Glossary: Cam, AI Companion and Payment Terms
Cam sites and AI companion apps come with their own vocabulary. This glossary explains the terms you will meet most often, grouped by theme. Where a topic needs more space, the definition links to a longer guide.
Live cam terms
Cam model / performer — An adult who broadcasts live shows on a cam site. Legitimate platforms verify performers’ identity and age before they can go live.
Public show / free chat — A live room anyone can watch for free. Performers earn through tips from viewers.
Tip — A voluntary payment, usually in tokens, sent to a performer during a show.
Tip menu — A list of actions or requests a performer offers, each with a token price. It also signals what the performer is and is not willing to do.
Goal — A token target for a room. When viewers collectively reach it, the performer does something announced in advance.
Private show — A one-on-one show billed per minute. See cam token costs.
Exclusive private — A private show that nobody else can spy on, usually at a higher rate.
Spy show — Watching someone else’s private show at a lower rate, without interacting.
Group show — A show where several viewers share the cost.
Cam2cam (C2C) — Turning on your own camera so the performer can see you. Often an extra charge, and worth thinking about from a privacy angle; see the privacy guide.
Fan club — A monthly subscription to a specific performer, often with extra content or perks.
Studio — A business that provides performers with a room, equipment or management in exchange for part of their earnings.
Interactive toy — An internet-connected device that reacts to tips in real time.
Capping — Recording a live show without consent. Forbidden by cam sites and harmful to performers; see consent and ethics.
Loop / fake cam — A pre-recorded video presented as live. See how to spot fake cams.
Matching quiz — A short questionnaire some cam sites use to suggest performers. Explained in how cam matching works.
Aggregator — A site that shows performers from several cam platforms in one place.
AI companion terms
AI companion / AI girlfriend — A chatbot with a persistent persona, designed for ongoing personal or romantic conversation. See how AI companions work.
Character / persona — The defined personality, backstory and appearance of a companion.
LLM (large language model) — The type of AI model that generates the companion’s text replies.
Prompt — The text that instructs the model. Apps combine your message with hidden instructions about the character.
System prompt — The hidden instructions an app gives the model, such as the character’s personality and the platform’s rules.
Context window — The amount of recent conversation the model can take into account at once. Older messages fall out of it.
Memory — Features that store facts about you or the conversation so the companion can recall them later, beyond the context window.
Hallucination — When an AI states something false with confidence, including “remembering” things that never happened.
Roleplay — Interactive storytelling where you and the AI play characters in a scenario.
Image generation — Creating pictures of a character with an AI image model, usually from a text description.
Diffusion model — The common type of AI image model that builds an image step by step from random noise.
Voice messages / TTS — Text-to-speech audio of the companion’s replies.
AI video / avatar — Animated or video output of a character, generated or driven by AI. See how AI webcam shows work.
Content filter / moderation — Rules and systems that block certain requests, such as content involving minors or real people.
Deepfake — AI-generated media that shows a real person doing or saying something they did not. Sexual deepfakes without consent are harmful and illegal in many places.
Bot — Automated software that sends messages. Honest when labelled as AI; deceptive when posing as a human. See human or AI: how to tell.
Payment and account terms
Tokens / credits — A site-specific currency bought with real money and spent on tips, shows or AI features.
Token package — A bundle of tokens sold at a fixed price, usually cheaper per token in larger sizes.
Price per token — What one token actually costs you, depending on the package you bought.
Subscription — A recurring plan, typical for AI companion apps. See free vs paid AI companions.
Free tier — The limited version of an app you can use without paying.
Auto-renewal — A subscription that continues and charges you until you cancel.
Auto-refill — An option that buys more tokens automatically when your balance runs low.
Billing descriptor — The name that appears on your card statement for a purchase. It may differ from the site’s name; see paying discreetly.
Chargeback — Asking your bank to reverse a card payment. Meant for fraud or errors, not for purchases you regret.
Prepaid card — A card loaded with a fixed amount, useful for keeping spending separate and limited.
Age verification — A check that a user is an adult, through ID, a card or age estimation. Increasingly required by law in some countries and states.
KYC (know your customer) — Identity checks a platform performs, mainly on performers and payouts.
Payout — The money a performer receives from the platform for tokens earned.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) — A second login step, such as a code from an app, that protects your account if your password leaks.
Missing a term? The FAQ answers the most common questions in more detail.