The short answer
Chai is an app of AI chatbots made by users, on Android and Chai Web; its iPhone app is not on the US App Store. The best Chai alternatives are Character.AI, Talkie, and Emochi for many characters, and Kindroid or Nomi for one companion. LifeSim lets you bring your Chai bot into a free life in a real city.
What is Chai?
Chai is a big app of AI chatbots made by users, from Chai Research. You pick a bot and chat. It runs on Android, and in the browser as Chai Web, a separate site that does not share data with the app.
Chai is free to start. On the web, Pro costs $9.99 a week or $159.99 a year. On Google Play, the app has ads and is rated Mature 17+. Australia's eSafety guide lists Chai as 18+.
Why people look for a Chai alternative
On iPhone, the CHAI app is not on the US App Store: Apple's lookup found no app on October 24 or on November 4, 2026. Some people want an app for teens, and Chai is 18+. Some find a weekly plan expensive. And some want their bot to have a life of its own: a home, a job, and friends.
We checked every fact on this page on November 4, 2026. We list each page that we used at the end. We make LifeSim, so LifeSim is on the list. We left out apps that are only for adult content.
Apps like Chai, compared
| App | Best for | Runs on | How you pay | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chai | Many short chats with bots made by users | Android, and Chai Web | Free. Pro on the web $9.99 a week. | 18+ |
| Character.AI | Chat with characters made by users | Web, iPhone, Android | Free with ads. c.ai+ $9.99 a month. | 18+ on the App Store |
| Talkie | Characters made by users | Web, iPhone, Android | Free. Paid plans from $9.99 a month. | 18+ on the App Store |
| Emochi | Roleplay with many characters made by users | Web, iPhone (EMOCHI World) | Free. Plus $9.99 a month, Ultra $16.99 a month. | 18+ on the App Store |
| Kindroid | A companion that you design | Web, iPhone, Android | Free trial. $15.99 a month. | 18+ |
| Nomi | Companions with memory, group chats | Web, iPhone, Android | Free. Standard plan $15.99 a month. | 18+ on the App Store |
| AI Dungeon | Text adventures and stories | Web, iPhone, Android | Free, no ads. Paid plans from $9.99. | 13+ on the App Store |
| LifeSim | Your characters, living in a real city | Any browser, iPhone | Free. No ads, nothing to buy. | 13+ |
The 7 best Chai alternatives in short
1. Character.AI
Character.AI is the biggest app of characters made by users. You find characters from almost any show, book, or game. It is free with ads, and c.ai+ costs $9.99 a month. Since November 25, 2025, users under 18 can no longer chat freely there.
2. Talkie
Talkie is a character chat app. On iPhone it is called Talkie Lab. It also runs on the web at talkie-ai.com and on Android. It is free, and paid plans start at $9.99 a month on the App Store. The App Store rates it 18+. Play your Talkie character in LifeSim.
3. Emochi
Emochi is a roleplay site with more than a million characters made by users, at emochi.com. Its iPhone app is called EMOCHI World. It is free, and on the web Plus costs $9.99 a month and Ultra $16.99 a month. Plus removes the ads. The App Store rates the app 18+.
4. Kindroid
In Kindroid, you make one character and choose its name, personality, backstory, look, and voice. It remembers past chats. It is a subscription, at $15.99 a month on the App Store. You must be 18 or older. Bring your Kindroid into LifeSim.
5. Nomi
Nomi is a companion app with a focus on memory. You can make more than one Nomi and put them in a group chat. It is free to start. The Standard plan is $15.99 a month on the App Store. Bring your Nomi into LifeSim.
6. AI Dungeon
AI Dungeon is a text adventure. You pick a scenario or write your own, and the AI tells the story from your choices. It is free with no ads, and paid plans start at $9.99. The App Store rates it 13+.
7. LifeSim
LifeSim is our game. It is a life sim, not a chat app. The people live in a real city on a 3D map. They have homes, jobs, and friends, and they remember what you told them. You can import a character from another app, and it becomes one of them. It is free, in the browser and on iPhone.
LifeSim vs Chai
In Chai, a bot lives in a chat, and you can jump to a new one in a second. In LifeSim, the person has a home on a real street, on a 3D map of Earth. They go to work, see their friends, and remember what you told them. If you want many short chats, Chai fits better. LifeSim is one life that goes on.
| Chai | LifeSim | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. Pro on the web $9.99 a week or $159.99 a year. | Free. No ads, nothing to buy. |
| Where it runs | Android, and Chai Web | Any browser, and an iPhone app |
| iPhone app in the US | No, as of November 4, 2026 | Yes |
| Where the bots live | In your chats | In a real city, on a real map |
| While you're away | Nothing happens | Their week goes on |
| Age | 18+ | 13+ |
Bring your Chai character with you
You don't have to start from zero. Copy the character's text and take screenshots of the profile. Paste both in the LifeSim builder, under Import a character. LifeSim writes the character as a person in your new life: a name, an age, a job, a past, a life goal, and who they are to you. It draws their looks in its own style.
Your chats and memories stay in Chai. Sexual content never comes over, because LifeSim is rated 13+. Read how to bring a Chai character into LifeSim.
Your first week in LifeSim
You pick a city. Any city, on a real map of Earth. You give your character a name and a reason to be there. Then you step out onto a real street, and there are people on it.
They’re not waiting for you. They have jobs to get to, homes to go back to, friends they see on Fridays. Say hi to one of them, in your own words, and they answer in theirs. Tell them something and they keep it. Tell their friend something and it gets around.
By the end of the week you have a place you go in the mornings, someone you’re avoiding, and someone you’re not. One player once stayed for thirteen hours straight. We checked.
LifeSim is a free game, in the browser and on iPhone. No ads and nothing to buy. Season 1 is in beta.
Questions
Is Chai on the App Store?
Not in the US. Apple's lookup found no CHAI app on October 24 or November 4, 2026. Chai still runs on Android and as Chai Web in the browser.
What is the best Chai alternative on iPhone?
Character.AI, Talkie, Kindroid, and Nomi all have iPhone apps. LifeSim has an iPhone app too, and it is free with no ads.
Is there a free Chai alternative?
Yes. Character.AI, Talkie, Emochi, Nomi, and AI Dungeon are free to start, with paid plans. LifeSim is free, with nothing to buy.
Is there a Chai alternative for teens?
AI Dungeon and LifeSim are rated 13+. Chai and most of the other apps here are 18+.
Can I bring my Chai bot to LifeSim?
Yes. Copy the text of the Chai bot and take screenshots of its profile. Paste both in the LifeSim builder. Your chats stay in Chai. How to bring a Chai character into LifeSim.
Sources
- Chai on Google Play
- Chai FAQ
- Chai AI: pricing
- Apple lookup for the CHAI app in the US
- eSafety guide: Chai
- Chai Research: official site
- Character.AI on the App Store
- TechCrunch: Character.AI ends open chat for minors
- Talkie Lab on the App Store
- Talkie
- Emochi
- Emochi: EMOCHI+ plans
- EMOCHI World on the App Store
- Kindroid on the App Store
- Kindroid: official site
- Nomi on the App Store
- Nomi: official site
- AI Dungeon on the App Store