I Tested Character.AI and Chumi for 3 Months: Here's What I Discovered

I'll be honest—I started using Character.AI because everyone was talking about it. The promise of chatting with anyone from Einstein to your favorite anime character seemed incredible. But after three months of daily use, I ran into problems that made me look for alternatives. That's when I found Chumi.

This isn't a sponsored post. I paid for both platforms with my own money, had over 500 conversations combined, and I'm sharing exactly what I experienced—the good, the bad, and the awkward.

Why I Started Using Character.AI

Character.AI had everything going for it on paper. Millions of user-created characters. A massive community. The ability to create any character you could imagine. I signed up excited to chat with historical figures for a history project I was working on.

The first week was great. I found multiple versions of Albert Einstein, had interesting conversations about relativity, and even chatted with a Shakespeare character that helped me understand Hamlet better. But then things got weird.

The Problem: NSFW Content Where You Don't Expect It

This happened three separate times in one week with supposedly "educational" characters. The problem? Character.AI is user-generated content. Anyone can create any character, and the quality—and appropriateness—varies wildly. Even characters with educational names and descriptions can go off the rails.

My younger sister (16) had been asking to try AI chat after seeing me use it. After these experiences, I realized I couldn't recommend Character.AI to her or any teenager without serious concerns. That's when I started looking for alternatives.

Discovering Chumi: A Different Approach

I found Chumi while searching for "safe Character.AI alternative." The immediate difference? Chumi doesn't rely on user-generated content. Every character is curated and professionally created. Instead of millions of random characters, they focus on 327 historical figures—all historically accurate and educationally focused.

I was skeptical at first. Only 327 characters vs millions on Character.AI? But then I realized: I don't need a million characters. I need good ones that actually work.

3 Months Later: My Detailed Comparison

After using both platforms extensively (about 300 conversations on Character.AI, 200+ on Chumi), here's what I learned:

1. Content Safety & Moderation

2. Conversation Quality & Accuracy

Here's where the curation model really shows its value. On Character.AI, I chatted with five different "Albert Einstein" characters. Here's what I got:

• •Einstein #1: Knew physics but kept making modern pop culture references
• •Einstein #2: Talked like a modern bro, barely knew actual relativity theory
• •Einstein #3: Suddenly became flirtatious mid-conversation (what??)
• •Einstein #4: Actually decent, stayed in character
• •Einstein #5: Just repeated quotes from Google without explanations

On Chumi? There's one Einstein. He's historically accurate, educationally focused, and stays in character. Every time. I don't have to play "character roulette" hoping to find a good one.

3. Educational Value

This is where Chumi really won me over. Character.AI characters are designed for entertainment. Chumi characters are designed for learning. I tested this by asking the same question to both platforms' versions of Marie Curie: "How did you discover radium?"

For actual learning? Not even close. Chumi wins by a mile.

4. Pricing & Value

Both platforms have free and paid tiers. Here's the breakdown:

Chumi is 40% cheaper and, in my opinion, better quality. Easy choice.

What Character.AI Does Better

To be fair, Character.AI isn't all bad. There are things it does better than Chumi:

• Variety: Millions of characters vs 327. Want to chat with your favorite anime character or a fictional character? Character.AI has it.
• Character Creation: You can create your own characters. Chumi doesn't offer this (yet?).
• Community: Huge user community, popular characters get lots of attention and improvement.

If entertainment and variety are your main goals, Character.AI might still be your choice. Just be aware of the content safety issues.

My Recommendation: Who Should Use What?

Final Thoughts

After three months of testing, I've moved to Chumi as my primary AI chat platform. Character.AI still has value for entertainment and variety, but for my use case—learning, having meaningful conversations, and not worrying about inappropriate content—Chumi is the clear winner.

The curation model works. Having 327 high-quality characters beats having millions of inconsistent ones. The safety is a huge plus, especially if you want to recommend it to younger users. And it's cheaper.

If you're mainly looking for education and quality conversations, give Chumi a try. The free tier (50 messages/day) is more than enough to test it out. That's what I did, and I haven't looked back.