Download appWhat is a Character.AI alternative with video calls?
Beni AI is a Character.AI alternative built around video calls. Instead of chatting in a text thread, you call an animated character who answers out loud with lip-synced video, remembers your past conversations, and can be one you designed yourself from a photo.
Updated October 2026 · Beni AI by Bagel Labs
How Beni AI is different
Beni AI is video call first, where Character.AI and Replika are text first. Character.AI is a library of characters you chat with in a text thread, and Replika is a single companion you message, with voice and avatar features layered on top of that thread. Beni AI starts from a live call with an animated character who speaks, moves and reacts as you talk, and treats text as the secondary channel.
The second difference is authorship. On Beni AI you build the companion yourself: upload an image to bring it to life, pick a voice, and write the personality and the relationship, so the result is yours rather than picked from a catalog. The third is memory as a product promise, with everything a character learns about you persisting across calls.
What you get with Beni AI
When another app may suit you better
If you mainly want to read and write stories with a large catalog of characters, a text-first app is a fine fit. If you want someone to call, who sees you face to face and remembers what you told them last week, that is what Beni AI is built for.
Questions people also ask
Is Beni AI free?
Yes. Beni AI is free to start on iPhone and on the web, and free plans include calling. Plus is $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year and adds permanent memory and a monthly top-up.
Can I make my own character instead of picking one?
Yes. In Beni Studio you upload one photo, choose a voice and write the personality, and Beni turns it into a character you can video call.
Do I need to install an app?
No. You can call from any web browser at studio.thebeni.ai with nothing to install, or use the iPhone app.