Editor-in-Chief

Maya Ellison

I've edited consumer-tech coverage for close to a decade, and for the last three years almost all of it has been about AI chat: character platforms, companion apps and the roleplay tools that sit between the two.

Every guide on this blog starts the same way: a brand-new account, no payment card attached, and a notebook. I count messages until the free tier runs out, screenshot every upgrade prompt, and only then read the pricing page. If a claim on a page can't be reproduced on a fresh account, it doesn't go in.

I sign off on every article before it goes live and re-check the free-tier numbers whenever a platform changes its plans.