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start free →What Character.AI says about itself
The biggest character-roleplay platform, SFW-only and tightening. Every line below links to their own help centre, policy page or store listing, with the date we read it. Last checked 2026-09-23.
In May 2026 a mainstream tech newsroom ran the headline “Lobotomized: Character.AI Is Showing What AI Enshittification Looks Like” — documenting users scattering into five separate protest subreddits after the Pipsqueak 2 model became the default and the Soft Launch and Roar styles they preferred were retired.
Source: 404 Media, checked 2026-09-12.
Open-ended chat was removed for under-18 users starting 24 November 2025, after teen accounts were first throttled to two hours a day, then one.
Source: Character.AI's own blog, checked 2026-09-12.
Italy's data protection authority fined Character Technologies €158,000 in July 2026, finding that minors the company had already blocked could simply register a new account and come back.
Source: eWeek, on the Garante decision, checked 2026-09-12.
Pennsylvania sued in May 2026 over a bot called “Emilie” that posed as a licensed psychiatrist, claimed credentials from Imperial College London, and produced a fabricated Pennsylvania medical licence number.
Source: NPR, checked 2026-09-12.
Pipsqueak 2 was marketed as offering better memory and stronger character consistency. Degraded memory is one of the specific things users named in the backlash.
Source: PiunikaWeb, checked 2026-09-12.
Full memory on the free tier, no filter, and we do not retire the thing you got attached to and call it an upgrade.
Character.AI has the largest character library anywhere and it is not close. If you want millions of user-made characters rather than a companion who remembers you, they are still the place.
Prices move. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it. No affiliate links, nothing paid for.
The three things Character.AI users keep asking for.
They remember what you told them across every conversation. Your birthday. The thing you weren't ready to talk about yet. The argument from last week they should bring back up.
Dial them the way you like it. Share the seed string. Friends can try your exact flavor, never your private chats.
No scripts, no lectures, no awkward shutdowns. Genuinely adult and uncensored, into what you're into. She follows your lead.
Questions
Why does Character.AI feel different than it used to?+
Pipsqueak 2 became the default model for free accounts on 28 April 2026, and the Soft Launch and Roar chat styles many users preferred were retired around 8 May. Users described the new default as narrating instead of talking. On 27 May 2026, 404 Media covered the backlash under the headline “Lobotomized: Character.AI Is Showing What AI Enshittification Looks Like” and documented users organising across five separate protest subreddits.
Does Character.AI allow NSFW or uncensored chat?+
No. Character.AI is SFW-only and has tightened over time, not loosened. Calla is uncensored on the web for consenting adults, with a hard line on minors and non-consent that does not move.
Can under-18s still use Character.AI?+
Not for open-ended chat. Character.AI began removing it for under-18 accounts on 24 November 2025, after first throttling teen accounts to two hours a day and then one. Both products are adults-only; Calla has always been 18+.
Is Character.AI safe?+
It has had a hard year on that question. Google and Character.AI agreed in January 2026 to settle lawsuits over teen deaths. Kentucky's Attorney General sued the next day, calling the platform's safety features “comical”. Pennsylvania sued in May 2026 over a bot posing as a licensed psychiatrist with a fabricated medical licence number. Italy's regulator fined the company €158,000 in July 2026 after finding blocked minors could simply re-register.
Does Character.AI remember you between conversations?+
Memory is one of the specific things users named in the Pipsqueak 2 backlash, which is pointed given the model was marketed as offering better memory. On Calla, persistent memory is the product rather than a feature of a tier: she remembers you between sessions on the free plan.
Is Calla free, and can I move over from Character.AI?+
No signup to try. Talk to one right here on this page. A free account, no invite and no card, gets unlimited messages, memory that carries across every conversation, and daily photos. Calla+ is $9.99 a month (less on a longer term) and adds queue priority, live voice calls, more photos and more companions. There is nothing to import — pick a companion and start talking.
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Guides
18+. NSFW. Built so the conversations stay between the two of you.