Roleplay
SillyTavern review
Free, open-source roleplay front end you host yourself and connect to any model
Radar score
7.6
/ 10
Desk-researched profile
Pricing model
Free
Starting price
Free (you pay your model provider)
Free tier
Yes
Adult content
Allowed
Platforms
Self-hosted (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android via Termux)
Launched
2023
Video generation
No
Voice
Yes
Features:
Chat
Image generation
Voice
Long-term memory
Verdict
The power user’s choice: free, open source and endlessly configurable, with the best memory tooling in the category. You supply the model, the hosting and the patience; there is no app, no account and no support desk.
What works
Free and open source, no account or subscription Works with any model: local, OpenAI-compatible or hosted APIs Lorebooks, vector memory, summarisation and character cards Extensions add image generation, TTS and more
What holds it back
Installation and configuration are on you; no mobile app Quality and cost depend entirely on the model you connect No moderation layer: content rules are your provider’s, not SillyTavern’s
What SillyTavern is
SillyTavern is an open-source front end for chatting and roleplaying with language models. It does not ship a model of its own: you install it on your computer or server and connect it to a local model or to an API such as OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. It is the tool many of the hosted platforms in this directory are quietly trying to replace.
Features
Character cards, group chats, personas and prompt templates are all editable. Memory is where it shines: lorebooks trigger world information on keywords, a summariser condenses long chats, and vector storage recalls earlier messages semantically. Extensions add image generation through a Stable Diffusion back end, text-to-speech, translation and more. Everything is configurable, which is both the appeal and the obstacle.
Pricing
SillyTavern itself is free under an open-source licence. The cost is whatever model you connect: a local model on your own hardware costs nothing per message, while API providers bill per token. That makes it either the cheapest or the most expensive option in the directory depending on your choices.
Content policy
There is no platform policy because there is no platform; SillyTavern is software. Content limits are set by the model provider you use. Local models have none; commercial APIs have their own terms. Users are responsible for their own compliance, and the project’s documentation states it is intended for adults.
Who it is for
Technical users who want maximum control over the model, the memory and the cost, and who are comfortable installing software. Anyone who wants an app with a login should choose a hosted platform.
Research basis: desk research from the official site and public user reports, September 2026.
How to cancel SillyTavern
There is nothing to cancel. SillyTavern is installed software with no subscription or account.
Delete the installation folder to remove it.
Cancel any model API subscriptions separately with those providers.