Character.AI recorded 20 million monthly active users and over 180 million monthly website visits through late 2025, even as competition from cheaper AI chatbots pulled its user count down from a mid-2024 peak of 28 million. The platform generated $32.2 million in annual revenue for 2024 — a 112% jump from $15.2 million in 2023 — while its 225-person team continued to shift away from proprietary model development in favor of open-source alternatives. This page covers the latest Character AI statistics and user trends heading into 2026, including traffic patterns, demographics, revenue, and how the platform stacks up against competitors.
Key Character AI Statistics
- Character.AI has 20 million monthly active users as of early 2025, down from 28 million in mid-2024.
- The platform received 181.2 million website visits in November 2025 and 153.2 million in December 2025.
- Annual revenue reached $32.2 million in 2024, with projections targeting $50.1 million for 2025.
- Users have created more than 18 million unique AI chatbots, with 9 million new characters added each month.
- The 18-to-24 age group makes up 51.84% of all Character.AI visitors.
How Many People Use Character AI in 2026?
Character.AI had 20 million monthly active users in January 2025, according to Business of Apps data. That figure dropped from a high of 28 million in mid-2024. The decline coincided with the rise of more affordable generative AI tools and the departure of co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, who rejoined Google in late 2024.
Despite the active user drop, the platform’s top-of-funnel numbers stayed strong. The mobile app crossed 40 million total downloads by January 2025, and Google Play averaged 4.9 million downloads per month throughout the year. In the United States alone, the Character.AI app maintained 4.42 million monthly active users — a fraction of ChatGPT’s 37 million in the same region, but large enough to rank among the top AI tools by engagement.
| Period | Monthly Active Users |
|---|---|
| Mid-2024 (Peak) | 28 million |
| January 2025 | 20 million |
| Mid-2025 | ~20 million |
| Late 2025 | ~20 million |
Source: Business of Apps, SimilarWeb
Character AI Website Traffic Trends
Character.AI website visits fluctuated within a narrow range for most of 2025. Monthly traffic hovered between 177 million and 185 million from June through October, then dipped to 153.2 million in December 2025 according to Semrush. The site peaked at 223.16 million visits in February 2025, driven entirely by organic traffic with zero paid ad spend.
Daily visitor counts averaged around 6.15 million. Each visitor spent about 17 minutes and 23 seconds per session and viewed 9.86 pages — more than double ChatGPT’s 7-minute average session length. The bounce rate sat at roughly 33%, a sign that most visitors engaged beyond the landing page.
| Month (2025) | Monthly Visits |
|---|---|
| February | 223.16 million |
| June | 180.7 million |
| July | 177.4 million |
| August | 179.9 million |
| September | 185.1 million |
| October | 185.5 million |
| November | 181.2 million |
| December | 153.2 million |
Source: Semrush, SimilarWeb
Character AI User Demographics
Character.AI skews young. Over half of all visitors — 51.84% — fall in the 18-to-24 age bracket. Another 36.2% are between 25 and 44. Users over 65 account for only 2.53% of traffic. This age distribution aligns with the platform’s focus on roleplay, fan fiction, and creative storytelling, which tend to attract younger audiences.
Gender distribution is nearly even: 50.61% male and 49.39% female. This balance is uncommon among AI companion platforms, many of which skew heavily male. Character.AI’s broader content range — from study helpers to fictional characters — likely accounts for the more balanced split.
| Age Group | Percentage of Visitors |
|---|---|
| 18–24 | 51.84% |
| 25–34 | 22.48% |
| 35–44 | 13.72% |
| 45–54 | 6.18% |
| 55–64 | 3.25% |
| 65+ | 2.53% |
Source: SimilarWeb
Character AI Traffic by Country
The United States sends the most traffic to Character.AI, accounting for 24.70% of total visits. India follows at 9.12%, with the Philippines close behind at 8.95%. The platform has a wide global footprint, drawing visitors from over 200 countries.
Direct navigation makes up 65.37% of all traffic, which means most users type the URL or use bookmarks rather than finding the site through search. Organic search contributes 28.63%, and social media accounts for about 7.25%. Paid search is nearly nonexistent at 0.75%.
| Country | Traffic Share |
|---|---|
| United States | 24.70% |
| India | 9.12% |
| Philippines | 8.95% |
| Indonesia | 5.19% |
| Brazil | 4.52% |
| United Kingdom | 4.00% |
| Russia | 4.30% |
Source: SimilarWeb
Character AI Revenue and Valuation
Character.AI brought in $32.2 million in revenue during 2024, up from $15.2 million in 2023. That 112% year-over-year growth came primarily from c.ai+ subscriptions, priced at $9.99 per month, which offer faster responses, priority access, voice calls, and group chats. The company projected $50.1 million in annualized revenue by the end of 2025.
Revenue per employee sits at approximately $139,000, based on the 225-person headcount. The mobile app generated about $400,000 in August 2024 alone — $300,000 from iOS and $100,000 from Android. The company also started testing advertising in its social feed in mid-2025, with brands like Yelp and Webtoon running early campaigns.
Valuation has been volatile. Character.AI hit $1 billion after its $150 million Series A in March 2023, rose to an estimated $2.5 billion peak in 2024, then dropped back to around $1 billion in 2025. Google’s $2.7 billion investment — structured as a licensing deal and acqui-hire rather than a traditional equity round — complicates the valuation picture. In August 2025, the company explored either a full sale or a new funding round at a valuation above $1 billion.
| Year | Annual Revenue | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $15.2 million | $1 billion |
| 2024 | $32.2 million | $2.5 billion (peak) |
| 2025 (Projected) | $50.1 million | ~$1 billion |
Source: Sacra, The Information, Business of Apps
Character AI Engagement Statistics
Active users spend an average of two hours per day on Character.AI. Weekly engagement clocks in around 373 minutes, far exceeding most social media apps. The platform generates roughly 10 billion messages per month across all conversations, with popular AI characters receiving about 150,000 interactions daily.
User-created characters outnumber developer-built ones by an 8:1 ratio. Over 9 million new characters appear each month, covering everything from anime personas to historical figures to study companions. About 41% of users engage with AI characters for emotional support or companionship, and more than 65% of Gen Z users report feeling an emotional connection with the characters they interact with. These engagement patterns mirror broader trends across generative AI adoption in consumer apps.
| Engagement Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Average daily usage (active users) | ~2 hours |
| Average session duration (website) | 17 min 23 sec |
| Pages per visit | 9.86 |
| Monthly messages generated | ~10 billion |
| Bounce rate | 33.2% |
| User-created characters | 18+ million |
Source: SimilarWeb, Quizgecko
Character AI vs Competitors
Character.AI holds the top spot in the AI character chat category, but faces pressure on multiple fronts. ChatGPT dominates the broader AI chatbot market with 82.7% market share and 37 million U.S. mobile users. Replika, the main direct competitor, has roughly 2 million monthly active users and generates $24–$30 million in annual revenue through a subscription-only model focused on emotional companionship.
Smaller platforms are gaining ground. Dopple AI attracted 414,950 monthly visits in September 2025 with a focus on less restricted roleplay. JanitorAI and SpicyChat compete on customization and content freedom. The broader AI companion app market hit $221 million in cumulative consumer spending by July 2025, with 337 active revenue-generating apps and 128 new entrants in 2025 alone.
| Platform | Monthly Active Users | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Character.AI | 20 million | $32.2 million |
| ChatGPT | 37 million (U.S. mobile) | N/A |
| Replika | ~2 million | $24–30 million |
| Chub AI | 7.3 million visits/mo | Undisclosed |
| Dopple AI | 414,950 visits/mo | ~$1.9 million |
Source: Business of Apps, SimilarWeb, Sacra
Character AI Funding and Ownership
Character.AI raised a total of $193 million across two rounds. The seed round brought in $43 million between 2021 and 2022 from Elad Gil and SV Angel. The $150 million Series A in March 2023, led by Andreessen Horowitz, pushed the valuation to $1 billion.
In August 2024, Google paid $2.7 billion in a non-traditional deal. The payment was structured as an investment and a non-exclusive license for Character.AI’s language model technology. As part of the arrangement, co-founders Shazeer and De Freitas returned to Google to work on Gemini. The remaining ~70 employees took over ownership of the company. In June 2025, former Meta and Brex executive Karandeep Anand was appointed CEO. The understanding of how AI agents differ from traditional chatbots remains relevant as the company repositions under new leadership.
Character AI Safety and Content Moderation
Character.AI employs more than 10 full-time staff on trust and safety. In October 2025, the company announced a two-hour daily usage cap for users under 18, followed by a full ban on open-ended chat for minors starting November 25, 2025. Age verification now involves biometric scanning or government ID.
The platform partnered with Koko for in-product emotional support resources and ThroughLine for a verified global helpline network. For teens, the experience shifted toward non-chat features like Feed, Imagine, AvatarFX, and Streams. These changes came amid two active lawsuits alleging the platform exposed minors to harmful content. The growing AI chatbot market as a whole is grappling with similar safety questions.
Character AI App Download Statistics
The Character.AI app passed 40 million total downloads across iOS and Android by January 2025. On Google Play, the app averaged 4.9 million downloads per month, with a peak of 7.9 million in August 2024. It ranked 20th in the entertainment category on Apple’s App Store.
Mobile devices account for 83% of all Character.AI interactions. Desktop makes up 15%, and tablets the remaining 2%. The app retention rate is 48% higher than traditional social media apps, according to reported platform data.
FAQ
How many users does Character AI have in 2026?
Character.AI has approximately 20 million monthly active users, down from a peak of 28 million in mid-2024. The platform still receives over 150 million monthly website visits.
How much revenue does Character AI generate?
Character.AI earned $32.2 million in 2024, up 112% from $15.2 million in 2023. The company projected $50.1 million in annualized revenue by the end of 2025.
What age group uses Character AI the most?
Users aged 18 to 24 make up 51.84% of all Character.AI visitors. Combined with the 25-to-34 bracket, users under 35 represent about 74% of total traffic.
Is Character AI free to use?
Character.AI offers a free tier with core chat features. The premium c.ai+ subscription costs $9.99 per month and includes faster responses, priority access, and voice calls.
Who owns Character AI?
Character.AI is owned by its employees after co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas left to rejoin Google in late 2024. Karandeep Anand was appointed CEO in June 2025.
