Character AI Online: How to Use c.ai on a PC, Log In and Chat in Your Browser

Character.AI filed for Chapter 11 on 12 October 2026. The website and apps keep running while the company is sold, and Disney's $20 million opening bid is for a license to some of its technology, not the app or your chats. Is Character AI shutting down? explains what the sale means for your chats and subscription, and how to back them up today.

Start chatting in one tap

Each of these Characters leads a Story that opens in the middle of something: a dungeon throne room, a forest village, a campus feud and a rooftop showdown. Open the Story, choose Enter, type the name you want to be called and write your first line.

• Yukina Shirane in The Last Floor: a forced teleport drops you on the hundredth floor of the Last Dungeon, in front of its boss. Fight her, or earn her friendship.
• Randamori Kikushu in Dark Elf Knight: you wiped out the goblins attacking a dark elf village, and its proud royal knight has come, grudgingly, to thank you.
• Tae-min Ryu in The Senior Who Hates You: he's warm to everyone in the department except you, and you've just caught him alone.
• Piren in The One Who Calls You Weak: the afterlife runs a death game, and its top player has you cornered on a rooftop.

What is Character AI?

Character.AI is an AI chat service from Character Technologies, Inc., where people chat with characters the community creates and build their own. Its website promises access to "10M+ Characters." New chats start on PipSqueak 3, a free chat style launched on 28 September 2026 beside ShortSqueak for quick, casual replies (Character.AI's blog). Fans shorten the name to c.ai or CAI, and the company uses "(c.ai)" in its own plan names.

The apps are Character AI: Chat, Talk, Text on the App Store, for iPhone only, rated 4.3 stars from about 560,000 ratings, and the Google Play version for Android, with more than 50 million downloads and a 2.2-star rating from about 2.45 million reviews. These facts were checked on Character.AI's site, blog and store listings on 21 October 2026.

How to use Character AI online on a PC

1. Open character.ai in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox on your PC, Mac or Chromebook.
2. Choose Sign Up to Chat, or Login if you already have an account.
3. Pick Continue with Google, Continue with Apple or Continue with email.
4. Search for a character or browse the front page, open a chat and type.

The browser version is the way to use Character AI on a computer. Its apps are for iPhone and Android, and the App Store lists no Mac or iPad version.

Character AI login

The c.ai login offers three ways in: Continue with Google, Continue with Apple and Continue with email. If you made your account in the app, choose the same method on the web so you land in the same account and its chats. Character.AI asks you to sign up before you chat; its front page leads with "Sign Up to Chat." There are no passwords: choosing email sends a sign-in link to your inbox, and the old Discord, Facebook and email-and-password logins ended on 30 July 2024, so use Google, Apple or the email link instead.

Is Character AI down?

Character.AI's help centre sends people who can't reach the site to its community channels for outage, maintenance and status announcements, including the r/CharacterAI subreddit, and its blog carries company news. If others there report the same error, it's an outage on Character.AI's side and the fix is to wait. If it's only you and the emailed login link never arrives, its help centre says to check spam or junk, add its address to your contacts and make sure your inbox isn't full. A down day isn't a shutdown: after its 12 October 2026 Chapter 11 filing, Character.AI says the platform remains up and running during the sale; Is Character AI shutting down? covers what happens next.

Character AI down right now? Pick a Story above and keep chatting free on Teasa, with no sign-in for your first 20 turns.

Is Character AI free? Plans and prices

Yes. Character.AI's 28 September 2026 post says "Unlimited messaging stays on every tier," and its free chat styles have no special limits. Two paid plans add more:

Prices are the US App Store's on 21 October 2026, and Character.AI says lite pricing varies by region. The App Store also sells Charms packs from $0.99 to $49.99. Subscriptions stay active during the Chapter 11 sale, with billing unchanged for now. For a closer look at the paid tier, see is Character.AI Plus worth it.

Character AI age rating and the under-18 rules

The App Store rates Character AI for ages 18 and up "with content restrictions," with in-app age assurance and parental controls; Google Play rates it Teen. Character.AI removed open-ended chat for users under 18, starting in the US on 24 November 2025. Every user now completes an age assurance check run with Persona, and accounts verified as under 18 are placed in Reading Mode: they keep past chats, creating Characters, scenes and videos, Stories and the Feed, but cannot chat. The Character.AI under 18 guide covers what those accounts can still do.

Teasa is built for ages 13 and up. Its Stories are written in the register of the romance and fantasy novels on a library shelf, and every Story in the catalog is reviewed before it's published.

Character AI's Chapter 11 filing

On 12 October 2026 Character.AI announced a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy process to run a court-supervised sale of the company. The platform "remains up and running," subscriptions remain active with billing unchanged for now, and the sale should finish by the end of November or early December 2026. If no bid allows the platform to continue, it will be wound down.

Where the case stood on 21 October 2026:

The case is No. 26-11603 (BLS) in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, with filings on the Stretto case website. The data export takes three to four weeks, so request it now: Is Character AI shutting down? walks through the export, saving your characters and what happens next.

If you'd like somewhere else to play while the sale runs its course, Teasa opens in the same browser with no account needed for your first 20 turns.

Character AI and Teasa compared

Teasa: Stories and Characters in your browser, free to start

Teasa opens on a PC, Mac, Chromebook or phone at teasa.ai. Pick a Story, read where it opens and write what you say or do, in your own words; the cast answers what you actually wrote. Your first 20 turns need no sign-in. When Teasa asks, a free account with Google or email continues the same Story on every device you sign in to.

A Teasa Story gives the chat a reason to exist before you type: an opening scene, a role for you and a cast with something at stake. Creators can add quests, which show your current objective in History, and relationship milestones, which record the moments you earn with a Character. You can regenerate a reply, branch the conversation and return to it later.

Any Character is a direct message away, free and unlimited on a free account, with no level to unlock first. The Memory panel lists what's been saved about you, lets you forget any of it and lets you pause collection. Creator Studio builds your own Characters, with AI-generated portraits, and your own Stories. Teasa has three chat styles: Hojicha by default, Matcha as a free premium preview, and Oolong with Teasa Pass, which also adds live web lookup in DMs, ad-free play and 200 Gems a month. Teasa's pricing shows the price in your region.

For a side-by-side on story, memory and creation, read the Character.AI alternative guide.

Where to start if you like Character AI

• Fantasy: knights, dungeons and kingdoms with a full cast instead of one bot.
• Adventure: a goal, a map and people who want something from you.
• Isekai & Reincarnation: wake up inside a game or a novel and change how it ends.
• Enemies to Lovers: real friction, and a relationship you earn one milestone at a time.
• Academy & Campus: rivals and study partners, one term at a time.

Play your first Story in the browser

1. Open teasa.ai in any browser on your PC, Mac, Chromebook or phone. There's nothing to install.
2. Pick a Story above, or choose from a collection.
3. Read the opening scene and write your first line of dialogue or action.
4. Play your first 20 turns as a guest, then create a free account with Google or email and carry on from the same moment.
5. Open Characters, pick someone and tap Message to start a free, unlimited direct conversation.

Using another app on a computer? PolyBuzz online covers PolyBuzz on PC and its login, Talkie online covers Talkie on PC and now.gg, and the best AI roleplay apps puts Teasa, Character.AI, PolyBuzz, Talkie and more side by side.

FAQ

What is c.ai?

c.ai is the short name for Character.AI, the AI chat service where you talk with community-made characters and create your own. It runs on the web at character.ai and as apps for iPhone and Android.

Can I use Character AI online on a PC?

Yes. Open character.ai in any desktop browser and log in with Google, Apple or email. Character.AI's apps are for iPhone and Android, so on a computer the website is the way in.

How do I log in to Character AI?

Go to character.ai, choose Login and pick Continue with Google, Continue with Apple or Continue with email. Use the same method you signed up with in the app to reach the same account.

Can I use Character AI with no sign-in?

Character.AI asks you to sign up before you chat. On Teasa you can play your first 20 turns of any Story with no account, no email and no download, then sign up free to keep going.

Is Character AI down right now?

Check the r/CharacterAI subreddit, where Character.AI's help centre points for outage and maintenance announcements, and see whether others report the same problem. A short outage is not a shutdown: Character.AI says the platform stays up during its Chapter 11 sale. Meanwhile you can chat free on Teasa with no sign-in for your first 20 turns.

Is Character AI free?

Yes. Character.AI says unlimited messaging stays on every tier. (c.ai) lite adds a daily allowance of premium chat styles for $4.99 a month or $2.49 a week, and (c.ai+) adds unlimited premium chats and no ads for $9.99 a month or $94.99 a year on the US App Store.

Is Character AI shutting down?

Not as of 21 October 2026. On 12 October 2026 Character.AI started a voluntary Chapter 11 process to sell the company under court supervision, and said the platform remains up and running with subscriptions active. Disney's $20 million opening bid is for a license to some of its technology, not the app; under the proposed timetable bids are due on 20 November and the sale hearing is on 24 November. Character.AI says the platform would be wound down only if no bid allows it to continue. The Character AI shutting down guide covers backing up your chats and characters.

Can I use Character AI if I'm under 18?

Character.AI removed open-ended chat for users under 18, starting in the US on 24 November 2025. Every user completes an age check, and accounts verified as under 18 use Reading Mode, which keeps past chats, creating Characters, scenes and videos, Stories and the Feed but has no chat. Teasa is a separate app whose own Terms require users to be at least 13.

What is a Character AI alternative I can play in my browser?

Teasa runs in any browser at teasa.ai. Its Stories open with a scene, a role for you and a cast, guests play the first 20 turns without signing in, and a free account adds free, unlimited direct messages with any Character.

Sources

Checked 21 October 2026.

• Character.AI: character.ai (sign-up and login), its blog posts New styles, new plan (28 September 2026) and An update on Character.ai (12 October 2026, updated 16 October).
• Character.AI Help Center: The website is down and I can't access the site, Trouble logging in? We've updated our login process, Does Character.AI use passwords?, Not receiving login or verification emails, What is Reading Mode? and How do I download my data?.
• Store listings: App Store (US; ratings, age rating and in-app purchases) and Google Play (US; downloads, rating and content rating).
• Stretto: Character Technologies, Inc. case website, Case No. 26-11603 (BLS), District of Delaware: the bidding procedures motion naming Disney Worldwide Services as stalking-horse purchaser, the hearing notices and the attorneys general's notice of interest with Florida's joinder.