Best Character.AI Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from AI chatbots and assistants ranked against Character.AI on the same published basis.
- 1Character.AI vs ChatGPT
- 2Character.AI vs Perplexity
- 3Character.AI vs Claude
- 4Character.AI vs Microsoft Copilot
- 5Character.AI vs Gemini
- 6Character.AI vs Poe
- 7Character.AI vs Grok
- 8Character.AI vs AnythingLLM
- 9Character.AI vs LobeChat
- 10Character.AI vs Amazon Q
- 11Character.AI vs Vibe
- 12Character.AI vs DeepSeek
- 13Character.AI vs Kimi
- 14Character.AI vs Lumo
- 15Character.AI vs Merlin
- 16Character.AI vs Meta AI
- 17Character.AI vs Doubao
- 18Character.AI vs Yuanbao
- 19Character.AI vs Big-AGI
- 20Character.AI vs Qwen Chat
Character.AI alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatGPT | 9.5 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | Perplexity | 9.5 | Free plan | $20/mo | Android, API, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Claude | 9.5 | Free plan | — | Android, API, Browser, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Microsoft Copilot | 9.3 | Free plan | $8.33/mo | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 5 | Gemini | 9.2 | Free plan | Free | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 6 | Poe | 9.0 | Free plan | Free | Android, API, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 7 | Grok | 8.8 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 8 | AnythingLLM | 8.5 | Free plan | — | Android, API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 9 | LobeChat | 8.5 | Free plan | $9.90/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 10 | Amazon Q | 8.4 | Free plan | — | Web, Android |
| 11 | Vibe | 8.4 | Free plan | $14.99/mo | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| 12 | DeepSeek | 8.3 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 13 | Kimi | 8.3 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 14 | Lumo | 8.3 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 15 | Merlin | 8.3 | Free plan | Free | Web, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 16 | Meta AI | 8.2 | No | — | Web, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 17 | Doubao | 8.2 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 18 | Yuanbao | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 19 | Big-AGI | 8.2 | Free plan | $9/mo | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 20 | Qwen Chat | 8.1 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
Make your app an alternative to Character.AI
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Character.AI alternatives
What is the best alternative to Character.AI?
ChatGPT, number 1 in AI chatbots and assistants with a score of 9.5 out of 10. The others here: Perplexity, Claude, Microsoft Copilot and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Character.AI?
ChatGPT is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 16 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on.