AI gaming companion alternatives, compared

Last checked 2026-10-11

AI gaming companions do two different jobs. Some watch your screen and talk with you while you play. Others join the game and play next to you. This page puts seven of them side by side: Sei, Questie AI, HakkoAI, Player2, MinePal, Sidekick AI, and Navi.

Sei makes this page, and Sei is one of the apps on it. We took every fact about the other apps from their own websites on 2026-10-11 and link the pages we used. Where a site did not say something, the table says "not listed" instead of guessing. Prices are in US dollars and change often. If something here is out of date, tell us on Discord and we will fix it.

Two kinds of AI gaming companion

Watch and talk. You share your screen and the AI comments, answers questions, and keeps you company on voice. It works with almost any game, but it cannot move, build, or fight for you. Questie AI, HakkoAI, Sidekick AI, Navi, and Sei's Backseat mode work this way.
Play inside the game. The AI gets a body in the game world and acts there: it follows you, gathers, builds, and fights. This only works in games the app supports. MinePal (Minecraft), Player2 (through mods), and Sei (Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and Don't Starve Together) work this way.

Quick picks

A big character library, on the web and phone: Questie AI.
Live tips in competitive games, plus phone apps: HakkoAI.
The most games with AI characters inside them: Player2, through its library of community mods.
Minecraft on Bedrock, console, or modded Java: MinePal.
Free voice help through boss fights and puzzles, on Steam: Sidekick AI.
A simple watch-along companion with many personalities: Navi.
One companion that plays inside several games, watches the rest, and runs on a Mac: Sei.

Side by side

Alphabetical order. Checked on each product's own website on 2026-10-11.

App	In the game or watching	Runs on	Voice	Memory	Price	Own key or local model
HakkoAI	Watches your screen and gives tips (screen recognition is on paid plans)	Windows, iOS, Android	Voice calls	Yes, across games	Free plan (weekly credits, 30 min of calls a day). Pro from $9.90/month	Not listed
MinePal	Plays inside Minecraft as a bot; Bedrock through its hosted lobbies	Windows, macOS, Linux; phone app for chat	Push-to-talk voice input, 55 languages	Yes, shared between phone and desktop	Free tier (20 chat credits a day). Basic from $2.99/month	Not listed
Navi	Watches your screen	Windows	Push-to-talk or voice activation	Yes, across sessions	Free plan (1 hour a day, 6 characters). Navi+ $12.99/month	Not listed
Player2	Inside games, through community mods (Minecraft, RimWorld, Mount & Blade II, Kenshi and more)	Player2 desktop app; web games and stories	Speech tools for mods; depends on the mod	Depends on the mod	Free (a free model plus daily credits for larger models). No paid plan listed	Not listed
Questie AI	Watches your screen	Web browser, iOS, Android	Voice chat, 50+ languages	Yes	Free trial. Adventurer from $19.99/month	Own key on Champion ($49.99/month) and up
Sei	Plays inside Minecraft (Java), Stardew Valley, and Don't Starve Together; chess and Draw! in the app; watches any other game with Backseat (beta)	macOS, Windows	Voice calls, solo or group, 6 languages	Yes, stored on your computer, shared across games	Free plan (weekly allowance). Quest from $8/month	Yes: 7 API providers, or Ollama on your computer
Sidekick AI	Watches your screen and coaches by voice	Windows 10/11, through Steam	Voice in and out, 12 languages	Listed as in progress during Early Access	Free to play (free minutes every day). Pro and Ultra plans, price not on its website	Not listed

On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Each app in short

Questie AI

Best for: talking with a character from a large library while it watches any game.

Questie AI is a screen-watching companion. You share your screen in the browser or app, and the companion reacts on voice chat and remembers past sessions. It has more than 100 ready-made companions and lets you make your own. Higher plans add voice cloning, your own API key, and a party mode with up to four companions at once. It also has a co-host mode for Twitch streamers.

Where it is stronger than Sei: 50+ voice languages to Sei's 6, it runs in a browser and on phones, and the character library is much bigger. Where it differs: it watches and talks; it does not join a game as a player. Plans start at $19.99 a month after a free trial.

Sources: questie.ai, pricing, FAQ.

HakkoAI

Best for: live tips in competitive PC games, with a companion on your phone too.

HakkoAI recognizes what is on your screen and pushes tips at key moments: pick and ban advice, item builds, and timing alerts in games such as League of Legends and VALORANT. It also looks things up on the web, talks on voice calls, and remembers you across games. The free plan includes weekly credits and 30 minutes of voice calls a day. Screen recognition and proactive chat are on the paid plans, from $9.90 a month, with a 3-day trial.

Where it is stronger than Sei: phone apps for iOS and Android, and game-specific help for competitive games. Where it differs: it watches and advises; it does not play inside a game. The PC download is for Windows.

Sources: hakko.ai, pricing, downloads.

Player2

Best for: AI characters inside many different games, through mods.

Player2 is a platform rather than a single companion. You keep the Player2 desktop app open, and mods and indie games made by its community use it for AI characters. There are mods for Minecraft, RimWorld, Mount & Blade II, Kenshi, and many other games, plus AI stories you can play on the website. Player2 says it is free to use, with a free model and daily credits for larger models.

Where it is stronger than Sei: far more games, and no cost listed for players. Where it differs: what the AI can do, and whether it talks or remembers you, depends on each mod. You install the mod for your game yourself. Sei is one app with its own companions, and the same companion and memory follow you into every game it supports.

Sources: player2.game, FAQ, for players.

MinePal

Best for: Minecraft players on Bedrock, console, or modded Java.

MinePal is an AI companion for Minecraft. Its desktop app connects a bot to your world or server, where it builds, fights, explores, and remembers places. It supports vanilla and modded Java Edition (Forge, Fabric, and NeoForge), and Bedrock players can join free hosted crossplay lobbies with its companion Ethan. You talk to the bot in chat or with push-to-talk voice in 55 languages, and the MinePal Pocket phone app shares one memory with the desktop. A tool called Imagine builds structures from a text prompt.

Where it is stronger than Sei: Bedrock and console play, modded worlds, Linux, a phone app, and the lowest paid price on this page ($2.99 a month). Where it differs: it is focused on Minecraft. Sei joins vanilla Java worlds only, and its companions also play Stardew Valley, Don't Starve Together, chess, and Draw!.

Sources: minepal.net (homepage, pricing and getting-started guide).

Sidekick AI

Best for: free voice coaching through boss fights and puzzles, without leaving the game.

Sidekick AI, made by Modax, is a screen-watching coach on Steam. An avatar companion sees your game, answers by voice, and saves highlight clips. It runs as a separate process with no code injection, and its site has guides for games like Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3. It is free to play in Early Access with free minutes every day, and Pro and Ultra subscriptions are optional.

Where it is stronger than Sei: focused help for hard single-player games, and it is on Steam. Where it differs: it is Windows only, it watches and coaches rather than plays, and its Steam page lists reliable memory across sessions as a goal for the end of Early Access.

Sources: sidekick.modax.ai, Steam page.

Navi

Best for: a light watch-along companion with lots of personalities.

Navi watches your screen and talks with you while you play any PC game, or while you watch videos. You pick from 18 personalities and three modes (companion, roleplay, and coach), and it remembers you between sessions. The free plan gives 1 hour a day with 6 characters, and Navi+ is $12.99 a month for unlimited use. Its site describes access as a limited alpha.

Where it is stronger than Sei: simple to start, with a clear free hour every day. Where it differs: it is Windows only, and it watches rather than plays.

Sources: heynavi.gg (homepage, pricing and FAQ).

Sei

Best for: one companion who plays inside several games with you, watches the rest, and remembers you everywhere.

Sei is a desktop app for Mac and Windows. In Minecraft (Java Edition), Stardew Valley, and Don't Starve Together your companion joins the game as a player and acts there: in Minecraft it mines, crafts, builds, and fights; on your Stardew farm it waters, harvests, and fishes. In the app you can play chess and Draw! with them. With Backseat they watch any other game, Roblox and Valheim included, and talk with you about it. Each companion has its own personality and voice, and one long-term memory of you that follows them from game to game.

The Free plan has a weekly allowance and needs no card. Quest is $8 a month and Party is $18 a month. You can also run the open source app on your own API key or on a local model with Ollama, without a Sei plan.

What Sei does differently

It plays inside the game. In Minecraft your companion connects to your world over Open to LAN, like a friend would, and has its own skin. More than one companion can join the same world.
It is one companion in many games. The same character, with the same memory, plays Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Don't Starve Together, chess, and Draw!, and watches anything else with you.
Your memories stay on your computer. Memory, chat history, and call transcripts are stored locally and are not synced to Sei's servers. See the privacy policy for what is sent where.
You can bring your own model. Use your own key with Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Qwen, Google Gemini, Grok, or OpenRouter, or run everything on your computer with Ollama.
It is open source. The app is on GitHub under AGPL-3.0.

When Sei is not the right pick

You play on a phone or console. Sei is desktop only. MinePal, HakkoAI, and Questie AI have phone apps, and MinePal's lobbies work from consoles.
You play Minecraft Bedrock or a modded world. Sei joins vanilla Java Edition worlds only. MinePal supports Forge, Fabric, NeoForge, and Bedrock lobbies. For Minecraft mods and bot projects such as Player2 AI NPC, VoxelMind, and Mindcraft, see Sei vs Minecraft AI mods.
You want Stardew Valley villagers who talk back. Sei's companion farms beside you but does not change what villagers say. AI dialogue mods such as ValleyTalk and AliveNpcs do that; see Sei vs Stardew Valley AI mods.
You want a party of helpers in Don't Starve Together. Sei brings one companion per world. Workshop mods such as NPC Friends and Artificial Wilson add several NPC helpers or bots; see Sei vs Don't Starve Together AI mods.
You want AI in a game Sei does not support. Player2's mods cover games like RimWorld and Mount & Blade II. Sei can still watch those games with Backseat, but it will not act inside them.
You want competitive coaching. Sei's companions are friends with opinions, not coaches. HakkoAI and Sidekick AI focus on tips and strategy. For screen-watching coaches and overlays, including NVIDIA Project G-Assist, see Sei vs AI gaming coaches and overlays.
You speak a language Sei does not. Sei talks in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, and Spanish. Questie AI lists 50+ languages and MinePal 55.

Questions

Which AI gaming companion actually plays the game with you?

Of the seven apps on this page, three put an AI inside a game: Sei (Minecraft Java Edition, Stardew Valley and Don't Starve Together, where the companion joins as a player), MinePal (Minecraft) and Player2 (through community mods for games such as Minecraft, RimWorld and Mount & Blade II). Questie AI, HakkoAI, Sidekick AI and Navi watch your screen and talk with you, but do not control anything in the game.

What is a good alternative to Questie AI or HakkoAI?

If you want the same kind of app, a companion that watches your screen and talks on voice, Navi and Sidekick AI are free to start on Windows. If you want a companion that also plays inside some games, Sei does both: it watches any game through its Backseat mode and joins Minecraft, Stardew Valley and Don't Starve Together as a player. Questie AI has more languages and a web and mobile version, and HakkoAI has phone apps, which Sei does not.

What is a good alternative to MinePal or Player2 for Minecraft?

Sei is an alternative for Minecraft: Java Edition on a Mac or Windows PC. The companion joins a world opened to LAN as its own player, talks with you on voice calls, and keeps one memory of you across Minecraft and Sei's other games. MinePal supports more Minecraft setups (modded Java, and Bedrock through its hosted lobbies), and Player2 has the larger library of AI mods for other games.

Which AI gaming companions are free?

Sei, HakkoAI, MinePal, Navi, Player2 and Sidekick AI all have a free plan or free daily allowance, checked on 2026-10-11. Questie AI offers a free trial, and its plans start at $19.99 a month. Free allowances differ a lot, so check each product's site for the current limits.

Can I use my own API key or a local model?

Sei runs on your own API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Qwen, Google Gemini, Grok or OpenRouter) or fully on your computer with Ollama, with no Sei plan needed. Questie AI lists bring-your-own-key on its Champion and Legend plans. The other apps on this page did not list their own key or local models on their websites when we checked.

Is there an AI gaming companion for Mac?

Yes. Sei runs on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows, and MinePal offers macOS, Windows and Linux builds. Questie AI runs in a web browser. HakkoAI, Sidekick AI and Navi offered Windows downloads only when we checked.

Try Sei

Download Sei, pick a companion, and start a game or a call. The Free plan needs no card.

macOS Windows

Free to start · Open source