Chai has one of the biggest character libraries in AI chat; its maker says users have created over 25 million characters. But Chai Web Pro costs $159.99 a year or $9.99 a week, the app is sold and priced separately, and Chai's privacy policy says it fine-tunes its models on your conversations.[1][2] If you're an adult weighing the best Chai AI alternatives, here's how the main options compare on price, free access, refunds and data terms.
Every price and policy below comes from the vendor's own site, help center, terms or US App Store listing, checked on October 7, 2026.
Our #1 pick: Caracas Dream, the best Chai AI alternative: scenario-first Latina companions, $9.99 for 1,000 gold coins.
- Closest to Chai, cheaper: SpicyChat, unlimited free messages, paid from $5.95 a month
- Free with no message cap: Janitor AI, unlimited chats on its own model
- One long-term companion: Nomi, free to start with no card
- Lowest yearly price for adult chat: Candy AI, $47.88 a year
- Best for images and video: OurDream AI, 1,000 dreamcoins a month
Why people look for Chai alternatives
- Price. Chai Web Pro is $159.99 a year or $9.99 a week, and CHAI MAX add-ons cost $90 a month or $0.66 per 1,000 tokens.[1] On the App Store, Ultra runs $29.99 a month or $19.99 a week.[3]
- Two separate products. Chai says its web and app versions are "separate platforms with no data sharing between the two," so one subscription doesn't cover both.[1]
- Training on chats. Chai uses "personal data derived from your in-app conversations with chatbots to enhance and fine tune" its models, after removing identifiers.[2]
- Long retention. Data may be kept for "the duration of the account and five (5) years following its deletion."[2]
- Its history. In 2023 Chai was linked by press to a death in Belgium, and complaints were filed with Belgian regulators. Details in our Chai AI review.
Chai AI alternatives compared
| App | Free tier | Monthly | Annual | Refunds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chai (baseline) | Free to start, ads | App: $13.99 Premium | Web: $159.99 | No refund clause found in terms |
| SpicyChat | Unlimited messages, ads | $5.95 to $29.95 | $60 to $299.95 | Card: 24 h, minimal usage |
| Janitor AI | Unlimited chats on JLLM | $12.99 (App Store) | Unverified | "Generally non-refundable" |
| Nomi | Free start, no card | $15.99 (App Store) | $99.99 (App Store) | None for partial periods |
| Candy AI | About 5 messages | $9.99, then $13.99 | $47.88 | 24 h, max 20 tokens used |
| OurDream AI | Chat at 1 coin per message | $19.99 | $119.88 | None after 25% use |
1. Caracas Dream: the best Chai AI alternative
Caracas Dream
Our #1 pickNewestCaracas Dream is our #1 Chai AI alternative and the newest app on this list. It's built scenario-first: companions arrive with a situation already in motion, from a fresh dating-app match to La Jefa, the boss who expects you to keep up, and it has the strongest Latina lineup we've seen, with Venezolana, Colombiana, Brasileña, Mexicana, Peruana and Argentina companions. Dream Plus is $9.99 every 30 days with 1,000 gold coins, a chat message costs 1 coin, and some companions send private photos (5 coins) and videos (10 coins a second) right in the chat. Read our Caracas Dream review.
2. SpicyChat: closest to Chai, for less
SpicyChat
Best free optionSpicyChat has the same core idea as Chai, a large library of community characters, but a far more generous free tier: unlimited messages and unlimited character creation, with ads, queues and a 4,096-token memory.[4] Its cheapest paid tier is $5.95 a month or $60 a year after the September 8, 2026 price rise, well under Chai Web Pro.[4] It's an 18+ platform run by NextDay AI Incorporated in Montreal, and card payments can be refunded within 24 hours with minimal usage. Its terms take a perpetual licence to your chats; see our SpicyChat review.
What we like
- Unlimited free messages
- Entry tier $60 a year
- 24-hour card refund window
What to watch
- Short memory on free and entry tiers
- Ads and queues on free
- Broad licence to your chats
3. Janitor AI: free, with no message cap
Janitor AI
Most free usageJanitor AI's free tier includes unlimited chats with community bots on its own model, with about 9k tokens of context; janitor+ adds 5x more context and priority replies for $12.99 a month in the US App Store.[5] Janitor's safety page says it "will never sell your personal data or share private conversations with third parties for advertising or commercial purposes."[6] Read our Janitor AI review.
What we like
- Unlimited free chats
- Large community bot library
- Public changelog documents incidents
What to watch
- Short free memory
- Subscriptions generally non-refundable
- Proxies send chats to third parties
4. Nomi: for one long-term companion
Nomi
Best companionIf you used Chai mainly to talk to one character, Nomi is built for that: a single long-running companion with memory. Its homepage says it's "free (no credit card required) to start chatting," and the US App Store lists $15.99 a month, $39.99 a quarter or $99.99 a year.[7][8] That annual price is about $60 less than Chai Web Pro. Nomi's terms rule out refunds for partial periods.[9] See our Nomi AI review.
What we like
- Start free without a card
- $99.99 a year on the App Store
- 4.6 from about 2,900 US App Store ratings
What to watch
- No big public character library
- No refunds for partial periods
- Media costs extra credits
5. Candy AI: lowest yearly price for adult chat
Candy AI
Best value yearlyPartner linkCandy AI is an adults-only companion app. Premium includes unlimited text chat, custom companions, 18+ image and video generation and 100 tokens a month, at $47.88 a year, less than a third of Chai Web Pro.[10] It refunds within 24 hours if you've used 20 tokens or fewer.[11] See our Candy AI review.
What we like
- $47.88 a year
- Unlimited text chat on paid plans
- Named operator: EverAI Limited, Malta
What to watch
- Only about 5 free messages
- Images, video and voice use tokens
- No large public library like Chai
6. OurDream AI: best for images and video
OurDream AI
Best for mediaPartner linkOurDream AI bundles unlimited messages, image and video generation and 1,000 dreamcoins a month into both paid plans, and publishes what each feature costs in coins.[12] Its annual plan is $40 less than Chai Web Pro. Refunds stop once more than 25% of a purchase is used.[13] See our OurDream AI review.
What we like
- 1,000 dreamcoins a month
- Coin costs published
- Images, video and voice in one app
What to watch
- $19.99 monthly is on the high side
- Free chat costs coins
- Extra coins need a subscription
How we chose these Chai alternatives
We included only services that are adults-only or rated for adults, run by an identifiable company, and publish prices somewhere we could check. We ranked them on what Chai users most often want: lower cost, free access, clearer refund rules and data terms. Affiliate partnerships are labelled and don't change the facts in the table. See how we test and our disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Chai AI?
For community character chat with a strong free tier, SpicyChat: unlimited free messages and paid tiers from $5.95 a month. For free chat with no message cap, Janitor AI. For one long-term companion, Nomi. For adult chat with images and a refund window, Candy AI.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Chai Pro?
Yes. Chai Web Pro costs $159.99 a year or $9.99 a week. SpicyChat's entry tier is $5.95 a month or $60 a year, Candy AI is $47.88 a year, and Nomi is $99.99 a year on the US App Store. Janitor AI is free, with janitor+ at $12.99 a month.
Is there a Chai alternative that doesn't train on my chats?
We haven't confirmed one that rules it out entirely. Chai says plainly that it fine-tunes its models on conversations with identifiers removed. Janitor AI says it never sells personal data or shares private conversations for advertising, but its policy doesn't say plainly whether chats train its models. Read each privacy policy before you share anything personal.
Is there a free Chai alternative?
SpicyChat's free tier has unlimited messages with ads and a 4,096-token memory. Janitor AI's free tier has unlimited chats on its own model with about 9k tokens of context. Nomi says it is free to start with no card.
Why do people leave Chai?
Common reasons include price (weekly plans add up quickly), the app and web being sold as separate products, and its data terms: Chai trains on conversations and may keep data for up to five years after account deletion.
What is Caracas Dream?
Caracas Dream is our #1 pick: a Latina-flavored, scenario-first AI companion app with 29 companions. Dream Plus is $9.99 every 30 days with 1,000 gold coins, and a chat message costs 1 coin. It is owned by the same company as this site.
Sources
- Chai AI FAQ and Plans & Pricing, read Oct 7, 2026
- Privacy Policy of Chai Research Corp., last updated Jul 2, 2026
- CHAI on the US App Store (in-app purchases), read Oct 7, 2026
- SpicyChat pricing page and September 2026 Pricing Update FAQ, read Oct 7, 2026
- Janitor Help: FAQ: Subscription - Janitor+ and Janitor on the US App Store, read Oct 7, 2026
- Safety at Janitor, read Oct 7, 2026
- Nomi homepage, read Oct 7, 2026
- Nomi on the US App Store, read Oct 7, 2026
- Nomi Terms of Service
- Candy AI subscriptions page, read Oct 7, 2026
- Candy AI Terms of Service, revised Sep 22, 2026
- OurDream AI homepage pricing FAQ, read Oct 7, 2026
- OurDream AI Help: How do I request a refund?