Apps like Character.AI, ranked for 2026
If you want apps like Character.AI, which is a popular AI chat app for talking with characters, here are a few to know, including Just Texted, where the characters text you first.
A few apps like Character.AI
Character.AI is a popular AI chat app for talking with characters, and it is not the only place to do that. PolyBuzz and Talkie are popular AI character chat apps. Janitor AI is a popular AI character chat site. Candy AI is a popular AI companion app. Each gives you characters to message, and each has its own crowd and its own feel. Some lean on huge libraries you browse through, some on a steadier companion, so the best fit comes down to how you like a conversation to begin and carry on. It is worth trying a couple, since the one that clicks for a friend may not be the one that clicks for you.
Just Texted, where the characters go first
Just Texted is an app like Character.AI with one clear difference: the characters text you first. It is an AI companion app with 84 characters, men and women across many personalities and genres. You match with the ones you like and a message is already waiting, so you reply instead of trying to think of an opener. The thread reads like normal texting, short and back and forth, at a pace you set. Every character is AI, and every chat says so with a clear AI notice, so there is no doubt about who is on the other end. For anyone tired of staring at a blank box, that first message landing on its own is the whole point.
How to start, free
You can try Just Texted without paying. Swiping, matching and chatting are free up to a daily limit, enough to meet a handful of characters and keep the ones you enjoy. The paid extras are hearing a character's voice note, unlocking a photo a character sends you, and VIP plans, with every price and what renews laid out on the pricing page before you decide. It opens on web and phone, with your threads on both. You can start chatting free at justtexted.com and let a character text you first, then see every plan and what renews at justtexted.com/pricing when you want the extras.
Questions
What are good apps like Character.AI?
There are several AI character and companion apps. Just Texted is one worth trying: an AI companion app where 84 characters text you first, free to use up to a daily limit on web and phone.
Is Just Texted like Character.AI?
It is an app in the same space, with one difference you notice right away: the characters text you first, so a thread opens with their message instead of a blank screen.
Is it free?
Swiping, matching and chatting are free up to a daily limit. Voice notes, photo unlocks and VIP plans are paid, and every price is on the pricing page.
Are the characters real?
No. Every character is AI, and every chat says so with a clear AI notice.
The characters here are AI, not real people.