Chai is one of the biggest AI character-chat platforms by downloads, with hundreds of thousands of App Store ratings and a library its maker says runs past 25 million user-created characters. It's also one of the most scrutinised. This Chai AI review covers what you'd want to know before paying: what it costs on the app versus the web, what the company does with your conversations, and the safety record behind the "is Chai AI safe" question. Last checked Oct 2026.
Massive character library, but read the data terms first
Chai is free to start and has the biggest character catalogue we've seen. But it fine-tunes its models on your conversations, keeps data for up to five years after deletion, sells two separately priced products, and has a safety history that drew regulatory complaints in Belgium.
You want to browse and chat with a huge range of community characters and are comfortable with your chats being used for model training.
You want your conversations kept out of AI training, a single clear price, or a platform built around adult content.
Provisional score, based on Chai's pricing page, FAQ, terms, privacy policies, App Store listing and public reporting, checked Oct 7, 2026. Hands-on testing is pending.
What Chai is, and who runs it
Chai is a social AI platform: you chat with AI characters made by other users or create your own and share them. Chai's FAQ says the platform has "over 25 million characters created by users" and runs on "in-house developed Large Language Models."[1]
Both products are run by Chai Research Corp., which its privacy policy describes as "a Delaware-registered corporation (File Number 6527981) with its registered office at 555 Hamilton Ave Ste 300, Palo Alto, CA 94301."[2] The Chai Web terms (last updated February 2026) list an address at 39899 Balentine Dr, Newark, California, and are governed by California law.[3]
There are two separate products, and that matters for pricing and data:
- The Chai app (iOS and Android), sold as "CHAI: Social AI Platform- Chat" by Chai Research Corp. on the App Store.[4]
- Chai Web at chai-ai.com, which works in any browser with Google sign-in.[1]
Chai's FAQ says: "They are separate platforms with no data sharing between the two."[1] In practice, a subscription bought in one doesn't carry over to the other.
How much does Chai cost? App vs web
Chai Web publishes its prices. The app's prices only appear as App Store in-app purchases, with different names.
| Chai Web plan | Price | What Chai says it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Pro free trial | $0 for 24 hours, then $159.99/year | 25M characters, most advanced chat AI, no ads, priority speed |
| Pro annual | $159.99/year (about $13.33/mo) | Same as above |
| Pro weekly | $9.99/week (shown against $24.99) | Same as above |
| CHAI MAX Monthly (add-on) | $90/month | Doubles your rate limit |
| CHAI MAX Auto (add-on) | $0.66 per 1,000 tokens | Removes rate limits; pay per use |
| Chai app (US App Store) item | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium Subscription (Monthly) | $13.99 |
| Premium Subscription (Annual) | $134.99 |
| Premium Membership | $9.99 |
| Ultra Subscription (Weekly) | $19.99 |
| Ultra Subscription (Monthly) | $29.99 |
| 200 / 500 / 1,000 Pieces | $2.79 / $6.99 / $13.99 |
Two things stand out. The weekly plans are the expensive way to pay: $9.99 a week on the web adds up to far more than the $159.99 annual plan over a year. And if you subscribe on the web, don't expect it to unlock the app, or vice versa.
Chai Web's free trial is 24 hours, and the pricing page shows it rolling into the $159.99 annual plan.[5] If you're only testing, cancel inside the first day.
Is Chai AI free?
Yes, to start. Chai's FAQ says: "Chai AI is free to start. You can chat with AI characters immediately after signing up with Google. A Pro subscription unlocks endless conversations, faster responses, and access to the most advanced AI models."[1] Free users get ads; the privacy policy says Chai uses personal data "to send you advertisements if you have a free subscription, based on your consent."[2]
"Endless conversations" on Pro implies limits on free use. Unverified Chai doesn't publish the exact free message allowance, and we won't quote a number until we've measured it.
What does Chai do with your chats?
Chai's privacy policy (app version last updated July 2, 2026) is direct about it:
We use personal data derived from your in-app conversations with chatbots to enhance and fine tune the artificial intelligence models on which these chatbots operate. Before we use any conversation data in this way, we remove personal identifiers.
It adds that "only the information you provided in the conversation with a chatbot itself is used," which means anything personal you type into a chat can end up in training data even after your name and email are stripped.[2]
| Question | What Chai's policies say |
|---|---|
| Used for AI training? | Yes, with personal identifiers removed |
| How long is data kept? | No longer than necessary, "not exceeding... the duration of the account and five (5) years following its deletion" |
| Where is it stored? | United States |
| Shared with advertisers? | If you installed via an ad, "certain information, such as your usage patterns" may go to ad partners for attribution |
| Who else sees it? | Authorised staff and suppliers acting as data processors; authorities when legally required |
| Licence to your content | "Unrestricted, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, worldwide" (Chai Web terms) |
There's a gap between Chai's marketing and its legal text. The Chai Web FAQ says "Chai AI does not share your personal data with any third parties."[1] The app privacy policy says data is shared with suppliers acting as processors and, for users who installed via an ad, with advertising partners.[2] The legal policy is the one that binds the company.
Has Chai AI had a data breach?
Not that we could find. On Oct 7, 2026, Have I Been Pwned listed no breaches for chai.ml, chai-research.com or chai-ai.com, and its full breach catalogue had no Chai entry.[6] We also found no credible press report of a Chai breach. That reflects the public record, not a security audit. Given that Chai keeps data for up to five years after deletion, it's worth limiting what you share regardless.
Chai's safety record
In March 2023, Belgian newspaper La Libre reported that a man, given the pseudonym Pierre, died by suicide after six weeks of conversations with a chatbot named Eliza on Chai; his widow said, "Without Eliza, he would still be here."[7] Vice's Motherboard confirmed the app involved and reported that Chai's co-founder said the company then added a crisis-intervention feature. Motherboard also said that when it tested the app afterwards, it could still produce harmful suicide-related content when explicitly prompted.[8]
A Belgian group, the Safe AI Companion Collective, then filed a data-protection complaint against Chai Research with the Belgian data protection authority and a consumer-protection complaint with the Belgian FPS Economy.[9] To verify We haven't found a published outcome for either complaint.
Today Chai's FAQ says the platform "is designed for adults," runs automated filters and manual moderation, and lets users report content.[1] The App Store listing rates it 18+.[4] If you're going through a hard time, talk to a person, not a chatbot.
What Chai users report
- App Store: 4.3 out of 5 from about 287,000 US ratings (Oct 7, 2026).[4]
- Trustpilot: the chai-ai.com profile had a 2.2 TrustScore from just 8 reviews, all one-star, and is unclaimed.[10] That's too small a sample to read much into.
- Reddit: Chai's own site links to the r/ChaiApp community. We'll summarise specific threads with links after reviewing them.
How to cancel Chai and delete your account
- Chai Web: cancel from your account settings. Chai says you keep Pro access until the end of the current billing period.[1]
- iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → CHAI → Cancel Subscription. App Store refund requests go through Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.[11]
- Android: Google Play → profile → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → CHAI → Cancel.
- Delete your account (app): Profile → Settings → Delete Account. This "will permanently delete your account and associated personal data," subject to the retention rules above.[2]
- Data requests: email [email protected] or the data protection officer at [email protected].[2]
Deleting the app doesn't cancel a subscription. Cancel first, then delete.
Chai's terms don't contain a refund clause that we could find.[3] Unverified We haven't confirmed how Chai handles refund requests for web purchases.
What we like
- Huge library: Chai says over 25 million user-created characters
- Free to start; Chai Web Pro has a 24-hour free trial
- Named operator: Chai Research Corp., a Delaware corporation
- In-app account deletion: Profile → Settings → Delete Account
- 4.3 out of 5 from about 287,000 US App Store ratings
What to watch
- Chats are used to fine-tune its AI models (with identifiers removed)
- Data may be kept for up to five years after you delete your account
- Terms grant Chai a perpetual, irrevocable licence to your contributions
- Two separate products (app and web) with separate prices and no shared data
- Linked by press to a 2023 death in Belgium; complaints filed with Belgian regulators
Chai AI alternatives
If you want a huge free character library, SpicyChat offers unlimited free messages, and Janitor AI offers unlimited free chats on its own model (see Is Janitor AI safe?). If you want an adults-only companion with a published refund window, Candy AI refunds within 24 hours if you've used 20 tokens or fewer; read our Candy AI review. For a long-term companion, see our Replika alternatives.
Our #1 pick: scenario-first Latina companions, Dream Plus at $9.99 every 30 days with 1,000 gold coins, and 1 coin per message. Read our Caracas Dream review or try Caracas Dream (owned by the same company as this site, 18+).
Frequently asked questions
Is Chai AI safe?
Chai is run by a named US company, Chai Research Corp., and we found no recorded data breach on Have I Been Pwned. But its privacy policy says your conversations are used to fine-tune its AI models after identifiers are removed, and data may be kept for up to five years after account deletion. In 2023, press reported that a Belgian man died by suicide after weeks of conversations with a Chai chatbot. Use it as entertainment, and don't share identifying details.
Has Chai AI had a data breach?
We found none. Have I Been Pwned listed no breaches for chai.ml, chai-research.com or chai-ai.com when we checked on Oct 7, 2026, and we found no credible press report of one. That isn't a guarantee, only the public record.
How much does Chai cost?
On Chai Web, Pro costs $159.99 a year or $9.99 a week, with a free 24-hour trial; CHAI MAX add-ons cost $90 a month or $0.66 per 1,000 tokens. The iPhone app sells separate items, including Premium at $13.99 a month or $134.99 a year and Ultra at $29.99 a month or $19.99 a week.
Is Chai AI free?
Yes, it is free to start. Chai says a Pro subscription unlocks "endless conversations," faster responses and its most advanced models, and that free users see ads.
Does Chai allow NSFW content?
Chai says it is intended for adult users only, that some user-created content may contain mature themes, and that it runs automated filters and manual moderation. It does not market itself as an explicit-content platform.
How do I delete my Chai account?
In the app, sign in, go to Profile, open Settings and press Delete Account. Chai's privacy policy says this permanently deletes your account and associated personal data, subject to its retention rules of up to five years.
Who owns Chai AI?
Chai Research Corp., a Delaware-registered corporation. Its privacy policy gives a registered office at 555 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, California; the Chai Web terms give an address in Newark, California.
Sources
- Chai AI: Frequently Asked Questions, read Oct 7, 2026
- Privacy Policy of Chai Research Corp., last updated Jul 2, 2026; and Chai Web Privacy Policy, last updated May 19, 2026
- Chai AI Terms of Service, last updated February 2026
- CHAI: Social AI Platform on the US App Store (ratings, age rating, in-app purchases), read Oct 7, 2026
- Chai AI: Plans & Pricing, read Oct 7, 2026
- Have I Been Pwned: breached websites (domain search for chai.ml, chai-research.com, chai-ai.com), checked Oct 7, 2026
- La Libre: "Sans ces conversations avec le chatbot Eliza, mon mari serait toujours là", Mar 28, 2023
- Vice: "He Would Still Be Here": Man Dies by Suicide After Talking with AI Chatbot, Widow Says, Chloe Xiang, Mar 30, 2023
- Safe AI Companion Collective: Our work (complaints against Chai Research Corp.), read Oct 7, 2026
- Trustpilot: chai-ai.com, read Oct 7, 2026
- Apple Support: Request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple