Convai

Convai is purpose-built for one thing: AI characters that live in 3D worlds. If that's your use case—game NPCs, XR training avatars, virtual brand ambassadors—it's arguably the most mature platform available, with solid Unity/Unreal plugins and a no-code creation tool for designers. We'd reach for this when we need spatial awareness (characters that navigate rooms, react to player position) and multimodal perception (seeing and hearing). It's less helpful if you're building a text-only support bot or a mobile app helper; you'd be paying for 3D capability you don't need. The pricing remains unlisted, which is frustrating for small teams. Compared to alternatives like Inworld AI, Convai's edge is deeper game engine integration and stronger emphasis on embodied interaction. On the flip side, Inworld offers more transparent pricing and a broader no-code narrative system. Where it bites: the documentation, while extensive, assumes familiarity with Unity or Unreal. Non-developers will struggle. The web-based demo characters are impressive, but deploying custom environments requires significant setup. In practice, the Maya demo on Quest 3 is a great showcase—talking to a 3D avatar in mixed reality feels genuinely futuristic. But unless you're building for XR or games, the value proposition narrows fast.