Character.AI alternatives that can import your characters and chats
Last checked 27 October 2026
Four Character.AI alternatives we checked can import the characters from your Character.AI data export, and two of them, SillyTavern and Perchance AI Character Chat, import your old chats too. Chatbound turns the export into the files they take.
Have your export? Open it in Chatbound and use the Move to another app tab. It makes the card and the chat files on your device, from the file, without the Character.AI website. One character is free.
Open your exportThe four, side by side
| App | Where it runs | Your characters | Your old chats | What you add yourself |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SillyTavern | An app you install on your computer. It is an interface only: you connect it to an AI model, online or on your own machine. Free and open source. | Imports the card (PNG or JSON) | Imports the chat files | The AI model it talks to |
| Perchance AI Character Chat | A website. It keeps your characters and chats in your browser’s storage on that device. | Imports the card (PNG or JSON) | Imports the chat files | Backups, with its export button |
| Janitor AI | A website, with an account | Imports the PNG card when you choose it as the character’s image | No import | A Personality for characters made by others (it won’t save a character without one) |
| Sakura.fm | A website | Imports the card (PNG or JSON) through Import Character | No import | A Persona and a Scenario, at least 3 characters each |
We checked each app’s import on 22 October 2026, in its interface and in the code behind it. The guide for each app has the steps. We haven’t checked other apps, so they aren’t listed here.
Which one to choose
- You want your old chats to carry on: SillyTavern or Perchance, the two that import chat files.
- You want a website rather than an app to install: Perchance, Janitor AI or Sakura.fm. Only Perchance also takes your old chats. In Janitor AI, a short summary of the story can go into the chat’s Chat Memory.
- You want everything on your own computer: SillyTavern keeps characters and chats in its data folder on the machine that runs it.
What moves, whichever you pick
Everything comes from your Character.AI data export, so the move doesn’t need the Character.AI website. From the export, Chatbound makes:
- A character card for each character, in the Character Card V2 format, as a PNG picture with the card inside or as a JSON file. For characters your account created it carries the name, description, greeting and definition. For characters made by other people it carries the name you type and the chat’s greeting.
- A chat file in SillyTavern’s JSONL format for each chat, every message in order with its time. The export doesn’t record who wrote each message, so you check the turns in a preview before saving.
One character with all its chats is free. Pro converts every character and chat at once into one ZIP.
What stays behind
- Character pictures, pinned memories, voice, and chats deleted before the export. None of them are in the file.
- The definitions of characters you didn’t create. Write a short description in Chatbound or in the new app.
Before you go
Character.AI filed for Chapter 11 on 12 October 2026 and is running while it looks for a buyer (what that means). The export can take 3 to 4 weeks to arrive, so ask for it before you decide where to go.
Sources: SillyTavern 1.19.0, its interface and import code (github.com/SillyTavern/SillyTavern, release branch), and the Chat File Management page of its documentation (checked 22 October 2026); the SillyTavern documentation home page, “What is SillyTavern?” (checked 27 October 2026); the source of Perchance AI Character Chat, its import button and the code behind it (checked 22 October 2026); Janitor AI’s character creator at janitorai.com, its interface text and the code that reads an imported image (checked 22 October 2026; you need an account to open it); Sakura.fm’s character creator at sakura.fm/create, its Import Character box and the code that reads the file (checked 22 October 2026); Character Card V2 specification.
Questions
Which Character.AI alternative can import my old chats?
Of the apps we checked, SillyTavern and Perchance AI Character Chat import chat files, and Chatbound makes those files from your Character.AI data export. Janitor AI and Sakura.fm import characters only.
Can I move characters made by other people?
Partly. The export only holds definitions for characters your account created. For the others it has your chats, so the card gets the name you type and the character’s greeting, and you write a short description. Don’t publish someone else’s character as your own.
Do I need the Character.AI website to move?
No. Chatbound works from the data export file you downloaded, so once you have the file, the move doesn’t depend on the website.
Is Chatbound affiliated with these apps?
No. Chatbound is an independent tool by Peak Apps Studio. It is not affiliated with Character Technologies, SillyTavern, Perchance, Janitor AI or Sakura.fm.