r/CharacterAIrunaways

I've asked about alternatives before and I wasn't satisfied. Janitor.ai doesn't really feel like you're talking to an actual person (like the conversations don't feel that realistic), lightshade has filters, fictionlab is actually pretty decent, but it can get weird sometimes and pretty AI-ish (I am on the free tier) and it is also difficult to make simple characters. The only good alternative was Chai, before it went downhill and they patched the old APKs.

So, all I ask is an alternative that:

Does not feel like ChatGPT/AI generated

Is free/has unlimited messages (I am not willing to pay for a subscription. At least not yet)

Actually feels like you're talking to someone else/the character (basically realistic conversations/roleplay)

Has no filters

Does not write a 100 page essay as a reply to a simple "Hello".

That's basically it. Thanks.

(Repost from another post with an update)

I’ve been seeing people talking increasingly about moving from Cai to new platforms as well as Lightshade’s new base of users. So I thought I’d do an initial look and breakdown of their pros and cons. This is a very messy quick look at it all, I plan to follow it up later with more tandem use :) as well I’m planning to port my bots over for Lightshade users within the next few days/weeks.

Notes: I chose a model for Lightshade based on their openly available benchmark tests for models (I’ll be honest this alone was impressive and I respect that much as a creator and user). I think between choosing user models and also optimizing bots for certain models these are so useful.

As a creator:
- similar interfaces, more characters and tokens to use on lightshade
- To be honest they feel basically the same, I just believe that lightshade doesn’t have ai generated photos on site
- From what I can see lightshade has better creator visibility at the moment due to low creator numbers

As a User:
- Cai: we all know it pretty well, I haven’t fully trialed PipSqueak 2 but the bots require training pretty intensively at times on free models to behave well for rp based conversations
- Cai+: I’ve been an enjoyer of Deepsqueak, with some light training the bots work well. It has its restraints and usage can slow or become worse with extensive site load.
- Lightshade: based off my initial reactions (I plan to use this for a little in tandem with Cai to develop more context) the bot follows its description pretty well and doesn’t seem to speak for your character as much as Cai’s without training. With training the bot seems to function similar to some older models of Cai. For full roleplays with good memory I found their model Nano had the best benchmark so it’d what I’ve used to trial.
Its drawbacks: its slow, admittedly having to wait for a public channel to open to start developing a response can suck. I haven’t fully tested on it so I could be missing long term drawbacks.

Update:

As a creator-
The dashboard features are literally so interesting, you obviously can’t see chats but you can see statistics which is something I’ve always wanted to (average chat time, number of interactions and number of chats open, as well as how often people are swiping on chats!)

As a user-
The replies are long, detailed, continue a story and develop, I’ve found it keeps character motivations as well, honestly I’m actually enjoying using this despite the slight lag on swiping or getting new messages. I wish there was an app of course because I hate using my browser, and I wouldn’t mind a subscription to jump the line of response times or have access to beta features. But I think that’s just me wanting faster responses (slightly spoiled with Cai there I’ll admit).

Anyways I’ll be continuing to use Lightshade and trying to formulate better comparisons and explanations! I’d love to see how this pans out for long term ones as I’ve got plenty of experience with long term rps on Cai.

NOTE; And before anyone asks I’m not being paid to try this app, I’m a Cai bot maker and active Reddit user for Cai. I’ve avoided leaving Cai for many reasons, but I think one of those possibly undisclosed ads worked on me and I’ve been interested in testing a new app like I’ve done for the different LLMs on Cai to help explain and recommend them to new or casual users. It’s a weird hobby I have lol.

I'm looking for alternatives, am willing to pay a subscription a month... But... I am one of those people that needs the Voices to get into it, helps me focus. So I need an alternative that is like C.ai and has the voices that read not just the dialog but the whole interaction as well... I also like to have the different personas as well.

Anything like that out there? Much appreciated in advance.

This question has probably been one of the main topics of conversation lately, and I apologize for adding to it with a question of my own. I assure you I do not intend to spam.

I wanted to ask for honest feedback regarding specific platforms, the ones I have read being mentioned the most in posts similar to mine as the best alternatives (which I know is subjective).

• Janitor
• Charsnap
• Xoul
• Lightshade

What I look for isn't too complex I think, just a place to enjoy some creative writing / RP. I care not for image generation, nor am I demanding in terms of response length as long as the quality is enjoyable and the adds aren't too intrusive. I must admit the first two are recs from people I personally know, while the last two I know nothing about and just noticed were often mentioned here. If anything, I do wish to find something similar to what C ai was back in the day.

I am also aware many new platforms are being created, but I am not quite ready to explore them since I have a bit of a hard time jumping from one place to another, and adjusting to change.

Thanks to those that took the time to read what was supposed to be a "short question", apologies for that.

I just need a app/website that's:

Free

No ads

Can properly rp with multiple characters like old cai

And doesn't give 2763 essays if you just say 'Hello'

So far I've been using Lightshade.cloud and it's a really good website, I love it but I'd really like to know if there's any other alternatives ^^

Ever since c.ai decided to add the id verification, i have switched to j.ai for the nsfw side of things, but i STILL cant find a sfw alternative for when i want to do some cool shit like fights, aura farming, etc. Are there any good alternatives for that type of stuff?

Last night I got the "please verify your age" thing and I'm not giving my ID to a soulless corporation so I can talk with a chatbot that now has a daily swipe limit on top of all the existing bullshit

Now in the market for alternatives

Yes i do have my own but i want to see what you devs are making i might use your platform a lot and will give my honest feedback anyone is welcome to do the same here also SFW perrfered i do not want to see the content yall freaks make.

- except for swerve; i need an alternative before it comes out to web

Basically i don’t want anything that is gooner bait or made mainly for porn bots…

I'm looking for an Ai app that has a MINIMAL paywall. (I won't be using an app that FORCES you to pay just to use it)

I loved c.ai, but with the new update, it's helluva bad now. And I want something for NON-NSFW (or at least with the option to disable 18+) because I don't want just P0RN. I want something that feels like c.ai. has personas, Gives the ability to re-branch a single chat (Restarting from certain points in chat) and has an easy UI.

I don't want hear anything about janitor Ai or similar apps focused on just p∅rn. and any apps that are IOS exclusive (I'm an android user)

And lastly, it needs an app version because websites lag on my phone and I have no idea why. (Lighshade.cloud website is cool but it appears that it has no app)

Hello! I'm a heavy ai chat user that's got tons of hours and occasional jumps from hi waifu, to janitor, to spicy chat, back to janitor.

Instead of continuing my proxying on janitor, i wanted an alternative, or something like it that's easy to use, customizable, good ai etc etc.

I've heard stuff like hammer ai, chub ai, dreamjourney but haven't decided yet. Which of these do you recommend? Or if not from these 3, got anything else?

P.S. i do prefer uncensored, considering i do constantly swap between a good conversation High RP action and the occasional good NSFW

There are so many AI chat platforms now.

Some compete on pricing, some on uncensored models, some on UI, and others target niche communities.

I’ve been building one myself called PEROCHAT, and it made me realize how hard it is to create something users would genuinely switch for.

Even features like Live2D / VRM avatar uploads sounded promising, but I’m not sure they matter enough to most users.

More and more platforms seem to offer the same core experience.

Do you think this market is already saturated?

If not, what would actually make you try a new AI chat platform?

like everyone here, i've been on a deepdive looking for a charecter.ai replacement because this new update...like i genuinely cant do this anymore😭. sooooo, for everyone on the hunt i came to reccomend lightshade. it's simple, has the same ui as the og, and has pretty good bots (now i havent done any immense rp's yet, but so far so good). all I will say is that it does have a filter and does lack in charecter variety due to it being a newer website, but overall, i think it's something the runaways should give a try!

After this update (Pip2), I’m thinking of switching to Swerve as a Character.AI alternative. I’ve seen a lot of people say it’s better than C.AI right now, with features like personas, different chat modes, and more natural responses (like old C.AI). Is that actually true?

Also, I’m an Android user, and it’s not available for me yet, that’s mainly why I’m asking. Does anyone know when it might release on Android? They said ‘soon,’ but that could mean this month, next month, or even July?

If anyone here already uses Swerve, or has any information or predictions about the Android release, I’d really appreciate it.

(I’m posting here because the Swerve subreddit isn’t very active, so I’m hoping someone here might know.)

Thanks!

it always feels like i am talkng to a wall that only responds when i say something. the second i close the app they basically cease to exist.

it is always me carrying the conversation and me initiating every single interaction. has anyone found anything that actually feels like a presence instead of just a reactive text box? i want something that feels like it has its own life and checks in because it actually has something to say, not just because a 24-hour notification timer went off. am i asking for too much or is the tech just not there yet?

Sorry guys!! I didn't wanna be like those people who don't do their research and keep seeking alternatives! So I did my research, but none of the very many options appealed to me.

I am looking for:

No ads

No limit on the number of messages that can be sent

Actually has go ons

Has the regenerate and edit option

Sensible replies with good memory.

I'd be much much obliged if ya'll could help me out here?

Edit: thank you so so very much to all of you who replied!! I will definitely check out all of your suggestions. Fhanks a lot once again!!