I wanted something with solid character creation and better memory than the usual apps.

Folk recommended Joi AI so i gave it a shot.

What actually works

Custom character builder

This is probably the best part. you get granular appearance options and can actually shape personality + relationship dynamic. i built a middle eastern cop character and the app auto-generated her in uniform. only works well on premium though. first custom is free, each additional one costs 1,000 neurons.

Chat quality on premium models

free tier chat (basic model) was awful. responses didn't track, character just rambled. switched to saturn 5.2 after subscribing and it was night and day.

roleplay with cali caliente actually stayed coherent and got explicit when i pushed it. some filters exist — rape fantasy got blocked — but otherwise solid.

Where it falls short

Image gen is overpriced for what you get

costs 50 neurons minimum (2 images). tried generating realistic pov with sydney longstreet — prompt got ignored, she kept her clothes on, everything looked too polished/AI. anime style worked better but still hit or miss. for 50 neurons per attempt you'd expect it to land more consistently.

Live calls are a waste

2,000 neurons for 5 minutes!!!

Tried alexis texas. video was jittery, lip sync was off, just her sitting topless. ended after 2 minutes but still got charged the full session. stay away.

Daily neurons instead of monthly dump

Most apps give you everything upfront. Joi drips neurons daily if you log in. This felt weird, especially if you pay whole monthly subscription upfront.

Pricing (quick breakdown)

Premium subscription (better models, custom characters, 50 image gens/month, 5 video gens/month):

• $17.77/month
• $26.66/3 months
• $60.95/year

Neuron top-ups:

• 500 neurons — $5.08
• 2,000 neurons — $15.24
• 10,000 neurons — $50.80

Costs per feature:

• romantic chat message: 2 neurons
• image gen: 50 neurons
• video gen: 100 neurons
• audio call: 2,000 neurons per 5 minutes AKA total ripoff

Card charge shows as "Joi.com" — not discreet.

Where I landed

if you care about building custom characters and want chat that doesn't derail, it works on premium. If you're hoping to use it free or want good image gen, look elsewhere.

PS: anyone else notice the free tier model is weirdly bad compared to premium? Feels like a bigger gap than most apps.