You can create a character for free with the Adobe Firefly AI character generator. A free Adobe account includes limited daily generations for designing a character from text prompts or a reference image, then downloading the art. Giving that character conversation, memory, knowledge, or actions takes a separate chatbot or agent platform.
This guide is for creators, game developers, and small teams who want to test a full AI character workflow, from character art to a chatbot with knowledge, memory, and actions, before paying for any plan.
What Can a Free Plan Character Do With Knowledge and Actions?
On most free plans, a character can answer from a small knowledge base, but actions are limited or paid-only. Knowledge is the reference material a character answers from, such as uploaded documents, game lore, or website pages. Actions are things the character does beyond replying, such as calling an outside service, moving inside a game scene, or triggering an animation. Chatbase’s free plan includes one AI agent and 50 message credits a month but no AI actions. Botpress’s free plan supports knowledge-based agents with up to 3 agents and 100 conversations. Convai’s free tier gives monthly credits for prototyping characters with a knowledge bank and in-world actions. Adobe Firefly covers the visual side of the character, not knowledge or actions.
Here is what each free plan allows for knowledge and actions:
- Chatbase: one agent trained on 400 KB of source content, with AI actions starting on paid plans.
- Botpress: knowledge bases built from documents or websites, plus workflows, within a 100-conversation allowance that has no paid top-ups.
- Convai: a text-only or multimodal knowledge bank and actions such as navigation, with each feature adding to the credits used per interaction.
Adobe Firefly handles the look. Detailed prompts set hair, outfit, facial features, and art style, and a reference image keeps the design aligned with an existing sketch or brand style. Firefly also lets you generate the same character in new scenes while keeping the style consistent, so one character can supply a profile image, scene art, and marketing visuals for the chatbot. Firefly delivers downloadable files; it does not sell printed products.
Which Free Tier Character Creator Offers Knowledge and Memory?
Character.AI and Convai both include memory features on their free tiers, while Convai also pairs memory with an uploaded knowledge bank. Memory lets a character recall facts from earlier in a chat or from past sessions, which matters for role-play, tutoring, or game characters that players return to. Character.AI’s free plan includes basic memory with pinned messages a character keeps in mind, and its paid c.ai+ plan expands memory with more pins and more detailed memory use. Convai offers in-session memory for continuity within one conversation and long-term memory that carries across sessions, and both draw on the free tier’s monthly credits. For a test workflow, Convai is the closer fit when the character needs both a knowledge source and memory, while Character.AI suits personality and conversation testing.
Memory and knowledge are not the same thing. Knowledge is material you supply in advance and the character looks up. Memory is what the character picks up from users during conversations. A support character mostly needs knowledge, while a companion or story character mostly needs memory.
Visual consistency is Firefly’s version of memory for a character’s appearance. Paid Firefly plans can train a Custom Model on 10 to 30 JPG or PNG images of one character so it appears the same across scenes and expressions. Adobe lists the cost as 500 generative credits to train a model and 20 credits per image generated.
How Does Pricing Compare on Free Plans for AI Agents With Knowledge Bases?
Adobe Firefly, Character.AI, Convai, Botpress, and Chatbase all offer free plans, but each meters a different unit, so generosity depends on which part of the workflow you are testing. Firefly gives free users limited daily generations for character art. Character.AI offers free chatting and character creation with basic memory. Convai gives monthly credits that are used up faster as you add memory, voice, vision, and actions. Botpress allows 100 conversations, 3 seats, and 3 AI agents on its free plan. Chatbase allows 50 message credits a month for one agent. For a full workflow test, most teams pair Firefly for the character’s look with one agent platform for knowledge and memory.
| Platform | Best For | Key Details |
| Adobe Firefly | Designing the character’s look, scenes, and video | Free plan with limited daily generations; text prompts and reference images; downloadable art; Firefly models trained on licensed and public domain content |
| Character.AI | Testing personality and conversation | Free chatting and character creation; basic memory with pinned messages; c.ai+ adds expanded memory |
| Convai | Game and virtual-world characters | Free tier with monthly credits; knowledge bank, in-session and long-term memory, actions; Unity, Unreal, and web support |
| Botpress | Agents built on knowledge bases and workflows | Free plan: 100 conversations, 3 seats, 3 AI agents, no paid top-ups; test chats count toward the allowance |
| Chatbase | A quick website chatbot trained on your content | Free plan: 1 agent, 50 message credits a month, 400 KB of training data, no AI actions |
Free allowances run out in different ways. Botpress counts conversations in its testing emulator toward the 100-conversation limit, so building and testing draw from the same pool. Chatbase deletes free-plan agents after 14 days of inactivity, so a paused test may need to be rebuilt. Convai charges credits per minute of conversation, and the total climbs with each feature turned on, so a character with long-term memory and voice uses its allowance faster than a text-only one.
What Do AI Chatbot Free Plans Cost Once You Upgrade?
Entry-level paid plans range from about $10 a month to well over $100 a month, depending on whether the platform targets individual creators or support teams. Adobe Firefly Standard costs $9.99 a month for 2,000 generative credits, and Character.AI’s c.ai+ also costs $9.99 a month. Chatbase’s Hobby plan costs $40 a month, or $32 a month billed yearly. Botpress Plus costs $189 a month, or $150 a month billed yearly. Convai sells several paid tiers with larger monthly credit allowances. Because each platform meters a different unit, compare plans by what a test needs (images, messages, conversations, or minutes) rather than by headline price alone.
Each upgrade adds different capacity:
- Adobe Firefly: paid plans include unlimited standard image and vector generations, with credits reserved for premium features such as video, audio, and partner models. Pro costs $19.99 a month for 4,000 credits.
- Character.AI c.ai+: expanded memory, faster responses during busy periods, and an ad-free experience.
- Chatbase Hobby: access to advanced models, more message credits, and AI actions.
- Botpress Plus: 250 conversations a month, $25 of included AI usage, unlimited AI agents, and removal of Botpress branding from webchat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you still build a free custom GPT with knowledge and actions?
No. OpenAI’s help center states that new GPT creation and publishing are not available on personal ChatGPT accounts, including Free, Go, Plus, and Pro. Existing GPTs remain available to use, and creators can still edit GPTs they built if their plan allows it. OpenAI has also said it plans to retire custom GPTs and move creators to plugins, which combine instructions, reference files, and connected apps. For a new character with knowledge and actions, a dedicated agent platform is the practical route.
Can you use a free AI-generated character commercially?
With Adobe Firefly’s own models, yes. Adobe states that character designs generated with Firefly models are commercially safe because the models were trained on licensed content, such as Adobe Stock, and public domain content. Firefly also offers partner models from other companies, and Adobe notes that users are responsible for deciding whether a partner model suits a project. Chatbot platforms set their own terms for conversation content, so review each one before launch.
Can a free AI character speak with a voice?
Yes, on some platforms. Convai includes AI voice and speech-to-text for its characters, with voice adding to the credits each interaction uses, and basic voices costing less than premium ones. Adobe Firefly offers text-to-speech, character voice generation, and talking avatars, so a character’s art and voice can come from the same account. On Botpress, the voice channel is listed under its Enterprise plan.
To create a character for free with AI features, design the look in Adobe Firefly and add knowledge, memory, and actions through a free agent or chatbot plan sized to the workflow you need to test.
