PolyBuzz (formerly Talkie)
Thousands of AI characters — chat, roleplay, and create
Overview
PolyBuzz — formerly launched as Talkie, and still listed under both names on the App Store and Google Play — is a character-based AI chat platform where users converse with thousands of pre-built AI personas (anime, games, celebrities, original characters) or create and share their own. It runs on iOS, Android, and the web, localizes into more than 25 languages (the French interface and French-speaking characters were confirmed hands-on), and offers voice chat plus AI image generation. The app is free to download, with three optional subscriptions (Basic, Premium, Ultimate, each billed monthly or annually) layered on top of a separate consumable 'coins' currency used for premium-model replies, live photo generation, regenerating answers, and unlocking story moments (coins are sold in packs from roughly $9.99 for ~8,000 up to $104.99 for ~100,000). Pricing is heavily promotion-driven, with frequent limited-time countdown discounts.
At a glance
Scores
- Conversation
- 3/5
- Memory
- 2/5
- Privacy
- 2/5
- Security
- 2/5
Based on user reviews and published policies.
Pricing
- Free to download — basic character chat with standard model
- Long memory + standard models (per the in-app membership table)
- Ad-supported (intermittent 'Take a Break' ads reported by users)
Free to download and use; subscriptions and coins unlock premium models, stronger memory, and ad removal.
- Ad-free experience
- Unlimited voice listening on the chat page
- Long memory + standard model(s)
- 20 daily avatar-generation attempts
- Chat themes, custom chat backgrounds, profile decorations
Annual €99 (~$8.25/mo) or month-to-month ~$9.99. Confirmed hands-on 2026-06-28 (EU pricing shown in EUR; the USD list figure is typically the same number).
- Everything in Basic
- Exclusive Passion and Tale (story) models
- 30 daily avatar generations
- Priority queue and faster replies
Annual €194.99 (~$16.20/mo). Month-to-month was shown at a heavily discounted promo (~$22.90 during a limited-time countdown event); the non-promo monthly rate is not reliably displayed. Confirmed hands-on 2026-06-28.
- Everything in Premium
- Permanent Memory plus all advanced models (Overture, Lumina, Conqueror, Saga)
- Full Webtoon screenshot access
- Exclusive profile decorations
Annual €249.99 (~$20.80/mo). Month-to-month promo ~$22.90 during the same limited-time event. Unlocks the Permanent Memory feature and every advanced model. Confirmed hands-on 2026-06-28.
What users say
Positives
- Massive character library spanning anime, celebrities, historical figures, and community creations — users report years of discovering new bots.
- Immersive roleplay and storytelling experience described by many users as unique among alternatives, including Character.AI and Chai.
- Free to download with basic content accessible without a credit card.
- Available in more than 25 languages, with the interface and characters localizing automatically — a plus for non-English users (French confirmed hands-on).
- Intuitive interface — creator users report being able to build and monetize their own bots.
Negatives
- Intrusive 'Take a Break' ads every 5–10 minutes — described as the single biggest experience downgrade in recent v2.2.x updates.
- Very limited memory on the free tier; some users report that even the paid Permanent Memory feature (top Ultimate subscription) loses context after a few hours of chatting.
- Recently tightened filtering: some users report basic action scenes being blocked, contradicting the app's former no-censorship positioning — a recurring complaint among adult users.
- Two stacked paywalls users consider expensive: tiered subscriptions plus a consumable 'coins' currency for premium replies, live photos, and regenerations — perceived by many as pay-to-win.
- Aggressive, promotion-driven pricing (perpetual countdown 'limited-time' discounts with high struck-through anchor prices) that makes the real cost hard to read.
Users report that PolyBuzz (formerly Talkie) offers an exceptionally large library of AI characters for roleplay and storytelling, which many describe as unmatched in variety among competing apps. However, many reviewers flag two major pain points: a 'Take a Break' ad feature interrupting chat sessions every 5–10 minutes (introduced in v2.2.x), and persistent memory that is widely described as unreliable — with some users reporting that even the paid Permanent Memory feature (top Ultimate tier) still loses context after a few hours. Many adult users also report that the app's earlier no-censorship positioning has given way to significantly tighter filtering in 2025–2026, with basic scenes being blocked, while the layered subscription-plus-coins pricing is frequently called out as poor value.
« It really is unfair to charge $30 a month for "permanent memory" that at best lasts a few hours of chatting before the AI starts forgetting. »
« the app is good but the major problem is that it gives ads every 10 minutes which is ridiculous. »
« it offers a lot of immersive experiences with storytelling that you don't find really in any of the other alternatives. I personally enjoy this feature and love being able to step into a world as opposed to just simply chatting to a character. »
Privacy & safety
- Trains on your chats
- Yes
- Opt-out available
- Yes
- Discloses it's an AI
- Yes
- Data export
- ?
- Account deletion
- Yes
- Age verification
- Self-declaration
PolyBuzz's privacy policy states that user-uploaded photos may be used to train its AI algorithm, and that the model can evolve based on user inputs; the Terms of Use grant the company a perpetual, irrevocable license over submitted content. An opt-out for personalized advertising is available in Settings, but no specific AI-training opt-out has been identified. Account deletion is available and irreversible; data export is conditional on technical feasibility and is not available as a self-service feature. Precise geolocation data is collected and may be shared for advertising purposes. Data in transit is encrypted (confirmed via Google Play Data Safety); at-rest encryption standards and data retention periods are not specified. No independent security audits are publicly documented. This assessment is based on PolyBuzz's published policy documents and store disclosures.
Our take
A popular roleplay app with an exceptionally large community character catalogue, but the combination of aggressive in-session ads, unreliable paid memory, a stacked subscription-plus-coins economy, and recently tightened content filtering weighs heavily on the experience. Decent value for casual character roleplay; less suited to users who want a reliable AI companion with persistent memory.
Best for: Anime and fiction roleplay fans looking for a vast character selection and a straightforward, multilingual interface, on iOS, Android, or web.
Avoid if: You want a reliable-memory AI companion, cannot tolerate intrusive mid-session ads, dislike pay-as-you-go coin economies, or were drawn to the app by its former no-censorship positioning.
Sources
- PolyBuzz — Official website2026-06-26
- PolyBuzz on App Store (trackId 6449190344)2026-06-26
- PolyBuzz on Google Play (ai.socialapps.speakmaster)2026-06-26
- PolyBuzz — Terms of Use2026-06-26
- PolyBuzz — Privacy Policy2026-06-26
- PolyBuzz — Membership & Coins pages (Basic/Premium/Ultimate + coin packs; pricing confirmed hands-on 2026-06-28, EU pricing in EUR)2026-06-28
- PolyBuzz — Google Play Data Safety (ai.socialapps.speakmaster)2026-06-26
Last updated 2026-06-28