The short answer
Talkie is a chat app with AI characters made by users, on the web, Android, and iPhone as Talkie Lab, rated 18+. The best Talkie alternatives are Character.AI, Chai, and Emochi for many characters, and Kindroid or Nomi for one companion. LifeSim lets you bring your Talkie character into a free life in a real city.
What is Talkie?
Talkie is a chat app with AI characters made by users. It runs on the web at talkie-ai.com, on Android, and on iPhone, where the app is called Talkie Lab.
It is free to start, and paid plans start at $9.99 a month on the App Store. The App Store rates it 18+.
Why people look for a Talkie alternative
Some want an app for teens, and Talkie is 18+ on the App Store. Some want one companion who remembers them. Some want a free app with nothing to buy. And some want their character 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 Talkie, compared
| App | Best for | Runs on | How you pay | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talkie | Characters made by users | Web, iPhone, Android | Free. Paid plans from $9.99 a month. | 18+ on the App Store |
| 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 |
| Chai | Many short chats with bots made by users | Android, and Chai Web | Free. Pro on the web $9.99 a week. | 18+ |
| 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 Talkie 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. Chai
Chai is a big app of chatbots made by users. Chai Web is a separate site, and it does not share data with the app. On October 24, 2026, the iPhone app was not on the US App Store. Chai is free to start, and Pro on the web costs $9.99 a week or $159.99 a year. Australia's eSafety guide lists Chai as 18+. Bring a Chai character into 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 Talkie
In Talkie, a character lives in a chat. 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 a new character every night, Talkie fits better. LifeSim is one life that goes on.
| Talkie | LifeSim | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. Paid plans from $9.99 a month. | Free. No ads, nothing to buy. |
| Where it runs | Web, iPhone (Talkie Lab), Android | Any browser, and an iPhone app |
| Where the characters live | In your chats | In a real city, on a real map |
| While you're away | Nothing happens | Their week goes on |
| Age | 18+ on the App Store | 13+ |
Bring your Talkie 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 Talkie. Sexual content never comes over, because LifeSim is rated 13+. Read how to bring a Talkie 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
What apps are like Talkie?
Character.AI, Chai, and Emochi are apps of characters made by users, like Talkie. Kindroid and Nomi are companion apps. AI Dungeon is for stories. LifeSim is a life sim where your character lives in a real city.
Is there a free Talkie alternative?
Yes. Character.AI, Chai, Emochi, Nomi, and AI Dungeon are free to start, with paid plans. LifeSim is free, with no ads and nothing to buy.
Is there a Talkie alternative for teens?
AI Dungeon and LifeSim are rated 13+. Talkie and most of the other apps here are 18+ on the App Store.
Can I bring my Talkie character to LifeSim?
Yes. A Talkie link does not work, so copy the character's name and intro and take screenshots of its profile. Paste both in the LifeSim builder. How to bring a Talkie character into LifeSim.
Sources
- Talkie Lab on the App Store
- Talkie
- Character.AI on the App Store
- TechCrunch: Character.AI ends open chat for minors
- Chai FAQ
- Chai AI: pricing
- Apple lookup for the CHAI app in the US
- eSafety guide: Chai
- Chai Research: official site
- 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