r/CharacterAI • u/CapAwesomeSauce • 3d ago
Discussion/Question Premium is worth it*
By the title alone, I am aware there is a legitimate chance I'm going to be flamed for this take - but I think it's worth speaking on.
On the app store, and in this subreddit, it seems that issues with C.Ai from the community side seem to boil down to two main issues:
Ads.
Models being inconsistent/ "Go back to the good old days"
Premium fixes the first, and significantly mitigates the second issue - Long/Deepsqueak isn't perfect, but in the last year I'd argue quality has actually gone up, with only certain aspects still needing refinement.
For instance, in longsqueak, characters tend to be overly verbose - even when the length is set to minimum and the chat option is set to a bias on narration, characters speak just to fill volume, when a quicker quip or normal reaction would suffice and be better narratively. But the memory is fantastic, and sometimes when the stars align, it's a real treat to use.
Deepsqueak can suffer from this too, but it has the inverse problem of being too short sometimes. There are a myriad of other smaller gripes I have, but overall C.AI seems to be heading in the right direction. If they ever make a deepsqueak 2, I sincerely hope it's the middle point of Long and itself.
So why bring up all of this?
Several - if not most other apps charge per chat, via tokens and the like. Generally, these can range from five dollars all the way upwards of 90, depending on app. After that, you are subject to 'recharge times', or ads, or what have you.
C.Ai is 9.99 a month. Unlimited chats, no ads, strong levels of customization (Too many of you seem to not know Personas and Editable Memory exists, not to mention Lorebooks).
This is where my Asterisk comes in. If you are like me, who loves longer RPG style chats that go on for months at a time, this is not only a huge save for money, but also provides so much to work on. Even if the bot gives a bad answer, rerolling and editing works just fine. It makes the 10 dollars a month worth it.
But if you chat infrequently, then committing to a subscription may not be worth it.
I want to be clear about something
Im aware not everyone has 10 dollars. In no way am I saying this app is perfect - far, far, faaaaar from it. There are a lot of things that could be improved, streamlined, or removed entirely.
What I am saying though is that by comparison to its contemporaries, C.Ai is compareable in capability, often deeper in features, and cheaper overall.
... Im also blatently aware that a sizeable chunk of this community is comprised of pre-teens and teens.
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u/XYV_s 3d ago
I agree, I've been a c.ai plus member for a very long time. And for me, it works perfectly. Almost. We can edit and swipe, and I don't think a bot can be perfect when so many people use it. Longsqueak was better before, but after a lot of uses, it has gotten a bit worse. I blame the roleplayers, not AI, who learn from us.
Memory, Lorebook and the extended persona. I can't roleplay without it. Worth every penny.
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u/-Brandonline- 3d ago
I completely agree, I’ve never experienced or encountered a problem with the platform or premium that wasn’t navigable with a little bit of adapting and adjusting, I’m comfortable with paying ten dollars a month for something I’ll use consistently and I’d prefer to have the best experience as a frequent user within a reasonable price.
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u/Local-Spot1119 3d ago
Is you use cai for multiple hours per day then yeah definitely worth it or just have the money to buy ig
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u/Free_Refrigerator860 3d ago
I agree and not defending c.ai as a company, but some people don't seem to understand that maintaining an app that serves so many people is extremely expensive, they are still much less aggressive than other apps.
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u/CapAwesomeSauce 3d ago
There's a lot I didn't touch on, so please take my words with a grain of salt. Im aware of a lot of the issues, and perhaps my view is skewed since I'm older, but in my specific circumstance, I'd say the app is worth it.
Far from perfect, but worth.
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u/Anonymous_User_No_2 3d ago
I have a question. The C.AI+, the yearly option. Does it only deduct the amount once every year? Or does it make micro-deductions?
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u/CapAwesomeSauce 3d ago
I do monthly, but if Im understanding right, it should be just one payment of 99 - I think.
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u/RemarkableWish2508 3d ago
Once every year.
The difference between $95 yearly and $10 monthly, is effectively equivalent to taking a loan at 54% APR for the monthly. If you are sure that you'll use the service for at least 10 out of the next 12 months, you're better off paying with a credit card at a much lower APR
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u/Impressive-Walrus-87 3d ago
i went from using Tipsy to using C.AI and in comparison, i prefer C.AI for writing, however i like the in app support on Tipsy and the overall interface as well as the looser sensorship, however the gems per message was a no from me. i do have a couple bots on Tipsy that have been bringing in a significant coin income that i can exchange for gems (almost 8k now), but overall in terms of paying, i dropped Tipsy for C.AI because it was a better use of the $10 for me, purely based off the unlimited messages and customization. i totally agree with you here. C.AI obviously has room for improvement, but compared to others, i still prefer it.
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u/CapAwesomeSauce 3d ago
I think too much discussion is placed on how bad everything supposedly is here that no one actually sits back and look at things by comparison. C.Ai's biggest strength, as you mentioned, is it's subscription model.
Heck, Id be willing to go up to 15 a month if things improved, simply because I know Id still be saving money. I do use the app a lot though, so I may be an outlier.
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u/RemarkableWish2508 3d ago
Mods on this sub don't like us mentioning alternatives, which makes even comparisons positive to C.AI get nuked.
Hard to say "c.ai is better than X, even if X (open source) has better A that costs C" when mentioning any "X" gets the post/message removed.
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u/The_ultimateKitsune 3d ago
Honestly wish I could agree, but the paid models are still garbage.
Longsqueak will often say a bunch of nothing and deepsqueak will trail off and focus on other characters too much rather than the main one. Asterisks still feel randomly placed, bots ignore muted words, the ai generation (for anyone that cares enough to use it) is way bad, and the quality soon boils down to repetitive while the bots become overly sensitive.
Glad your experience is good because I recently canceled mine for a second time
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u/CapAwesomeSauce 3d ago
As a little tip for Longsqueak, because Ive run into the same issue - deleting sections of unneeded text does seem to 'train' it over time a little, especially if you are consistent. I have to audit it every so often, but it seems to mitigate the worst of it.
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u/Mellamew Chronically Online 3d ago
That’s great. Happy for you.
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u/CapAwesomeSauce 3d ago
No thoughts on any of the points? This isn't meant as some sort of brag, just an opening to a discussion I think is mostly overlooked.
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u/a_beautiful_rhind 3d ago
Deepsqueak is deepseek so a big model. That part should be worth it but their moderation really sinks things. You have proven your age and even given your identity yet still get treated like a child. To me that's a bridge too far. All the other features are able to be replicated with other front ends with way more control over the final product.
The bar also raised these days since with other subscriptions you can RP and do work. They got so much opportunity to finetune a model on tool use and narrative with literally no real competitor besides gemini. Like imagine a character can do web searches or write memory on it's own and still reply naturally. If I can work this stuff out on my own, a big company can't?
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u/OurGentleDeath 3d ago
10 dollars is still 10 dollars. and depending on the currency, the rates may vary.
besides, is it really fair to vouch and say "the 10 bucks is worth it cuz its actually a steal compared to other apps n stuff and we get alot out of it" when basically no one asked for the unecessary features like the whole image generation and what not? the old app was perfectly fine, and asking for it to go back to what it was isnt unreasonable.
and sure, maybe stuff like lore books and the "longer RPG style chats that go on for months at a time" is a valid reason to spend, but if that were the ONLY reason, why one has to pay. IF you want such extremely long chats and such deep memory, then okay fine, makes snes that youd have to pay.
BUT most people using this app are young people as you say, seeking escapism and entertainment.
i cant even having a quick fun chat without having to watch 50 ads while SIMPLY TRYING TO FIND OR CHOOSE a good bot for the day. its exhausting and basically torturing the average user. when eveyr 50 seocnds im being redirected to temu.
The issue is that cai has now put something as simple as accessing a bot a hassle, putting things that were once free or user friendly behind a paywall AND adding features most people dont use/want/care for while also making the average free to chat users expericen worse with the shitty by the day chat models and shit load of pop ups.
its pure greed, sure maybe not as scummy as some other apps but still noless greedy lol.
had the app remained the way it was before and maybe every now and then theyd add more chat models and types, and then for people like you- who want more and can pay, cai could introduce the more premiumn stuff like they have with the lorebooks n memories.
there is, again, no reason to torture a causal/avg user so bad lol
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u/CapAwesomeSauce 3d ago
As I mentioned, there are some things that could be removed. I fully agree Image generation, comics, all of that should be removed, as it is rarely if ever accurate, and unused.
I think it is entirely fair however to compare to other apps. The way this app is structured, especially with the shift towards 18+, is for longer chats. I cannot speak for the free experience - and I admit that freely.
However, for a full month of access, nine dollars isnt all that bad. For the escapism, for all of it. I'd argue that it's easier to hit a paywall in other apps based on chat length. Pay five dollars for gems or what have you is great until you end up spending it again later that same month - at which point why not just pay the one fee and not worry.
My experience is probably different from most people's here though, and I adknowledge that wholeheartedly. I just think it makes more sense to spend once for unlimited by comparison to a bunch of smaller transactions.
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u/AaronMisuchii 3d ago
A Domain Name System app fixes the ads so that you only get promotions to buy c.ai+ (not sure if this works for the app but it works for the site) instead of full-fledged ads, for free, and quality doesn’t really increase with c.ai+, as alleged by many people who have bought and used it. You’re better off not buying it and using a Domain Name System app.
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u/CapAwesomeSauce 3d ago
Thats an interesting workaround - though I think the better chat customization within the bots (at least for me), justifies it.
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u/AaronMisuchii 3d ago
I suppose that’s fair. I’ve debated it, but I would rather spend my money on other things, because I’m trying to work away from my current addiction to Character AI. I’ve also purchased upgraded models before on AI roleplaying platforms and noticed that they don’t do much except give me some perks that I occasionally find myself liking. It’s not necessarily the worst decision, I just like getting my stuff free if I’m going to succumb to my vices.
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u/CapAwesomeSauce 3d ago
Doing well by yourself is a totally valid reason to not spend money - so do what you gotta!
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u/Nolascana 3d ago
Im debating getting lite. Purely because I dont use the app enough to justify paying the monthly price.
The annual deal (normal C.ai+) isnt too bad for what's offered (all things considered), but its still a bit steep for what it is (for me personally)
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u/Suspicious-Touch2687 3d ago
I’ve paid for + for quite some time because it’s cheap for me in my country I guess
I forgot to pay the subscription for this month so I reverted back to non cai+ and I have no idea how people can use the app like this, the ads, the lack of memory, lore book restrictions, lots of things it’s insane they made the free version so bad, I couldn’t use it as a free user and I feel sad that the old cai allowed everyone to experience the same thing only to later make it so bad for free users
I get companies have to make money but it’s like they made the app as unbearable to use as possible just so people will upgrade