Comparison

Now! vs PersonaLLM

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Now!

Features
Read full description

The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport & Culture Development (MYSC) established NOW! TV to promote and showcase local talent in the areas of Youth empowerment, Sport and Culture development and also to grow the Botswana Film and Television industry. Please contact us on supportnowtv@gov.bw for any additional information on the service or any technical challenges.

About

PersonaLLM

Create deeply customizable AI characters with on-device memory and local LLM support. Generate images and video within chats, explore branching storylines, and enjoy voice conversations. Offers extensive customization for writers and worldbuilders.

Highlights
  • On-device memory (RAG)
  • In-chat image and video generation
  • Local LLM support (MLX)
  • Branching story exploration
  • Voice conversations (TTS & Speech Recognition)
  • Deep character customization
  • Community sharing
Features
Read full description

Create AI characters that actually remember you. PersonaLLM is a deeply customizable AI character chat and creative writing app for iOS — with on-device memory, in-chat image and video generation, local LLM support, and tools built for authors and worldbuilders. CHARACTERS WITH DEPTH Create characters with AI assistance or build them by hand. Define personality traits, goals, fears, worldbuilding, backstories, and communication styles. Import character cards, presets, and lorebooks from popular formats. Every character gets their own accent color, avatar (upload or AI-generate), writing style, and scenario library. Build assistants for productivity or characters for fiction — your choice. AI THAT REMEMBERS PersonaLLM is the only iOS character app with on-device RAG memory. Your AI recalls names, events, and details from past conversations — not just the current one. Upload documents (PDF, TXT, and more) to give characters specialized knowledge. The lorebook system injects relevant lore automatically based on keywords, and auto-extraction learns new facts as you write. IMAGES & VIDEO IN YOUR STORY Visual Story mode generates images and video directly inside the conversation as the narrative unfolds. Choose your own image and video providers or connect your own ComfyUI server with custom workflows for full control. YOUR MODELS, YOUR CHOICE Run LLMs entirely on-device with MLX — completely private, no server needed. Or connect to any compatible API: OpenRouter, Ollama, LM Studio, KoboldCpp, llama.cpp, or vLLM. Save multiple provider presets and switch instantly. VOICE BUILT IN Kokoro neural text-to-speech reads responses aloud with separate narration and dialogue voices. WhisperKit provides on-device speech recognition. Have full voice conversations with your characters — no cloud required. BRANCHING STORIES Fork any conversation at any message. Explore alternate storylines with a visual branch tree. Swipe between response variants. Let Autopilot mode run the narrative hands-free while you watch the story unfold. DEEP CUSTOMIZATION - 11 system prompt injection positions - Writing style presets (Narrative, Storybook, Texting, or custom) - Author's notes with configurable injection depth - Custom text replacements for writing consistency - Multiple user personas - Chat bubble color themes - Settings profiles to save entire configurations - Adjustable text size and streaming speed COMMUNITY Share characters and generated media with other writers. Browse trending characters, try them in sandbox mode before downloading, follow your favorite creators, and climb the leaderboards. iPAD OPTIMIZED Three-panel layout with collapsible side panels. Landscape mode auto-expands both panels. Full-screen image viewer with pinch-to-zoom. Home Screen widgets in four sizes including Lock Screen. PRIVACY FIRST On-device options for chat, voice, speech recognition, and memory — nothing leaves your device unless you choose cloud. App Lock with Face ID. API keys stored in the Secure Enclave. Full data export. FREE TO START 30 free messages per day on the cloud tier. Bring your own API key or run local models for unlimited use at no cost. Optional Premium subscription ($7.99/mo) unlocks unlimited cloud messages, a smarter AI model, and full memory.

Screenshots

Now!4 screens
PersonaLLM4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Now! at none against PersonaLLM's 5. Now! also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). PersonaLLM's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PersonaLLM sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Now! asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Now! ships an update every 2 months, PersonaLLM every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Now! versus PersonaLLM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNow!PersonaLLM
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB175 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperBROADSMART (PTY) LTDKOYA VENTURES LTD

In-app purchases

None

Now!

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

PersonaLLM

Subscriptions1
  • PersonaLLM Premium$7.991 Month
One-time4
  • Starter Pack$9.99
  • Plus Pack$19.99
  • Premium Pack$49.99
Show 1 more
  • Ultra Pack$99.99

Questions

Is Now! free?
Now! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PersonaLLM free?
PersonaLLM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Now! or PersonaLLM have ads?
Neither Now! nor PersonaLLM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Now! or PersonaLLM?
Now! ships an update every 2 months, and PersonaLLM every 3 days. Most recently, Now! was updated on November 4, 2026 and PersonaLLM on October 31, 2026.

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