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 Microsoft Copilot
- 3Character.AI vs Perplexity
- 4Character.AI vs Claude
- 5Character.AI vs Gemini
- 6Character.AI vs Poe
- 7Character.AI vs Grok
- 8Character.AI vs DeepSeek
- 9Character.AI vs Amazon Q
- 10Character.AI vs Lumo
- 11Character.AI vs AnythingLLM
- 12Character.AI vs Yuanbao
- 13Character.AI vs Merlin
- 14Character.AI vs Vibe
- 15Character.AI vs LobeChat
- 16Character.AI vs Gemini Notebook
- 17Character.AI vs Big-AGI
- 18Character.AI vs Quad Chat
- 19Character.AI vs Gab AI Research Assistant
- 20Character.AI vs Dust
Character.AI alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatGPT | 8.3 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | Microsoft Copilot | 8.2 | Free plan | $8.33/mo | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 3 | Perplexity | 8.2 | Free plan | $20/mo | Android, API, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Claude | 8.2 | Free plan | — | Android, API, Browser, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 5 | Gemini | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 6 | Poe | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Android, API, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 7 | Grok | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 8 | DeepSeek | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 9 | Amazon Q | 7.6 | Free plan | — | Web, Android |
| 10 | Lumo | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 11 | AnythingLLM | 7.6 | Free plan | — | Android, API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 12 | Yuanbao | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 13 | Merlin | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Web, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 14 | Vibe | 7.5 | Free plan | $14.99/mo | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| 15 | LobeChat | 7.5 | Free plan | $9.90/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 16 | Gemini Notebook | 7.3 | Free plan | $9.99/mo | Web, iOS, Android |
| 17 | Big-AGI | 7.3 | Free plan | $9/mo | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 18 | Quad Chat | 7.2 | Free plan | $8/mo | — |
| 19 | Gab AI Research Assistant | 7.2 | Free plan | $16.67/mo | Android, Browser, iOS, Mac, Web |
| 20 | Dust | 7.1 | Free plan | €24/mo | API, Browser, Web |
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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 8.3 out of 10. The others here: Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, Claude and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Character.AI?
ChatGPT is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 20 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.