RisuAI is worth shortlisting if you want to configure a character-chat frontend and choose the model behind it. Do not read the directory’s “free” label as included model usage. Check the provider and your recovery plan before moving a valued character or conversation into a new setup.
This is a public-access and release-note review. On October 27, 2026, we followed the official Web entry to its welcome screen. We did not enter the editor, connect a provider or generate a reply.
The official Web entry leads to a separate app domain
Our first visit to risuai.net showed Get Started, followed by a platform chooser. We selected Web (PC, Mobile, Tablet) and reached risuai.xyz/?mainpage=visited. We did not select a desktop installer or download software.
Observed access path · Desktop web · No account
- Official landing page: Get Started → Web (PC, Mobile, Tablet).
- Web welcome screen: language choices and a request to accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy before continuing.
We left Accept untouched. That is the limit of our product observation: the route and welcome gate worked, but we cannot infer editor defaults, export formats or model access from that screen. Existing installations and returning sessions may open differently.
If you only want to check whether the interface suits you, start from the official site rather than downloading a desktop build first. Read the app’s current agreements before continuing; an open-source repository does not remove a hosted service’s own conditions.
Separate the frontend from the model before comparing costs
The official repository describes connections to providers including OpenAI, Claude, Gemini and OpenRouter. It also lists character assets, group chats, lorebooks and memory systems. Those are documented capabilities, not features we exercised in this visit.
Compare a complete setup, not just the client. For a cloud-provider connection, check that provider’s model access, charging rules and content policy separately. We have not verified a current included allowance or a paid provider configuration, so this review gives no per-message price or “unlimited” claim.
A useful budget question is: “Which model will answer, and what else can make requests?” If you later enable translation or memory processing, check how that configuration uses its model connections before extrapolating from a single chat reply. This is a suggested setup check, not a measured RisuAI bill.
October’s fixes make backup and plugin versions worth checking
The release archive listed v2026.10.220, released October 22, as latest when checked October 27. We did not identify the version deployed at the hosted welcome screen. A GitHub tag is not proof that every web session or installed copy runs it.
v2026.10.210: check which backup you actually recovered
The October 21 notes report a fix to restore the newest loadable backup instead of the oldest. They also list character onboarding, a redesigned welcome screen and scoped plugin-permission fixes.
A recovery can appear successful while restoring an older state. In a disposable test, give a character an unmistakable revision marker, then check that marker after recovery. We have not performed that restore test.
v2026.10.220: inspect the plugin list after an update
The October 22 fix addresses a setDatabase plugin round trip clearing installed plugins. If plugins disappear, check your version before assuming your character data or provider key caused the problem.
Record the plugin names you rely on before a migration, and check them afterward. A reported fix is useful diagnostic context, not a guarantee that every backup or plugin combination is safe. We did not install plugins or reproduce this issue.
These are reasons to verify recovery on a small sample before upgrading a working collection. They are not reasons to disable permission checks or trust an unfamiliar plugin.
Older setup instructions may not match the current onboarding
The project’s documentation home calls itself a work in progress. Its basic character guide describes the older add-character, description and greeting workflow; October’s release notes introduce new onboarding.
Use that guide to understand the task, but verify the visible controls before following an old sequence literally. We could not compare its editor steps with the current app because we stopped at the welcome agreement. We therefore do not publish an unverified export or backup button path here.
A browser client is not evidence that a conversation stays on your device
The landing page links a privacy policy covering Risu Account, RisuAI Web and RisuRealm. It identifies account credentials and outsourced database processing. Its English version is marked as a machine translation of the Korean original, and the page states a September 19, 2024 effective date.
That document does not verify the data flow of a model connection you choose later. Treat the hosted app, any account synchronization and the model provider as separate questions. We did not create an account, inspect network traffic or test deletion, retention or offline use.
Next: choose one connection and prove a small recovery
If you are comfortable configuring providers, start with the official Web entry and read the current agreements. Before trusting an existing writing project to the setup, use a disposable fictional character and record:
- The app version and the provider/model you selected.
- A distinctive character revision marker.
- The exact scope of the export or backup you create.
- Whether that marker and any required plugins remain after a separate recovery check.
This is the next test to run, not one we completed. If you want another configurable frontend, compare the existing SillyTavern review. If you want a writing service rather than managing model connections, read the NovelAI review. Choose the workflow you are willing to maintain before spending on model access.