Backyard AI

Overview

Backyard AI is a platform for fictional character chats by text and voice, aimed at people who want to build interactive stories or roleplay with customizable characters. Its mix of hosted models and offline local-model use is a useful choice; the free hosted tier’s weekly message cap and the paid tiers’ different context limits are the main trade-offs.

Key features

The Community Hub offers thousands of characters to start from. Writers can shape characters with lorebooks, an author's note, grammars, and model parameters, which gives more room to steer an interactive story than simply choosing a preset persona. Group chats can include up to four characters, and voice calls add a spoken option alongside text. Persistent memory is supported.

Backyard Cloud subscriptions provide access to hosted models, with model selection and limits changing by tier. The desktop app can instead run local models offline, keeping data on the device. That route suits users who want local use, but model compatibility is limited to GGUF: FP16, GPTQ, and AWQ files are not supported. Local models can also be reached from a mobile browser or iOS app through opt-in tethering.

The plans page says data is protected with industry-standard encryption. The privacy policy says the company does not process sensitive personal information and may process data to provide, improve, and administer its services. Questions can be directed to the company by email.

Pricing

Backyard AI is freemium, with no free trial. The free hosted plan costs nothing and allows 300 messages per week, one included model, and 16k maximum memory. That is enough to try character chats, but the weekly cap makes it a poor fit for frequent hosted use.

The separate Desktop App plan is free, billed 100% free forever. It offers local models and offline use; a macOS Intel download is listed. This is the no-subscription route for users comfortable managing local models, rather than a way to get the hosted plan’s expanded model selection.

Standard costs $12 a month, billed $12 / month. It includes unlimited messages with every Standard model and a 16,384-token maximum context. It suits regular users who do not need Pro models or a larger context window. Pro costs $35 a month, billed $35 / month, and includes unlimited messages with Standard and Pro models plus a 100,000-token maximum context. The higher ceiling is useful for longer-running stories, but the price is a substantial step up from Standard.

Platforms

Backyard AI is available on Android, iOS, macOS, and the web. Its desktop app supports offline local-model use, and opt-in tethering lets users access local models from a mobile browser or iOS app.

Who it's for

Backyard AI is best suited to roleplayers and interactive-fiction writers who value character customization, group scenes, and the option to use local models. Readers seeking frequent hosted chats should weigh the free plan’s 300-message weekly limit against Standard’s monthly cost. Users who need a broader range of model-file formats should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Thousands of Community Hub characters and detailed customization tools support more tailored roleplay and story-making.
• Pros: Offline local-model use keeps data on the device, with mobile access through opt-in tethering.
• Pros: Group chats support up to four characters, with voice calls and persistent memory also available.
• Cons: The free hosted plan is capped at 300 messages per week and one included model.
• Cons: Local use supports GGUF models but not FP16, GPTQ, or AWQ files.
• Cons: Hosted model choice and context limits vary by subscription tier, and Pro costs $35 a month.

Alternatives

Browse AI Roleplay Chatbots to compare more options. HammerAI is worth considering if a larger free cloud-message allowance matters: its free plan includes 600 cloud messages per day, an 8,192-token context, two cloud LLMs, and local LLMs with an LLM API proxy. Choose Nastia if uncensored chat and basic companion customization are a better fit; its free plan has daily token limits, and Unlimited costs $15.99 a month.

SillyTavern is a free, open-source alternative for users looking for software across desktop, web, and self-hosted platforms. CrushOn.AI offers unlimited chats on free AI models, alongside 100 monthly credits for Pro Models and 20 daily Inspiration Replies. Ruby Chat lets users chat with AI companions for free, with premium features optional. Plotto offers a basic story-room AI chat with no message fee or limit, though other actions may cost coins or require payment. RolePlai provides unlimited AI character chat on its free plan, with ads and standard AI memory and intelligence. Talkie is another freemium option for Android, iOS, and web.

Verdict

Backyard AI is a strong fit for roleplayers and story writers who want customizable characters and a choice between hosted chat and offline local models. Its biggest advantage is that range; its main compromise is that hosted message access and context depend on the tier, while local use requires compatible GGUF files. Choose it if those trade-offs suit your workflow; look elsewhere if you need broader local-model file support or a more generous free hosted allowance.