I Just Found Out About Janitor AI — Here’s What It Actually Is

I kept seeing “Janitor AI” pop up in comment threads and random screenshots, so I finally did the thing we all do: I went looking for what it actually is (and why people seem so invested).

So… what is Janitor AI?

Janitor AI is basically a roleplay/chat platform where people create “characters” (bots) and you chat with them in whatever scenario you want—storytelling, roleplay, slice-of-life, you name it. A big thing to know up front: the official community rules describe Janitor AI as adults-only (18+), and the subreddit/Discord are treated the same way.¹

If you’ve used Character.AI or similar sites, the vibe will feel familiar: you choose a character, jump into a chat, and steer the conversation like you’re co-writing a scene.

Why do people use it?

From what I can tell, people show up for a few main reasons:

• Roleplay that feels more “open.” Some platforms are heavily filtered. Janitor AI is known for having fewer guardrails (though it still has rules and moderation).

• Character variety. There’s a big creator culture—people make bots based on original characters, fandoms, tropes, or specific story setups.

• Longer, ongoing story chats. A lot of users treat it like a continuing narrative instead of quick Q&A.

How it works (the simplest explanation)

1. A creator builds a character. They write a description, personality traits, backstory, and sometimes example dialogue.

2. You chat with the character. Your messages + the character setup guide how the bot responds.

3. The platform uses an AI model behind the scenes to generate the replies. Which model you’re using (and how you’re connected to it) can affect quality, speed, and cost.

That last part matters more than people realize.

The “rules” part you should not skip

Even if you’re only here for harmless roleplay, Janitor AI is strict about some things—especially age-related content.

• The official community has stated that characters under 18 are not allowed going forward (with specific examples of what counts).²

• There are also reminders posted in the official community that reference the site’s adults-only stance, including consequences if a user is suspected to be under 18.³

I’m not getting into debates about it—just calling it out so you don’t accidentally make something that gets removed or gets you flagged.

“Do I need to pay?” (Tokens, costs, and why people talk about it)

This is where a lot of confusion happens.

What are tokens?

Tokens are basically the “units” AI models use to process text. Your message costs tokens. The bot’s reply costs tokens. Longer chats = more tokens. OpenAI’s own explanation gives a simple rule of thumb: in English, 1 token is about 4 characters or ~¾ of a word.⁴

So if you’re writing long, detailed roleplay replies, you’re spending more tokens than someone sending “lol what” every time.

What does that mean for cost?

Different models charge different rates, usually priced per 1 million tokens (input and output). If you’re using an OpenAI model through an API setup, pricing can vary by model and it can add up fast if you’re generating long replies. OpenAI publishes current API prices on its pricing page.⁵

The short version: if you’re on a paid model and your chats are long, you’ll feel it.

What I’d tell a friend before they try it

Here’s my “save yourself some annoyance” list:

1) Treat it like a creative sandbox, not a therapist

It’s really easy to project human intention onto a chatbot. But it’s still a text generator following patterns. Enjoy the story… just don’t hand it the keys to your emotional well-being.

2) Don’t share personal info

Even if a chat feels private, your safest move is to avoid real names, addresses, phone numbers, account details, anything like that. Use fictional stand-ins if you want realism.

3) Expect uneven quality

Some bots are amazingly written. Some are… not. The character setup matters a ton. Two bots can feel like completely different products.

4) Keep an eye on settings and models

If replies suddenly feel worse, shorter, repetitive, or “off,” it might not be you—it might be the model, the context window, or how the character was configured.

5) Know the vibe is adult-only

Even if you personally keep everything PG, Janitor AI is very clearly positioned as an adult space.¹²³ That affects what’s allowed, how moderation works, and what kind of content you’ll run into.

My takeaway

After digging in, Janitor AI makes more sense to me as a creative roleplay platform than a generic “chatbot site.” The appeal is the character-building culture and the freedom to write weird, dramatic, funny, or deeply specific storylines without constantly hitting a wall.

If you go in expecting “a normal assistant,” you’ll be confused. If you go in expecting “interactive storytelling,” it clicks.

Citations

1. “JanitorAI.” Reddit, r/JanitorAI_Official, n.d.
2. rowan-ai. “TOS UPDATE —.” Reddit, r/JanitorAI_Official, n.d.
3. “Too many children here. This is a 18+ website AND reddit. Reminder.” Reddit, r/JanitorAI_Official, n.d.
4. OpenAI. “What are tokens and how to count them?” OpenAI Help Center, n.d.
5. OpenAI. “Pricing.” OpenAI, n.d.