Are you looking for Character AI alternatives? Look no more because in this post I will take you through the 5 best alternativves to the popular AI service and I will give you a short review of them so you could decide which ones to use.

What is Character AI?

Character.AI is a platform where users can create, talk with and explore different characters. These characters could be fantasy ones, real impersonations or whatever one’s mind thinks about. Powered by large language models (LLMs), these characters posess natural language skills, convincing enough for users to spend their time on.

The platform has gained massive popularity amongst casual AI users, because of its large entertainment and even productivity value. Users can choose from a large set of characters, most of which community made, and can have conversations that they might not be able to have otherwise. For example, you could chat with Elon Musk! This is a conversation you could hardly arrange in the real world, but with the power of AI, you could have one.

From the productivity side of things, you could chat with a “Pair programmer” character that helps you code. Brilliant, isn’t it?

Why the need for Chatacter AI Alternatives?

If we have this great and popular service, one might wonder why would people search for alternatives.

Well, most importantly, there are some restrictions to the topics of conversation. No open-minded NSFW conversations are allowed with this service. And that rule is enforced with ChatGPT-like strictness. So people look for alternatives to Chatacter AI.

Character AI Alternatives

Caryn AI

Caryn AI is, according to the website, “the first influencer transformed into AI”. It has been trained for over 2000 hours to mimic the personality of popular internet star Caryn Marjorie as close as possible. She is a popular internet persona and influencer with presence on Instagram, YouTube and others.

Because Caryn has a massive following, she has created this service so that fans could get in touch with her AI self. Interestingly, 98% of Caryn AI’s users are male. This speaks for the personal and girlfriend-like experience that the app provides.

The service is delivered through Telegram, where you can chat with the Caryn AI, just like you’d chat with a normal person. It even has a free tier, restricted to the usage of a “Personal Dating Coach”, “Life Coach” or a “Therapist”.

The paid plan is priced at $1/min. It allows you to speak with Caryn AI on whatever topics you like, including NSFW topics. Therefore, it serves as an AI girlfriend, a companion or just a talking buddy.

Crushon.AI

This AI chat service is an unfiltered version of Character AI. Where the latter restricts users topically, Crushon.AI allows users to chat on.

Moreover, this service is tailored to the NSFW users, claiming open-mindedness, a boundary-free approach, and a flexible policy. It allows the users to express themselves freely and without judgement.

They even recommend it to artists, writers and regular users alike.

A good feature of this platform, that makes it similar to Character AI is that it allows users to create their custom characters to chat with. Of course, it also has a pre-existing set of characters that users are using, which one can also choose from.

The pricing devises a free and three paid plans. The free tier allows for 50 messages/month, which allows users to get a good taste of the service. There are three paid plans outlined in the table below, of which the Premium is the most popular option.

	Price	Message Quota (monthly)	Memory
Standard	$4.90/mo or $58.80/y	2000	Limited
Premuim	$7.9/mo or $94.8/y	6000	Good
Deluxe	$29.9/mo or $358.8/y	Unlimited	Maximum

JanitorAI

Janitor AI is another good Character AI alternative and it shows even in its user interface. It very closely resembles the with its dark theme and endless lists of characters.

On the website one can find thousands of characters (9000+ at the time of writing), so there is something for everyone. The characters are not focused around a particular interest but there are all types of them. So, no matter if you like anime, series, cartoon characters, imaginary personalities, there would be something for you.

This platform works in a little different way than the others because technically it is free, but you have to use your OpenAI ChatGPT API key to power it. So, consider that when using it. And the ChatGPT API is a paid service.

ChatGPT

As we know ChatGPT is the undisputed king and originator of most LLM-based apps. So, it couldn’t go without a mention.

What some users of it might not realize, however, is that it could also be used as a character personalized chat bot. Most AI chatbots already run on top of the OpenAI APIs, so one could hone their own personal chat bot. How?

Using the power of prompting one could instruct ChatGPT to adhere to certain personality characteristics. So, if you are in need of a personal math teacher or just want to chat to an anime character for fun, you could achieve that. And it’s free.

Of course, you could pay for a ChatGPT 4, which comes at $20/mo and you would enjoy more refined and better responses. However, there is a downside: slower generation time.

You are probably going to be better off sticking with the free ChatGPT as a Character AI alternative.

Charstar.ai

This service closely resembles Character AI, however, being more romantically tailored and NSFW. Here you will find all sorts of fantasy characters and you can chat with them. You also have the option to create a character.

I tried one of the characters and the conversation was half story-like, half conversation. Overall, an unique format.

Upon inspecting them one can see that they are more geared towards the male users, as there are many more female AI characters.

A plus is that they have a Discord server, where users can discuss and share.

There is a free and a paid tier. With the free tier you still get a good experience, as you can use it indefinitely. It utilizes a custom “Pygmalion 7B” LLM model. The paid tier Charstar Plus costs $14.99/mo and is powered by the much more powerful ChatGPT 3.5.

Conclusion

When deliberating on a suitable Character AI alternative, the decision should revolve around your specific inclinations and objectives. Should you desire personalized interactions, Caryn AI adeptly emulates the persona of an internet sensation, whereas Crushon.AI provides a platform for open-ended discussions and creative expression, making it an appealing choice for artists and writers. If a broad spectrum of character choices is paramount, JanitorAI offers an extensive array, albeit reliant on ChatGPT API for its functionality.

For those seeking interaction versatility, ChatGPT empowers users to craft their chatbots through prompts, with both complimentary and subscription-based ($20/month) options available. Alternatively, if themes of romance and NSFW content align with your interests, Charstar.ai offers a free tier as well as a Charstar Plus subscription ($14.99/month) powered by ChatGPT 3.5, catering distinctly to diverse preferences. In essence, the ideal Character AI alternative hinges on factors like personalization, interaction style, and thematic alignment, ensuring that your chosen platform resonates effectively with your preferences.