Choosing Your Mode
A side-by-side comparison of Creator Mode and Explore Mode to help you pick the right one.
When you sign up for Aura, you'll choose between two modes: Creator Mode and Explore Mode. Each one gives you a different set of features and a different experience. Here's a breakdown to help you decide.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Creator Mode | Explore Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Chat with companions | Yes | Yes |
| Explore and discover companions | Yes | Yes |
| Save companions to collections | Yes | Yes |
| View chat history | Yes | Yes |
| Build and manage companions | Yes | No |
| Dashboard with analytics | Yes | No |
| Companion insights | Yes | No |
| Wallet and billing | Yes | No |
| Public profile page | Yes | No |
| Free to use | Needs a subscription | Completely free |
When to choose Explore Mode
Explore Mode is perfect if you just want to discover and chat with companions. You get full access to the Explore page, can save your favorite companions to collections, and can browse your chat history anytime. It's completely free — no subscription needed.
Choose Explore Mode if:
- You want to browse and try out companions others have built
- You're not interested in building your own (at least not yet)
- You want a simple, free experience
When to choose Creator Mode
Creator Mode is for people who want to build their own companions. On top of everything Explore Mode offers, you also get a full workspace for creating, training, and analyzing your companions. Creator Mode requires a subscription to access the building tools.
Choose Creator Mode if:
- You want to create your own AI companions
- You want to see how people interact with your companions (analytics, insights)
- You need a dashboard to track performance and usage
- You want a public profile to showcase your companions
Don't overthink it
You can switch between modes anytime from your profile menu. Your account, companions, and data all stay the same — only the features you see will change. See Switching Modes for the full details.
If you're not sure, start with Explore Mode. It's free, it's simple, and you can always switch to Creator Mode later when you're ready to build.
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