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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.

Explore the review register Read the research method
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

Review history

1 record matches

These are changes and checks in Characters.best. Dates do not announce provider releases; entries on the same date have no implied time order.

Evidence clarified
Joi AI

Message processing and deletion exceptions now have a source

The main website privacy notice; six privacy questions

Previously recorded
The privacy comparison did not yet cover Joi.
Now recorded
The notice describes message use for AI development, permitted access and deletion exceptions. Exact shared-model training, opt-out and character visibility remain open.

The brand guide and comparison now distinguish processing, retained copies and conditional portability. This review does not refresh the unknown subscription price.

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.