Comparison
Storyworth alternatives in 2026, compared by price and format
Nine Storyworth alternatives side by side with prices, from free recording apps and phone-call services to AI interviewers and a ghostwritten memoir.
Facts checked October 2026
Storyworth made the weekly-question book a familiar gift: a question by email each week, a year of written answers, and a hardcover at the end. Many families have finished a book with it.
It works best for someone who likes to write. If the person you have in mind would rather talk, prefers the telephone, or would never open the email, one of the services below may fit them better. Each entry lists what the service costs, how stories get recorded, and who turns them into pages, using details from the company's own site. A closing section covers when Storyworth is the better choice.
The alternatives at a glance
The table compares each service on four practical points. Prices are entry prices in US dollars as listed on each company's site in October 2026, and they change often, so check before you buy.
| Service | How stories are recorded | Who writes the pages | Starting price | Printed book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loristry | Guided interviews by voice in the browser, over a regular phone call, or typed, with follow-up questions; invited family members add their own | An AI biographer organizes the conversations into chapters and a timeline | $49 a year (Essentials); $99 a year with a hardcover (Keepsake) | Full-color hardcover, $99 on Essentials or included on Keepsake |
| Remento | Weekly prompts by email or text; the storyteller taps a link and records a voice reply, with no app or login | Speech-to-Story turns each recording into an editable chapter | $99 for one year | Full-color hardcover included, up to 200 pages |
| Storii | Automated phone calls up to three times a week; the storyteller presses 1 to answer, no internet needed | Recordings are transcribed, with an optional AI rewrite | Not shown on its pricing page | Audiobook or eBook PDF; print is a separate option |
| StoryCorps | A free app that guides you through recording a conversation | No written version; the audio is the record | Free | None |
| Meminto | Typed answers, speech-to-text, or automated phone interviews, plus photos | The storyteller's own words, with an optional AI polish they approve | $99, one-time | Hardcover included |
| Memorygram | Weekly questions answered by typing, voice-to-text, or an automated phone interviewer that works on a landline | Transcription keeps the storyteller's own phrasing | $99, one-time | Full-color 8.5 by 11 hardcover included |
| StoryKeeper | Written, dictated, or recorded online; phone calls on the Plus plan | Editors shape the text in the storyteller's voice, and you approve each edit | $99, one-time | Hardcover included |
| Tell Mel | An AI interviewer phones the storyteller and holds a conversation with follow-up questions, in 10 languages | Each call becomes an edited memoir chapter | $39 a year | None; a private memoir website |
| LifeBook Memoirs | A series of face-to-face interviews with a professional team | A ghostwriter writes the full memoir | $18,000 | 10 or more hardback copies |
| Storyworth | A question a week by email or text, answered in writing; phone recording on the Color plan and up | The storyteller writes; a proofreader is included on the Color plan | $69 | Hardcover included (black-and-white interior on Basic) |
Loristry interviews the storyteller and the family
Loristry interviews the storyteller instead of sending a writing prompt. The conversation can happen in a web browser, over an ordinary phone call that needs no internet, or as a typed interview for someone who prefers to write, and the biographer asks follow-up questions as they go. Family members you invite can add their own memories and photos, and Loristry organizes everything into chapters and a timeline.
Essentials costs $49 a year, with a full-color hardcover available for $99 whenever you are ready to print. Keepsake costs $99 a year and includes the hardcover. The biography keeps going after the first book, so it may suit a family that wants an ongoing record more than a one-year project.
Remento turns voice replies into chapters
Remento keeps Storyworth's weekly rhythm but lets the storyteller talk. Prompts arrive by email or text, and the storyteller taps a link and records a reply with no app or password. Its Speech-to-Story feature turns each recording into a written chapter, and the family chooses between a cleaned-up transcript and a more polished version in first or third person.
The $99 package covers a year and includes a full-color hardcover of up to 200 pages, with a QR code on each story that plays the original recording. Renewal is $99 a year or $12 a month. Remento may suit a talker whose family wants a finished book at the end of the year.
Storii works entirely over the phone
Storii calls the storyteller on a schedule, up to three times a week, and they press 1 to answer and start talking. It works on any phone, including a landline. The recordings are transcribed, with an optional AI rewrite.
The standard result is a downloadable audiobook or eBook PDF, and printing is a separate option. Storii's pricing page did not show prices when we checked, so confirm the cost at sign-up. It is a good match for someone who answers the phone readily and avoids computers.
StoryCorps is free if a recording is enough
The StoryCorps app is free. It guides you through planning and recording a conversation with someone, and you can choose to add the recording to the StoryCorps Archive at the Library of Congress.
The result is the audio recording. StoryCorps may suit a family that mainly wants the voice on record, or one that wants to try a single conversation before paying for a larger project.
Meminto lets the storyteller write, speak, or take a call
Meminto accepts typed answers, speech-to-text, or automated phone interviews, and photos can sit alongside the stories. An optional AI polish tidies the text, and the storyteller approves it before anything prints.
It is a one-time purchase starting at $99, with up to two years to finish. That longer window helps a storyteller who works slowly or mixes writing and speaking.
A storyteller who enjoys the format is more likely to keep going for a year.
Memorygram calls with a question each week
Memorygram sends one question a week, answered by typing, voice-to-text, a text reply, or an automated phone call that works on a landline. Transcription cleans up the answers while keeping the storyteller's own phrasing, and the audio is saved.
The Legacy Book costs $99 with no recurring subscription and is a full-color 8.5 by 11 hardcover of up to 450 pages, with a QR code on each printed story. It is a natural fit for someone most comfortable on the telephone.
StoryKeeper edits the text with you
StoryKeeper accepts written, dictated, audio, or video answers online. Its editors shape the text in the storyteller's voice, and you approve every edit before printing.
The Classic plan costs $99 for one storyteller and one hardcover. Plus costs $139 and adds phone calls, unlimited contributors, and a second hardcover. Both plans are one-time purchases with no time limit. StoryKeeper suits a family that wants help with editing and the final say on the words.
Tell Mel puts an AI interviewer on the phone
Tell Mel phones the storyteller and holds a conversation, asking follow-up questions as it goes, in any of 10 languages. Each call becomes an edited chapter of a private memoir website, and the original audio is kept.
Plans are annual and priced by hours of conversation, starting at $39 a year for two hours. The result is a website rather than print. Families spread across countries, or storytellers more at ease in another language, are the clearest fit.
LifeBook Memoirs is a commissioned memoir
LifeBook Memoirs is a professional service. A team conducts 11 to 14 face-to-face interviews, depending on the edition, and a ghostwriter writes the book, which arrives as a set of hardback copies.
Editions run from $18,000 to $42,000. LifeBook may suit a family that wants a professionally written memoir and has the budget for one.
When Storyworth is the better choice
Some storytellers enjoy writing. They draft an answer, revise it, and want it printed as they wrote it. For them, Storyworth's weekly email is the point, and a voice interview would be a different and less welcome task.
Storyworth starts at $69 for a book with a black-and-white interior, and the Color plan at $99 adds a full-color book, phone recording with transcription, and a proofreader. The weekly-email ritual is easy for the person receiving it to understand. If the storyteller writes willingly and answers email reliably, Storyworth is a strong fit.
How to choose
Start with how the storyteller likes to share a memory. A writer may be happiest with Storyworth, Meminto, or StoryKeeper. Someone who would rather talk may prefer Remento or Loristry, and phone-first storytellers have Memorygram, Storii, and Tell Mel. StoryCorps is free for families who mainly want the voice on record, and LifeBook Memoirs hands the whole project to a professional team.
Then decide what you want at the end: one book after a year, a record that keeps growing, or audio or a website instead of print.