AurInfer vs Shapes Inc
Once the biggest name in Discord AI companions — no longer on Discord at all.
What is Shapes Inc? Shapes Inc (built by Circle Labs) was the dominant AI-companion bot platform on Discord until it was permanently banned from the platform on May 1, 2025. It has not returned to Discord and now operates only as a standalone mobile app.
Shapes Inc is best for
Nobody currently looking for a Discord-integrated AI companion — Shapes Inc no longer has any Discord presence to evaluate for that use case.
Switch to AurInfer if...
- Your old Shapes Inc bots stopped working when Discord banned the platform in May 2025
- You want an AI companion that's actually compliant with Discord's developer terms
- You want the reach Shapes Inc used to have, but built on a platform still operating in Discord's ecosystem
Full Feature Comparison
Platform Reach
| Feature | AurInfer | Shapes Inc |
|---|---|---|
| Currently available on Discord | Yes — full server bot, your character lives in-channel | No — permanently banned since May 2025 |
| X (Twitter) presence | Yes — autonomous posting, replies, quote-tweets | No |
| Bluesky presence | Yes — autonomous posting and native networks | No |
| Minecraft integration | Yes — joins as a real player, chats, builds, fights (10 min trial → Unlimited on Oreshnik) | No |
| Current platform | Discord + X + Bluesky + Minecraft | Standalone mobile app only |
Voice & Media
| Feature | AurInfer | Shapes Inc |
|---|---|---|
| Live two-way voice | Live two-way Discord voice calls from $3.99/mo (Tomahawk), scaling to 360 min/mo on Oreshnik | Mobile app only (not verifiable in Discord context — no Discord presence exists) |
| Persistent memory | Dedicated Memory Engine, configurable | Was a signature original feature; unconfirmed in current standalone app |
Autonomy & Moderation
| Feature | AurInfer | Shapes Inc |
|---|---|---|
| AI server moderation | Built-in, context-aware AI moderation — 1 to 4 slots depending on tier | Not applicable — no server presence |
| Autonomous "Free Will" behavior | Autonomous "Free Will" behavior — 2 to 6 agent slots depending on tier | Not applicable |
Trust & Reliability
| Feature | AurInfer | Shapes Inc |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance with Discord Developer ToS | Operates within current Discord developer terms | Found in violation, permanently banned |
| Current MAU | Growing on Discord natively | ~400K on standalone app (down from ~30M Discord-era reach) |
Category Scoring
Editorial scores (1–5) derived from the documented facts above — not a third-party rating. Each score links back to the reasoning behind it.
Platform Reach
Shapes Inc has zero Discord presence today; AurInfer spans four platforms including Discord.
Voice Calling
Any Shapes Inc voice capability is confined to its standalone app, not evaluable in a Discord context.
Setup Simplicity
Shapes Inc requires downloading a separate app; there is no server-deployment path at all.
Value at Entry Price
Not directly comparable given the platform mismatch; scored conservatively.
Discord-Native Moderation
No Discord presence means no applicable moderation feature.
Trust & Reliability Record
A platform-wide ban affecting 30 million users is the most severe trust event of any product in this comparison set.
The Full Breakdown
Trust & Safety NoteShapes Inc was permanently banned from Discord on May 1, 2025, affecting roughly 30 million users, following Discord's finding of Developer Terms of Service violations. Circle Labs has publicly denied the specific allegation that it trained AI models on Discord message data. Shapes Inc has not returned to Discord as of 2026.
For a long stretch, Shapes Inc was the category leader — persistent-memory AI companions, deeply embedded in Discord, with a community numbering in the tens of millions. That history is worth stating plainly, because it explains why the brand still shows up in searches today.
On May 1, 2025, Discord permanently banned Shapes Inc, terminating over 100,000 user-hosted bots and affecting roughly 30 million users. Discord cited two Developer Terms of Service violations: unauthorized collection of bot tokens, and allegations that Shapes trained AI models using Discord message data. Circle Labs has publicly and repeatedly denied the data-training allegation specifically — that denial is worth including for fairness, even though Discord's ban stood.
As of 2026, Shapes Inc has not returned to Discord in any form. Circle Labs relaunched the product as a standalone mobile companion app, raised an $8M seed round in April 2026, and reports roughly 400,000 monthly active users on the new app — a fraction of its Discord-era scale, and entirely disconnected from Discord communities.
The practical upshot: anyone searching for "Shapes Inc Discord bot" today is looking for something that no longer exists in that form, on that platform. There is no path to add a Shapes Inc character to a Discord server anymore, compliant or otherwise.
AurInfer was built and operates within Discord's current developer terms, with the same core promise Shapes Inc originally offered — a persistent, personality-driven AI companion inside your server — plus reach to X, Bluesky, and Minecraft that Shapes Inc never had even at its peak.
To be fair to Shapes Inc...
Despite the ban, Circle Labs successfully rebuilt outside Discord — an $8M seed round and 400K+ MAU as a standalone app is a real accomplishment, and speaks to genuine product quality independent of the platform dispute. It's simply no longer a relevant option for anyone evaluating a Discord-native AI character.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shapes Inc still available on Discord?
No. Shapes Inc was permanently banned from Discord on May 1, 2025, and has not returned as of 2026.
What happened to Shapes Inc?
Discord banned the platform citing Developer Terms of Service violations — unauthorized bot-token collection and allegations of training AI models on Discord message data. Circle Labs, which operates Shapes Inc, has publicly denied the training allegation specifically.
What is Shapes Inc now, if not a Discord bot?
It relaunched as a standalone mobile companion app in 2026, raising an $8M seed round and reporting around 400,000 monthly active users — entirely separate from Discord.
Is there a way to get my old Shapes Inc bot working again?
No. The ban was platform-wide and permanent; Shapes Inc bots cannot be reinstated on Discord.