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Chat & searchCharacter Technologies

Character.AI

Character.AI is a chat and role-play app from Character Technologies where you talk with AI characters or create your own. It's known for long-form storytelling chat styles, Lorebook memory tools and newer formats like Comics and c.ai Series. Since November 2025, users under 18 can no longer use open-ended chat.

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Quick facts

VendorCharacter Technologies
CategoryChat & search
PlatformsWebiOSAndroid
Free planYes
Pricing from$9.99/month
Last reviewed

Best for

  • Fans of interactive fiction
  • Role-players who write long scenes
  • Creators who design characters

Key features

Character creation

Build your own Characters with a personality and backstory, then chat with them or let other people find them.

Chat styles

PipSqueak 3 and ShortSqueak are rolling out free to everyone, (c.ai) lite gives limited daily DeepSqueak and LongSqueak, and c.ai+ unlocks them fully.

LongSqueak and Style Control

A long-form chat style launched in August 2026 with 4x the memory, plus dials for reply length and dialogue versus narration.

Memory pins and Lorebook

Pin key messages, 15 on Free and 30 on c.ai+, and store world details in a Lorebook so Characters stay consistent.

Comics

Turn a chat into a multi-page comic with consistent character art, or start one from scratch, paid for with Charms.

c.ai Series and Feed

Watch short vertical episodes from Character.AI's in-house studio, then chat with the Characters to keep the story going.

Use cases

  • Run a months-long fantasy role-play where LongSqueak draws on the kingdom's history saved in your Lorebook.
  • Test a novel's antagonist in conversation to hear how their voice sounds before you draft the scene.
  • Turn a favorite chat with a Character into a multi-page comic you can share with friends.

Pricing

Pricing from
$9.99/month

The Free plan has ads, basic chat styles, 15 memory pins and slow mode. (c.ai) lite costs $4.99/month or $2.49/week for limited daily premium styles, fewer ads and more memory pins. c.ai+ costs $9.99/month or $94.99/year and removes ads and slow mode, adds DeepSqueak and LongSqueak, 30 pins and 20% bonus Charms.

Ways to save

  • Yearly c.ai+ at $94.99 costs $24.89 less than 12 months at $9.99, about 21% off.
  • If you buy Charms for Comics, c.ai+ adds a 20% bonus to every Charms purchase.
  • The (c.ai) lite plan, launched on September 28, 2026 at $4.99/month or $2.49/week, is a cheaper way to try premium chat styles than c.ai+.
Prices checked on Oct 12, 2026

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What is Character.AI?

Character.AI is built around user-made Characters rather than a single general assistant. You pick or write a Character, choose a chat style, and memory pins and Lorebook entries keep the story on track.

In 2026 it moved further into entertainment with c.ai Series episodes, a Feed and Comics.

Who it’s for

Adults who enjoy role-play, collaborative fiction and fandom get the most from it. For research, coding or office work, a general-purpose assistant is a better fit.

Limitations

  • Open-ended chat is limited to users 18 and over; under-18 accounts get creative formats instead, and parents can connect a Parental Insights tool for weekly email updates.
  • The Free plan shows ads and uses slow mode, and the best memory tier needs c.ai+.
  • Comics run on Charms, so spending can go beyond the subscription.
  • Characters produce fiction and can state things that aren’t true.

Character.AI FAQ

Yes. Character.AI has a permanent Free plan with basic chat styles, 15 memory pins and a basic Lorebook, supported by ads. The paid c.ai+ plan removes ads and slow mode and unlocks premium chat styles.

c.ai+ costs $9.99 per month or $94.99 per year on Character.AI's subscribe page. The subscription renews automatically, and you can cancel it at any time in your account settings.

Only partly. Character.AI removed open-ended chat with Characters for users under 18 by November 25, 2025, and checks ages with its own age assurance technology. Teens can still use c.ai Series, Feed, Comics and other creative formats.

LongSqueak is a c.ai+ chat style released in August 2026 for long-form role-play. It writes longer, novel-like replies, uses Lorebook and Memory with 4x the memory of other styles, and supports Long, Looong or Loooooong reply settings.

Charms are Character.AI's in-app currency for premium experiences such as Comics. They're separate from the c.ai+ subscription, although subscribers receive a 20% bonus on the Charms they buy.

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Sources

Reviewed on Oct 12, 2026

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