Character AI Review: Score, Pricing & Privacy
Short answer: Character AI scores 7.2/10 on public information — strongest on content policy clarity, weakest on privacy & data control.
7.2 Public-data coverage: 91%
- Pricing & value9.0
- Privacy & data control3.0
- Memory & continuity7.0
- Content policy clarity10.0
- Features & platforms9.0
| Billing | subscription |
| From | $4.99/month |
| Free tier | Generous |
| Refunds | Limited |
| Adult content | Not allowed |
| Age verification | ID / third-party |
| Min. age | 13 |
| Memory | Yes |
| Trains on chats | Yes |
| Deletion | Self-service |
| Retention stated | No |
| Sharing | Broad |
| Platforms | Web, IOS, Android |
| Operator | Character Technologies, Inc. |
Plans
- (c.ai) lite: $4.99/month · Help center: 'starts at $4.99/mo', varies by region. App Store listing also shows a $2.49 Lite item (period not stated) - not used.
- c.ai+: $9.99/month · Standard price per June 2026 promo terms and App Store listing.
- c.ai+ annual: $7.92/month · $94.99/year (App Store listing and promo terms); 7.92 = 94.99/12.
What does Character AI cost?
Free and unlimited messaging for all users per the help center; waiting rooms only at high load; paid tiers add speed, premium chat styles, memory and fewer/no ads. Terms: payments are non-refundable except where required by law; app-store purchases follow Apple/Google refund policies; web (Stripe) refund requests go through support.
What is Character AI's adult content policy?
Terms prohibit obscene or pornographic content. Terms minimum age is 13 (16 in EEA/UK). Help center (updated July 2026): all users go through age assurance (account signals, then selfie via Persona if flagged under 18; ID only as last resort); users assessed as under 18 get a reading-mode experience with no character chat. Oct 2025 news reports the under-18 open-ended chat ban.
How does Character AI's memory work?
Help center says (c.ai) lite adds 'better memory' and c.ai+ includes 'the full memory suite'. Whether users can view/edit stored memories is not stated in what was read.
What happens to your data on Character AI?
Privacy policy (effective July 1 2026) lists chat communications among collected content and 'training our AI/ML models' among uses; no opt-out from model training found in the policy (regional disclosures not read). Account can be deleted from profile page. No retention period; public characters may persist after account deletion. Discloses personal info to advertising and analytics providers as well as vendors and affiliates.
Not stated publicly: edit memory.
What couldn't we confirm?
- Whether users can edit stored memories
- Whether regional privacy disclosures offer an opt-out from model training
- Whether image generation / group chat exist
- Affiliate program
- Retention period
FAQ
How much does Character AI cost?
The cheapest paid plan we found is $4.99 per month.
Does Character AI use your chats to train its AI?
Its privacy policy says chats may be used to train or improve its models.
Does Character AI verify users' age?
Yes — it uses an ID or third-party age check for adult content.
Adults 18+. Public-data score, not a hands-on test — method.