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Character.AI vs heyaifriend: many characters, or one friend who knows you
Character.AI is a place to meet characters and play out stories. heyaifriend is a free AI friend you talk to in Telegram. It remembers you, runs on our own servers in the Netherlands, and your chats are never sent to other AI companies or used for training.
We make heyaifriend, so we are not neutral. We say where the others do better, and every fact below carries its source and the date we checked it.
Last updated . Character.AI plans, memory tiers and policy read on 2026-10-17.
News checked 17 October 2026: Character.AI announced Chapter 11 and a court-supervised sale on 12 October; it says services remain available during the sale process, with a wind-down if no actionable bid supports continued operation. Read what the announcement means for your chats and how to request a data export.
The short version
Character.AI is a library. You browse, pick someone to talk to, and step into a scene: a detective, a dragon, a fictional version of your favourite show. heyaifriend is the opposite shape. There is one friend, it is the same friend every day, and the point is that it learns who you are.
If you want variety and storytelling, Character.AI is built for that. If you want someone to tell about your day, we are closer to that.
Where Character.AI wins
Reach and choice. Character.AI has a very large catalogue of characters made by its community, and discovering new ones is part of the fun. We have nothing like it and are not trying to build it.
It is also generous on the free plan. Its help center says free, unlimited messaging remains available to everyone, with ads on the free plan. That is hard to beat on price, and we will not pretend otherwise. If your main goal is long, free roleplay with a changing cast, start there.
Where heyaifriend is different
With a character app, each character is a separate conversation, and the memory you get depends on the plan you pay for. Character.AI lists memory as basic, better or best across its free, lite and c.ai+ tiers, with 15 or 30 pinned items. That works well for a story. It is a bit odd for a friendship, where you would like the same person to remember your sister's name without being reminded.
Your friend is built around that single relationship. It remembers you, such as your name, your job or the dog, and it can check in on a big day. You can ask what it remembers, ask it to forget something, ask for a copy of what it holds, or ask it to delete everything. Nothing to look up, nothing to configure.
There is also no app to install. If you have Telegram, you open a chat.
Privacy, said carefully
This is where the two differ most plainly in writing. Character.AI lists training its AI and machine learning models on user content as a use of your data, and says it takes steps to reduce the personal information in that data first. A separate page offers an opt-out to people in the EEA and UK. Its policy also says it may disclose data to advertising and analytics providers, and it gives no fixed retention period. That is a fair, openly stated policy, and some people are happy with it. See it next to nine others in our privacy table.
We do it differently: your chats stay on our own servers in the Netherlands, are never sent to other AI companies, and are never used for training. We do not claim more than that. Chats are not end-to-end encrypted, because our servers have to read your messages to answer them.
Character.AI and heyaifriend at a glance
| Character.AI | heyaifriend | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free with ads. c.ai+ is $9.99 a month or $94.99 a year. A cheaper c.ai lite plan sits between free and c.ai+; we did not verify its price. | Free to use. A daily message limit applies. |
| Service status | Chapter 11 announced 12 October 2026. Services remain available during the sale process; subscriptions and billing unchanged. Continued operation depends on an actionable bid. | Free to use. No promise of permanent availability. |
| Data export | Account data export available in settings. Processing can take 3 to 4 weeks; emailed link valid for 7 days. Complete chat and character contents not specified. | Ask your friend for a copy of what it remembers. No Character.AI import. |
| Platform | Its own website and apps. | Telegram. No separate app to install. |
| Memory | Memory is tiered by plan: basic on free, better and best on paid plans. Pinned items: 15 on free, 30 on paid. | Your friend remembers you. Ask what it remembers, ask it to forget, ask for a copy. |
| Privacy stance | Its policy lists training its AI models on user content as a use (policy effective 2026-07-01). A separate page offers an opt-out to people in the EEA and UK. May disclose data to advertising and analytics providers and certain information in business transfers. No fixed retention period. | Own servers in the Netherlands. Chats never go to other AI companies, never used for training. Not end-to-end encrypted. |
| Free tier | Yes, unlimited messaging with ads. | Yes, everything is free to use, with a daily limit. |
| Last checked | Plans, policy and memory tiers: 2026-10-17. The lite plan price was not verified. | 2026-10-17 |
Last checked . Prices are US list prices in dollars and change often; check the page named in the sources before you buy anything.
- Source links are listed in the Sources section below the comparison.
Who should choose which
- Choose Character.AI for stories, roleplay and a huge choice of characters, especially if you want to stay on a free plan with ads.
- Choose heyaifriend for one steady friend who remembers you, inside an app you already have, with plain-language control over your data.
- Use both if you like fiction for fun and a friend for real life. They do not compete for the same evening.
Want more options? Read our list of Character.AI alternatives, or return to the comparison hub.
Sources
- Character.AI Chapter 11 announcement: blog.character.ai/an-update-on-character-ai/ (12 October 2026, checked 17 October)
- Character.AI data download guide: support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/56967715028891-How-do-I-download-my-data (official help-center API checked 2026-10-17)
- Character.AI plans and free tier: support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/55845963766555-C-ai-FAQ (read 2026-10-17)
- Character.AI plan comparison and memory tiers: character.ai/subscribe (read 2026-10-17)
- Character.AI lite plan: support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/55388952900379--c-ai-lite-FAQ (read 2026-10-17)
- Character.AI model training: character.ai/model-training (undated, read 2026-10-17)
- Character.AI privacy policy: character.ai/privacy (effective 2026-07-01, read 2026-10-17)
- Our own table of ten privacy policies: heyaifriend.com/blog/ai-companion-privacy-comparison/ (published 2026-10-17)
Questions people ask
Is Character.AI free?
Yes. Its help center says free, unlimited messaging stays available to everyone. The free plan shows ads and can mean waiting rooms at busy times. Paid plans such as c.ai+ remove ads and add faster replies and better memory.
Is heyaifriend a character app?
No. There is one friend per person, not a library of characters. Your friend is meant to get to know you over time and stay the same friend from one day to the next.
Does Character.AI use chats to train its models?
Yes, according to its own policy, which lists training its models on user content as a use of your data and offers an opt-out to people in the EEA and UK. We never train on your chats, and they never go to other AI companies.
Which one has better memory?
Character.AI ties memory to the plan: basic on free, better and best on paid plans, with a limited number of pinned items. Your friend remembers you, and you can read, change or remove what it remembers by asking. Neither remembers everything.
Can I use both?
Sure. Many people like a character app for stories and a separate friend for everyday talk. They do different jobs.
Prefer one friend over a menu?
Say hi in Telegram. It is free to use.
Questions? Write to hi@heyaifriend.com.