If you’re into AI chatbots for roleplaying, you’ve probably heard about Character AI and Janitor AI. Both are popular but serve slightly different purposes and work in different ways.
1. Adult and Sensitive Content: What’s Allowed?
One of the biggest differences is how they handle NSFW (Not Safe For Work) or mature content.
- Character AI has strict rules against NSFW and graphic gore. If you try to bring up anything adult or violent, it’s quickly filtered out or blocked. They want to keep things clean and safe for all users.
- Janitor AI is more relaxed. It allows adult conversations and mature themes in both chat and descriptions, but with a catch — it doesn’t allow NSFW profile pictures or avatars. That’s because their storage provider won’t host those images, so the platform has to keep it PG on that front.
So, if your roleplay leans into mature or darker themes, Janitor AI offers more freedom in the chat itself, but you’ll need to keep character images clean.
2. How Much Can They Remember? The Context Window
The “context window” is basically how much chat history the AI remembers and uses to keep conversations consistent.
- Character AI officially doesn’t say how big their memory is, but community testing shows it handles around 3,000 tokens. That means it can remember a good chunk of the conversation but sometimes might lose track if things get too long or complicated.
- Janitor AI openly shows a context window of 9,001 tokens, which is huge compared to Character AI. This allows Janitor AI to keep track of a longer story and stick closer to earlier parts of the chat.
If you want deep, ongoing stories where the AI remembers details from way back in the conversation, Janitor AI has a clear advantage here.
3. Style of Responses: Chat vs Story
The way these two AIs reply is quite different, and that affects the feel of your roleplay.
- Character AI is more like a chat buddy. Responses tend to be shorter, more conversational, and sometimes casual or playful. It’s great if you want quick back-and-forth chats.
- Janitor AI leans into storytelling. Its replies are often much longer and packed with detail, creating rich narratives rather than just chatting. These longer replies usually aren’t just filler — they add to the story or character development.
For players who love crafting detailed scenes and narratives, Janitor AI offers a more immersive storytelling experience.
4. Sticking to the Script: Creativity vs Consistency
When it comes to staying “in character” or following a scenario:
- Character AI tries to be creative and may take liberties, improvising or twisting the story to keep things fresh and surprising.
- Janitor AI is more focused on sticking closely to the scenario and previous messages. It won’t stray far from what’s been set up and tries to keep the story consistent and on track.
So if you want an AI that sticks to your rules and scenario with little deviation, Janitor AI is your go-to. If you prefer something more flexible and unpredictable, Character AI fits better.
5. Character Settings: What Controls the Roleplay?
Both platforms let you set up your characters with some background info, but they use these features differently.
- Janitor AI has a “scenario” setting, which is super useful. This field lets you define the scene, mood, or context, helping the AI stay on track.
- Character AI has a “Tagline” and “Description,” but these are mostly for public display and don’t always influence the AI’s behavior deeply.
The scenario feature in Janitor AI gives you more control over how the story unfolds, making it easier to guide the AI.
6. Personality and Roleplay Focus
How well do these bots “get” your character’s personality?
- Character AI is good at building a character’s personality with just a few words. It can jump into roleplay smoothly without needing a long intro or greeting.
- Janitor AI needs a well-filled personality field and more detailed character settings to perform best. It follows these instructions closely and sticks to the persona you give it.
In short, Character AI feels more natural for quick and casual roleplay, while Janitor AI requires a bit more setup but rewards that with consistent roleplay quality.
7. Money Matters: How They Keep Running
Both Character AI and Janitor AI run as independent platforms using a freemium business model, meaning basic access is free but premium features cost money.
- Character AI has secured significant funding from investors, giving it more resources to grow and improve.
- Janitor AI likely has little to no outside funding, relying mostly on its community and freemium income. They recently said they don’t plan to change their free vs paid service setup anytime soon.
Despite different financial situations, both platforms offer free use with paid upgrades, so you can try them without any upfront cost.
Which One Should You Choose?
If you want:
- Clean, casual chat → Character AI
- More freedom with adult content, longer story memory, and strict scenario following → Janitor AI
Both are excellent tools for roleplayers, just tailored to different styles and needs. Try them out, see which vibe fits your story, and get ready to dive deep into your favorite characters.