Open-LLM-VTuber is a free program that lets you talk by voice with an animated on-screen character, which can run on your own computer without internet. It is for people who want a personal AI companion they can customize.
Has 3 of 5 · Remembers past chats ✗
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does the whole job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Amica is a customizable 3D character you can talk to by voice or text, with expressive emotions. It is for people who want a personal AI companion they can shape to their liking.
Has 3 of 5
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does the whole job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Windows · Mac · Linux · AndroidAGPL-3.0Replaces partly
SillyTavern is a free program you install on your own computer to chat with AI characters, using text, image and voice AI services you choose. It is aimed at hobbyists who enjoy customizing AI prompts and characters.
Has 0 of 5 · Works in a web browser ✗
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
None of these match. Try another device.
Help me choose
I want to pick an open-source replacement for Character.AI. Below is a list from Open Source Everything (CC BY-SA 4.0), in the order its website shows it. The order is a starting point, not a verdict.
- Open-LLM-VTuber: Open-LLM-VTuber is a free program that lets you talk by voice with an animated on-screen character, which can run on your own computer without internet. It is for people who want a personal AI companion they can customize. [Easy setup; Windows · Mac; replaces fully; MIT; https://github.com/Open-LLM-VTuber/Open-LLM-VTuber]
- Amica: Amica is a customizable 3D character you can talk to by voice or text, with expressive emotions. It is for people who want a personal AI companion they can shape to their liking. [Easy setup; Windows · Mac · Linux; replaces fully; MIT; https://github.com/semperai/amica]
- SillyTavern: SillyTavern is a free program you install on your own computer to chat with AI characters, using text, image and voice AI services you choose. It is aimed at hobbyists who enjoy customizing AI prompts and characters. [Advanced setup; Windows · Mac · Linux · Android; replaces partly; AGPL-3.0; https://github.com/SillyTavern/SillyTavern]
Setup rating: "Easy setup" means you can install it like a normal app, use it in a browser. "Advanced setup" means you must run it on your own server or use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Full details: https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/ai-companions.json
Before recommending anything, ask me these three questions (one at a time, in plain words): 1) Which device or devices will I use it on (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone)? 2) How comfortable am I with technical setup: only installing apps from a store, happy to follow a step-by-step guide, or comfortable with servers and the command line? 3) What is my budget: free only, or willing to pay for hosting or support? Then recommend one to three projects from this list only, and for each say why, using how fully it replaces the app, its setup rating, and the devices it runs on. If nothing on the list fits me, say so plainly instead of stretching.
Before you build
Read the list of open-source projects at https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/ai-companions.json. Compare it with my project or idea below. Tell me which projects overlap, what I could reuse instead of rewriting, and what mine does that none of them do.
My project or idea:
