# Tavo - AI Stories & Characters — Create Worlds, Shape Stories

> AI roleplay chat client with local LLM connection and character card support. (iPhone/iPad app by Bitbear Limited.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tavo-ai-stories-and-characters/id6744438897 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Bitbear Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1717390622)
- Category: Utilities, Entertainment
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 390 App Store ratings · 94 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 78 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2025-04-29
- Data updated: 2026-11-10
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tavo-ai-stories-and-characters/id6744438897/reviews.md

## What is Tavo?

Tavo is an AI chat client for character conversations, interactive storytelling, and creative writing. Connect to the models you choose, create characters and worlds, and make every chat your own.

Characters & Stories

- Character cards with CCv3 / CCv2 / CCv1 support
- Custom user personas
- One-on-one and multi-character group chats
- Lorebooks and long-term memory
- Prompt presets and regex rules
- Voice playback

Themes & Appearance

- Custom chat themes
- Custom CSS styling in Advanced Rendering

Tools & Connections

- Native tool calling for reading web pages and searching the web through a configured search service
- A built-in MCP server for connecting compatible AI coding agents to help create characters, lorebooks, and themes
- Image input, file attachments, and text-to-speech

Your Models, Local Storage

- Bring your own API key (BYOK) and connect directly to compatible model services
- Store chat history, character cards, and settings locally on your device
- When using online services, the content needed for your requests is sent to your configured providers

## Key features

- AI roleplay chat client
- Local LLM connection
- Character card import/creation
- Supports multiple card formats
- Group chat functionality
- Voice and image integration
- Customizable interface

## What do users think of Tavo?

Reviews of Tavo are mostly positive: the Utilities app is rated 4.8/5 from 390 App Store ratings. What users like most: completely free to use, supports memory function. Top complaints: issues with network connectivity, API key setup can be tricky. Summarized from real user reviews.

**Pros**

- 👍 Completely free to use
- 💡 Supports memory function
- 👍 Convenient and easy to use

**Cons**

- 🐛 Issues with network connectivity
- 🐛 API key setup can be tricky

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Frequent 429 errors when using the API
- Compatibility issues with certain devices

**Most requested features**

- Add voice input functionality
- Improve performance to reduce device heating

## Is Tavo safe?

Tavo - AI Stories & Characters appears safe based on user ratings. The AppsHunter Safety Score for Tavo is 95 out of 100. This assessment is based on 390 user ratings, with an App Store average of 4.8 out of 5. Of 390 App Store ratings, 95.1% point to a safe experience, 1.8% suggest some concerns, and 3.1% point to a risky experience.

## Is Tavo legit?

Tavo - AI Stories & Characters appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Tavo is 70 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

## Recent user reviews (10 of 94)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tavo-ai-stories-and-characters/id6744438897/reviews.md

### 5/5 — I REALLY LOVE U

*2026-11-05, version 1.9.0*

THANKS

### 5/5 — I hope this remains underrated

*2026-11-03, version 1.8.1*

Came from Reddit and it’s  so so good! Good alternative if you don’t know have anything for sillytavern :)

### 5/5 — This app is 10/10

*2026-10-20, version 1.7.0*

I love it, is my replacement for silly tavern. Please devs keep working on it, this app is a masterpiece. Also a suggestion, please work on a weird bug that it makes the app close itself while changing ai models with open ai providers option. Besides that, this app is perfect. Love the privacy and respect for the users.

### 5/5 — 非常方便

*2026-10-13, version 1.7.0*

無論是api 接入還是人與設置都很方便，從沒玩這麼爽的

### 5/5 — 正式版更新太慢了吧

*2026-10-02, version 0.89.2*

隔壁子都1.6了  测试版也1.6了  这里还是0.89

### 5/5 — Great app with one big problem

*2026-09-27, version 0.89.2*

I love the app, it’s responsive, there is an option for just about everything, it works great. There’s just one problem…. There is no way to force a model provider (like ONLY use DeepInfra, Fireworks, SiliconFlow, etc…)  through Openrouter like you can on NativeTavern… This means I have to either set it through OpenRouter’s guardrails (exhausting when you’re changing models often), or accept it autorouting providers (which massacres cache and blows up cost.) I’d be oh so grateful for this feature to be implemented in app.

### 2/5 — Would Like -> Could Figure Out

*2026-09-18, version 0.89.2*

I think I’d like it… if I could try it and figure out how to get a free API key even just to get it to perform properly.

I don’t like paying for AI RP stuff (the only thing I really choose to pay for), but I don’t like ambiguous pricing. (Can you tell I talk to AI a lot with the phrasing?)

Yeah, if dev are reading, please advise. Want to like, will review more favorably -> don’t fully comprehend and require assistance. (My turn engine with this lol)

Anyway, human speak. I just don’t get how really to figure out if it’s worth it, and I think I have analysis paralysis from trying to figure it out. 

Suggestions welcome.

### 5/5 — 比酒馆好用多了

*2026-08-14, version 0.89.2*

简单   免费   好看   实用!

### 5/5 — Love this app, and I’m enjoying watching its evolution

*2026-08-07, version 0.89.2*

There’s a lot of great features, and I do think it’s very close to SillyTavern performance without the headache of a complicated setup and overly complex customizations. This is very beginner friendly—There’s just one thing I’d really like to see added alongside the Impersonate feature: An Enhance Response feature, so the LLMs can enhance and improve upon the users response before we send it. I only know of two sites with a feature like this, and it’s the best thing on those sites, neither one allows the level of customization a proper frontend does.

BTW, noticed an important feature that’s missing: Grouping for lorebooks. Lorebooks need groups to give us better fine tune control over our tokens used.

### 4/5 — 应用商店更新版本太慢了

*2026-07-26, version 0.89.2*

官网更新版本应用商店要延迟一个月多，太慢了 希望同步更新一下

## Frequently asked questions about Tavo

### What is Tavo - AI Roleplay Frontend?

Tavo is a chat client specifically designed for AI role-playing enthusiasts. It acts as an intuitive, powerful, and unrestricted front-end for Large Language Models (LLMs), allowing you to create or import character cards and engage in roleplay scenarios.

### What are the key features of this app?

Key features include direct local-to-model connection for enhanced privacy and security, support for various character card formats (Spec V1/V2/V3, PNG, JSON, CHARX), integration with popular AI platforms, group chat, lorebooks, long-term memory, and voice/image integration with AI.

### Is this app free to use?

Yes, all features of Tavo - AI Roleplay Frontend are completely free to use. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements.

### What platforms and communities does it integrate with?

The app integrates seamlessly with platforms and communities such as SillyTavern, JanitorAI, Pygmalion, RisuRealm, AICharacterCards, and Chub, allowing for broad compatibility with existing AI roleplay ecosystems.

### How does the app ensure data privacy?

All your data, including API keys, chat history, and character cards, is stored locally on your device. The app connects directly to LLMs via APIs without any intermediary services, ensuring your data remains secure, private, and free from additional restrictions.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.9.0 — 2026-11-05

- Long-term memory enhancements:
    - Added memory compression
    - Upgraded the former long-term memory feature to a Memory page containing both short-term and long-term memory
    - Migrated the memory length from the previous model settings to the short-term memory length setting
    - Improved the long-term memory controls in the right sidebar
    - Improved the summarization and injection prompts; existing users need to select "Restore Defaults" to switch to the new prompts
- Added support for embedding media players such as YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, Bilibili, and NetEase Cloud Music in message bubbles
- Unified the 4 custom API types and added automatic protocol detection
- Added request timeout settings for all APIs
- Added "Chat List Message Preview" to performance settings to help improve left sidebar loading performance
- Fixed failures in the official plugin's file parser
- Fixed an issue where the character selection interface was obscured group chats
- Refined UI details
- Fixed known bugs

### 1.8.1 — 2026-10-23

- Added “Recently Deleted” to restore accidentally deleted content
- Added gallery mode to the theme list
- Added support for copying user identities
- Fixed an issue where storage cleanup failed to remove invalid background images
- Fixed parsing errors when downloading certain themes from the Theme Center
- Refined UI details
- Fixed known bugs

### 1.7.0 — 2026-10-13

- Added support for the custom OpenAI Responses protocol
- Theme improvements:
    - Added a custom bottom overlay color option under Theme > Background
    - Added a Theme Center shortcut to the right sidebar
    - Improved the theme list UI
- Added categories to the plugin marketplace
- Added search result highlighting in chats
- Fixed an issue where deleting a character could affect lorebooks
- Refined UI details
- Fixed known bugs

### 1.2.9 — 2026-10-10

- Officially entering the 1.0 Agent era with native tool calling support
- Added web browsing and search support
- Completely revamped the UI
- Tavo can now function as an MCP Server, allowing Agents to manage content and assist with plugin development
- Expanded the TavoJS, MCP, and native tool APIs
- Added speech recognition
- Improved performance and stability
- Added streaming rendering quality options
- Enhanced compatibility with formats such as character cards and lorebooks
- Refined UI details
- Fixed known bugs

### 0.89.2 — 2026-06-29

- Expanded model parameters for chat and voice
- Added support for importing CCv3-style World Books
- Improved background selection interactions
- Fixed an issue where the keyboard covered content during voice search
- Fixed an issue where auto-scroll-to-top on tablets was easy to trigger accidentally
- Fixed a playback issue for user bubbles in tablet mode
- Fixed an issue where line breaks in the input box caused scrolling
- Fixed an issue where backgrounds failed to display during theme preview
- UI detail optimizations
- Known bug fixes

## Apps similar to Tavo

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [NativeTavern - AI Characters](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nativetavern-ai-characters/id6757631215) | 3.9 (23) | Free | Utilities |
| [Chatbox - Powerful AI Client](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatbox-powerful-ai-client/id6471368056) | 4.6 (674) | Free | Utilities |
| [talkmaker - texting story](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/talkmaker-texting-story/id6473696648) | 4.8 (522) | Free | Utilities |
| [Kelivo](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kelivo/id6752122930) | 4.9 (60) | Free | Utilities |
| [Cove - Talk with AI Character](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cove-talk-with-ai-character/id6448901431) | 4.6 (19) | Free | Utilities |
| [MiniTavern: AI Character Chat](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minitavern-ai-character-chat/id6748523919) | 4.8 (10) | Free | Utilities |

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-10.*