IMVU vs Second Life vs AJ Cities: which virtual world fits you?

IMVU and Second Life are the two names people reach for when they want a 3D avatar world, and they are often lumped together. They are actually quite different. This page compares them fairly, point by point, and then adds a third option, our own game AJ Cities, for people who want something smaller that runs in a browser.

We make AJ Cities, so we have tried hard to keep the comparison straight. Every fact about IMVU and Second Life is backed by a source at the bottom of the page and was checked in October 2026. Where a choice comes down to taste, we say so.

The short version

• IMVU is about you: your avatar, your outfits, the rooms you sit in with friends.
• Second Life is about the world: land, building, a creator economy, and a map so big you will never see all of it.
• AJ Cities is about a place: one walled Lagos estate you walk into with other players, plus a single-player story.

Point by point

IMVU: pick it if you love avatars and outfits

IMVU’s heart is its catalogue. Clothes, hair, poses and room items made by the community, bought with credits, which you can buy with real money. The iPhone app is free with in-app purchases, offers credit packs and monthly VIP tiers, and its description promises voice chat, music and community rooms you can join or build. Apple lists it at 16+ at the time of writing. Common Sense Media notes that free members see a lot of ads and that the most explicit content sits behind a paid Access Pass restricted to adults.

Good for: dressing up, being on your phone, sitting in a room with friends. Less good for: exploring a big world or making things beyond decorating.

Second Life: pick it if you want to build and own things

Second Life has been running since June 2003. Creating an account and using the world is free; Premium is a paid subscription with extras. Its currency, the Linden Dollar, is used to buy, sell and rent land, goods and services, and residents make almost everything you see. You play through a viewer for Windows or macOS, with mobile apps in beta. Since the teen grid closed in 2010, people 16 and over can sign up, and adult regions are age-verified.

Good for: creators, people who like a long learning curve, anyone who wants a world that is genuinely theirs to shape. Less good for: a quick session on a phone or a borrowed laptop.

AJ Cities: pick it if you want to be somewhere in two minutes

AJ Cities is a free open-world game set on the edge of Ajegunle, Lagos. It is much smaller than either of the others and does not try to compete on avatars or building. Its strengths are different:

• No install. It runs in a browser on a phone or a computer.
• A real sense of place. Abraham Adesyan Estate, with June 12 Street, a police-run main gate, a street football pitch in the bush, the beach, and Prizm, a club house inside the game where Joe-Izzy plays from 9 pm Lagos time. It is all virtual: there is no real venue, date or ticket.
• Shared time. Worlds that are always day, always night, or on real Lagos time, and a radio that plays the same song for everyone at once.
• A story as well. AJ’s story is a single-player crime story you can play with no sign-in.
• Adults only. You must be 18 or over to sign in to the live estate.

Good for: a night out in a game with friends wherever they live, a Lagos setting, no setup. Less good for: deep customisation, building, owning a home.

So which one?

There is no single winner; it depends on what you want from an evening.

• You want to spend an hour on your look and then show it off: IMVU.
• You want to build a house, run a shop or make art in 3D: Second Life.
• You want to walk down a street with other players without installing anything: AJ Cities.

Plenty of people use more than one. If you want even more options, see games like IMVU and games like Second Life.

Trying AJ Cities

1. Open ajcities.com and choose Party at the estate.
2. Sign in with your email. You must be 18 or over.
3. Pick a male or female character and a world, then change your hair, skin tone and clothes free at the salon and clothes shop by the gate.
4. Ask the police to let you in. Most nights about four in five who ask get in free.

Optional tickets, ₦250 to ₦1,500 at the gate and ₦10,000 to ₦60,000 for Prizm VIP, last 24 hours and open more of the estate. See the tickets page.

Is IMVU or Second Life better?

Neither is better overall. IMVU is stronger for avatars, fashion and chat rooms on a phone; Second Life is stronger for building, owning land and a large creator economy.

Are IMVU and Second Life free?

Both can be used free. IMVU sells credits and VIP subscriptions; Second Life sells Premium memberships, and its Linden Dollars can be bought with real money.

Do I need to download IMVU or Second Life?

IMVU’s phone apps are installed from the app stores. Second Life needs its viewer on Windows or macOS, with mobile apps in beta. AJ Cities needs no download.

What age are they for?

Apple lists IMVU at 16+ at the time of writing. Second Life accepts people aged 16 and over, with age-verified adult regions. AJ Cities is 18+.