Character AI: Chat, Talk, Text

Entertainment

6.7~~/10~~

Our score

★ 2.2 Google Play·50M+ installs

Reviewed by Editorial Team, ScoredApps editorial · updated 2026-10-06

Screenshots

Promotional card headed #1 ai chat app with a 100M+ trusted downloads badge and a phone showing the For You feed, where an illustrated elf card offers Continue this moment in chat

Create Character screen under the caption create your own character, with four generated images of a green-haired pop star, a text prompt box and Generate and Next buttons

Memory Usage screen under the caption characters that remember, with a segmented bar marked 65% left and rows for Always remembered, Chat history, My persona and a locked Character information

Voice call screen under the caption real-time voice calls, with an illustrated face lit in blue and yellow, the word Listening and Mute and End buttons

Chat titled Cool Seatmate under the caption customize your chats, showing a user message, a long italic roleplay reply and a footer reading This is A.I. and not a real person

Discover screen under the caption browse millions of characters, with category chips Creative, Fantasy, Gaming and Lifestyle above cards such as Aether, Space Adventure Janitor, AN-94 and Stella

About Character AI: Chat, Talk, Text

Character.AI is a roleplay and chat app built on Characters made by users: pick one from the library or build your own, then text it or call it. Messaging is unlimited on the free plan, and a Memory screen keeps pinned details between sessions. The catch is the free tier's ads and slow mode, plus an age check that sends accounts judged under 18 to reading mode without chat. Paid plans start at $4.99 a month (US).

App information

DeveloperCharacter Technologies, Inc.

Version1.17.4

Size445 MB (Android) · 271 MB (iOS)

Price / In-appFree

Contains adsYes

In-app purchasesYes

Content rating18+

Requires (Android)Android 7.0+

Requires (iOS)iOS 15.1+

Offline modeNone for new replies: messages are generated on the company's servers, which can queue users at busy times

Interface languagesBG, HR, CS, NL, EN, FI + 22 more

Store rating (Google Play)2.2 from 2,447,244 ratings

Installs50M+

Updated by developer2026-10-02

Data checked2026-10-06

Specs come from the official store listings and were last checked on 2026-10-06. Developers change pricing and requirements — check the store page before installing.

Character.AI Review: Unlimited Free Chat, but Ads and an Age Gate

Unlimited Free Messages, With Slow Mode and Banner Ads

Messaging is unlimited on every tier, free included, according to the help center. What the free plan trades away is comfort: a banner ad, interstitial ads between actions, slow mode when things get busy, and no access to the premium chat styles DeepSqueak and LongSqueak. Free chats run on PipSqueak 3 or ShortSqueak, a style built for short, texting-like replies. Charms soften the edges. Quests such as a daily log-in, creating a persona or posting to the Feed pay them out, and they can skip slow mode or buy a one-hour Ad Free Pass, the developer's Play replies say.

Memory Screen, Pins and Lorebook: What a Character Keeps

The notebook icon in a chat header opens the Memory screen, which lists Story Memory, Facts and a Memory Usage bar. Long-press a message and tap Pin to lock it in; free accounts get 15 pins, while lite and c.ai+ get 30. Facts are details the app picks up as you chat, such as appearance, quirks and relationships, and each one can be edited or switched off. Lorebook adds keyword entries: when a keyword comes up, the Character receives that entry, and a +Lore tag marks Characters that have one. None of it removes the limit the help center admits to, a finite context window, so older details can still slip away.

c.ai+ at $9.99, lite at $4.99: What the Tiers Remove

Two tiers sit above free. The lite plan costs $4.99 a month or $2.49 a week in the US: banner ads go, interstitials become rarer, slow mode eases, and a daily allowance of DeepSqueak and LongSqueak messages applies before chats drop back to PipSqueak 3. The c.ai+ plan is $9.99 monthly or $94.99 a year and removes ads and slow mode, with unlimited premium chats and 20% bonus Charms on pack purchases. Charms packs run from $0.99 to $49.99, and every Comics page generated spends them. Prices are US store listings, vary by region and can change. The help center says lite still shows ads.

Age Assurance and Reading Mode: Who Gets to Chat

Every account goes through age assurance. Signals such as login details and on-platform activity run first, and accounts judged under 18 land in reading mode, which keeps past chats, Feed and Imagine but removes chat with Characters. To return to the adult experience, Settings, Advanced, Verify Age starts a Persona check: a selfie, and a government ID only if the selfie is inconclusive. The help center says Persona deletes submissions within 7 days and Character.AI does not store them. Apple rates the app 18+ and lists age assurance among its in-app controls, while Google Play shows Teen.

Pros

Messaging is unlimited on every plan, free included, per the help center
Character Calls offer two-way voice chats in English, Spanish, Japanese and more
Memory screen combines Story Memory, Facts and a usage bar; pins start at 15
Comics turns a recent chat into a multi-page comic in four preset styles
Chats can be exported, and the account can be removed from profile settings

Cons

The free tier shows banner and interstitial ads; only c.ai+ removes them entirely
Google Play rating is 2.2 across 2.45M reviews, far below the App Store's 4.3
Accounts judged under 18 lose chat, and the adult check may need a selfie or ID
Premium chat styles DeepSqueak and LongSqueak are locked on free and capped daily on lite

Download From Google PlayDownload From App Store

We don't host any files. These buttons open the official Google Play and App Store listings.

Verdict

Choose it for the range: millions of user-made Characters, free two-way voice calls and a Memory screen that holds pinned details, with unlimited messaging on the free plan. Expect ads on the free tier, a verified-adult gate that can end in a selfie, and a Google Play rating of 2.2 that reflects those frustrations. Budget $4.99 for lite or $9.99 for c.ai+ if ads or slow mode bother you. Skip it if you want no ads without paying, or a phone shared with younger users.

Core function8.0Millions of user-made Characters, two-way voice calls, Comics and Memory tools; replies still depend on a finite context window.

Ease of use6.5A prompt plus Generate builds a Character, but reviewers say ads that open the store and the age check add friction.

Monetisation5.5Messaging is unlimited, yet free means full ads and slow mode; premium styles need lite at $4.99 or c.ai+ at $9.99.

Performance6.5Replies slow down at busy times, reviewers report crashes and blank messages, and Android is 445 MB against 271 MB on iPhone.

Privacy & permissions6.0Apple lists location and contact info as tracking data; Google Play declares no third-party sharing; age-check files go within 7 days.

6.7out of 10 · weighted average of the five scores above

Readers’ rating

Not enough reader ratings yet. Be one of the first.

Used Character AI: Chat, Talk, Text? Rate it

One rating per visitor, no sign-up. The average updates once a day. Store ratings are shown separately and are not mixed in.

Frequently asked questions

Is Character.AI free to use on a phone?

Yes. Messaging is unlimited on every plan, and Character Calls are available without paying. The free plan carries full ads, slow mode at busy times, 15 memory pins and no premium chat styles such as DeepSqueak and LongSqueak. Paid plans are lite at $4.99 a month and c.ai+ at $9.99, both US prices.

Can you talk to Character.AI characters by voice?

Yes. Character Calls opens a two-way, phone-style conversation with a Character, understands English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Japanese and Mandarin among others, and keeps the call as a text chat. Character Voice lets you add a voice made from an audio sample; it works in one-to-one chats and is free for everyone.

How much do c.ai+ and lite cost?

c.ai+ is $9.99 a month or $94.99 a year on the App Store listing, and lite is $4.99 a month or $2.49 a week. Lite cuts ads and adds daily premium messages; c.ai+ removes ads and slow mode. Charms packs start at $0.99. These are US prices, vary by region and can change.

How do I cancel c.ai+ or delete my Character.AI account?

Cancel in the store that billed you, through App Store or Google Play subscription settings; web purchases use a customer portal under Settings, Account, Manage. Deleting the account is separate and permanent: on mobile, open your profile, tap the settings icon and choose Remove Account. Export your chats first with Export my data.

How does Character.AI compare with Replika, Talkie and Chai?

Replika is built around one personal AI companion that remembers your plans, while Character.AI is a library of user-made Characters. On Google Play, Replika holds about 4.3 stars, Talkie 4.5 and Chai 3.0, against 2.2 here, though the App Store rating is 4.3. Talkie and Chai also carry ads. Check each app's age rating before installing.