An all-ages PolyBuzz alternative where the characters act it out
No ads, no weekly subscription, open from 13: pick a character below, watch the cast play the scene, and keep it as a story.
Pick a character and start a scene — free, no account
VeraA reporter one question away from unmasking the city's hero.Play Secret identity →
NyxA thief who joined the quest to steal the relic.Play Fantasy quest →
RenLiving the same Friday at the station for the fourth time.Play Time loop →
IrisBaking against her rival for her grandmother's shop.Play Enemies to lovers →
Aunt RosaSure this “couple” is fake, and out to prove it.Play Fake dating →
MaraKeeping her café open through one hard winter.Play Coffee shop AU →
Or bring your own: write a card in a minute, or import a SillyTavern card.
In shortCastfic is an all-ages alternative to PolyBuzz: instead of chatting one-on-one, you put 2 to 4 characters in a scene and they act it out, each played separately with its own secret, while you direct. One click turns the scene into prose or a screenplay, and a memory is saved to every character card. No ads; 1 free scene without an account, then 1 a day with Google sign-in.
How to switch from PolyBuzz to Castfic
- Tap a character above to play a ready scene right away, no account needed.
- To bring a PolyBuzz character over, copy its description and a few sample lines into a new Castfic card, then add what it wants and one secret. SillyTavern cards (PNG or JSON) import directly.
- Pick a trope scene — enemies to lovers, time loop, found family — and add 1 to 3 more characters.
- Press play: the characters speak in turn. Pause to add narration, choose who talks next or pick a branch.
- At the end, rewrite the scene as prose or a screenplay. A memory is saved to each card for the next scene.
Why people look for apps like PolyBuzz
PolyBuzz is a popular phone app for chatting with voiced characters — its Google Play listing shows more than 50 million downloads. The common reasons people look elsewhere are the same ones that come up in its reviews:
- Ads between messages on the free plan.
- Subscriptions billed weekly, from $4.99 a week up to $29.90 a month for the top tier (US App Store, October 2026).
- An age rating of 17+ on Google Play and 18+ on the App Store, so younger writers can't use it.
- Characters that forget earlier chats, with no way to see or fix what they remember.
- Long chats that never become anything you can keep.
Castfic answers each of those differently. It is not a companion app; it's a story tool where your characters do the talking.
What Castfic does differently
Four differences matter most if you're coming from PolyBuzz.
The characters act it out together
A scene has 2 to 4 characters. Each is played separately and knows only its own card and secret, so they can surprise each other — and you. You direct instead of carrying the conversation: add narration, pick who speaks next, choose a branch or redo a round. A scene is 8 rounds, under a minute.
One click turns it into a story
When the scene ends, rewrite it as about 1,500 words of prose or a Fountain screenplay, in one of four styles: sweet, angst, comedy or AO3-style. Export to Markdown, Fountain or Word.
Memory written back to every card
After each scene a short memory is saved to every character's card, and the next scene starts from it. You can read and edit each note, and a relationship map shows how pairs have changed. Free accounts keep 3 memories per character; Plus keeps 50.
All-ages, with no ads
Castfic is for 13 and up, with input and output filters and a report button on every scene. Romance goes as far as a confession or a kiss between adults; explicit content isn't allowed on any plan. There are no ads. Paying is optional: Scene Pass $4.99 for 15 scenes (no subscription), or Plus $7.99/month ($59/year). Users aged 13 to 17 can use the free tier but can't pay.
A real exchange: three characters, three secrets
Scene: secret identity, a rooftop after a citywide blackout. Vera is a journalist, Eli is the coworker who keeps vanishing during emergencies, and their editor Okafor has his own reason to kill the story. Illustrative lines.
| Character | Line | What only they know |
|---|---|---|
| Vera | "The lights went out at 11:52. So did you, Eli. Again." | The hero once saved her life, and she never said thank you. |
| Eli | "I was getting noodles. Ask the noodle guy." | He is the masked hero. |
| Okafor | "Nobody's running anything tonight. Go home, both of you." | The hero saved his daughter last spring, and he won't help unmask them. |
In a one-on-one chat app, one model would know all three secrets. Here each character only knows its own, which is what makes the scene work.
Where PolyBuzz is the better choice
If you want to talk to one character for hours, hear them speak, or use a phone app with voice, PolyBuzz is built for that and Castfic is not: there's no voice and no endless chat. Castfic is for when you want your characters to play a scene and come away with a story.
How Castfic compares
| Castfic | PolyBuzz | Talkie | Character.AI | Janitor AI | Chai | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 1 free scene without an account, then 1 a day with Google sign-in, plus a free Daily Scene; no ads | Free, with ads | Free, with ads | Free, with ads on Android | Free; Janitor+ optional | Free, with ads |
| Cheapest paid option | $4.99 for 15 scenes (one-off), or $7.99/mo | $4.99/week (Poly Standard) | In-app subscription | $94.99/yr (c.ai+) | Janitor+ subscription | In-app subscription |
| Age rating | 13+, all-ages by design | 17+ (Google Play), 18+ (App Store) | Teen (Google Play), 18+ (App Store) | Teen (Google Play), 18+ (App Store) | 18+ | 18+ |
| Several characters in one scene | Yes, 2–4, each played separately with its own secret | Group chats | — | Group chats | — | — |
| Turn the chat into a story | One click: prose or screenplay, 4 styles | — | — | — | — | — |
| Memory you can read and edit | Written back to each character card after every scene | Built-in memory | Built-in memory | Memory pins | Chat memory box | — |
| Voice | — | Voiced characters | Voiced characters | Voice and calls | — | — |
| Where it runs | Web, phone browser | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
Competitor details are from each product's public pages in October 2026 and may change. Product names are trademarks of their owners; Castfic is not affiliated with them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best PolyBuzz alternative?
It depends on what you want. For one-on-one voiced chat, apps like Talkie and Character.AI are closest. For an all-ages, ad-free tool where several characters act out a scene and you keep the result as a story, Castfic is built for that.
Is Castfic free?
Yes, to start: 1 free scene without an account, then 1 free scene a day after signing in with Google, plus the free Daily Scene. There are no ads. Scene Pass $4.99 for 15 scenes (no subscription), or Plus $7.99/month ($59/year).
Can I move my PolyBuzz characters to Castfic?
PolyBuzz doesn't export character files, so copy the description and a few sample lines into a new Castfic card and add a motive and a secret. SillyTavern character cards (PNG or JSON) import directly.
Is Castfic safe for teens?
Yes, from age 13. Castfic is all-ages by design, with input and output filters and reporting on every scene. Users aged 13 to 17 can play the free scenes but can't pay.
Do the characters remember earlier chats?
Yes. After every scene a memory is written to each character's card, and you can read or edit it. The next scene starts from those notes.
Is there an app?
Castfic runs in the browser on phone and desktop — no download. Add it to your home screen if you like.
Try it with your own characters
1 free scene without an account, then 1 free scene a day after signing in with Google, plus the free Daily Scene.
Try a scene free