Venice.aiCharacter.ai filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 12, 2026. The app is still available. Character.ai says the platform will be wound down if no buyer keeps it running. About 12 million people use it in a typical month. Two separate things are worth doing. Request a data export if you want your own copy of your chats. Create each character again on Venice Characters if you want to use Venice. Venice cannot import the export, but you can recreate your characters. Creating a custom character requires Venice Pro at $18/month.
You can keep chatting on Character.ai while the app is up. The export is only a backup. It does not move your account to Venice.
Short answer
Character.ai filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 12, 2026. The company is trying to sell itself while a court watches the sale. The app is still up, and paid plans were still active. Character.ai says the platform will be wound down if no buyer keeps it running. A data export is a backup of your account. It can take 3 to 4 weeks, and the email link lasts 7 days. Venice cannot import that file but you can recreate your characters. Creating a custom character requires Venice Pro at $18/month.
Why did Character.ai file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy?
Character.ai's October 12 update says the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In plain terms, Character.ai is trying to sell the company while a court watches the sale, so other buyers can make offers in public. The app is still running, and subscriptions were still billing. You can delete your account, or download a copy of it to keep for yourself. Character.ai expects the sale to finish by the end of November or early December 2026.
Disney has offered $20 million for permission to use some of Character.ai's technology. That offer is the one other buyers have to beat. It does not buy the app, the chats, or the characters. Other buyers can offer more. Character.ai said this in its press release.
If no buyer keeps the platform running, Character.ai says the platform will be wound down. The court documents are on the case site. A court filing puts monthly users at about 12 million.
How do you export your Character.ai data?
This is a backup. It gives you a copy of your Character.ai account that you own and can keep. It does not switch you to Venice. Venice cannot import the file but you can recreate your characters using the steps below. Character.ai explains the request in How do I download my data?, updated October 8, 2026.
On the web:
- Open your Profile.
- Open Profile Settings.
- Open Account.
- Open Manage Account & Data.
- Choose Export Data.
A pop-up says Character.ai will email you a download link.
In the app:
- Open your Profile.
- Tap the settings icon.
- Tap Legal & Privacy.
- Tap Export Data.
A success banner means Character.ai received the request. The help center says the file can take 3 to 4 weeks. When the email arrives, the link works for 7 days. Download the file before those 7 days end. Do this even if you plan to keep using the app. If you wait, the file may arrive after the week you needed it.
The file is a copy of your Character.ai account, including your chats. Save it. Venice cannot import that file but you can recreate your characters.
What you can do about it
1. Request the export now
Difficulty: Easy
Best for: Anyone who wants their own copy of their Character.ai chats, whether or not they switch.
Character.ai emails a copy of your account to the address on your profile. The steps are in the section above, and in How do I download my data?. The email can take 3 to 4 weeks. The link in that email works for 7 days, so download the file when it shows up and keep it.
That file is a backup of your chats and account. It is not a Venice import. If you later want the same character on Venice, you still create it there yourself.
2. Keep using Character.ai while it is up
Difficulty: Easy
Best for: People who like the existing character library and want to stay if a buyer keeps the app running.
The October 12 update says you can keep using Character.ai, and that billing had not changed. Character.ai says it will tell subscribers before paid features change. Staying is reasonable if a buyer keeps the app. Request your Character.ai export anyway to make sure your data is backed up. That backup is for you. It does not move the account to Venice.
3. Rebuild the character on Venice
Difficulty: Medium
Best for: Adults who want the character stored on their own device, including mature roleplay that Character.ai does not allow.
This is the switch. You create the character on Venice yourself. Do not try to upload the Character.ai export. Venice cannot import that file but you can recreate your characters. Creating a custom character requires a Pro subscription.
- Sign up. The free plan includes 10 text prompts a day. It does not include custom characters. Prices are on venice.ai/pricing.
- Upgrade to Pro. Creating a custom character requires Pro at $18/month. Pro includes 100 credits a month. Yearly billing saves up to 16.7% compared with paying $18 each month.
- Open Venice Characters. Build from scratch, from a preset, or with auto-generate.
- Add your own notes if you have them. You can upload documents up to 5MB. These are notes you wrote, not the Character.ai export.
- Start the chat. You can talk to the character as soon as it exists.
With Venice, your interactions are stored solely on your device. Venice's Private models don't store your prompts or responses. Anonymous mode is not private. If you pick a frontier model such as Claude or GPT, that provider still receives the prompt. The mode list is on venice.ai/privacy.
Venice Characters are text. They are not 3D avatars, and they are not a copy of Character.ai's character library. Illegal content stays blocked. If you clear your browser data, the local chat history is cleared too, unless you use encrypted backup and restore on a paid plan that includes it.
What are the practical Character.ai alternatives?
1. Venice
Venice fits if you want a private text character, adult creative writing within legal limits, and image or video on the same account in Venice Studio. The comparison of filters, storage, and price is Venice.ai vs Character.ai. A wider list is best uncensored AI chatbots.
What it does differently: Character chats stay on your device. Private models do not store prompts or responses. Anonymous models are a separate mode.
Pricing: Free, with 10 text prompts a day. Creating a custom character requires Pro at $18/month, with 100 credits a month.
Best for: Adults rebuilding a character they want to keep, including mature roleplay.
2. Character.ai, if a buyer keeps the app
Staying is reasonable if you are there for the character library and a buyer keeps the service running. The ban on pornographic and sexually explicit content still applies, on the free plan and on c.ai+ at $9.99/month.
What it does differently: A large character library, plus 3D and voice-style companions. Venice Characters do not offer those.
Pricing: Free basic chat. c.ai+ is $9.99/month or $94.99/year, per character.ai/subscribe.
Best for: People who want that library and are willing to wait for the sale.
3. Janitor AI, if you want a character catalog
Janitor AI is adult character chat, with its own content guidelines. It is not an image and video studio. You can also connect your own model there, including Venice Role Play Uncensored. Setup steps are in Venice.ai vs Janitor AI.
What it does differently: A large adult character catalog, plus an API proxy setting.
Pricing: Free character chat. Janitor+ is $12.99/month. A Venice model on that proxy is billed separately, at $0.50 per million input tokens and $2 per million output tokens.
Best for: People who want to stay in a character catalog and use a Venice model behind it.
FAQ
Is Character.ai shut down?
No. As of the October 12, 2026 update, the app is still up and paid subscriptions were still active. Character.ai filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and says the platform will be wound down if no buyer keeps it running. The company expects the sale to finish by the end of November or early December 2026. It has not announced a date when the app turns off.
How do I export my Character.ai data?
The export is a backup of your Character.ai account so you can keep your own copy. It is not how you switch to Venice. Venice cannot import that file but you can recreate your characters. Creating a custom character requires Pro. Follow How do I download my data?. On the web: Profile, Profile Settings, Account, Manage Account & Data, Export Data. In the app: Profile, settings, Legal & Privacy, Export Data. Character.ai says this can take 3 to 4 weeks. The email link lasts 7 days.
Can Venice import my Character.ai characters?
No. Venice cannot import a Character.ai export at all, but you can recreate your characters. There is no automatic importer. Venice Import Memory can bring preferences and context from Character.ai. It does not import the export file, chats, or character definitions. You create each character again in Venice Characters from scratch, from a preset, or with auto-generate. Creating a custom character requires Pro at $18/month.
Is Venice a Character.ai alternative?
Yes, for private text characters and adult creative chat within legal limits. No, if you need Character.ai's character library or 3D and voice-style companions. Creating a custom character requires Venice Pro at $18/month. With Venice, your interactions are stored solely on your device.
Does the free plan include custom characters?
No. The free plan includes 10 text prompts a day. Creating a custom character requires Pro at $18/month, with 100 credits a month. On Pro, you build from scratch, from a preset, or with auto-generate on Venice Characters. Prices are on venice.ai/pricing.
Will Venice Characters refuse adult roleplay?
Adult creative writing and mature roleplay are allowed within legal limits. Illegal content stays blocked. Character.ai's ban on pornographic and sexually explicit content does not apply on Venice. Venice Characters are text, not 3D avatars.
Request a Character.ai export if you want a backup of your account. To use Venice, recreate your characters at venice.ai/character-chat. Creating a custom character requires Pro. Those are separate.
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