Character.AI
4.4Millions of community characters with unlimited free text chat
The default starting point: unmatched variety and the most generous free tier in the category.
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SillyTavern
The self-hosted frontend the power users all run
Our verdict. If you want total control and zero subscription, this is where the advanced users live. Best for: Running your own companion UI with your own model.
At a glance
Compiled from public sources — pending verification- Price
- Free and open source. You pay only for whichever model API you connect.
- Free tier
- Yes — usable without paying
- Price band
- Free
- Adult content
- Optional mature mode — the product has an optional mature mode we do not cover on this site
- Voice
- Live voice calls
- Images & video
- Image generation
- Memory
- Retains context across sessions
- Custom characters
- Yes · group chats supported
- Runs locally
- Yes — can run offline on your own machine
- Companion types
- Any character
- Visual style
- Mixed
- Platforms
- Desktop · Web
- Traffic
- —
- Privacy & safety notes
- Fully self-hosted; connect a local model and nothing leaves your machine.
What it does well
- Complete control over prompt and memory
- Works with local or hosted models
- Free forever
Where it falls short
- Requires technical setup
- No mobile app
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Before you buy. We publish prices from public pricing pages and label anything we have not personally checked. Prices on companion sites change often and regional pricing varies, so confirm the final amount at checkout. Affiliate disclosure.