Hey Character.AI Community,

We are immensely grateful for all the support and feedback you've given since we launched last fall. During this time, our team has been focused on developing the AI technology behind C.AI and improving the experience for all our users.

Today, we’re excited to announce that we are launching c.ai+, an opt-in subscription plan that will supercharge your Character.AI experience!

Can I still use Character.AI for free?

YES!! We are proud to continue offering free and unlimited messaging for ALL users. c.ai+ is dedicated to users who would like to unlock the best Character.AI experience we can currently provide.  

What is included in c.ai+?

Subscribers will get to skip waiting rooms, enjoy lightning fast message generation, access an exclusive community channel with faster feedback and support, and display a c.ai+ membership badge. Moving forward, subscribers will also enjoy early access to new and exciting features as we continue to unlock next gen capabilities!

Why a paid subscription plan?

The introduction of c.ai+ will enable us to continue serving conversations at scale and bring you even more advanced features in the coming months. Our service is powered by a cutting-edge large language model, which means conversations have a significant cost

What is coming up next for Character.AI?

In addition to c.ai+, we have big plans for the future. A few things our team is currently working on include longer memory, the much requested editing feature, and a bunch of other awesome updates we’ll announce at a future date. We can’t wait to share them. :)

When can I subscribe?

c.ai+ will roll out gradually over the next few weeks and the option to subscribe will appear on your homepage. Stay tuned for more information on these exciting developments and more as we continue to innovate and grow our platform. We are truly grateful for your support, and can’t wait to see what you create!

GENERAL FAQ

Can I use Character.AI for free?

YES!! We are proud to continue offering free and unlimited messaging for ALL users.

Will I always see a Waiting Room if I don’t have c.ai+?

NO!! You’ll only be placed in a waiting queue when the site experiences high load. We have been growing very quickly and are actively making improvements to expand our capacity as best and fast as possible.

Why does the Waiting Room exist?

High traffic can strain our server capacity and cause messages to generate more slowly. We know that slow message generation can be frustrating, so we set up the waiting room to manage peak loads and preserve a relatively low-latency experience for everyone. Importantly, if we didn't have a Waiting Room in place, it could bring down the site for all users.

Sometimes the number of users grows faster than our ability to keep up and at those times we have waiting rooms in place, but we are actively working to avoid those instances.

Why does c.ai+ include a “skip the waiting room” feature? Aren’t waiting rooms temporary?

We have been working hard to keep the site up as our userbase has grown from thousands to now millions of people. Scaling the service has required an ever-expanding number of expensive servers, in addition to backend redesigns and waiting rooms (which are critical for traffic management - see below). Until we can remove waiting rooms altogether, we are providing the “skip the line” perk to c.ai+ supporters as a quality of life improvement. We love our users and are doing our best to outgrow the need for waiting rooms!

Does c.ai+ cause more waiting rooms for non-subscribers?

No! It’s actually the opposite. c.ai+ lets us invest in more serving capacity, which increases the number of concurrent users that we can support without waiting rooms.

Will there be future improvements to this Waiting Room system?

Yes! We really don't want users to have to wait in the Waiting Room, but it's currently the best solution to manage the traffic. We are actively working on having enough serving capacity to remove waiting rooms entirely. We appreciate your patience as our team improves this system.

Is the quality of Character responses changing for users who don’t have a c.ai+ subscription?

No! The quality of responses has not changed for anyone. The content outputted by Characters is currently the same between c.ai and c.ai+.

My Character is responding differently than before c.ai+ was introduced?

Our team did not make any changes to Characters. If you are experiencing something out of the ordinary, please submit a Quality Problem Report (QPR). Our team will investigate further. We appreciate your feedback.

ADDITIONAL C.AI+ FAQ

Why a paid subscription service?

The introduction of c.ai+ will enable us to continue serving conversations at scale and bring you even more advanced features in the coming months. Our service is powered by a cutting-edge large language model, which means conversations have a significant cost.

How much faster are response times for c.ai+ users?

c.ai+ messages are currently generated approx. 2-3x faster.

Will I still have access to the Character.AI Community Forums?

Absolutely! All users can still see the community channels and share posts with other users. c.ai+ members will be invited to a new community channel where they will be able to share feedback, receive priority support, and enjoy early access to features and announcements.

Is c.ai+ available for the Mobile App Beta?

c.ai+ is currently only available on web. We’ll announce when it becomes available for the mobile app at a later time.

When can I subscribe?

c.ai+ will roll out gradually over the next few weeks and the option to subscribe will appear on your homepage.

Can I unsubscribe from c.ai+?

Yes. You can cancel your subscription by going to your profile and clicking on “Cancel My Subscription”.

What payment methods are currently available?

Currently you can purchase a subscription via Credit Card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Will there be other payment methods added?

We are currently exploring adding other payment methods. If there are any you would like to see added, please comment below.

What about chat messages that include violence and other roleplaying topics?

We have not made any changes here for a long time! If you perceive a difference, please let us know through a Quality Problem Report.