Chai
A mobile app for chatting with AI characters made by Chai Research and its users.
Fixes
Step-by-step fixes for common Chai problems.
Alternatives
Where people go when Chai is not working for them.
- Replika Alternatives (2026): 7 Apps Compared on Price, Memory and Group Chats If you want group chats and a stronger focus on memory, Nomi and Kindroid are the closest swaps for Replika. Both let you chat with several companions in one group. Nomi's Launch Plan is $9.99 a month on the US App Store, and its homepage says it is free to start. Kindroid is $15.99 a month and has no ongoing free tier. For free roleplay with lots of characters, Character.AI keeps unlimited free messaging. Its owner is going through a court-supervised sale, though, and says the platform will close if no viable bid emerges. SpicyChat is web-based, 18+ and publishes exact memory sizes. Pi is a free, calm chat partner with voice mode but no companion features. Talkie is the only one here open to under-18s. Chai could not be found on the US App Store on 29 October 2026.
- Character.AI Alternatives (2026): 7 Apps Compared, Free and Paid No single app replaces Character.AI for everyone. For free, open-ended roleplay with user-made characters, Janitor AI and SpicyChat both say their core service stays free, and both are 18+. For one long-running companion with deep memory, Kindroid ($15.99 a month on the US App Store) and Nomi ($15.99, or $9.99 on its Launch Plan) are built for that, also 18+. Replika suits people who want one steady companion rather than many characters. Chai and Talkie are mobile character apps whose listings do not say what the free tier includes. Talkie is the only one here whose terms allow users under 18 (14+ in most countries).
Best-of lists
Shortlists that include Chai, with the reasoning shown.
- Best AI Roleplay Apps for Android (2026): 9 Apps Checked on Google Play All nine apps here have an official way onto Android. Eight are on Google Play; SpicyChat is an APK from its own website. For adults, Janitor AI (listed on Play as 'Janitor: Interactive Stories' by janitorai) ranks first: 4.3 stars, a roleplay-first listing and a free core service. Kindroid matches its rating but has no ongoing free tier. Nomi, Chai, SpicyChat and Replika follow. For under-18s, only Talkie's terms clearly allow teens (from 14 in most countries). Character.AI is rated Teen on Play but has removed open-ended chat for under-18s. PolyBuzz is rated Mature 17+ and publishes no minimum age. Check the developer name before installing, because look-alike apps exist.
- Best Free AI Companion Apps (2026): What Each Free Tier Includes Character.AI is the most generous and most transparent free tier on paper: its September 2026 post says unlimited messaging stays on every tier, and its plan page says free accounts get full ads, slow mode and basic memory. SpicyChat and Janitor AI both promise a free core service for adults, and SpicyChat publishes its free context size (4,096 tokens). Replika's help centre says chatting will always be free, with calls and extras on the paid plan. Nomi gives free accounts a daily allowance of messages and images but does not publish the numbers. PolyBuzz, Chai and Talkie all offer free use, but none of their official pages read states a free message limit. Six of the eight state 18+ on official pages or store listings; Talkie's terms allow users from 14, and no PolyBuzz minimum age was found.
Safety and privacy
Privacy, chat storage, age rules and staying safe.
More Chai guides
What changed for Chai
Merged from the change logs of every guide above, newest first. Each entry links to the guide that records it.
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Nomi section updated: its cancellation policy, rechecked on 3 November 2026, now also lists cancelling App Store and Google Play subscriptions inside the Nomi app. Added a link to our Candy AI review. No other rules changed.
How to Cancel an AI Companion Subscription and Get a Refund (2026): App by App · Guides -
Aitryvo joined SpicyChat's affiliate programme; SpicyChat links on this page are now affiliate links too, and the disclosure was updated. The list did not change.
Replika Alternatives (2026): 7 Apps Compared on Price, Memory and Group Chats · Alternatives -
Added a no-filter section for adults (Kindroid, SpicyChat, Janitor AI and Nectar AI content and age rules) and a matching FAQ, from those companies' own pages read 22 October to 3 November 2026. Nectar AI links are affiliate links and are disclosed. The seven-app comparison did not change.
Character.AI Alternatives (2026): 7 Apps Compared, Free and Paid · Alternatives -
Aitryvo is now in the Nomi and SpicyChat affiliate programmes; links to those two apps on this page are affiliate links and are disclosed. The list and trade-offs did not change.
Character.AI Alternatives (2026): 7 Apps Compared, Free and Paid · Alternatives -
New guide published; Google Play listings, data safety pages, SpicyChat's APK route and each company's age rules checked on 29 October 2026
Best AI Roleplay Apps for Android (2026): 9 Apps Checked on Google Play · Best of -
New guide published; cancellation, refund and renewal rules checked on each company's terms, help centre and policy pages, and on Apple and Google help pages, on 29 October 2026
How to Cancel an AI Companion Subscription and Get a Refund (2026): App by App · Guides -
New guide published; prices, free use, memory, group chats and age rules checked on official pages, terms and US App Store listings on 29 October 2026
Replika Alternatives (2026): 7 Apps Compared on Price, Memory and Group Chats · Alternatives -
Updated for Replika's terms of 28 October 2026: new free-use (section 2.3) and age (section 6.4) wording quoted; the terms no longer name Pro, Ultra or Platinum, so plan names are now attributed to the help centre. Ranking unchanged.
Best Free AI Companion Apps (2026): What Each Free Tier Includes · Best of
Show 9 earlier changes
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Updated for Replika's privacy policy of 28 October 2026: new retention periods (24 months for text chats, 12 months for media while the account is open; profile data deleted within 60 days of account deletion), its US notice that it 'sell[s]' and 'share[s]' personal information with an opt-out, human review for serious-harm content, Incode age checks, and the conflict with its Google Play privacy claim. No verdict changed.
Are AI Companion Apps Safe? Privacy, Chat Storage and Deletion · Safety -
Updated for Replika's terms of 28 October 2026: they still call account deletion irreversible but no longer say data 'will be removed permanently'; they now refer to the privacy policy instead. No verdict changed.
Are AI Companion Apps Safe? Privacy, Chat Storage and Deletion · Safety -
Platforms corrected: Janitor AI has a US App Store app, SpicyChat has an official Android APK but no App Store app, and Chai's US App Store listing was not found on 29 October 2026.
Character.AI Alternatives (2026): 7 Apps Compared, Free and Paid · Alternatives -
Updated for Replika's terms of 28 October 2026: Replika age rule now quotes the new section 6.4 wording. No verdict changed.
Character.AI Alternatives (2026): 7 Apps Compared, Free and Paid · Alternatives -
Replika moved from 8th to 4th: its help centre, readable on a second check, says chatting will always be free and lists what paying adds
Best Free AI Companion Apps (2026): What Each Free Tier Includes · Best of -
New guide published; free-tier limits, prices and age rules checked on official pages and App Store listings on 27 October 2026
Best Free AI Companion Apps (2026): What Each Free Tier Includes · Best of -
New guide published; checked against Chai's Safety Center, website, EULA and privacy policy, its Google Play listing, Apple's App Store lookup, and Apple and Google help pages on 27 October 2026
Chai App Not Working? How to Check and Fix Common Problems · Fixes -
New guide published; privacy policies, terms, help pages and store listings read on 22 October 2026
Are AI Companion Apps Safe? Privacy, Chat Storage and Deletion · Safety -
New guide published; prices, age rules and limits checked on official pages and US App Store listings on 22 October 2026
Character.AI Alternatives (2026): 7 Apps Compared, Free and Paid · Alternatives