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An independent field guide to AI character platformsResearch edition · October 2026
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RESEARCH EDITION · 4 OCTOBER 2026

Know what we checked.See what still needs an answer.

Follow a platform claim to its supporting source, see what changed in our entry and understand how an open question affects a decision. Each check keeps its scope and date.

22recorded editorial checks
and clarifications
10specific open questions
with a next evidence step
18platform passports
in this source register

Dates describe a scoped review. A source read is distinct from a publisher’s update date, an entry revision and an account-level product test. This register covers selected platform passports, billing notes and privacy conditions, rather than the entire discovery catalogue.

THE EVIDENCE REGISTER

Follow a field back to its source.

18 platform passports · billing and privacy conditions

Source dates

1 platform matches

Dates belong to the sources supporting each displayed field. Billing notes describe public statements; they do not establish completed purchases or account behavior.

Character.AI11 displayed fields with source reads · 7 not establishedSources read 3 Oct 2026 – 4 Oct 2026

Personality controls

Documented control

Definitions accept character details and example dialogue; greetings establish the opening scene.

Sources read 3 Oct 2026

Not established from the sources reviewed.

No supporting source read recorded

Image generation

Documented control

The creator can generate an avatar. The guide mentions image and video generation; current allowances are unverified.

Sources read 3 Oct 2026

Character voice

Documented control

Choose or create a character voice. The older Voice FAQ describes free access; current numerical limits and voice quality are untested.

Sources read 3 Oct 2026 – 4 Oct 2026

Not established from the sources reviewed.

No supporting source read recorded

Public, unlisted and private visibility are documented. This controls character access, not data retention.

Sources read 3 Oct 2026

Character export

Not established

Not established from the sources reviewed.

No supporting source read recorded

Not established from the sources reviewed.

No supporting source read recorded

Local installation

Not established

Not established from the sources reviewed.

No supporting source read recorded

Account & model setup

Documented control

Creation flows are described for the web and mobile app.

Sources read 3 Oct 2026

Not established from the sources reviewed.

No supporting source read recorded

Free starting point

Documented control

Unlimited basic-chat messaging is documented; premium styles are separate. Open-ended chat is unavailable to under-18 users. An older FAQ describes free Character Voice; current limits are unverified.

Sources read 4 Oct 2026

Public characters are discoverable; unlisted characters require a link; private characters are available only to their creator.

Sources read 4 Oct 2026

The creator-access FAQ says other character creators cannot read your conversations. That statement does not establish staff access or provider processing. Provider-access conditions were not established from the help articles in this review.

Sources read 4 Oct 2026

The training FAQ describes using content for model improvement. Its EEA/UK opt-out excludes new content from generative-model training; other improvement uses can continue. The newer July summary refers more broadly to opt-out. Availability outside EEA/UK and treatment of earlier content need checking in the full policy and account.

Sources read 4 Oct 2026

A retention timetable was not established from the reviewed help articles. The full policy did not return readable text in the research tool. No retention duration is inferred from Delete Account.

No supporting source read recorded

The help article documents permanent account deletion through account-data settings. Removal from backups, previously shared content and training datasets was not established by this article.

Sources read 4 Oct 2026

Account settings document Export data on web and mobile. The delivered archive and its contents were not inspected; account export is not proof of a portable character card.

Sources read 4 Oct 2026

Read the date alongside the scope.

“Read” means the public source supported the stated field or note in that review. “Publisher date” is the date shown by the source when one was available. An older publication can still be useful reference; its age alone does not establish that a claim is wrong. A recent source read does not establish behavior inside an account.

When a field uses several sources, the register retains the earliest and latest read dates. It does not replace all of them with the newest date. An access attempt can be dated without producing supporting feature evidence. Fields without a supporting source remain unestablished.

Changes in Atlas are separate from provider releases.

A clarification can add a better reference, distinguish two mechanisms or explain a plan qualification. A recheck can leave a question unresolved. Neither is an announcement that a provider launched a feature on our review date. The history shows what our entry previously recorded and what it now records.

The register begins with documented work in this research edition. It is not an exhaustive history of every platform or a continuously monitored change feed. Open questions list the evidence needed next; they do not imply that a check has been scheduled or performed.

Use uncertainty to make a better shortlist.

If a price is unknown, avoid treating it as free. If two statements have different scopes, keep the distinction until a primary source establishes which applies. If only import is documented, do not assume export or old-chat continuity. The platform finder and comparison tool keep these gaps visible.

For actual conversation behavior, use the memory observation worksheet to record a plan, model, conditions and exact reply. A feature description alone cannot supply a measured outcome.