PolyBuzz alternative: fewer, better-written characters

Who Koimo suits

PolyBuzz is a character chat app with a very large catalog of user-made characters, available on the web and in app stores. Its App Store listing shows a free download with paid memberships and in-app purchases.

A huge catalog makes it easy to find a name and hard to find a character that holds up past the first message. Koimo is the opposite trade: a smaller cast where every character is written as a story, with a situation to start from, a consistent voice and a calmer alternative opening.

The free plan is 50 messages a day with no ads, coins or upsells inside the chat.

What you get on Koimo

• Free: 50 messages a day, no ads and no in-app currency.
• Plus: $7.99/month for 150 messages a day and a longer story context. Compare plans.
• Characters: an original cast and unofficial fan characters, plus your own private characters.
• Portable: import supported Character Card V2/V3 files and SillyTavern chats; export your characters and chats in open formats.
• Boundaries: adults 18+ only, and explicit scenes fade to black. See the content policy.
• Where: in the browser on any device, and installable as a web app on iPhone, Android and desktop.

Where to start

Start from the character list, or make your own character with the free card creator and bring it into your library.

Whatever you try, test it with one short scene: give the character a place and a problem, disagree once, and mention a small detail you bring back a few messages later. Whether the character keeps its voice, leaves your actions to you and remembers the detail tells you more than any list of features.

This page is written by Koimo, not an independent review. Descriptions of PolyBuzz were checked against its own pages on 12 November 2026; plans and rules change, so confirm current details there. Koimo is not affiliated with PolyBuzz.

Keep writing.

All roleplay guides · AI roleplay on Koimo · Meet the characters