Honest comparison
Foreverse vs RikkaHub
RikkaHub is one of the most polished native LLM clients on Android: Material You, MCP, Mermaid/LaTeX rendering, message branching, a clean BYOK setup, source published on GitHub, and since late 2025 lorebook import/export too. Foreverse bets on a different layer of depth: card-embedded assets that activate with the card, QR and STscript-style automation, a long-fiction reader, and a companion with managed memory. If you want a general-purpose AI chat client, RikkaHub is genuinely good; if you want the tavern, the bookshelf, and the relationship in one pocket, come here.
| Dimension | Foreverse | RikkaHub |
|---|---|---|
| Source code | Closed source; data formats and specs public | Source published, auditable (license restricts commercial use) |
| BYOK model access | 60+ providers + any compatible endpoint | Multi-provider, QR-code config import/export |
| Character cards | v1/v2/v3 import; embedded lorebook/regex activate with the card | Import supported; embedded lorebook needs separate import + manual attach |
| Lorebooks | Triggering / token budget / recursion / V3 decorators | Lorebook + SillyTavern file import/export (added late 2025) |
| Tavern automation | Quick Replies, STscript-style commands, variables (high-frequency subset) | No such automation in the feature list (as of 2026-07) |
| General chat experience | Centered on tavern / companion | Markdown/Mermaid/LaTeX/MCP, strong tool feel |
| Long-novel reading | Full reader + branching continuation + listening | Not a reader |
| Companion / proactive messages | Editable memory + optional proactive messages | ChatGPT-like memory, no proactive form |
| Backup | File-based world directories, full export | Full ZIP backup + WebDAV/S3 sync |
| Price | Core free + your own API costs | Free to download and use |
Two apps with different personalities
RikkaHub states its identity in the repo description: an opinionated native LLM client whose maintainer does not casually accept feature PRs. That restraint bought rare polish — Material You dynamic color, MCP tool access, math and diagram rendering, message branching — each piece feels like a system app. And plenty of tavern players do use it as the low-maintenance option: import a card, connect DeepSeek, start chatting. Since December 2025 it also imports and exports lorebooks, including SillyTavern lorebook files.
The fork in the road is card-embedded assets. According to the docs of a community bridge tool built for it, RikkaHub's card importer does not auto-load the character_book embedded in a card — you import the lorebook separately, then attach it to the assistant by hand; embedded regex, alternate greetings, and group-chat JSON are not in its feature list either. Foreverse treats that layer as a contract: embedded lorebooks trigger with the card (V3 decorators included), regex participates in rendering, and a high-frequency subset of QR / STscript-style commands runs. The more complex your cards, the more concrete this difference gets.
Backup philosophy: both serious, different roads
Credit where due: RikkaHub's backup system is genuinely complete — full ZIP export, two-way WebDAV and S3 sync, plus importers for Chatbox and Cherry Studio. Foreverse goes file-first: every world is a directory, character cards are standard-format files, and moving out is a copy operation. Both roads keep your data in your hands; the difference is whether you prefer a synced bundle or files you can see.
Pick RikkaHub if
- You want published, auditable source code
- You mainly do general AI chat + tools (MCP, math, diagrams), not deep tavern play
- You appreciate Material You design and a restrained product philosophy
Pick Foreverse if
- Your cards carry embedded lorebooks, regex, and alternate greetings, and you want them to just work
- You also read long fiction and want branching continuation and listening
- You want a companion with manageable memory and proactive messages
- You want QR / STscript-style tavern automation
FAQ
Both import character cards — where is the difference?
In the card-embedded assets. After import, RikkaHub needs the embedded lorebook imported separately and attached to the assistant manually (its community bridge tool documents this); Foreverse activates embedded lorebooks with the card per the chara_card_v3 spec, runs regex scripts in rendering, supports alternate greetings, and imports group-chat JSON. The more complex the card, the wider the gap.
Is RikkaHub free and open source? What about Foreverse?
RikkaHub is free to use with source published on GitHub, but its license carries commercial-use restrictions, so it is not OSI open source in the strict sense — check its LICENSE for details. Foreverse is closed source with a free core; model usage goes through your own API keys at provider list price, plus an optional official metered channel.
Is migrating from RikkaHub to Foreverse easy?
Character cards (PNG/JSON) and lorebook JSON files work directly. Provider configs need re-entering your keys (a few minutes). Chat histories use different formats on each side; there is no one-click migration.