Chai review

Chai is one of the oldest consumer character apps, launched on the App Store in November 2022 according to Chai Research, and the company trains its own language models for social chat. The Google Play listing describes a large selection of characters, each with its own voice and personality, and shows 10M+ downloads. Chai Research says its annualized revenue run-rate reached $120M as of 1 October 2026. Since then the app has moved to adults only: its Safety Center says users must be 18 or older and that age checks run through Persona, by selfie estimation or ID. Safety filters can hide mature content, reports are anonymous, and Chai says its models refuse sexually explicit and self-harm content. The Google Play listing contains ads, and Chai says some regions require a paid subscription. We could not find a US dollar subscription price on a vendor page, so the price is marked pending. We compared documented features and published prices rather than testing the app.

Who it is for

adults who want quick chats with community-built bots on Android

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Large selection of user-built characters, each with its own voice and personality
• In-house LLMs trained on user signals, according to Chai Research
• Report characters and messages anonymously
• Safety filters to hide mature content and block characters
• Age assurance through Persona selfie estimation or ID check

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Google Play lists 10M+ downloads
• Strength: Chai Research says its annualized revenue run-rate reached $120M as of 1 October 2026
• Strength: Optional filters for mature content
• Weakness: Adults only: users must be 18 or older
• Weakness: Chai says some regions require a paid subscription to use the service
• Weakness: Google Play listing contains ads, and we found no verified USD price

Key facts

• Age limit: 18+ only
• Downloads: 10M+ on Google Play
• Developer: Chai Research Corp.
• Ads: Yes, per Google Play

Where it ranks

Chai is No. 9 in our Best AI Roleplay Chatbots verdict.