darkmes

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The short answers to the questions we get the most. Still stuck? Email support@darkmes.com.

Getting started

What is Darkmes?
Darkmes is a premium AI character chat platform. You browse a catalog of user-created characters, open one, and chat — the persona, greeting, and scenario are encoded in the character card. The conversation runs on uncensored open-source LLMs via OpenRouter. The audience is adults 18+ only.
Do I need an account to browse Darkmes?
No. Anyone can browse the home catalog and open any public character page anonymously. You only need an account to actually start a chat, save favourites, follow creators, or create your own character.
Is Darkmes free?
Yes — every new account gets 40 free messages on signup, plus another 40 after you verify your email, for 80 free messages per month total. Free messages run on the base model, Lunaris 8B, with an 8K context window.
How do I create an account?
Click 'Sign up' in the top right. Email and password works. OAuth via Google and Discord is also available. You confirm your age (18+) once via the age-gate on the first visit.
Is Darkmes safe for work?
No. Darkmes is an adults-only roleplay platform; some content is explicitly NSFW. SafeSearch hides NSFW Darkmes pages in Google when enabled, and by default an anonymous visitor sees only SFW characters until they toggle the NSFW filter on.

Free messages & credits

How many messages can I send for free?
40 messages on signup, plus 40 more once you verify your email — 80 total per calendar month. The quota refills on the 1st of each month at 00:00 UTC. Free messages only work on the base model, Lunaris 8B, with an 8K context window.
What happens when I run out of free messages?
When you hit the cap you can either wait for the monthly refill on the 1st of the month, or buy a credit pack on the pricing page. Credits never expire, so a single pack can last as long as you need.
What are the credit packs?
Five one-time packs: Onyx ($7.99, 600 credits), Garnet ($9.99, 900), Topaz ($13.99, 1,400 — most popular), Ruby ($24.99, 2,800), and Diamond ($39.99, 4,800 — best value). 1 credit equals 1 message on the base model. Premium models cost a multiple of that per message. Credits never expire.
How do I pay?
Checkout runs through Vexutopia, which accepts both crypto and bank cards. Pick a pack on the pricing page, follow the hosted checkout, and the credits land on your account once the payment settles. There is no subscription — every pack is a one-time purchase.
Do credits expire?
No. Purchased credits never expire — they sit on your balance until you spend them. Only the monthly free-message quota resets each month; paid credits roll over indefinitely.

AI models

Which AI models does Darkmes use?
Seven open-source, uncensored models routed through OpenRouter: Lunaris 8B (the free default), Mistral Nemo, Rocinante 12B, Cydonia 24B, DeepSeek V3, Euryale 70B, and Magnum 72B. We don't use GPT, Claude, or Gemini — those refuse adult content.
Which model is best for roleplay?
Lunaris 8B is the default — balanced, free, and fast. For long character arcs that need lots of memory, use Mistral Nemo (128K context) or DeepSeek V3 (164K). For polished prose try Euryale 70B or Magnum 72B. Rocinante 12B and Cydonia 24B (32K each) are strong mid-tier picks.
Which model has the largest context window?
DeepSeek V3 at 164K tokens, followed by Mistral Nemo at 128K. Large context lets the model remember earlier scenes — use it for multi-session quests, slow-burn romance, or long mystery investigations. Lunaris 8B (the free model) has an 8K window.
Can I bring my own OpenRouter key?
No. BYOK is not supported — it complicates the UX, fragments support, and breaks the link between message cost and model quality. The trade-off is intentional.
Why is GPT-4 not available?
OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google all apply content policies that refuse adult roleplay. Darkmes is built around adult fiction, so we route exclusively through open-source models (Lunaris, Mistral Nemo, Rocinante, Cydonia, DeepSeek V3, Euryale, Magnum) that don't apply provider-level refusal filters.
Are conversations used to train AI models?
No. Darkmes never sends your chat history back to providers for training. OpenRouter forwards each turn to the underlying inference provider for that single response only. We don't fine-tune models, and we don't run analytics on chat content.

Content & NSFW policy

Is content on Darkmes uncensored?
Yes — every model we host is uncensored open-source. There is no platform-level refusal filter on chats. Character creation has a small keyword block for hard-banned themes (see the Terms), but everything within that boundary is allowed.
What's NOT allowed?
Hard-banned with zero tolerance: minors in romantic or sexual contexts, real children referenced sexually, real-violence incitement (terrorism, mass-casualty attacks, weapon synthesis), and real-victim names used in roleplay. See the Terms for the full hard-ban list.
Why do I need to confirm I'm 18+?
Darkmes hosts adult content. We require a one-time 18+ self-confirmation via the age-gate. Without it, NSFW characters stay hidden and you can't open the NSFW filter toggle. The confirmation is stored server-side, so it survives across devices once you sign in.
Can I create my own characters?
Yes. The step-by-step creation wizard lets you write a persona, greeting, scenario, and example dialogues, and optionally mark the character as NSFW. Public characters go through manual moderation; private and unlisted characters skip review.

Privacy & data

Is Darkmes GDPR-compliant?
Yes. Hosting is in Poland (Warsaw, intra-EEA), so GDPR Chapter V transfer mechanisms aren't required for primary hosting. The Privacy Policy covers Art. 6 lawful basis, Art. 15–22 data-subject rights, retention windows, and the supervisory-authority contact. Cookie consent uses a three-category manager (essential / analytics / marketing) with append-only audit logging.
How do I export my data?
Use the DSAR export from your account settings. You get a JSON archive of your profile, characters, chats, messages, ratings, comments, follows, consent log, and account events. The endpoint is throttled to one request per 24 hours to prevent abuse.
How do I delete my account?
Go to Settings → Account → Delete account. The request soft-deletes immediately (you can no longer log in), then performs a hard purge after a grace window. Public characters revert to anonymous attribution; private characters are deleted along with the account.
Where is Darkmes hosted?
Poland (Warsaw, intra-EEA). The database, cache, and backend all run on the same server, and static media such as avatars is served from local disk — there is no third-party CDN. The specific provider stays unpublished for operational reasons.
Are cookies tracked?
Three categories. Essential cookies (session, CSRF, age-gate state) are always on — the site can't work without them. Analytics and marketing cookies are opt-in via the consent banner; turning them off zeroes out our event pipeline for your session. Withdrawing consent writes a new audit-log row — we never mutate the prior consent.
Is my email address shared with anyone?
No. Your email is used for sign-in, verification, password reset, and transactional notifications (low-balance, monthly refill). We don't sell email addresses, we don't share them with the character creators you chat with, and we never show them on public profiles.

Darkmes vs alternatives

How does Darkmes compare to SpicyChat?
Darkmes is a SpicyChat alternative with a polished dark interface, image-first 4:5 cards, 5-star character ratings, and threaded comments. Both use uncensored models and host the inference for you. See /alternatives/spicychat for the side-by-side comparison.
How does Darkmes compare to JanitorAI?
JanitorAI leans on BYOK — you often bring your own API key. Darkmes hosts the inference for you on seven uncensored models, so a fresh visitor can start chatting in seconds with no third-party key. See /alternatives/janitorai for the full breakdown.
How does Darkmes compare to Character.AI?
Character.AI is the most popular platform but heavily filtered — NSFW is forbidden and refusals are common. Darkmes is uncensored end-to-end with NSFW-friendly models and an explicit adult policy. See /alternatives/character-ai for the comparison.
How does Darkmes compare to CrushOn?
CrushOn and Darkmes both target uncensored adult roleplay. Darkmes differentiates with 80 free messages a month on the base model, a curated category taxonomy, native ratings and comments, and credit packs that never expire. See /alternatives/crushon for the details.

Account & support

How do I reset my password?
Click 'Forgot password?' on the sign-in form. We email a one-time link valid for a short window. After you set the new password, every active session is invalidated, so you sign in again on each device.
How do I change my email?
Go to Settings → Account → Email. The new address has to be confirmed via a verify link; once confirmed, the old address stops working. Changing your email does NOT re-grant the verification bonus of 40 free messages — that's a one-time lifetime grant.
How do I link my Google account?
Go to Settings → Account → Linked providers → Connect Google. After the OAuth confirmation you can sign in with Google going forward; your email and password keep working too unless you remove them.
How do I report a character?
Open the character card, click the menu, and choose Report. Pick a reason (underage, real-violence, harassment, copyright, other). Multiple independent reports auto-hide the character pending manual review. Hard-banned content is removed and the creator is sanctioned.
How do I block another user?
Open their profile and choose Block, or manage blocks under Settings → Blocked users. Blocked users can't follow you, comment on your characters, or have their characters surface to you in discovery.

Technical & advanced

What languages does Darkmes support?
The interface is available in ten languages: English, Russian, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Turkish, and Japanese. Separately, the AI models respond in whatever language you write in. User-generated content such as character cards is not auto-translated by the platform.
How big is the catalog?
Discovery is organised around 216 tags and 27 categories spanning romance, fantasy, anime, sci-fi, slice-of-life, and more. Browse by tag or category to find characters that match the kind of roleplay you want, or use the search bar on the home catalog.
Can I use Darkmes on mobile?
Yes — the web app is mobile-friendly with a bottom tab bar (Discover / Chats / Create / Profile) and a drawer for recent chats, and it can be installed as a PWA. There is no native iOS or Android app, because Apple's App Store and Google Play prohibit our content category.
Does Darkmes have voice input?
The composer supports browser dictation (Web Speech API) in browsers that implement it, such as Chrome and Edge. Output is text-only — there is no AI voice synthesis. Pair Darkmes with a separate text-to-speech tool if you want spoken responses.
Can I delete a single chat without deleting my account?
Yes. Open the chat, choose Delete chat from the menu, and it's purged immediately. The rolling-summary memory associated with that chat is wiped at the same time.
Can I have multiple Darkmes accounts?
One account per real person is the spirit of the Terms. Creating multiple accounts to bypass free-message caps or evade a ban is against policy and may result in all linked accounts being suspended.
What happens to my characters if I delete my account?
Public characters revert to anonymous attribution — the persona stays, your username is removed. Private and unlisted characters are deleted along with the account. The grace window before hard purge lets you cancel deletion if you change your mind.
Is Darkmes legal in my country?
Adult-content laws vary widely. Darkmes hosts adult roleplay for adults in jurisdictions where it is legal; you are responsible for compliance with your local laws. The Terms outline the platform's stance — if your jurisdiction prohibits the content, do not use the platform.
Can I write a character described as underage?
No. The Terms hard-ban minor characters in any context — including age-regression, age-play where the persona reads as a minor, or any scenario depicting a character described as under 18. Such characters are removed and the creator is sanctioned.

Still stuck?

The FAQ covers the common cases. For anything that isn't here, email support@darkmes.com. For privacy or GDPR requests, use privacy@darkmes.com. For DMCA notices, dmca@darkmes.com.

See also: About, Pricing, Terms, Privacy.