Character.AI
Character.AI (character.ai) is an AI companion app — Mainstream platform — available on Web, iOS, Android. Pricing: Free tier (degraded in 2026: ads, paid regens); c.ai+ $9.99/mo — verified at the primary source on 2026-07-23. As of 2026-07-23, it permits no NSFW content and has a usable free tier.
The UGC roleplay giant — text, voice, stories; strictest content filter in the space
- Domain
- character.ai
- Type
- Mainstream platform
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android
- NSFW policy
- No NSFW — Strictest filter in the vertical; under-18 open-ended chat banned with ID age verification
- Free tier
- Yes — free tier — ads and paid regens since 2026
- Pricing
- Free tier (degraded in 2026: ads, paid regens); c.ai+ $9.99/mo ✓ verified 2026-07-23
- Tracked since
- 2026-07-02
Change history
2026-07-09 Launched '(c.ai) series' — original short-form vertical microdramas produced by an in-house studio, with interactive chat with the shows' characters for users 18+. (blog.character.ai (2026-07-09); TechCrunch 2026-07-09)
2026-07-02 Free-tier degradation tracked: ads and paid message regenerations now in the free experience; c.ai+ unchanged at $9.99/mo (our check)
2026-06-30 WIRED revealed Meta ran a covert program (codename 'Cannes', via contractor Covalen) paying contractors to pose as under-18 users and send crisis prompts — suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, sex — to rival chatbots including Character.AI: 45,000+ prompts in one August 2025 round. Character.AI said the testing violated its terms of service. (WIRED, via The Decoder 2026-06-30)
2026-06-17 Creator feature bundle shipped: updated Creator Guide, character creation/editing on mobile, Creator Insights analytics dashboard (interactions, followers, likes), a Following tab, push notifications for followed creators' releases, and creator leaderboards. (blog.character.ai (2026-06-17))
2025-11-25 Under-18 open-ended chat ban takes effect; ID-based age verification rolls out (company announcement)
Hands-on review
Not yet scored — Character.AI enters our standardized test bench in the first review pass. See the methodology for what we measure and how.
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