About us

A dedicated, third-party guide to Character AI written for readers who want the honest picture: what the platform does today, what it used to do, what it costs, and where it falls short.

What this site is

An independent editorial site covering Character AI, the character-chat platform launched in September 2022 by Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas. Coverage focuses on the questions readers actually run into: is the app really free, what does c.ai+ pay for in 2026, which store listing is real, how does the filter behave now compared to 2023, and which alternatives actually work if Character AI is not the right fit. The main Character AI guide is the primary artifact this site produces; every other page here supports it.

What it is not

Not owned by, sponsored by, or affiliated with Character Technologies. Not a support channel — for account recovery or payment issues, use support.character.ai. Not a general-purpose AI news site — coverage sticks to the consumer companion-chat category and adjacent platforms named in the main guide. And not a landing page pretending to be a review: everything published here is editorial, dated, and open to correction.

Why the site exists

Character AI changes fast. The filter tightened in waves through 2023–2024, the store rating jumped from 12+ to 17+ in November 2024, Google licensed the underlying technology in August 2024, mid-chat ads and Charms metering arrived in early 2026. Static write-ups from a year ago miss most of that. This site is meant to be the version that gets updated instead of the version that gets forgotten — with dates on every claim and a documented testing methodology behind the tests.

Who edits the site

Editorial lead is Melissa Blake, senior editor covering AI companion apps since 2022. Coverage responsibility for every published page sits with her. Her wider category work touches Replika, Chai, Janitor AI, JanitorAI, Talkie, Kindroid, PolyBuzz, Candy AI, SpicyChat, Chub and PepHop, which gives comparisons on this site a wider point of reference than a Character-AI-only view. Full byline and contact detail sit on the author profile.

Editorial position

Coverage is direct. Character AI does good things well (long roleplay sessions, character voice fidelity, deep public catalogue) and it does other things poorly (factual grounding, filter consistency, communication during monetisation changes). Both get named. When a claim rests on external research, the source is linked with sample size. When a claim rests on session testing, the methodology page documents how the test was run. When a comparison mentions an alternative that pays affiliate commissions, that fact is disclosed rather than hidden.

How the site makes money

Some outbound CTAs are affiliate links. When a reader signs up or subscribes after clicking one, the site may receive a small commission at no cost to the reader. This does not change which platforms get covered, how they rank in comparisons, or whether a critical claim gets softened. The full policy — including what affiliate revenue is not allowed to influence — sits on the editorial policy page.

Reader profile

Adult, 18+. Character AI itself is 17+ per store rating, but the framing here is written for an adult reader. Typical use cases: someone deciding whether to sign up, someone weighing c.ai+ against their actual usage pattern, someone looking for the reasons behind filter frustrations, or someone shopping for an alternative. Detail on the age gate is on the age verification page.

Corrections and contact

Factual corrections are welcome and take precedence over defence of the original wording. Editorial contact goes through LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melissablake1. Confirmed corrections are applied to the affected page, logged on the editorial policy page, and reflected in the schema dateModified. Turnaround target: seven working days.

Last reviewed: July 11, 2026 · by Melissa Blake