Making your own original character used to mean years of drawing practice. Then Picrew arrived, and suddenly anyone could click, drag, and walk away with a polished avatar in minutes. The catch is that Picrew is a portal, not a single tool — it hosts hundreds of thousands of character makers, and finding the good ones can feel like digging through a very cute, very crowded attic. This list gathers twenty character creators, starting with the one that started the obsession, so you can build an OC that actually looks like the person in your head.
Table of Contents(Click to Toggle)
- Why Picrew and OC Makers Became the Internet’s Favourite Art Shortcut
- 20 Best Avatar and OC Makers to Try
- 1. Picrew
- 2. Picrew.me Maker Directory
- 3. Neocities
- 4. Doll Divine
- 5. Azalea’s Dress Up Dolls
- 6. Meiker.io
- 7. Charat
- 8. Live2D
- 9. VRoid Studio
- 10. VTube Studio
- 11. Ready Player Me
- 12. Avataaars Generator
- 13. DiceBear
- 14. MultiAvatar
- 15. Bored Humans Avatar Maker
- 16. Nametest
- 17. Hero Forge
- 18. Eldarya
- 19. Anime Character Maker
- 20. Zepeto
- Bonus Mentions
- The Internet’s Best-Kept Character Secrets (So Far)
Why Picrew and OC Makers Became the Internet’s Favourite Art Shortcut
Not everyone can draw, but almost everyone has a character in their head. Picrew solved that gap by turning character design into a click-through experience: pick a face shape, layer on hair, choose an expression, and download the result as a transparent PNG. Because the platform lets independent artists publish their own makers, the library keeps growing with wildly different art styles — soft pastel anime, gritty pixel art, chibi fantasy, and everything between.
The appeal goes beyond avatars. Writers use these tools to visualise protagonists before drafting a novel. Tabletop players build portraits for their D&D sheets. Streamers and VTubers need a face that moves. Even people who just want a new profile picture find that a custom OC beats a generic stock avatar every time. The tools below range from one-click generators to full 3D modelling suites, so there is something here whether you want a quick result or a project to sink a weekend into.
20 Best Avatar and OC Makers to Try
1. Picrew : The character maker platform that started the trend
What it is: A Japanese-born platform where independent artists upload layered character creators, letting anyone assemble an avatar piece by piece in a browser.
Category: Character creator platform
Why it stands out:
- Hundreds of thousands of user-made makers across dozens of art styles
- Simple layer system: hair, eyes, clothes, accessories, background
- Exports as a transparent PNG, ready for profile pictures or reference sheets
- Free to use, with artist-set rules about commercial use printed on each maker page
Best for: Anyone who wants a polished OC in under ten minutes without opening drawing software.
2. Picrew.me Maker Directory : The searchable index of every Picrew creator
What it is: The English-language browse and search section of Picrew, where makers are sorted by popularity, tags, and theme.
Category: Directory and discovery
Why it stands out:
- Tag filters for things like fantasy, couples, and full-body makers
- Ranking pages show what the community is using right now
- Each listing notes the artist and their usage terms before you start
Best for: People who opened Picrew once, saw a wall of Japanese titles, and gave up. The directory makes it navigable.
3. Neocities : Where OC makers host their own galleries
What it is: A free static web host that revived the spirit of Geocities, now home to countless personal sites showcasing original characters.
Category: Hosting and community
Why it stands out:
- Free tier gives you a real website with no ads
- Browse the site directory to find OC reference pages, adoptables, and art trades
- HTML and CSS editing built in, so you can build a character shrine exactly how you like
Best for: Creators who want a permanent home for their character lore instead of a disappearing social post.
4. Doll Divine : Decades of dress-up and character games in one archive
What it is: A long-running collection of browser-based dress-up games spanning fantasy, historical, and animal themes.
Category: Dress-up game archive
Why it stands out:
- Dozens of original games, many with detailed fantasy costume options
- Works without an account, and saves progress locally in your browser
- Includes animal and creature makers alongside human characters
Best for: Fantasy writers designing a cast with distinct outfits and species.
5. Azalea’s Dress Up Dolls : Elaborate historical and mythical costume makers
What it is: A sister site to Doll Divine focused on richly detailed dress-up games with mythological and period themes.
Category: Dress-up games
Why it stands out:
- Games built around Greek gods, mermaids, and medieval courts
- Layer counts are generous, so outfits feel genuinely customised
- Runs in any modern browser with no download
Best for: Roleplayers who need a costume-accurate portrait for a historical or fantasy setting.
6. Meiker.io : A modern hub for indie character makers
What it is: A platform where artists publish dress-up and character creation games, similar in spirit to Picrew but with a more Western indie flavour.
Category: Character creator platform
Why it stands out:
- Clean interface with categories like fantasy, horror, and couples
- Creators can upload their own games, so the catalogue keeps expanding
- Mobile-friendly controls that work well on a phone
Best for: Picrew fans who have exhausted the popular makers and want fresh art styles.
7. Charat : Japanese avatar makers with a huge accessory library
What it is: A Japanese avatar service offering several distinct maker styles, from anime portraits to full-body chibi figures.
Category: Avatar generator
Why it stands out:
- Multiple base styles, so you can match the vibe of different projects
- Extensive clothing and accessory options, including seasonal sets
- Downloadable results with no watermark on the free options
Best for: Anyone who wants a consistent art style across several characters.
8. Live2D : Turn a flat character illustration into a moving avatar
What it is: Software that rigs 2D artwork so it breathes, blinks, and follows a cursor or webcam.
Category: Animation software
Why it stands out:
- Industry standard for VTuber avatars and in-game character portraits
- Free trial version is enough to learn the basics
- Huge library of tutorials from the community
Best for: Creators ready to move beyond a static PNG and give their OC a personality on stream.
9. VRoid Studio : Free 3D character modelling made approachable
What it is: A desktop app from Pixiv that lets you sculpt a 3D anime-style character using sliders and drawing tools.
Category: 3D character creation
Why it stands out:
- Hair can be drawn strand by strand with a pen tool
- Exports VRM files compatible with most VTuber software
- Completely free, with no watermarks or export limits
Best for: Aspiring VTubers who want a custom 3D model without commissioning one.
10. VTube Studio : Bring your 2D or 3D character to life on camera
What it is: Tracking software that maps your face onto a Live2D or VRM avatar in real time.
Category: Face tracking and VTubing
Why it stands out:
- Works with a plain webcam, no expensive hardware required
- Supports hotkeys, item toggles, and physics for hair and clothing
- Active plugin community for extra effects
Best for: Streamers who already have a character design and want it animated live.
11. Ready Player Me : One avatar that works across hundreds of apps
What it is: A cross-platform avatar system you build from a selfie or from scratch, then use in compatible games and apps.
Category: Cross-platform avatar
Why it stands out:
- Single avatar carries across many integrated apps and games
- Photo-based creation gives a surprisingly close likeness
- Free for personal use with a straightforward web builder
Best for: People who want one consistent identity across multiple virtual spaces.
12. Avataaars Generator : The clean vector avatar maker designers love
What it is: A simple web tool that generates flat, modern cartoon avatars with a handful of clicks.
Category: Vector avatar generator
Why it stands out:
- Crisp SVG output that scales to any size without blurring
- Fast enough to make a dozen variations in a minute
- Open-source component used by many developer portfolios
Best for: Developers and bloggers who need a tidy profile image that matches a clean site design.
13. DiceBear : Programmable avatars for apps and side projects
What it is: An avatar library with an HTTP API, letting developers generate character images from a seed string.
Category: Developer avatar API
Why it stands out:
- Multiple art styles, from pixel art to hand-drawn
- Deterministic output: the same seed always produces the same character
- Free and open source, with self-hosting options
Best for: Coders building a community site who need automatic default avatars.
14. MultiAvatar : Generate a unique character from any text string
What it is: A generator that turns a name, email, or random phrase into a colourful multicultural avatar.
Category: Text-to-avatar generator
Why it stands out:
- Billions of possible combinations from short inputs
- Available as a free API for bulk generation
- Distinct visual style that stands out in comment sections
Best for: Forum owners and anyone who wants a quick avatar tied to a username.
15. Bored Humans Avatar Maker : Quirky AI-assisted portrait generator
What it is: A playful web tool that generates stylised character portraits and experimental avatar art.
Category: AI avatar generator
Why it stands out:
- Fast, no-signup generation with a deliberately odd sense of humour
- Good for sparking ideas when you are stuck on a character concept
- Part of a larger collection of free novelty tools
Best for: Brainstorming sessions where you want unexpected visual prompts.
16. Nametest : Check whether your OC’s name is already taken
What it is: A username and handle availability checker that scans across many platforms at once.
Category: Name availability tool
Why it stands out:
- Shows at a glance where a character name is free
- Saves hours of manual checking across social sites
- Useful for pen names, roleplay accounts, and brand handles
Best for: Creators who want their OC to have a consistent handle everywhere.
17. Hero Forge : Design a tabletop miniature of your character
What it is: A 3D character builder aimed at tabletop gamers, with optional physical printing of your design.
Category: 3D tabletop character designer
Why it stands out:
- Enormous library of fantasy and sci-fi parts, poses, and gear
- Free digital builder; you only pay if you order a printed figure
- Colour customisation and pose adjustment included
Best for: D&D and wargame players who want their OC on the table, not just on screen.
18. Eldarya : A story game with a built-in character creator
What it is: A fantasy visual novel where you design your own protagonist before the story begins.
Category: Visual novel with character creation
Why it stands out:
- Your customised character appears throughout the narrative
- Romance and fantasy storylines give the avatar a purpose
- Free to play in a browser
Best for: Players who want their OC to star in an actual story, not just a portrait.
19. Anime Character Maker : Quick anime-style avatar creation
What it is: A lightweight browser tool focused specifically on anime-style faces and outfits.
Category: Anime avatar generator
Why it stands out:
- Very fast: a finished avatar in a couple of minutes
- No account or download required
- Simple enough for younger users and first-timers
Best for: A quick anime-styled profile picture when you do not need deep customisation.
20. Zepeto : A 3D avatar world with a social twist
What it is: A mobile app where you build a 3D avatar, dress it, and socialise in virtual spaces.
Category: Social 3D avatar app
Why it stands out:
- Detailed 3D customisation with face, body, and outfit options
- Photo-based avatar creation for a closer likeness
- Large community creating and sharing outfits and poses
Best for: People who want their OC to exist in a social 3D space rather than a flat image.
Bonus Mentions
Pixiv : The art community behind many Picrew creators
What it is: A massive Japanese illustration platform where many character makers and their source art are published. Browsing it reveals the artists behind your favourite makers, and many accept commissions for fully custom OC art.
DeviantArt : Commission custom OC art from real artists
What it is: A long-standing art community with a huge marketplace for character commissions. When a generator cannot capture your vision, this is where you hire someone who can draw exactly what you described.
Pinterest : Mood boards that make character design easier
What it is: A visual discovery board that is quietly one of the best tools for collecting outfit references, colour palettes, and face shapes before you start building a character.
The Internet’s Best-Kept Character Secrets (So Far)
The best part about this corner of the internet is that it keeps growing. Every week, artists publish new Picrew makers, indie developers launch fresh dress-up games, and free 3D tools get easier to use. You do not need a graphics tablet or an art degree to end up with a character that feels like yours — you just need a browser tab and twenty minutes.
Start with Picrew if you want the fastest result, then branch into Meiker or Doll Divine when you want a different art style. If your OC has bigger ambitions, VRoid Studio and Hero Forge can take them into 3D, and VTube Studio can put them on screen. Whichever route you pick, save your work as a PNG and note the artist’s usage rules — that small courtesy keeps these free tools alive for everyone.
What is the strangest or most specific character maker you have ever found? Share your favourite hidden gem in the comments — the next great OC tool might be sitting in someone else’s bookmarks right now.
