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Best Character AI alternative chatbots ranked

The best platforms for custom AI agents

Reviewed By: Kevin Pocock

Last Updated on April 15, 2024
Character AI chatbot - The best alternatives to make a custom artificial intelligence agent for conversation.
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What’s the best Character AI alternative?  The AI chatbot app allows users to create custom AI agents on iOS and Android. The user-friendly interface is already a welcome alternative to OpenAI’s ChatGPT for many, notably because of the specialized nature of the bots themselves. Both options use LLMs for NLP, but unlike the world’s favorite text-based GPT technology, Character AI instead hosts many ‘AI agents’ each of which represents a character, fiction or non-fiction, from pop culture. If you’re having ‘can’t log in’ errors or can’t use Beta Character AI for any other reason, here are the best alternative character chatbots.

What’s the best Character AI alternative?

The best character.ai alternatives ranked:

Cleverbot

A classic! I remember the novelty of Cleverbot back in… 2013? Having looked it up, this ‘OG’ of the AI chatbot world launched even earlier than I thought! Created by British AI scientist Rollo Carpenter in October 2008, Cleverbot was preceded by Jabberwacky (the ChatGPT of 1997).

Eviebot

Often remembered synonymously with Cleverbot (at least in my case). This is the AI chatbot that YouTubers made videos about in the early-mid 2010s. The novelty of a computer program that could talk back (albeit slowly) went viral across the internet. Thinking back, that may have been the zeitgeist moment, the point at which we all experienced natural language processing (NLP) for the first time together.

Janitor AI

Janitor AI is a relatively new but popular character bot platform. This option is mostly concerned with fictional characters, particularly from popular anime.

Botify AI

This option allows “Fun chat with your favorite characters” such as Elon Musk. The Botify website also features less specific ‘characters’ such as Vampire.

Elon Musk on Botify AI app.
Character AI alternative Botify AI featuring Elon Musk.

Tavern AI

This option is self-described as an adventurous and “atmospheric chat” that “works with api like KoboldAI, NovelAI, Pygmalion, OpenAI chatGPT”. [sic]

Kuki AI

Kuki is “an award-winning AI brain designed to entertain humans.”

ChatFAI

ChatFAI is an “AI-powered experience that allows you to chat with your favorite characters from movies, TV shows, books, history, and more.”

Chai app

With 100 million+ chats started in September 2023, and a mobile app for Android and iOS, Chai appears to be one of the most polished chat apps outside of ChatGPT itself.

Jasper AI

With 100,000+ corporate clients, Jasper is by far one of the best, and widely used, AI chatbot platforms. As explained through their KSP, “Interacting with artificial intelligence used to feel difficult, overwhelming, and a bit robotic. With Jasper Chat, simply ask your friendly chatbot to generate ideas, revise your content, or even make you laugh.”

A screen shot of Jasper AI website featuring an AI chatbot.
Character AI alternative Jasper AI.

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Best Chatbot platform without NSFW content restrictions

Many users are searching for unfiltered conversations with NSFW characters. However, we don’t cover NSFW topics and won’t be explaining how to get around the NSFW filter on the above websites.

Ethical guidelines surrounding human-like conversations with non-fiction public figures are an ongoing debate. The ‘virtual girlfriend’ chat experience is hardly new, only now natural language processing (NLP) allows for AI companions, or ‘AI girlfriends’, in a way never before possible.

Best AI Chatbot alternatives

Other chatbot alternatives include Novel AI, Crushon AI, and Pygmalion AI. Although you’ll probably find what you need from our main list, we’ll keep this ever-expanding article up to date with all the best chatbots for chat conversations!

Steve is the AI Content Writer for PC Guide, writing about all things artificial intelligence. He currently leads the AI reviews on the website.