NovelAI vs AI Dungeon: A Writing Suite or a Playable Adventure?
NovelAI is a prose tool that happens to run a text adventure; AI Dungeon is a game that happens to produce prose. Pick by what you actually want...
CrushOn AI is a big text-roleplay library with a usable free tier; Candy AI is one companion with photorealistic images and voice. Here is how to choose, and what each one really costs.
CrushOn AI and Candy AI look like the same product from a distance: adult chatbot, custom characters, monthly subscription. Up close they are different tools. CrushOn AI is a character library built for text roleplay, with a free tier you can actually live on. Candy AI is a single companion you design in detail, wrapped in photorealistic images, video clips and voice calls.
We rate Candy.ai 9.8 out of 10 overall, with images scoring 10 and memory 7.2. CrushOn AI comes in at 8.8 overall, with visuals at 4. Below, the policy pages, pricing pages and user reports that explain the gap.
| Category | CrushOn AI | Candy AI | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Character text roleplay and storytelling | One personalized companion with images, video, voice | Depends on needs |
| Characters | Large user-created library | Smaller catalog plus detailed builder | CrushOn AI |
| Images | Text-first; only creator-added images | Photorealistic, consistent faces | Candy AI |
| Memory | 8K free; 16K to 24K paid | Memory slots; resets reported after 48 to 72 hours | CrushOn AI (slightly) |
| Free tier | Unlimited free models + 100 credits a month | 5 messages, 1 character, 1 image total | CrushOn AI |
| Price | From $5.99 a month | $13.99/mo, or $3.99/mo yearly | Tie |
| Privacy | Mozilla warning (2024), weak policy | GDPR company in Malta; chats may train models | Candy AI |
CrushOn AI launched in 2023, in the window when Character AI tightened its filter and users went hunting for somewhere looser. The product reflects that origin: a sprawling library of user-made characters, a chat box, and not much else in the way of production values. Its terms name TECHIEPIE LTD, a Cyprus-based operator, as the company behind it.
Candy AI goes the other way. Instead of browsing thousands of bots, you build one companion and stay with her. The company is EverAI Limited, registered in Malta. That matters later, in the privacy section.
Neither platform publishes a character count. CrushOn AI estimates float anywhere from thousands to millions depending on who is doing the counting, so treat any hard number you see as a guess. Candy AI's catalog is smaller and curated, with a builder that covers ethnicity, age, body type, hair, personality, voice and hobbies.
If you want to talk to a specific kind of character, CrushOn AI is the wider net. The library is user-generated, which means quality swings wildly but volume is real. Group chat works on any paid plan, so you can put several characters in one scene.
Candy AI gives you fewer starting points and more control per character. The builder is genuinely detailed, and one comparison guide counts over 12 options per feature category, though we have not been able to confirm that figure. Group chat is unconfirmed in our data, so do not buy Candy AI expecting it.
Both platforms are strictly 18+ and both ban any content involving minors. Past that, the mechanics differ.
CrushOn AI gives you switches: Filtered, Unfiltered and Hidden Content. Hidden Content is the interesting one. It requires two days of check-ins and 50 spent credits before it opens. You do not need a paid plan to reach adult content; the toggles do the work.
Candy AI's adult media sits behind Premium. The free tier is a five-message demo, not a place to test the product properly. If you mainly want explicit images, budget for a subscription from the start.
One caveat on CrushOn AI: some Trustpilot reviewers mention a small card charge for age verification in certain regions. It is a minor annoyance rather than a scam, but it is real.
CrushOn AI's context window is its clearest technical advantage. The free tier runs 8K, Standard, Premium and Luxe get 16K, and Elite and Imperial reach 24K. In practice, some reviews report drift after 80 to 100 messages, which is not unusual for this class of product but worth knowing before you plan a long story arc.
Candy AI sells memory slots, with 20 included in Premium Plus. The problem is persistence: users report the storyline resetting within 48 to 72 hours. That score of 7.2 reflects it. A companion who forgets your last conversation is a companion you have to reintroduce yourself to.
Voice is the other half of conversation quality. CrushOn AI offers read-aloud replies, voice messages and custom voice cloning, but no video. Candy AI runs beta voice calls and a voice rated good rather than great. Neither is a reason on its own to pick one.
This is Candy AI's home turf. In-chat images, image-to-video clips and Live Action video on selected characters are all native. The faces stay consistent, which is harder than it sounds, and the images score 10 for a reason.
CrushOn AI is text-first. The only pictures are the ones creators upload. For a platform with this many characters, that is a deliberate trade: fewer visuals, more words. If you want a gallery, you are on the wrong site.
For a closer look at what Candy's pictures and token costs actually feel like month to month, our Candy.ai review goes deeper.
| Plan | CrushOn AI | Candy AI |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Unlimited free models, 100 credits/month, 8K memory | 5 messages total, 1 character, 1 image |
| Entry price | Standard $5.99/mo ($4.90/mo yearly) | Premium $13.99/mo |
| Best yearly deal | Premium $7.90/mo ($94.88/yr) | Premium $3.99/mo ($47.88/yr) |
| Higher paid tiers | Premium $14.99, Luxe $39.99, Elite $89.99, Imperial $199.99 | Premium Plus (330 tokens, price at checkout) |
| Extra costs | Credits for Pro and Ultra models; Chat Package $39.99/mo | Tokens for images, voice, video; 100 included monthly |
The headline numbers hide the usual traps. CrushOn AI's cheapest useful plan is Standard at $5.99 a month, or $4.90 if you pay yearly. Premium is $7.90 a month on the yearly rate ($94.88 a year) but $14.99 month to month. Above that sits Luxe at $39.99, Elite at $89.99 and Imperial at $199.99. Pro and Ultra models burn credits, and a separate Chat Package runs $39.99 a month.
Candy AI is $13.99 a month, or $3.99 a month on the yearly plan ($47.88 a year), which is the better deal on paper. The catch is tokens. Premium includes 100 a month; images, voice and video consume them. An image costs about 4 tokens as of September 2026, and a custom character reportedly costs 10. Media-heavy users report paying $25 to $80 a month. Treat the $13.99 as a floor, not a ceiling.
There is no time-limited Candy AI trial that we could find. The free tier is a five-message demo and that is it. CrushOn AI's free tier is the opposite: unlimited access to free models plus 100 credits a month, which is enough to decide whether the platform suits you before paying anything.
CrushOn AI drew a Mozilla Privacy Not Included warning in 2024. Its own policy says chats may be used to train models, some data feeds marketing, and moderators can review conversations. That is a lot of hands on your messages.
Candy AI is a GDPR-registered Maltese company and protects data in transit, which is a better baseline. It still lacks end-to-end encryption, de-identified chats may train models, and account data is kept up to three years after your last activity. Neither platform is a private diary. Assume a moderator could read what you type and keep real names and personal details out of it.
On apps, Candy AI has no native app; you use the browser or an installable web app. CrushOn AI's terms warn about auto-renewal, non-refundable fees and copycat app downloads, so get it from the official site rather than an app store lookalike. Candy AI's refund rule is tight: a 24-hour window and 20 tokens at most.
Pick CrushOn AI if you want long text roleplay, a huge cast, group scenes and a free tier that lets you test properly before spending. It is the better fit for writers, roleplayers and anyone on a tight budget.
Pick Candy AI if the visual side is the point: consistent photorealistic images, short video clips, voice calls and one companion you shape in detail. Accept that memory is shaky and that your monthly bill depends on how many images you generate.
If you are still weighing options, our guide to the best AI girlfriend apps ranked by what they actually cost puts both in context.
Secrets AI sits between the two: it leans on memory and story continuity rather than a giant character library or a photo studio. Our Secrets AI review covers what it costs.
OurDream AI sells unlimited roleplay priced in Dreamcoins, which suits heavy chatters who hate per-image maths. See the OurDream AI review for the coin mechanics.
If neither CrushOn nor Candy fits, those two are the next places to look before committing to a yearly plan.
CrushOn AI for words, Candy AI for pictures. Start on CrushOn's free plan to see whether the roleplay holds up for you, then spend Candy's five free messages to judge the image quality. After that, budget Candy's monthly price as a starting point rather than a total. Whichever you choose, read the refund rules before you pay and keep personal details out of the chat.
It depends on what you want. CrushOn AI is stronger for story-driven text roleplay on a budget, thanks to its large character library and unlimited free models. Candy AI is better for photorealistic images, video clips and voice with one companion you design yourself.
CrushOn AI, clearly. Its free tier gives unlimited access to free models plus 100 credits a month and 8K memory. Candy AI's free tier is five messages, one character and one image in total, which is a demo rather than a usable plan.
Not on CrushOn AI, where the Filtered, Unfiltered and Hidden Content switches control access; Hidden Content needs two days of check-ins and 50 spent credits. On Candy AI, adult media sits behind Premium, so you need a subscription.
CrushOn AI has the larger context window, from 8K free up to 24K on Elite and Imperial, though some reviews report drift after 80 to 100 messages. Candy AI uses memory slots but users report the storyline resetting within 48 to 72 hours.
CrushOn AI starts at $5.99 a month, or $4.90 on the yearly Standard plan. Candy AI is $13.99 a month, or $3.99 a month yearly, but tokens for images, voice and video can push media-heavy users to $25 to $80 a month.
Realistic AI companions with strong memory, video and voice calls