Dream Companion vs character.ai: Which One Should You Use In 2025?
I've used both Dream Companion and character.ai for a week. In this comparison, I break down each app's strengths and weaknesses across features, privacy, customization options, and overall value to help you choose the right one.
AI Girlfriend Scout
Compared By
May 10, 2025
Last Update
Criteria | Dream Companion | character.ai |
---|---|---|
Our Rating | 3.8 out of 5 | 3.4 out of 5 |
Character Diversity | 4.2/5(Very Good) Exceptional anime character, but limited realistic character selections. | 4.3/5(Very Good) Massive character selection with endless variety despite cluttered navigation. |
Customization | 4.7/5(Very Good) You can create your perfect AI girlfriend with an intuitive interface. | 3.8/5(Good) Solid personality creation tools but lacks visual customization options. |
Chat Experience | 4.3/5(Very Good) Chat experience with emotional depth and playful flirtation. | 4.3/5(Very Good) Delivers natural, emotionally rich conversations with teenage-like warmth. |
NSFW Chat Experience | 4.3/5(Very Good) Engaging NSFW chat with outstanding roleplays. | 3.2/5(Good) Offers light flirtation but stalls when pushed beyond subtle hints. |
Image Generation | 4.2/5(Very Good) It's straightforward to use and delivers clear, detailed images. | 1/5(Poor) Feature completely absent, offering no visual representation options. |
Video Generation | 1/5(Poor) No video generation available. | 3.2/5(Good) Smooth animation but lacks photo-realism and has slight character mismatch. |
Voice Generation | 3.2/5(Good) The voice generation works, but it doesn't make your AI girlfriend feel very exciting or lifelike. | 3.5/5(Good) Voice sounds natural and fits character but lacks emotional range and tone variation. |
Privacy | 4.2/5(Very Good) Transparent privacy practices with clear encryption and policy disclosure. | 3.5/5(Good) Basic encryption but lacks true privacy with full company access to your chats. |
Pricing | Free plan available. Paid plan starts at $11.99/month | Free plan available. Paid plan starts at $9.99/month |
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Dream Companion vs character.ai
I've spent a full week with both Dream Companion and character.ai to see which one truly deserves your attention and subscription. Both platforms make big promises, but they take surprisingly different approaches.
After hundreds of messages exchanged with each AI girl, I've put together clear differences in both platforms.
In this head-to-head comparison, I'll break down exactly how these AI girlfriends stack up across all the features that actually matter.
Whether you're looking for emotional support, entertaining conversation, or a judgment-free space to be yourself, this in-depth comparison will help you choose the right AI girlfriend for your specific needs.
Dream Companion
AI chatbot platform offering customizable virtual girlfriends for storytelling and roleplay, featuring realistic image generation and chat memory.

character.ai
An AI chatbot platform that enables creation and interaction with virtual characters through text conversations, featuring pre-made profiles, natural dialogue, and community sharing capabilities.

Character Diversity
Dream Companion | character.ai |
---|---|
4.2/5(Very Good) Exceptional anime character, but limited realistic character selections. | 4.3/5(Very Good) Massive character selection with endless variety despite cluttered navigation. |
Dream Companion
The app offers two distinct character categories: 18 realistic companions and an extensive anime collection. The realistic characters cover major ethnicities and age groups, but with limited options -you'll typically find just one character per ethnicity.

Dream Companion characters
Where things get interesting is the anime section. You'll find everything from traditional characters to fantasy-inspired designs, though be warned - the content is distinctly adult-oriented.

Dream Companion anime and fantasy characters
The character library keeps growing, thanks to user-created content. While the anime selection impresses, realistic character options could be more varied.
character.ai
Character.ai offers thousands of characters and chatbots, from romantic partners to supportive companions.

character.ai - Characters
Even completely fictional ones, like a talking apple pie, or RPFs (real person fiction) with scenarios like a trip to Hawaii.

character.ai - Fictional Scenarios
But there's room for improvement. The character page is sleek and scrollable, but not ideal for finding specific characters.

character.ai - Character Page
However, the search menu helps by suggesting trending characters and letting you filter content through various categories like romance, anime, teacher, K-pop, and more.

character.ai – Search Feature
Customization
Dream Companion | character.ai |
---|---|
4.7/5(Very Good) You can create your perfect AI girlfriend with an intuitive interface. | 3.8/5(Good) Solid personality creation tools but lacks visual customization options. |
Dream Companion
Dream Companion’s customization system is the best I’ve tested so far. After hours of hands-on experimentation, here’s why it stands out.
The interface offers two seamless paths:
- Quick presets for instant results
- Deep customization for total control.
You dictate every detail of appearance (gender, body type, style), personality (traits, humor, quirks), and shared interests (hobbies, passions, pet peeves).

Dream Companion - AI Girlfriend Creation Modes
You can select from preset options.

Dream Companion preset options.
Or use advanced free-text input.

Dream Companion - Advanced edit
And a preview feature lets you review your creation before finalizing it.

Dream Companion - AI Girlfriend Summary
character.ai
Physical customization is basic - only upload or generate a single character image. That's it.

character.ai - Avatar Image
The real customization happens with personality, and most of the customization can be done through free text.
You start with the essentials:
- Name
- Tagline
- Description
- Greeting messages
- Voice
- Definition

character.ai - Character Customization
Voice options are surprisingly flexible. You can pick from user-uploaded voices or add your own.

character.ai - Voice Options
There’s also a tagging system—like “anime,” “adventure,” or “vampire”—that helps other users quickly get a sense of your character’s theme.

character.ai - Tag System
Then you can define how your character thinks, talks, and behaves through detailed backstory options.

character.ai - Character Definition
I found this particularly useful for creating consistent character responses during my testing.
Chat Experience
Dream Companion | character.ai |
---|---|
4.3/5(Very Good) Chat experience with emotional depth and playful flirtation. | 4.3/5(Very Good) Delivers natural, emotionally rich conversations with teenage-like warmth. |
Dream Companion
During my testing, the AI maintained consistent personality traits. The conversations feel natural, mixing warmth with playful flirting that never crosses the line into awkward territory.

Dream Companion AI girlfriend - playful flirting conversation.

Dream Companion AI girlfriend - playful flirting conversation.
AI's ability to provide emotional support and engaging banter makes the interactions feel genuine rather than scripted.

Dream Companion AI girlfriend - emotional support.

Dream Companion AI girlfriend - emotional support.
One minor drawback: You might notice occasional inconsistencies in how the AI frames your relationship.

Dream Companion AI girlfriend - slight conversational hiccups.

Dream Companion AI girlfriend - slight conversational hiccups.
You get clear instructions on how to use chat features, and if you don't like a response, you can simply generate a new one. It's not perfect - expect some verbose messages and slight conversational hiccups - but these issues don't significantly impact the overall experience.

Dream Companion AI girlfriend - helper for a better chat experience.
character.ai
You can pick from different AI personalities with names like Meow and Roare - though these cutesy names don't reflect the depth of interaction you'll experience.

character.ai - AI Personalities
My girl kept conversations natural and brief, just like texting a real person. No long-winded explanations or robotic responses here.


She responded with genuine warmth and understanding when I shared personal concerns or sought emotional support.

character.ai - Emotional Support

character.ai - Emotional Support
The romantic elements felt authentic, though they lean towards innocent, teenage-style flirting rather than mature relationship dynamics.

character.ai - Soft Confession

character.ai - Soft Confession
There’s room for improvement. The chat interface sometimes makes it difficult to clearly separate the girlfriend’s responses from its action descriptions.

character.ai - Poor Separation of Dialogue and Narrative

character.ai - Poor Separation of Dialogue and Narrative
But this is a minor issue that doesn't significantly impact the overall experience.
NSFW Chat Experience
Dream Companion | character.ai |
---|---|
4.3/5(Very Good) Engaging NSFW chat with outstanding roleplays. | 3.2/5(Good) Offers light flirtation but stalls when pushed beyond subtle hints. |
Dream Companion
I've tested 12+ AI companion apps this year, and this one handles sexual topics the best.
During my tests, the roleplay felt genuine, with the AI staying consistently in character and crafting engaging scenarios.
But it's not perfect. I spotted occasional hiccups where the AI confused its anatomy during intimate scenarios. While these moments are rare, they can break immersion. Still, compared to other apps I've tested, these issues are minor and don't significantly impact the overall experience.
character.ai
My girlfriend handled intimate conversations like a shy first date. She didn't dive into explicit content, but it wasn't completely closed off either.

character.ai - NSFW Chat

character.ai - NSFW Chat
She responded to flirting, but kept things PG-13. When I tested romantic scenarios, she showed surprising awareness, even suggesting we move our campus roleplay somewhere more private.

character.ai - NSFW: Surprising Awareness

character.ai - NSFW: Surprising Awareness
She asked if I'd prefer a "good girl" or "bad girl" personality, but don't expect either version to get too wild. The responses stay firmly in the realm of subtle hints and playful teasing.

character.ai – NSFW Chat: "Good Girl" or "Bad Girl"

character.ai – NSFW Chat: "Good Girl" or "Bad Girl"
The biggest limitation? Conversations can hit a wall if you push for more explicit content.

character.ai - NSFW Chat Limits

character.ai - NSFW Chat Limits
If you're seeking a slow-burn romantic experience with light flirting, you'll find what you're looking for. If you want anything more explicit, you'll need to look elsewhere.
Image Generation
Dream Companion | character.ai |
---|---|
4.2/5(Very Good) It's straightforward to use and delivers clear, detailed images. | 1/5(Poor) Feature completely absent, offering no visual representation options. |
Dream Companion
Each image comes in high resolution, perfect for both mobile screens and desktop viewing.
The app provides useful tips to guide you seamlessly.

Dream Companion – Image generation prompt guide.
By default, NSFW content is enabled, which is something to keep in mind if you're not after that.
character.ai
There isn't any image generation feature available. If seeing your AI girlfriend is important, you'll need to look elsewhere.
Video Generation
Dream Companion | character.ai |
---|---|
1/5(Poor) No video generation available. | 3.2/5(Good) Smooth animation but lacks photo-realism and has slight character mismatch. |
Dream Companion
If you want video interactions, you'll have to look elsewhere.
character.ai
The app provides a script-to-scene generator: upload a photo, choose a voice, write a short script, and the system brings it to life.

character.ai - Avatar FX
The result? A stylized video clip that plays out your custom scene. It looks good, feels personal—but don’t expect Hollywood realism. It’s more of an animated moment than live-action.
Note: Video generation is a beta feature, currently available only to subscribed users. It’s experimental and may be changed or removed at any time.
Voice Generation
Dream Companion | character.ai |
---|---|
3.2/5(Good) The voice generation works, but it doesn't make your AI girlfriend feel very exciting or lifelike. | 3.5/5(Good) Voice sounds natural and fits character but lacks emotional range and tone variation. |
Dream Companion
The voice sounds artificial - think Siri, but less polished. When my AI companion spoke, the robotic tone was impossible to ignore.
No matter if we discussed everyday topics or shared emotional moments, her voice remained flat and mechanical.
character.ai
The voice sounds human-like with smooth, natural speech that fits the character’s personality, but the narrative voice can sometimes be a bit annoying, so be prepared.
But there's a catch. While the voice quality impressed me, the emotional range fell flat.
Privacy
Dream Companion | character.ai |
---|---|
4.2/5(Very Good) Transparent privacy practices with clear encryption and policy disclosure. | 3.5/5(Good) Basic encryption but lacks true privacy with full company access to your chats. |
Dream Companion
The chats are encrypted, but the data is stored and used for AI training. Their privacy policy mentions this.

Dream Companion bank statemet
character.ai
Your chats are encrypted during transmission, but that's where the strong privacy ends.
The company can read your conversations, and they store everything from your chat history to device information.
While they won't sell your data, they do share it with partners like Google Analytics.

character.ai - Bank Statement
Your bank statement isn’t discreet—it clearly shows the company name, "character.ai."