In late 2025 JanitorAI rolled out a government ID verification requirement. Driver's license or passport upload, processed through a third-party verification service. The wave of users searching for alternatives in early 2026 traces directly to this rollout. Here's the full picture and your options.
Until late 2025, JanitorAI required only an age confirmation checkbox at signup — standard for the NSFW chat category. The new requirement adds a government-issued ID upload step processed through a third-party verification provider. Users who refuse the upload can no longer access NSFW content on the platform.
The change applies to new and existing users. Existing accounts received notifications in waves through early 2026, with continued access gated behind verification completion.
Three pressures converged. First, regulatory pressure in the UK (Online Safety Act), EU (Digital Services Act), and several US states (Texas, Utah, Louisiana) requiring age verification for adult content platforms. Second, payment processors and infrastructure providers tightening their requirements for NSFW services. Third, JanitorAI's growth — the platform crossed thresholds that increased its regulatory exposure.
The verification provider is a standard KYC vendor used by adult content platforms. ID is reportedly hashed rather than stored long-term, but data handling specifics are in the privacy policy and worth reading.
All six platforms below require only an age confirmation checkbox at signup — no government ID upload.
| Platform | ID required? | Free tier | Cheapest paid | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrushOn AI | No | Yes | $5.99/mo | Closest one-to-one Janitor replacement |
| Candy.AI | No | Preview only | $12.99/mo | Best image generation |
| DreamGF | No | Trial only | $9.99/mo | Image-first roleplay |
| Joyland AI | No | Yes | $9.99/mo | Anime / storytelling |
| SpicyChat | No | Yes (tokens) | $5/mo | Truly free option |
| Replika | No (email + 18+) | Yes (SFW) | $19.99/mo Pro | Long-term companion |
JanitorAI doesn't offer a clean character export. The fastest migration path is manual: open your most-used JanitorAI character cards, copy the persona + scenario + example dialogue fields, paste into the new platform's character creator. About 3 minutes per character.
Apply the 80/20 rule. Most users have 3-5 characters they actually return to — migrate those first, browse the new platform's library for the rest.
Reasonable choice if you're already invested in a JanitorAI workflow with OpenRouter or DeepSeek API setup, value the larger character library, and aren't worried about ID upload. The platform is still operational and the verification is a one-time step.
Less reasonable if your free-tier usage was already broken by proxy errors, you want a working free tier without API setup, or you have a principled objection to ID upload for a roleplay site. In those cases, an alternative is a better fit.
For NSFW access, yes. As of early 2026, all users accessing NSFW content must complete the verification.
Standard government-issued photo IDs: driver's license, passport, national ID. Verification is processed by a third-party KYC vendor.
Standard KYC vendor, ID reportedly hashed rather than stored long-term. Data handling specifics are in the privacy policy. The risk is non-zero — uploading ID to any third party carries some risk.
CrushOn AI is the closest one-to-one replacement. Same browse-and-chat workflow, larger unfiltered library than most alternatives, $5.99/mo paid tier. No ID required.
You can still access SFW content. NSFW access is gated behind verification.
The ID verification is a meaningful change to the JanitorAI experience and a legitimate reason to migrate. CrushOn AI is the alternative most ex-Janitor users land on. If image generation matters more than character variety, Candy.AI or DreamGF are the picks. None of the six alternatives we tested require ID upload.