Is Chub AI Safe? I Tested the “Uncensored” Character Platform
Chub AI (or Chub.ai ) is a versatile AI-assisted discussion and storytelling platform, particularly renowned for its role-playing capabilities and creative freedom.
I landed on Chub AI’s website (chub.ai) on a rainy Tuesday afternoon with a specific goal. I wanted to see if the rumors were true. Is there really a corner of the internet where AI characters have no filters?
After spending roughly 20 hours digging through the site, connecting APIs, and reading Reddit threads until 2 AM, I finally understand what this tool actually is. Spoiler alert: It is not what most people think it is. If you are looking for a quick “yes” or “no” on safety, stick around, because the answer is complicated.
Quick Summary: Is ShopClone Legit?
Wait, hold on. I think there might be a mix-up in the outline. You asked for “ShopClone,” but the link points to Chub AI. Let me correct that immediately.
Is Chub AI Legit? Yes, absolutely. It is a legitimate, high-traffic platform ranking in the top 8,000 globally, pulling in over 6 million visits a month as of early 2024 . It is not a scam. However, “legit” and “safe for work” are two very different things.
Unlike polished apps like Character.AI, Chub AI is the wild west. It gives you total freedom, but that freedom comes with significant risks, especially regarding inappropriate content and data privacy.
What is Chub AI? (And Why You Are Probably Wrong About It)
Here is the biggest misconception I need to clear up immediately. Chub AI is not an AI model.
When you login to ChatGPT or Claude, you are talking to the “brain” directly. Chub AI is just the face, the dashboard, the “Tavren” (as the community calls it) .
Who is behind it, and when was it created?
The platform, originally known as “Character Hub,” emerged in late 2022/early 2023 as a reaction to strict filters on other platforms. The development team is relatively anonymous, operating under the handle “Chub” (previously “CharHub”). They operate with a heavy focus on open-source values and user privacy—meaning they don’t want to read your chats.
How it actually works
Think of Chub as a video game console without a disc. It looks great, but it won’t play anything until you insert a game.
You have to bring your own “brain” (AI model) via an API key. You can use OpenAI’s GPT-4, but you risk OpenAI banning you for NSFW content. Or, you can use a local program like KoboldAI running on your own computer. Chub is the controller; you supply the engine .
How Can Chub AI Help Me?
This tool serves a very specific niche that mainstream AI refuses to touch. It helped me in three distinct ways:
Creative Writing with Grit: I was writing a dark fantasy novel where a character had a tragic backstory involving violence. ChatGPT kept refusing to generate the dialogue. Chub, connected to a local model, did it without blinking.
Unfiltered Roleplay: If you are into Dungeons & Dragons or immersive storytelling, you don’t want the AI to suddenly say “I cannot roleplay a villain.” Chub allows that moral ambiguity.
Character Experimentation: I wanted to see if an AI could mimic a specific, obscure personality type. The “Lorebook” feature allowed me to inject specific memories (like a “silver locket”) that the AI never forgot .
If you just sign up for the free version, you are missing the point. The meat of the platform is in the “Character Definitions.”
The Massive Library
There are hundreds of thousands of “character cards.” You can filter by “NSFW” or “SFW,” by franchise (Star Wars, Harry Potter), or by original characters. It is overwhelming in the best way possible.
The Lorebooks (The Secret Sauce)
Most AI characters have goldfish memory. They forget what you said 5 messages ago. Lorebooks solve this entirely .
Imagine you want the AI to remember a magic ring. You create a “Lorebook” entry. Every time you type “ring” in the chat, Chub secretly injects that memory into the prompt before the AI answers. It creates a sense of continuity I haven’t seen anywhere else without heavy coding.
Deep Character Editing
The editor is robust. You don’t just write a description. You write “Example Dialogues” to teach the AI how to speak. Do you want them to use slang? Shout in caps lock? Stutter? You write an example, and the AI mimics it perfectly .
Who Can Use It?
Frankly, this is not for my mom, and it is not for kids.
Based on similarweb data, the primary user base is males aged 18-24 . The platform is for:
Power users who know what an API key is.
Writers facing censorship on other platforms.
Roleplayers who want to explore dark or mature themes without a filter interrupting them.
Hobbyists who enjoy “jailbreaking” and tweaking AI settings (temperature, context size).
I tried to use it casually, but the need to manage my own API costs made it feel less like a social media app and more like a development tool.
How To Get Started With Chub AI
It took me three tries to set this up correctly. Here is the idiot-proof guide I wish I had.
Sign Up: Go to chub.ai and create a free account. Easy.
Find a Character: Search for something like “Therapist” or “Pirate.” Click on a card.
The Confusing Part: You hit “Chat.” It fails. Why? Because you haven’t connected a “brain.”
Get a Key: You need to sign up for OpenRouter or KoboldAI. (I used OpenRouter because it had a $1 free trial).
Connect: Go to your Chub settings. Paste the API key from OpenRouter.
Select Model: Choose a model like “Mythomax” or “Mixtral.”
Go: Now click chat. It will work.
Note: If you don’t want to pay for an API, Chub offers a “Mercury” and “Mars” subscription which gives you access to their hosted models (Soji, Mythomax) .
7. Is Chub AI Free?
Yes and no. This is the “bait and switch” that frustrates new users.
The Platform is Free: You can browse the library, download character cards, and even create your own characters for free. You can chat, but only using the “Free Tier” models.
The Free Tier: They offer testing models for free, but they are slow, the “context size” (memory) is limited to 8196 tokens, and the quality varies wildly because they test undisclosed models on you .
To get a decent experience, you need to pay either them or an API provider. Here is the breakdown based on their official FAQ and my credit card statement.
Plan
Cost
What You Get
My Verdict
Free
$0
Unreliable test models, limited memory. Good for browsing.
Pay OpenAI/OpenRouter per token (e.g., $0.002 per request).
Pay as you go. Good if you want GPT-4.
I subscribed to Mars for a month. The “Asha” model (their proprietary 70B fine-tune) was genuinely impressive—almost as coherent as GPT-3.5 but without the censorship.
Is Chub AI Safe and Worth it?
The Safety Question is Red-Hot right now.
In March 2026, the Australian eSafety Commissioner specifically called out services including Chub AI for failing to protect children from sexually explicit material and lacking meaningful age checks .
My personal analysis:
For Adults: It is safe from a surveillance standpoint. They claim not to read your chats. But it is unsafe if you are prone to addiction or disturbing content, because there is zero moderation.
For Kids/Teens:No. Absolutely not. This platform is extremely dangerous for minors. There is no filter stopping a character from trying to manipulate or expose a young user to explicit content instantly.
Data: You are sharing your conversations with whatever AI model provider (OpenAI, etc.) you connect. Read theirprivacy policies, not just Chub’s.
Is it worth it? If you are an adult who feels suffocated by ChatGPT’s safety rails, yes. It feels like breathing fresh air. If you just want a fun, lighthearted companion, run away. This tool will break your immersion with technical bugs and expose you to weird stuff.
Pros and Cons I Observed
I kept a running list on my phone while testing.
Pros (+)
Total Creative Freedom: No “I cannot do that” errors.
Lorebooks: A genuinely genius feature that fixes AI amnesia .
Community Size: Millions of characters. If you want it, it exists.
Transparency: They are honest about needing an API or subscription.
Cons (-)
Technical Barrier: Setting up an API is a nightmare for non-coders.
Quality Control: The public library is flooded with “low token” fetish bots that are poorly written .
Cost Complexity: “Free” turns into $15/month plus API fees quickly.
Reputation Risk: Because of the NSFW nature, using it on a work computer is a fireable offense.
What Others Say about Chub AI
I scoured Reddit and forums to see if my experience was unique. It wasn’t.
The “Model Quality” Debate: Many users on Reddit feel the site has plateaued. One user noted, “Chubs AI seems to have gotten dumber and dumber,” specifically pointing out that the UI gets more attention than the “Soji” model reasoning .
The “Smut Flood”: Long-time creators are frustrated. One creator wrote, “I created a bot… someone… made a fork, slapped some slutty artwork on it… It got half the likes… but had twice the message count” . The platform is shifting from storytelling to quick gratification.
Performance: Users are complaining about “30-day chat log limits” on free plans, pushing people to paid subscriptions or alternatives .
You can only access it via the web at https://chub.ai/. There is no official mobile app. If you see an app on the iOS or Google Play store claiming to be Chub AI, it is a scam or a wrapper. I usually add the site to my phone’s home screen as a PWA (Progressive Web App), which works decently, but it is clearly designed for desktop browsers.
How Chub AI Compares to Alternatives
I have used almost every competitor. Here is the hard truth table .
Platform
Filter/Censorship
Ease of Use
Best For
Chub AI
None
Hard (APIs)
Tinkerers & Writers
Character AI
Heavy
Easy
Casual, safe SFW fun
CrushOn AI
Light (Paid tiers)
Medium
Romantic/NSFW roleplay
SillyTavern
None
Very Hard (Local install)
Privacy Freaks & Power Users
JanitorAI
Minimal
Medium
Free users wanting less hassle
If you don’t want to manage API keys, switch to JanitorAI. If you want a mobile app, switch to Chai. If you want to keep your soul pure, stick with Character AI. Chub sits in the messy middle; powerful but high maintenance.
My Final Verdict
Chub AI is like a classic muscle car. It looks cool, goes incredibly fast, and gives you total control. But it breaks down constantly, requires you to get your hands dirty with the engine, and frankly, it scares the neighbors.
I admire what Chub stands for. In an era of sanitized AI, they are the rebels keeping the internet weird and free. But I cannot recommend it to a general audience. If you have to ask “What is an API?”, this tool will frustrate you. You will waste $20 on credits and wonder why the bot is speaking in JSON code.
Score: 7/10 High marks for potential and features, low marks for accessibility and safety concerns.
If you know what a “context window” is and you hate content filters, go subscribe to Mars right now. If you just want a friend to text, please, close this tab and go somewhere else.
FAQs
Q: Is Chub AI completely uncensored? A: The platform itself does not censor you. However, the “brain” (AI model) you connect might. If you use OpenAI, they will censor you. If you use their native “Mars” model, it is fully uncensored .
Q: Can I use Chub AI on my phone? A: Only via a web browser. There is no official app. Be careful logging in on mobile data, as the site contains NSFW images that might appear in search results.
Q: Does Chub AI cost money? A: Browsing is free. Chatting with decent quality costs 5to15 per month, or you pay per message to a provider like OpenAI .
Q: Is my data private on Chub AI? A: The Chub team claims not to look at your chats, but your chats are processed by third-party AI models (like Mistral or Llama). Those companies may use your data for training unless you opt out.
Q: Why is everyone talking about “Lorebooks”? A: Because it fixes the memory problem. It allows the AI to remember specific lore, objects, or history indefinitely, which most other chatbots cannot do
