Comparison

Characterize vs NPC For Hire

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

Head to head
About

Characterize

Generate unique characters with names, traits, and stats instantly. Explore diverse categories and save your favorites for any creative project. Unlock additional themed packs for even more variety.

Highlights
  • Unlimited name generation
  • Rich character details (age, traits, etc.)
  • Themed character packs
  • Save and share creations
  • Diverse character categories
Features
Read full description

Characterize: Your Unlimited Character Creation Companion Characterize is the ideal tool for writers, role-players, storytellers, and anyone who needs fresh, original characters at a moment’s notice. With a tap, Characterize draws from a massive, ever-expanding database of names, traits, and stats to bring you a nearly infinite variety of unique personalities—enough for even the most epic of projects. Whether you’re crafting a daring pirate, a cunning assassin, a modern hero, or something more fantastical, Characterize helps you find the perfect fit every time. Save your favorites, tweak their details, and return for more whenever inspiration strikes! Key Features: Boundless Name Generation: - Instantly generate characters from countless categories, including humans, orcs, pirates, assassins, and more. The possibilities stretch into the quadrillions—no two characters need ever be the same! Rich Character Details: - Don’t stop at names. Dive into ages, birthdays, hair and eye color, height, intelligence, personality, and relationships—all created with a single tap. Your characters will spring to life with depth and flair! Unlock Even More Worlds: - Beyond the vast default selection, themed packs give you even more variety. From superheroes to aliens, historical figures to anime icons, you’ll find the perfect flavor for any setting. Save & Share with Ease: - Keep track of your favorite creations and share them with friends. Revisit your saved characters whenever you like—no scrolling through endless notes or documents. Whether you’re naming a long-awaited protagonist, populating a tabletop campaign, or challenging yourself to write a story without knowing your cast in advance, Characterize puts limitless inspiration at your fingertips. Stop juggling multiple tools—download Characterize today and generate your next hero with a single tap! http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula

About

NPC For Hire

This app assists Game Masters in creating and managing non-player characters (NPCs) for their tabletop role-playing games. It generates characters with unique personalities and provides hand-drawn portraits to enhance immersion.

Highlights
  • NPC generation
  • NPC builder
  • NPC management
  • Hand-drawn portraits
  • Story-driven aid
  • Fantasy world immersion
Features
Read full description

NPC For Hire is a story-driven aid for GMs that allows you to generate, build, and manage NPCs paired with beautiful hand-drawn portraits. GMs will be able to spin up a story that is not only compelling, but will immerse players in a fantasy world with ease. NPC For Hire includes a full library of hand-drawn portraits spanning multiple races — all free, no purchases required. Don't know where to start? Generate an NPC and use it as a launching point to craft a unique and memorable personality for your players. Already have an NPC in mind? Head to the builder and whip them up to help your players see the NPC as you do.

Screenshots

Characterize4 screens
NPC For Hire4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Characterize at every 3 weeks against NPC For Hire's every 3 months. Characterize also leads on ratings volume (345 vs 81). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Characterize sells 16 one-off in-app purchases and NPC For Hire sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Characterize against 4.3 for NPC For Hire. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 345 and 81 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Characterize's written reviews are positive against 76% of NPC For Hire's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Characterize ships an update every 3 weeks, NPC For Hire every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Characterize versus NPC For Hire: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCharacterizeNPC For Hire
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (345 ratings)4.3 (81 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.3% of reviews75.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings345 — better81
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size295 MB75 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAlexander WinnKnights of Vasteel LLC

Customer experience

Characterize

All ratings344 ratings
Positive85.8%
Neutral4.4%
Negative9.9%
Written reviews123 reviews
Positive68.3%
Neutral12.2%
Negative19.5%

NPC For Hire

All ratings79 ratings
Positive81.0%
Neutral11.4%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews45 reviews
Positive75.6%
Neutral15.6%
Negative8.9%

User reviews

Characterize

From 345 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for character creation
  • 🚀 Great for writers and RPG players
  • 💡 Lots of creative and random traits

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive, many features require purchase
  • 🐛 Bugs with saving and restoring purchases
  • 🔍 Limited free options

NPC For Hire

From 81 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Fantastic artwork and visuals
  • 👍 Easy and quick NPC creation
  • 🎨 Highly customizable characters
  • 💡 Ability to upload custom pictures
  • 💰 Reasonably priced character packs

Room to improve

  • 💸 Expensive to unlock all races/content
  • 📦 Some purchased packs don't download
  • 🖼️ Limited free content/races
  • 🔄 Lack of recent updates/new packs
  • 🎨 Some packs are incomplete

Bugs and requests

Characterize

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Issues with custom generators and editing characters
  • Purchased content not unlocking properly

Requested features

3 requests
  • More free generators
  • Ability to edit and customize generated characters
  • Sorting and organization options for saved characters

NPC For Hire

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 🐛 Purchased packs won't download
  • 🐛 Download promise timing out
  • 🐛 App locked to portrait mode on iPad
  • 🐛 Cannot write down stats
  • 🐛 Downloading custom pictures not working with standard photo files

Requested features

21 requests
  • More job/occupation options
  • More details like race/basic stats
  • Landscape orientation support for iPads
  • Export as PDF or other formats
  • Ability to save photos for reuse within the app
Show 16 more
  • Filter by race during random generation
  • Option to create custom 'jobs'
  • More free character photos
  • Discounted 'purchase all' option
  • More racial diversity in initial packs
  • More unique 'legends' or customized content per pack
  • Integration of stats, actions, and features (like 5e)
  • Ability to delete custom images
  • Alphabetical order for groups
  • Dark Sun themed NPCs
  • More color images
  • More races and characters
  • More depth: mannerisms, talents, flaws, traits
  • Option to add NPCs under a tag directly from random screen
  • Import own images/portraits
  • Print function

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Characterize

One-time16
  • Heroes & Villains Generator$0.99
  • Wizards & Witches Generator$0.99
  • Gods & Goddesses Generator$0.99
Show 13 more
  • Anime & Manga Generator$0.99
  • Demons Generator$0.99
  • Anthros Generator$0.99
  • Aliens Generator$0.99
  • Kings, Queens, & Nobles Generator$0.99
  • Apocalypse Survivors Generator$0.99
  • Assassins Generator$0.99
  • Angels Generator$0.99
  • Demigods Generator$0.99
  • Dragons Generator$0.99
  • Fantasy Races Bundle$4.99
  • Mythology Bundle$5.99
  • All Generators$19.99
13 purchases

NPC For Hire

One-time13
  • Angels and Demons$0.99
  • Forest of Natlan$0.99
  • Deep Caverns$0.99
Show 10 more
  • Diplomacy$0.99
  • Dragon Folk$0.99
  • Elves of Ilfelin$0.99
  • Heritage of Stone$0.99
  • Houses of Dimlodir$0.99
  • Leaders of the Occult$0.99
  • Lost Hills$0.99
  • Tales of Horror$0.99
  • The Call of Adventure$0.99
  • Thieves Guild$0.99

Questions

Is Characterize free?
Characterize is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NPC For Hire free?
NPC For Hire is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Characterize or NPC For Hire?
NPC For Hire is rated higher. Characterize averages 4.3 out of 5 from 345 ratings, while NPC For Hire averages 4.3 from 81 ratings.
Do Characterize or NPC For Hire have ads?
Neither Characterize nor NPC For Hire shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Characterize or NPC For Hire?
Characterize ships an update every 3 weeks, and NPC For Hire every 3 months. Most recently, Characterize was updated on October 22, 2026 and NPC For Hire on October 21, 2026.

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