A Visual Guide for Users Navigating AI Chat Platforms
In the evolving landscape of AI chatbots, two main types have emerged: simple "Plaintext" platforms and more advanced "Character Card" platforms. This guide focuses on the latter, offering a comparative look to help you find the perfect fit, especially if you're moving on from services like Character.AI.
Context size determines how much of the conversation the AI can "remember." Larger numbers mean longer memory for more detailed roleplays.
This chart compares platforms on key characteristics. A higher score means the platform excels more in that area.
Best for beginners and ex-C.AI users looking for a simple, plug-and-play experience with a built-in free model.
✔ Simple UI and free in-house language model (JLLM).
✔ Features lorebooks to save on token usage for established story details.
✘ JLLM quality can be highly inconsistent.
✘ Popularity leads to a login queue and server instability.
A hub for character cards with maximum creative freedom, a free model, and advanced features for experienced users.
✔ Uncensored platform with extensive customization (chat trees, galleries).
✔ "Forking" feature allows users to easily create variations of existing bots.
✘ User must learn the system independently; docs can be complex.
✘ Development can be slow, with bugs persisting for long periods.
Locally-run software for power users who demand absolute control, privacy, and endless customizability via extensions.
✔ Total privacy and control, as it runs on your own machine.
✔ Massive community for extensions, mods, and support. Multi-bot chats.
✘ Requires you to bring your own API keys; no built-in models.
✘ Very steep learning curve, can be overwhelming for beginners.
A platform in active development with very large free model context sizes and a focus on quality standards for creators.
✔ Huge free context (8k-16k tokens) for long-term memory.
✔ Active dev team that implements user-requested features.
✘ UI is often reported as confusing and having a high barrier to entry.
✘ Beta status means bugs and API issues can be common.
A powerful frontend focused on high-effort characters with image expressions. For users who have their own API access.
✔ Best-in-class support for embedded images and expression packs.
✔ Supports all major APIs, including custom endpoints and Horde.
✘ No free models included; you must provide your own API key.
✘ Documentation is sparse and community support can be slow.
A user-friendly platform that excels at multi-modal chat, seamlessly integrating image generation with text.
✔ Excellent integrated image generation capabilities.
✔ Sleek, modern UI that is easy for new users to pick up.
✘ Free tier is limited; full feature access requires a subscription.
✘ Less focus on deep, technical customization compared to SillyTavern.
This simplified flowchart can help guide your decision based on your technical comfort and what you're looking for in a chatbot experience.