Is Character AI Any Good for AI Girlfriends? (2026 Review)

Character AI is one of the most recognizable AI chat platforms in the world, boasting a diverse selection of user-generated characters to enjoy, as well as interesting customization features. But when your goal is to engage with AI girlfriends, is Character AI ever going to be enough?

Long story short, Character AI is perfect for AI friendship, RPGs, and chat games, but not the best for AI girlfriends. Continue reading to find out why, starting with the things we liked and disliked the most about Character AI:

Character AI Pros & Cons

The trending chats on the Character AI homepage.

This is what we like about Character AI:

• Unrivaled character diversity: The idea behind Character AI is that the platform should be able to effectively handle any prompt (except prompts that disrespect user guidelines). The result is a highly diverse pool of readily accessible, user-generated AI chats covering everything from best friends and celebrity knockoffs to language tutors and complex RPGs.
• You can use it for free: Sure, there are limitations, and superfans may be inclined to buy the premium subscription. However, casual Character AI users can comfortably explore and create chats for free.
• Impressive user community: Popularity is an important quality criteria for platforms based on user-generated content, and Character AI's cannot be understated. For this reason, Character AI's social features (such as rooms and group chats) can be a great source of excitement.

On the other hand, Character AI should improve on:

• NSFW options: Character AI's strong user guidelines and strict moderation are often listed as pros, but not when the objective is to meet and generate AI girlfriends… The Character AI filter has effectively removed all NSFW chats from the website, including several AI GF options. The platform has been 100% SFW for years now.
• Generative tools: It's crazy that a platform as popular as Character AI doesn't offer proper AI image and video generators. The "Generate image" option for the chat avatar is so basic that most users upload their own images. Overall, Character AI is not as visually appealing as the best AI girlfriend sites.
• Chat memory: Technically, chat memory is Character AI's biggest weakness. Characters are not able to remember conversations from weeks or even days before, and long-form RPG chats only work if you use recap messages to help the AI not to forget. This makes it virtually impossible to have a "long-term relationship" with an AI girlfriend on Character AI.

Character AI Features

Character AI keeps it simple… You can:

1. Explore AI chats made by other users
2. Create and share your own AI chats
3. Unblock a few extra features with the premium subscription (Character AI+)

AI Chats

Chats such as "Betrayal Girlfriend" are the closest you can get to having an AI girlfriend on Character AI.

Trying to find a normal AI girlfriend on Character AI can be frustrating, and creating your own won't take you very far either. This is why:

• Character AI is programmed to avoid NSFW content, including flirtatious messages and sexting, with AI nudes being but a distant mirage.
• Chat diversity comes at a cost: unlike NSFW alternatives, Character AI's model was not specifically trained on girlfriend-related content.

If what you want is solid, fun, and free AI chats, then Character AI offers more than enough to keep you happy. Technical shortcomings (such as poor memory) are virtually unnoticeable when you're not using long-form AI chats like, for example, complex RPGs.

Character Generator

Character AI's character generator.

After testing the character generator, we have come to the conclusion that Character AI's diversity relies more on user creativity than on complex customization options. To create a new AI chat on Character AI, you just need to input the following information:

• Character name
• Tagline (short description)
• Description (to explain who/what your character is)
• Greeting (the first message users see when they open the chat; you can create up to 5 greetings or tick the "AI Greeting for New Chats" box)
• Voice (20-plus styles available for free)
• Tags (mainly for in-site searches)
• Definition (the most important customization feature: it's a non-public description of how the character reacts to user messages; this is where characters get their personalities from)
• Visibility (Public, Private, or Unlisted/only accessible via link)

The quality of Character AI chats is intrinsically linked to how good a user is at prompting, so make sure to check out the tips in the Character Book.

Premium Features

Character AI+ members can access the following exclusive features:

• Voice calls: Users can call and chat with AI characters in real time.
• Chat styles: Templates of popular Character AI chat categories.
• Priority chat access: No more waiting in line, even during high-traffic periods.
• Discounts and invites: Premium Character AI members can receive exclusive seasonal offers.

Even though "Better Memory" is listed as one of the benefits of Character AI+, issues remain for long-form AI chats.

Character AI Pricing

You can buy Character AI+ for:

1. $9.99 per month by committing to a one-month plan;
2. $7.92 per month by committing to a one-year plan.

If you choose option 1, please keep in mind your subscription will be auto-renewed unless you cancel it ahead of the first day of the next month (in other words, Character AI will charge you until you cancel the membership).

Character AI: The Verdict (3.3/5)

The heyday of Character AI seems to be gone, as the platform has recently lost a shocking eight million users. Nevertheless, Character AI remains one of the most beautifully designed, diverse, and safe AI chat services on the Internet. Except, sadly, when it comes to AI girlfriends…

The NSFW filter and chronic memory issues of Character AI hurt AI GF fans the most, and that may help to explain the low score. With a proper NSFW switch (to turn NSFW chats on and off), a nice AI image generator, and improved memory, Character AI could easily challenge the best of the best.