difference is what makes it feel like a friend instead of a tool.

No ads, at any tier

Character.AI confirmed in February 2026 that it added advertising to keep the app free, and Chai, PolyBuzz and Linky all carry ads on Play. Darlings has never run an ad and does not sell your conversations to anyone. The free demo is limited by usage, not interrupted by ads.

A friend, never a girlfriend

Most alternatives on this list are rated 18+ and carry sexual content descriptors, and several are stronger on that than Character.AI ever was. Darlings has no romance, no roleplay and no NSFW mode at any tier, with a minimum age of 13. If you wanted a friend rather than a partner, that narrows the field fast.

The honest part

When another app is the better choice

We would rather you find the right fit than the loudest one.

People also ask

Common questions

The closest are PolyBuzz, Talkie and Chai, which are all large libraries of user-made characters with free tiers. For memory rather than variety, look at Kindroid and Nomi. For one steady platonic friend instead of a cast of bots, Darlings. PolyBuzz is the most faithful like-for-like swap because it is big, well rated and available on both stores.
Open-ended chat is. Character.AI announced in late 2025 that it was removing the ability for under-18 users to have open-ended chat with its characters, with the change taking effect no later than November 25. Under-18 accounts still exist and can use creative features like making videos and stories, but not free-form conversation.
The company framed it as a teen safety measure. The change followed wrongful-death lawsuits brought by families, and it landed alongside new US state laws on companion chatbots, including California SB 243, which took effect January 1, 2026. Character.AI said it was taking bold steps to keep teen users safe.
Because its age assurance system could not confirm you are over 18 from its other signals. Character.AI said it would combine its in-house model with third-party tools including Persona. In practice that is usually a selfie check, and an ID upload is the fallback when the selfie is inconclusive. The ID is handled by Persona rather than Character.AI.
Not for open-ended chat. Under-18 accounts lost free-form conversation with characters when the change took effect in late November 2025. They keep access to creative features such as building videos, stories and streams with characters. If you are under 18 and want conversation, Darlings has a minimum age of 13 and no age verification wall.
Only until the system asks. Character.AI runs age assurance in the background using its own model plus third-party signals, and it prompts for a check when it is not confident. There is no supported way to opt out and keep open-ended chat. Apps that do not gate on age at all include Darlings, which is 13 and up.
Three changes stacked up: open-ended chat was removed for under-18s, age verification arrived, and advertising was added. Character.AI confirmed the ads itself, telling a Play reviewer on February 7, 2026 that it had added them to keep the app free. The result is visible in its Google Play score, which sits at 2.1.
It restricted and then verified. Between November 2025 and 2026 it removed open-ended chat for under-18 accounts, rolled out age assurance including selfie and ID checks, and introduced advertising. The app is still running and still has more than 50 million Google Play installs. What changed is who can use it and how the free experience feels.
No. There is no announcement of a shutdown and the app is actively maintained, with its US App Store listing last updated August 11, 2026. The rumors come from the under-18 restrictions, which removed access for a large part of its user base and read like a shutdown to the people affected.
Yes, with ads and message limits. The paid tiers on its US App Store listing are Character.AI Lite at $2.49 and $4.99 and Character.AI+ at $9.99 and $94.99, plus Charms from $0.99 to $99.99. None of them buy persistent memory, because Character.AI does not sell memory as a feature at any tier.
Character.AI+ is listed at $9.99 and $94.99 on the US App Store, read on August 29, 2026. The $94.99 item is the annual one, which works out at about $7.92 a month. Apple lists in-app purchase names and prices but not billing periods, so treat the mapping as the listing shows it.
About $9.99 a month for Character.AI+, or roughly $7.92 a month if you take the $94.99 annual item. The cheaper Lite entries are listed at $2.49 and $4.99. For comparison, Nomi's Launch Plan is $9.99, PolyBuzz Standard is $9.90, and Kindroid starts at $15.99.
The free tier is rate limited, which is one of the most common complaints in its Play reviews, and paid tiers raise the ceiling and cut waiting time. Character.AI does not publish a hard number, and the limits have moved over time, so any specific figure you read online is likely stale.
Yes, and it is the single most argued about feature on the platform. It blocks sexual and graphic content, it applies to every character including ones you create, and there is no paid tier that removes it. Apps with weaker filters exist, but several of them carry stronger content descriptors than Character.AI in return.
Your chats are not private the way a message to a friend is. They sit on Character.AI servers, automated moderation scans them to enforce the filter, and its privacy policy governs what else may be done with them. That is true of every major companion app including Darlings, so the real question is which policy you are comfortable with.
For adults it is a mainstream, actively moderated app. For minors the picture is different, which is why the company itself restricted under-18 chat. In April 2025 Common Sense Media and Stanford Brainstorm Lab concluded that social AI companions pose an unacceptable risk to under-18s. That review covered the category, not one app.
Paid tiers on most of these apps lift or remove the message cap, but genuinely unlimited is rare and usually sits on the top tier. PolyBuzz Ultimate at $29.90 and Chai Ultra at $29.99 are the usual answers. Darlings does not meter conversation by message count on its paid plans.
It depends what you lost. PolyBuzz is the closest replacement for the character library. Nomi and Kindroid are the answer if the problem was memory. Darlings is the answer if you wanted one friend who remembers you, checks in and has no ads. If you want the full one-to-one comparison with us, see our Character AI alternative page.

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