--- title: Character.AI review url: https://promptplay.io/apps/character-ai updated: 2026-10-16 license: https://promptplay.io/ai-license --- 1. [Home](/) 2. /[Reviews](/apps) 3. /Character.AI Character chat # Character.AI review Millions of community-made characters, free unlimited chat, and ads until you pay Edited by [Troy](/about) · Published August 23, 2026 · Updated October 16, 2026 Verdict Pick Character.AI if you want free, unlimited chat with a huge library of community-made characters, by text or live voice call, and export your chats first, because it filed for Chapter 11 in October 2026 and may shut down if no buyer keeps it running. Skip it if you need a bot that holds a long story together, if you won't sit through ads, or if you won't verify your age with a selfie should your account be flagged. Overall slop51MicrowavedFun 5/10 - Best for Free, unlimited chat with community-made characters, by text or voice - Pricing Free with unlimited messaging and ads. At this review, lite costs $4.99 a month or $2.49 a week (varies by region), and c.ai+ costs $9.99 a month or $94.99 a year in USD. - Platforms Web, iOS, Android [Character.AI official site](https://character.ai/) On this page (11)Show 1. [Slop Report](#slop-report) 2. [Key facts](#key-facts) 3. [Strengths and watch-outs](#strengths) 4. [Ranked in](#ranked-in) 5. [Sale schedule update: November 10, 2026](#sale-schedule-update-november-10-2026) 6. [What it is](#what-it-is) 7. [What it is like to use](#what-it-is-like-to-use) 8. [Pricing at this review](#pricing-at-this-review) 9. [Who should skip it](#who-should-skip-it) 10. [Receipts](#receipts) 11. [Questions people ask](#faq) On this page 1. [Slop Report](#slop-report) 2. [Key facts](#key-facts) 3. [Strengths and watch-outs](#strengths) 4. [Ranked in](#ranked-in) 5. [Sale schedule update: November 10, 2026](#sale-schedule-update-november-10-2026) 6. [What it is](#what-it-is) 7. [What it is like to use](#what-it-is-like-to-use) 8. [Pricing at this review](#pricing-at-this-review) 9. [Who should skip it](#who-should-skip-it) 10. [Receipts](#receipts) 11. [Questions people ask](#faq) Slop Report ## Overall: Microwaved 0 to 100, lower is better. The overall score is the average of the axes below. 51/100 - Prose Microwaved 50 Users call the older default chat style Wattpad-ish and say the paid DeepSqueak model now gives short replies. Asks: Does it write like a person? - Memory Microwaved 55 The bot works mainly from recent messages and pins you set yourself, and the paid tiers sell more pins and the full memory suite. Asks: Does it remember you? - Characters Microwaved 45 Users build the millions of characters, so each personality is whatever its creator wrote into it. Asks: Does everyone sound the same? - Story Does anything happen? Not scored, since this axis doesn't apply to this app. - Pricing Microwaved 48 Messaging is free and unlimited, but ads and capped premium styles push you toward lite at $4.99 or c.ai+ at $9.99 a month. Asks: Does it charge you for caring? - Art Microwaved 55 Of five featured characters' avatars on Character.AI, Monster Maker is raw early generator output with melted limbs and floating fragments and Clara Brooks has the glossy default AI portrait look, next to a painterly generated Loki, a manga-style panel and a photo of a crochet doll. Asks: Does the art look like a person made it? Fun Meter ## Decent 0 to 10, higher is better. 5/10 A huge community library with voice calls, held back by ads, short memory and chat limits that users report. At this review ## Key facts | Type | Character chat | | ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | | Pricing at this review | Free with unlimited messaging and ads. At this review, lite costs $4.99 a month or $2.49 a week (varies by region), and c.ai+ costs $9.99 a month or $94.99 a year in USD. | | Age rating | 18+ | | Content policy | Mature themes, not explicit | | Who writes the characters | Made by other users | | Memory | Mainly recent messages plus memories you pin yourself. Paid tiers add more pins, and users say older context slides out. | | Best for | Free, unlimited chat with community-made characters, by text or voice | The good and the bad ## Strengths and watch-outs Strengths - +The App Store listing says Character.AI hosts millions of user-generated characters, and you can create and publish your own. - +You can talk to characters by text or by live voice call. - +Every tier keeps unlimited messaging, and the PipSqueak 3 and ShortSqueak chat styles are free for everyone. - +At this review, the lite plan costs $4.99 a month and adds extra memory pins, a Memory Usage bar and no banner ads. - +Memory pins and Lorebook let you decide what the bot keeps in view. Watch out for - !Character.AI filed for Chapter 11 on October 12, 2026 to sell the company. It says the platform will wind down if no buyer keeps it going. The court-approved bidding schedule sets a sale hearing for December 3 and 4, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. ET each day; that is not a shutdown date or a completed sale. - !Users report lots of recent ads, a new time limit of about an hour of chatting, and reading mode instead of chat for unverified accounts. - !Users say the bot works mainly from recent messages, pinned memories use up the context window, and the paid DeepSqueak model now gives short replies that ignore pins. - !An account flagged as under 18 has to verify with a Persona selfie, and possibly an ID, to leave the under-18 experience. - !Cancelling a paid plan takes effect at the end of the billing period, with no partial refunds for unused time. Rankings ## [Ranked in](/best) - [#2 in The best AI chatbots for roleplay in 2026](/best/ai-roleplay-apps#rank-2) Best for: Free chat with community characters, by text or voice - [#4 in The best Janitor AI alternatives, ranked](/best/janitor-ai-alternatives#rank-4) Best for: Free, unlimited chat with community characters, by text or voice - [#5 in The best AI girlfriend apps, ranked](/best/ai-girlfriend-apps#rank-5) Best for: Free, unlimited chat with community-made characters Guides ## [Guides for Character.AI](/guides) - [Is Character AI safe?](/guides/is-character-ai-safe) Is Character AI safe? What Character.AI blocks, how its age checks and ID handling work, who can still chat, and what the bankruptcy means for your data. - [How to export Character AI chats](/guides/how-to-export-character-ai-chats) Character.AI's Export Data steps on web and app, how long the email takes, what users find in the file, and when it's safe to delete your account. - [Is Character.AI Shutting Down?](/guides/is-character-ai-shutting-down) Character.AI is in Chapter 11 and still running. The sale dates, Disney's $20 million bid, what state attorneys general want, and what to do with your chats. - [Who Is Elara Voss, and Why Does Every AI Use the Name?](/guides/ai-slop-names) Elara Voss is no real person. Why AI keeps naming characters Elara Voss, Elias Thorne and Kael, which model uses which, and how to avoid them. - [How to spot AI art slop (and how to avoid making it)](/guides/how-to-spot-ai-art-slop) A checklist for spotting AI art slop by the tells that still work, how to avoid making it, and how the AI character apps we review score on art. - [The Slop Bible: AI slop words and phrases, by model](/guides/ai-slop-words-list-by-model) The AI words list, sorted by model: what Claude, DeepSeek, JLLM, ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok overuse, with a receipt for each. Signs of AI writing you can check. ## Sale schedule update: November 10, 2026 On October 12, 2026, Character.AI started a voluntary Chapter 11 process for a court-supervised sale of the company. Its announcement still says the platform is up, paid subscriptions remain active, and billing is unchanged for now. It says that if no bid keeps the platform running, it will be wound down. The November 4 court order schedules the sale hearing for December 3 and 4, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. ET each day. This approves the bidding process, not a completed sale or continued service. This schedule correction is not a new hands-on review of the app. Disney is the first bidder, offering $20 million plus transition services for a non-exclusive license to certain Character.AI intellectual property and legal claims. That is not a purchase of the app, and other buyers can still outbid it. If you care about your chats or characters, request your data export now: it can take weeks to arrive. Our guides cover [whether Character.AI is shutting down](/guides/is-character-ai-shutting-down), [how to export your Character.AI chats](/guides/how-to-export-character-ai-chats), and the [best Character.AI alternatives](/best/character-ai-alternatives) if you want a backup. ## What it is Character.AI is a character chat app built on a community library. The App Store listing says it hosts millions of user-generated AI Characters. Users create characters, write their personalities, set parameters and publish them for others to chat with. You talk to those characters by text or by live voice call. The iOS App Store listing rates Character.AI 18+. Character.AI ended open-ended chat for under-18 users starting November 24th. Teens can still create Characters, scenes, videos and voices, and use AvatarFX and Imagine Chat. PipSqueak 3 is the default chat style for general roleplay, ShortSqueak is also free, and DeepSqueak and LongSqueak are the premium styles. Reviewers report that Character.AI also launched c.ai Series, microseries built from characters native to the platform. After an episode, users over 18 can chat with those characters and roleplay new scenes. ## What it is like to use Character.AI keeps the recent conversation in view and lets you pin what matters, and users say that is where its memory ends. They describe a bot that works mainly from recent messages, with older context sliding out as a chat goes on. Pinned memories stay visible to the bot but take up the same context window. They also say the paid DeepSqueak model has gotten worse, with short replies that ignore pins and established memory, and that the old PipSqueak 2 style read as too Wattpad-ish. Character.AI says PipSqueak 3 is smarter than PipSqueak 2 and keeps better track of the chat, and that both new styles work with Lorebook. Character.AI warns that its characters make things up, from songs that don't exist to fake evidence. Nothing a character tells you counts as a source. Users also report problems with access: a new time limit of about an hour of chatting, lots of recent ads, and reading mode instead of chat for unverified users. Character.AI runs age assurance on all accounts using login info, platform activity and third-party signals. If you are flagged as under 18, you choose between the under-18 experience and verifying your age with a Persona selfie. Persona asks for an ID only as a final step, collects it rather than Character.AI, and keeps it for one week. ## Pricing at this review Character.AI is free to use, and every tier keeps unlimited messaging. The App Store listing shows it as free with in-app purchases. - **Free:** unlimited messaging on PipSqueak 3 and ShortSqueak, with ads. - **lite:** $4.99 a month or $2.49 a week in USD, with prices varying by region. You get a daily allowance of messages on DeepSqueak and LongSqueak, and the chat switches back to PipSqueak 3 when it runs out. lite also adds extra memory pins, a Memory Usage bar, no banner ads, fewer interstitial ads and less slow mode. - **c.ai+:** $9.99 a month or $94.99 a year in USD, the standard prices in the June 2026 sale terms. You get unlimited premium chats, zero ads, the complete memory suite and Style Control. Cancelling takes effect at the end of the billing period, and Character.AI issues no partial refunds for unused time. ## Who should skip it Skip Character.AI if you are under 18 and want open-ended chat, because Character.AI no longer offers it to teens. Skip it if you want long roleplay that stays consistent without constant pinning, since users say older context slides out of view. Skip the free tier if ads bother you: at this review, c.ai+ at $9.99 a month is the only tier with zero ads. If a selfie check is a dealbreaker, know that any account flagged as under 18 has to verify to leave the under-18 experience. Character.AI's Privacy Policy covers data sharing for targeted advertising. Sources ## Receipts Every claim on this page, with the source text we copied and the day we read it. Last checked against the live app on October 16, 2026. 1. Receipt 1Official site Character.AI runs in the browser at character.ai, where you can chat with its characters. > "Chat with millions of AI Characters on the" [character.ai](https://character.ai/), retrieved October 25, 2026 2. Receipt 2App store listing Character.AI has an Android app on Google Play. > "Character AI: Chat, Talk, Text - Apps on Google Play" [play.google.com](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.character.app), retrieved October 25, 2026 3. Receipt 3App store listing The iOS App Store listing shows an age rating of 18+ with in-app controls; the app is free with in-app purchases. > "Free · In‑App Purchases Age Rating 18+ In-App Controls" [apps.apple.com](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/character-ai-chat-talk-text/id1671705818), retrieved September 28, 2026 4. Receipt 4App store listing The App Store listing says Character.AI hosts millions of user-generated AI Characters. > "Character.AI is home to millions of user-generated AI Characters, offering a diverse and exciting world beyond basic chatbots." [apps.apple.com](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/character-ai-chat-talk-text/id1671705818), retrieved September 28, 2026 5. Receipt 5App store listing The listing says users can interact through texting or live voice calls with characters. > "Interact through texting or live voice calls. With Character.AI, you can seamlessly switch between AI chat and live conversations with AI Characters." [apps.apple.com](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/character-ai-chat-talk-text/id1671705818), retrieved September 28, 2026 6. Receipt 6App store listing An App Store reviewer says unverified users are given reading mode instead of chat. > "The app quite literally is used for chatting, but then you take that away and give reading mode to people you don't verify their age." [apps.apple.com](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/character-ai-chat-talk-text/id1671705818), retrieved September 28, 2026 7. Receipt 7App store listing An App Store reviewer says there is a new time limit of about an hour of chatting. > "the new time limit is fine, I get why it's a thing but likeee only a hour to chat is a bit crazy" [apps.apple.com](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/character-ai-chat-talk-text/id1671705818), retrieved September 28, 2026 8. Receipt 8App store listing An App Store reviewer says the app has recently had lots of ads. > "However, recently it's been veryyyyyy annoying. Lots of ADS" [apps.apple.com](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/character-ai-chat-talk-text/id1671705818), retrieved September 28, 2026 9. Receipt 9Official site Character.AI's help center says it is free to use. > "It's free to use!" [support.character.ai](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/14997389547931-What-is-c-ai), retrieved September 28, 2026 10. Receipt 10Official site Character.AI warns that characters make things up, such as recommending songs that don't exist or linking fake evidence. > "Characters make things up! So while they can be entertaining and useful in a lot of ways, they can also recommend a song that doesn't exist or provide links to fake evidence to support their claims." [support.character.ai](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/14997389547931-What-is-c-ai), retrieved September 28, 2026 11. Receipt 11Official site Standard c.ai+ pricing, per the Summer Flash Sale terms (June 2026), is $9.99/month or $94.99/year in USD; the promo offered $14.99 for the first 3 months or $59.99 for the first year. > "Both offers automatically renew at the standard rate at the end of the promotional period ($9.99/month for the 3-month offer; $94.99/year for the annual offer)" [support.character.ai](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/51248493096987-c-ai-Summer-Flash-Sale-Offer-Terms), retrieved September 28, 2026 12. Receipt 12Official site The summer promo annual offer was $59.99 for the first year of c.ai+, then $94.99/year. > "Annual Offer: $59.99 for the first year of c.ai+, then $94.99/year thereafter, automatically." [support.character.ai](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/51248493096987-c-ai-Summer-Flash-Sale-Offer-Terms), retrieved September 28, 2026 13. Receipt 13Official site Cancellation takes effect at the end of the billing period, and no partial refunds are issued for unused time. > "Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. No partial refunds are issued for unused time within a billing period." [support.character.ai](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/51248493096987-c-ai-Summer-Flash-Sale-Offer-Terms), retrieved September 28, 2026 14. Receipt 14Official site Character.AI ended open-ended chat for under-18 users, with the change beginning to roll out on November 24th. > "No more open-ended chat for under-18 users This change will begin rolling out on November 24th." [support.character.ai](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/42645561782555-Important-Changes-for-Teens-on-Character-ai), retrieved September 28, 2026 15. Receipt 15Official site Under-18 users can still create Characters, scenes, videos and voices, and tools like AvatarFX and Imagine Chat remain available to them. > "Continue creating Characters, scenes, videos, and voices. Share your creations with others in the community. Many of our tools like AvatarFX and Imagine Chat, are still available to under-18 users." [support.character.ai](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/42645561782555-Important-Changes-for-Teens-on-Character-ai), retrieved September 28, 2026 16. Receipt 16Official site Character.AI runs age assurance on all accounts using login info, platform activity and third-party signals; if you're flagged as under 18, you can use the under-18 experience or verify your age. > "If the process indicates you're under 18, we'll let you know. At that point you can either use the under-18 experience, or you can choose to do age verification to get back to the 18+ experience." [support.character.ai](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/42828297541787-Age-Assurance-What-you-need-to-know), retrieved September 28, 2026 17. Receipt 17Official site Age verification goes through Persona via a selfie; an ID is requested only as a final step, is collected by Persona rather than C.AI, and is kept for one week. > "For those users who do get prompted for an ID, it's collected by Persona, not C.AI. Persona is a reputable third-party provider with strong safety and security controls. And they only keep the IDs they collect for one week." [support.character.ai](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/42828297541787-Age-Assurance-What-you-need-to-know), retrieved September 28, 2026 18. Receipt 18Official site Character.AI added Privacy Policy sections on data collection and sharing, including for targeted advertising, with updates effective August 27, 2025. > "We've added sections to the Privacy Policy to provide more detail about information we collect and how we use and share that information, including for targeted advertising." [support.character.ai](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/40696629593499--Announcement-Policy-and-Community-Guidelines-Updates), retrieved September 28, 2026 19. Receipt 19Forum Users on Reddit say the paid DeepSqueak model has gotten worse, with short replies that ignore pinned messages and established memory. > "the replies are like 2 paragraphs long and do not concern themselves with ANY of the pinned messages/established memory." [www.reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/CharacterAI/comments/1sqvau4/the_state_of_deepsqueak/), retrieved September 28, 2026 20. Receipt 20Forum Users on Reddit say pinned memories are always visible to the bot but take up space in the context window. > "Pinned memories need to be referenced to work. The bot will always see them and they also take up space in your context window." [www.reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/CharacterAI/comments/1sqvau4/the_state_of_deepsqueak/), retrieved September 28, 2026 21. Receipt 21Forum Users on Reddit say the bot sees mainly recent messages, and older context slides out as the chat goes on. > "The context window is priority. It's your most recent messages that the bot can see. Older context slides as your chat goes." [www.reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/CharacterAI/comments/1sqvau4/the_state_of_deepsqueak/), retrieved September 28, 2026 22. Receipt 22Forum Users on Reddit say they find the Pipsqueak 2 chat style too Wattpad-ish. > "It is entirely too wattpad-ish and I cannot stand it." [www.reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/CharacterAI/comments/1sqvau4/the_state_of_deepsqueak/), retrieved September 28, 2026 23. Receipt 23Reviewer Reviewers report that Character.AI launched "c.ai Series," microseries built from characters native to the platform, and users over 18 can chat with the characters after episodes and roleplay new scenes. > "a user's experience with the shows doesn't end when the episodes finish, as those over the age of 18 can chat with the characters following the episode and roleplay new scenes within each universe." [variety.com](https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/character-ai-introduces-suite-of-microseries-1236804864/), retrieved September 28, 2026 24. Receipt 24Reviewer Variety reports that in January the company settled multiple lawsuits alleging mental health issues. > "though the company in January settled multiple lawsuits alleging mental health issues." [variety.com](https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/character-ai-introduces-suite-of-microseries-1236804864/), retrieved September 28, 2026 25. Receipt 25Reviewer Wikipedia reports that users create characters, craft their personalities, set parameters and publish them for others to chat with. > "Users can create "characters", craft their "personalities", set specific parameters, and then publish them to the community for others to chat with." [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character.ai), retrieved September 28, 2026 26. Receipt 26Official site Character.AI launched a cheaper plan, (c.ai) lite, at $4.99 USD/month or $2.49 USD/week, with pricing varying by region. > "(c.ai) lite lets you do that at $4.99 USD/month or $2.49 USD/week, with pricing varying by region." [blog.character.ai](https://blog.character.ai/new-styles-new-plan/), retrieved September 28, 2026 27. Receipt 27Official site lite gives a daily allowance of messages on premium chat styles (DeepSqueak, LongSqueak); once it runs out, the chat switches back to PipSqueak 3. > "A daily amount of messages on premium chat styles including DeepSqueak and LongSqueak. When you use them up, your chat switches back to PipSqueak 3." [blog.character.ai](https://blog.character.ai/new-styles-new-plan/), retrieved September 28, 2026 28. Receipt 28Official site Character.AI says every tier keeps unlimited messaging, PipSqueak 3 and ShortSqueak are free for everyone, and c.ai+ has unlimited premium chats, zero ads and the complete memory suite. > "Unlimited messaging stays on every tier, and PipSqueak 3 and ShortSqueak are free for everyone, with no special limits once they're rolled out. (c.ai+) is still the full experience: unlimited premium chats, zero ads, and the complete memory suite." [blog.character.ai](https://blog.character.ai/new-styles-new-plan/), retrieved September 28, 2026 29. Receipt 29Official site lite adds extra memory pins and a Memory Usage bar, no banner ads, fewer interstitial ads and less slow mode. > "🚫 No banner ads, and fewer interstitial ads. ⚡ Less slow mode when things get busy. 🎨 App customization. Wallpapers, bubble colors, and more. 📌 More memory. Extra memory pins, plus a Memory Usage bar." [blog.character.ai](https://blog.character.ai/new-styles-new-plan/), retrieved September 28, 2026 30. Receipt 30Official site PipSqueak 3 is the new default for general roleplay; compared with PipSqueak 2, Character.AI says it is smarter and keeps better track of the chat. c.ai+ gets Style Control, and both new styles work with Lorebook. > "Compared to PipSqueak 2, it's noticeably smarter, writes more interesting replies, keeps better track of your chat, and has fewer slip-ups in text formatting and responses." [blog.character.ai](https://blog.character.ai/new-styles-new-plan/), retrieved September 28, 2026 31. Receipt 31Reviewer TechCrunch (Sept 18, 2026) reports that former Character.AI CEO Karandeep Anand became Disney's first CTO. Disney had sent Character.AI a cease-and-desist letter in September 2025. > "One of those legal problems arose in September 2025, when Disney sent the company a cease and desist letter accusing it of infringing on its beloved characters." [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/18/disneys-first-cto-led-an-ai-startup-it-once-accused-of-copying-its-characters/), retrieved September 28, 2026 32. Receipt 32Official site Character.AI features Clara Brooks, one of the characters whose avatar we judged, described as "Energetic, Cute, Eccentric, Creative, Outgoing". > "Energetic, Cute, Eccentric, Creative, Outgoing" [character.ai](https://character.ai/character/0gCcinwmj0DhIB52uwIIPtNuuE_UcW9ZVG8hD2bGLcY), retrieved September 28, 2026 33. Receipt 33Official site Character.AI features Monster Maker, one of the characters whose avatar we judged, with the line "I turn your darkest fears to reality." > "I turn your darkest fears to reality." [character.ai](https://character.ai/character/c6uAb4MCy_-C5so-WaY0ldUqev_FghYpBNqY4JucTe0), retrieved September 28, 2026 34. Receipt 34Official site Character.AI features Loki Laufeyjarson, one of the characters whose avatar we judged, as "The Trickster God of Norse Mythology". > "The Trickster God of Norse Mythology" [character.ai](https://character.ai/character/KiyYiLgKxmc2huPSf8nkd8eRvrNv7ni21FFm5kzKErM), retrieved September 28, 2026 35. Receipt 35Official site Character.AI started a voluntary Chapter 11 process for a court-supervised sale of the company. > "Character.ai has initiated a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy process to facilitate a court-supervised sale of the company." [blog.character.ai](https://blog.character.ai/an-update-on-character-ai/), retrieved October 16, 2026 36. Receipt 36Official site If no bid allows continued operations, Character.AI says the platform will be wound down. > "If such a bid is unavailable, however, the platform will be wound down." [blog.character.ai](https://blog.character.ai/an-update-on-character-ai/), retrieved October 16, 2026 37. Receipt 37Official site The court's November 4 bidding procedures order schedules the sale hearing for December 3 and 4, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. ET each day. > "The Sale Hearing shall be held before this Court on December 3 and 4, 2026 commencing at 9:30 a.m. (ET) each day, unless otherwise determined by the Court." [cases.stretto.com](https://cases.stretto.com/public/x936/14939/PLEADINGS/1493911042680000000046.pdf), retrieved November 10, 2026 38. Receipt 38Official site The November 4 order approves the bidding process, not completion of Disney's transaction. > "this Order does not approve the full terms of the Stalking Horse Transaction Agreement or permit the Debtor to consummate the transactions set forth therein other than the Bidding Protections." [cases.stretto.com](https://cases.stretto.com/public/x936/14939/PLEADINGS/1493911042680000000046.pdf), retrieved November 10, 2026 39. Receipt 39Official site Paid subscriptions remain active and billing is unchanged for now. > "Yes, your subscriptions remain active, and billing is unchanged for now." [blog.character.ai](https://blog.character.ai/an-update-on-character-ai/), retrieved October 16, 2026 40. Receipt 40Reviewer Disney is the stalking horse bidder, offering $20 million plus transition services for a non-exclusive license to certain intellectual property and claims, subject to higher or better offers. > "Disney will serve as stalking horse bidder for a non-exclusive perpetual license of certain Company intellectual property and certain Company claims, in exchange for $20 million and Disney's provision of transition services using former Company employees it has hired." [finance.yahoo.com](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/character-ai-initiates-voluntary-chapter-035000862.html), retrieved October 16, 2026 FAQ ## Questions people ask ### Is Character AI shutting down? Not yet. Character.AI says the platform will wind down if no buyer keeps it going. Its bankruptcy announcement still says the platform and paid subscriptions remain active. The November 4 court order schedules the sale hearing for December 3 and 4, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. ET each day. It approves bidding procedures, not a completed sale or a shutdown date. Export your data now if you want to keep your chats. ### Is Character AI still 18+? The iOS App Store listing rates Character.AI 18+, and at this review under-18 users no longer get open-ended chat. Character.AI began rolling that change out on November 24th. Teens can still create Characters, scenes, videos and voices, and they can still use AvatarFX and Imagine Chat. Character.AI runs age assurance on every account, and if you are flagged as under 18 you can either use the under-18 experience or verify your age. ### Is Character AI free? Yes. Character.AI's help center says it is free to use, every tier keeps unlimited messaging, and PipSqueak 3 and ShortSqueak are free for everyone. The free tier carries ads. At this review, lite costs $4.99 a month or $2.49 a week (varies by region), c.ai+ costs $9.99 a month or $94.99 a year in USD, and c.ai+ is the only tier with zero ads. ### How trustworthy is Character AI? Treat whatever a character tells you as fiction. Character.AI warns that its characters make things up, such as recommending songs that don't exist or linking fake evidence. Character.AI's Privacy Policy also has sections on data collection and sharing, including for targeted advertising, with updates effective August 27, 2025. ### Is Character AI safe? Character.AI has tightened access for minors. It ended open-ended chat for under-18 users and checks the age of every account using login info, platform activity and third-party signals. Verification goes through Persona with a selfie. An ID is requested only as a final step, and Persona collects it, not Character.AI, and keeps it for one week. Press reports say the company settled multiple lawsuits in January that alleged mental health issues. ### Is Character AI even worth it anymore? Character.AI is worth it if free, unlimited chat with a huge community library is what you want, and less so if you want long stories that hold together. Users report lots of recent ads, a new time limit of about an hour of chatting, and a paid DeepSqueak model that gives short replies and ignores pinned memory. At this review, lite at $4.99 a month is the cheapest plan that removes banner ads. 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