Short version: Convai is a cloud platform for AI NPC characters, giving them perception, voice, and memory, billed per use. LoreWeaver Director is an on-device game-master layer that reads your game state and returns constraint-validated narrative decisions, with no per-token fee. They solve adjacent problems: Convai makes characters talk, Director runs the world around them. Convai is the fast pick for cloud-hosted talking NPCs. Director is the pick when you want narrative orchestration on the player's machine, no per-conversation bill, and rules the model cannot break. Honest status: Director is in beta today.
At a glance
| Convai | LoreWeaver Director | |
|---|---|---|
| Layer | Character (NPC dialogue, voice, perception) | Game-master orchestration |
| Where it runs | Cloud | On-device |
| Cost model | Usage-based | Free until launch, then 1% above first EUR 100k |
| Per-conversation fees | Yes | No |
| Rule enforcement | Model and prompt driven | Constraint-validated against rules you define |
| Status | Available | Beta |
| Engines | Unreal, Unity | Unreal, Unity, Godot, custom |
Pricing and hardware requirements change quickly in this category. Check each vendor's current documentation first.
Where Convai wins
Convai is built to make NPCs feel alive: characters that perceive their surroundings, speak with voice, and remember conversations, delivered from the cloud so you can wire one up quickly inside Unreal or Unity. If your immediate need is a handful of talking characters and you are comfortable with usage-based pricing, Convai is a direct, capable tool for that job, and starting is fast because the hosting is theirs.
Where LoreWeaver Director wins
Director works one layer up from individual characters. Rather than voicing a single NPC, it runs the experience: it reads your game state and returns decisions about NPC behavior, plot progression, and emergent events, with every decision validated against constraints you define so the AI stays inside your lore. It runs on-device, so there is no per-conversation bill and no dependency on a live connection. That is the essential contrast with a cloud character service: your narrative logic executes on the player's hardware, inside hard rules, at a fixed cost. The trade-offs are honest ones: Director is in beta, and it uses some of the player's GPU instead of a server's.
Which should you choose?
- Cloud-hosted talking NPCs with voice and perception: Convai.
- On-device narrative orchestration with no per-conversation fee: LoreWeaver Director (beta).
- Rules the AI must not break: Director, which validates every decision against your constraints.
- Both: pair Director for world orchestration with a character tool like Convai for a few hero NPCs.
For the full field of options, including Inworld, NVIDIA ACE, GladeCore, and rolling your own, see Inworld AI and Convai alternatives.
The short version
Pick Convai for cloud NPCs that talk. Pick Director for an on-device game master that drives systemic narrative and enforces your rules, currently in beta. Its authoring companion, Architect, is free to try today.
Frequently asked questions
Is LoreWeaver a Convai alternative?
For the runtime layer, yes, with a caveat. Convai makes individual NPCs talk, see, and respond from the cloud. LoreWeaver Director orchestrates the whole experience on-device: events, pacing, and narrative decisions checked against your rules. If you want that logic on the player's machine without per-conversation billing, Director is a genuine alternative. If you mainly want a single chatty NPC with voice and perception, Convai is purpose-built for that.
Does Convai run on-device?
Convai is a cloud service, so it is quick to start and bills per use as your player count grows. LoreWeaver Director runs on-device, which removes the per-conversation fee and the network dependency but uses some of the player's hardware.
How much does LoreWeaver Director cost?
Director is free while in beta and free until your game launches, then takes 1 percent of gross revenue above the first EUR 100,000, with no per-token cloud fees. Architect, the authoring tool, is free to use today.
What is the difference between Convai and an AI game master?
Convai is a character-layer tool: it gives one NPC perception, voice, and memory. An AI game master is a director-layer tool: it decides which events happen, how pacing moves, and how the world reacts. Some games want one, some want both.
Which engines do they support?
Convai integrates with Unreal and Unity. Director integrates with Unreal, Unity, Godot, and custom engines. Confirm current support with each vendor before committing.