Character.AI statistics: what the court filings say
Character Technologies, the company behind Character.AI, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 12, 2026, and for the first time its real numbers are public: about 12 million monthly users, about $5.3 million of revenue in August and a loss of about $8–9 million a month. Many statistics pages still show estimates from before the filing. Here is each number with its source.
- Monthly active users12 millionAbout 163 million current and past users
- Revenue, August 2026$5.3 millionAbout 47% from advertising
- Loss a month$8–9 millionCompute is 45% of operating expenses
Users
| What | Number | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly active users | About 12 million | From the CEO’s declaration to the court. | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| Average time per active user | About 120 minutes a day | The declaration adds that usage varies widely. | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| Current and past users | About 163 million | Everyone who has used the app, not today’s audience. | PPC Land on the first-day motions |
| US accounts by March 13, 2025 | More than 21.6 million | From Kentucky’s complaint. More than 2.1 million of them gave an age under 18. | PPC Land on the states’ objection |
| Earlier monthly figure | More than 20 million | From Pennsylvania’s complaint of May 1, 2026. Many older pages still use it. | PPC Land on the first-day motions |
Revenue and losses
| What | Number | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly revenue, August 2026 | About $5.3 million | — | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| Advertising, August 2026 | About $2.5 million | About 47% of revenue, up from about $0.5 million in July 2025. | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| Subscriptions, August 2026 | About $2.8 million | Up from about $0.6 million in January 2024. | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| Paid subscribers | About 139,000 | A press figure from December 2024. The declaration gives no subscriber count. | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| Monthly operating loss | About $8–9 million | — | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| Compute, January–August 2026 | About $56.1 million | About 45% of operating expenses. | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| Personnel, January–August 2026 | About $19.7 million | About 16% of operating expenses. | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| Compute against revenue per active user | About 58¢ against 44¢ a month | PPC Land’s math from the declaration, not a company figure. | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| Cash on October 12, 2026 | About $57.4 million | About $59.4 million with a $2 million refundable deposit. | PPC Land on staff and cash |
The sale
| What | Number | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening bid | $20 million | From Disney, for a non-exclusive license to code and patents. It leaves out the app, the brand, user data and chats. | PPC Land on the states’ objection |
| Minimum rival bid | $21.7 million | — | PPC Land on the states’ objection |
| Staff who left for Disney | 66 of 86 | The company had 18 employees left, 6 of them on the team that keeps the platform safe. | PPC Land on staff and cash |
| Sale dates | November 20, 23 and 24, 2026 | Bids due, auction, sale hearing. | PPC Land on the states’ objection |
| Deadline to close the Disney deal | December 17, 2026 | — | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
Regulators
| What | Number | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| States asking for a privacy ombudsman | 39 and DC | They want the data checked before any sale of user information. | PPC Land on the states’ objection |
| Fine in Italy | €79,000 | From the Garante, the data protection authority. Paid on August 31, 2026. | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| Fines in Russia | RUB 8.75 million | Three court fines, about $115,000. | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
| New investigation in the UK | September 25, 2026 | Opened by the ICO, the data protection authority. | PPC Land on the CEO’s first-day declaration |
Listed debts
| What | Number | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| $4,148,944 | The largest unsecured creditor on the petition. | PPC Land on the first-day motions | |
| DigitalOcean | $1,953,100 | — | PPC Land on the first-day motions |
| Fireworks.ai | $813,900 | Disputed. | PPC Land on the first-day motions |
| Zayo Group | $119,210 | Disputed. | PPC Land on the first-day motions |
Why other pages show different numbers
Until the filing, Character.AI was a private company, so almost every statistic was an estimate from web traffic or app stores. Pennsylvania’s complaint in May 2026 put monthly users above 20 million. The CEO’s declaration in October says about 12 million, and the same declaration also says “tens of millions of users” without saying which users it counts. 163 million is a different measure: current and past users together.
How we checked
- Every number comes from reporting on the court filings by PPC Land, linked on each row. We did not read the docket ourselves.
- The case is number 26-11603 in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
- Where the filings give a rough figure, we say “about”.
- The auction happens only if a rival bid qualifies, and the court can move the dates. We update this page when they change.
Who made this
We make Amavie, an app of AI characters, so we have a stake in this. We are not part of the case. Character.AI is a trademark of its owner, and we are not affiliated with it. This page is free to quote under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0: credit Amavie and link to it. Corrections: support@amavie.ai.
Frequently asked questions
How many users does Character.AI have?
About 12 million monthly active users, according to the CEO’s declaration to the bankruptcy court. A separate motion counts about 163 million current and past users. Older pages often say 20 million, a figure from before the filing.
How much money does Character.AI make?
About $5.3 million in August 2026: about $2.5 million from advertising and about $2.8 million from subscriptions.
Is Character.AI profitable?
No. The filings show an operating loss of about $8–9 million a month. Compute alone cost about $56.1 million in the first eight months of 2026.
How much is Disney paying for Character.AI?
Disney’s opening bid is $20 million for a non-exclusive license to code and patents. It leaves out the app, the brand, user data and chats, and rivals can bid from $21.7 million.