A self-hosted, endlessly customizable frontend for chatting with AI characters across any model backend.
SillyTavern is not a model — it’s a front end. Point it at OpenAI, Claude, KoboldCpp, Ollama, or a hosted character service, and you get group chats, lorebooks, custom backgrounds, TTS, and deep prompt control. It’s the standard for serious AI roleplay.
Who it's for: Roleplayers, worldbuilders, and tinkerers who want full control over prompts, memory, and which model answers.
Connect OpenAI, Claude, Ollama, KoboldCpp, TextGen, or a character hub.
Inject world facts and character notes only when relevant to the scene.
Stage conversations between several AI personas in one thread.
Text-to-speech and even VR support for fully voiced scenes.
If you want total control over AI roleplay and don’t mind a little setup, SillyTavern is the most powerful free option in 2026. Pair it with a local model for zero running cost.