Comparison · updated 2026-10-20
Convai vs Inworld AI for game NPCs (2026)
Short answer
For talking NPCs you drop into a Unity or Unreal scene, Convai is the closer fit: it sells conversational characters with perception and actions, plus Unity and Unreal Engine plugins and no-code creation tools. Inworld AI has moved toward realtime voice infrastructure (text to speech, speech to text, speech to speech and LLM inference APIs), so pick it when you want to build your own dialogue system and need fast, cheap voices with published per-character prices.
Inworld used to be best known as an NPC character engine, so this is a common comparison. Its current site describes a different product: voice and language-model APIs for consumer apps, with games as one use case. Both summaries below come from each vendor's own pages, read on 20 October 2026; we have not benchmarked either. How we review tools.
| Convai | Inworld AI | |
|---|---|---|
| What it says it does | ConvaiConversational AI based service for games, metaverse, xr and more, to bring your characters to life. | Inworld AIRealtime voice models and open LLMs on a fleet we operate, for the apps people use every day. First audio as low as 50 ms; tens of trillions of tokens a month. |
| Core product | ConvaiConversational AI characters with real-time perception and actions (see, hear, respond with dialogue, voice and gestures). | Inworld AIRealtime voice models (TTS-2, STT, speech to speech) and hosted LLM inference for apps. |
| Game engine support | ConvaiUnity and Unreal Engine plugins, 3JS, open APIs and docs. | Inworld AIAPIs and docs for developers; the site lists games and media as a solution area rather than shipping engine plugins on the pages we read. |
| No-code option | ConvaiYes: browser or local no-code creation tools and an Avatar Studio. | Inworld AIA playground to test voices; building characters is up to your own code. |
| Pricing signal | ConvaiFree tier for developers, paid plans for studios and enterprises; prices did not render for us. | Inworld AIPublished: On-Demand from $0 pay as you go (TTS-2 $25 per 1M characters), Creator $25/mo, Builder $100/mo, Developer $300/mo. |
| Best fit | ConvaiEmbodied NPCs and XR/training characters you configure rather than code. | Inworld AIStudios that already have dialogue logic and need low-latency voices or speech-to-speech. |
| Pricing | ConvaiFree tier for developers and paid plans for studios and enterprises, per the official pricing page description; plan prices did not render for us, so confirm on the pricing page (official) | Inworld AIFree plan: On-Demand pay as you go from $0 (TTS-2 $25/1M chars, STT $0.15/hr, commercial license); Creator $25/mo; Builder $100/mo; Developer $300/mo, each including that amount in monthly credits (official) |
| Website | Convaihttps://convai.com | Inworld AIhttps://inworld.ai |
Which tool for which job
Convai wins when you want ready-made conversational characters with perception and actions inside Unity or Unreal, configured with no-code tools.
Inworld AI wins when you are building your own NPC dialogue stack and need realtime text to speech, transcription or speech-to-speech with published usage prices.
Descriptions in the table come from each vendor's own site. This verdict is a fit call from those official pages as of 20 October 2026, not a shared benchmark or a hands-on score. Prices change, so confirm the pricing row on each tool page. How we review tools.
FAQ
Is Inworld AI still an NPC engine?
Inworld's current site describes realtime voice models and LLM inference for consumer apps, with games and media listed as one solution area. If you want a character engine with engine plugins, Convai's site describes that more directly.
Which is cheaper, Convai or Inworld?
Inworld publishes prices: pay as you go from $0 with TTS-2 at $25 per million characters, or monthly plans from $25. Convai's pricing page describes a free developer tier and paid studio plans, but plan prices did not render for us, so ask Convai or check the page yourself.
Can I use Convai or Inworld in Unity and Unreal?
Convai links Unity and Unreal Engine plugins from its site. Inworld offers APIs that any engine can call, but the pages we read did not list engine plugins, so plan on integrating it through its API.
Are there free alternatives for AI NPCs?
Player2 says its AI APIs for NPCs are free with no API keys, and local runners such as Ollama let you host open models yourself. See the NPC & Characters category for more options.
Keep exploring
- Convai listing
- Inworld AI listing
- All NPCs & Characters tools
- All Music, SFX & Voice tools
- Best AI tools for NPC dialogue and characters
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