Storyworth alternatives: 10 ways to capture a life story

The short answer

Choose by how your storyteller likes to talk, then by what you want at the end.

• Would rather talk than type, and wants a hardcover: Remento, StoryKeeper or Life Story AI.
• Finds phone calls easiest: Storii, which schedules prompt calls, or Tell Mel, an AI interviewer that phones on a schedule.
• Wants to try something free first: Memoirji (a first memoir on WhatsApp), Meminto (a nine-question mini book) or MemoirWell (a first chapter).
• Wants someone else to interview and write: LifeBook Memoirs, a managed ghostwriting service.
• Wants to check and approve every chapter: MemoirWell, which keeps each draft private until the author has reviewed its facts and approved it.

Storyworth alternatives at a glance

Prices are the list prices each company showed on September 23, 2026, in US dollars. Promotions, taxes and shipping change often, so confirm the total at checkout.

Service	How stories are captured	Price shown	Printed book
Storyworth (for reference)	A weekly question by email or text; answers are written or recorded by phone with Story Calls	Basic $69, Color $99, Unlimited $199 per plan year; the homepage advertised plans “starting at $59”	One hardcover on Basic and Color, two on Unlimited; extra books $39–$99
Remento	A weekly prompt by text or email; the storyteller records audio or video and Speech-to-Story turns it into text	$99 for a year of prompts, unlimited recordings and a hardcover	Hardcover with QR codes that play the recordings
Storii	Three scheduled prompt phone calls a week, or call in at any time; calls are transcribed	$9.99 a month or $59.99 a year; gift box on sale at $59.99 (regular $119.99)	Audiobook and eBook downloads; a printable record (no price listed)
Tell Mel	An AI interviewer phones on a schedule and asks follow-up questions	$39, $129 or $219 for the first year (2, 12 or 24 interview hours); $39 to renew	None; stories go to a private website
Life Story AI	An AI biographer sends one question a week by email; answers can be spoken or typed	$49 for six months (digital only), $99 for a year (one color book) or $199 for two years (five books)	Color book of up to 250 pages on the $99 and $199 plans
Heritage Whisper	An AI interviewer asks the questions and the storyteller speaks	$79.99 for one year of recording	None; a digital book with full export
Meminto	Guided questions; answers are typed or converted from voice recordings	$99, $149 or $397, one time	Hardcover, one to three copies by plan
StoryKeeper	A weekly email prompt; write, dictate or record audio or video; phone-call service on the Plus plan	$99 (Classic) or $139 (Plus), one time	Hardcover of up to 500 pages with QR codes
Memoirji	A conversation with an AI memoirist on WhatsApp, by voice or text	First memoir free	Printed keepsake offered; no price listed
LifeBook Memoirs	Face-to-face interviews, a ghostwriter and a project manager	$18,000, $27,000 or $42,000 packages	10 to 24 hardback books by package
MemoirWell	A guided interview in the browser, spoken or typed; each conversation becomes a chapter draft you check, edit and approve	First chapter free; then $39 a month, $149 a year or $499 one time	Not available yet; the book downloads as PDF or EPUB

What Storyworth still does well

Storyworth suits a storyteller who enjoys a steady weekly rhythm and a printed book at the end of the year. Every plan includes a weekly question by email or text, family sharing and a hardcover, and answers can be written or recorded by phone. The Color and Unlimited plans add full-color books and more ways for family to take part; Unlimited also adds weekly guided phone interviews. If that rhythm already works for your family, switching mostly changes how the stories are told, not whether they get told.

People usually look elsewhere for one of four reasons: weekly written answers start to feel like homework, the storyteller would rather have a conversation, the family wants something to read before the year is over, or the author wants more say in how the finished text reads.

If your storyteller would rather talk than type

Remento is built around spoken answers. A prompt arrives by text or email, the storyteller records from any device, and Speech-to-Story produces either a lightly cleaned transcript or a polished narrative in first or third person. The hardcover links each chapter to the original recording with a QR code, and the archive stays available after the subscription ends.

StoryKeeper accepts writing, dictation and audio or video recordings, and the storyteller approves the text before it goes into the book. Both plans are one-time payments with a hardcover; Plus adds a phone-call service and a second copy.

Life Story AI sends one question a week from an AI biographer and accepts voice or text in seven languages. A relative can run the app for a parent in its interviewer mode. The $49 plan is digital only; the $99 and $199 plans include printed books.

Heritage Whisper concentrates on speaking and sharing quickly: an AI interviewer asks the questions, and new stories appear for family as soon as they are saved. It does not include a printed book.

Memoirji runs inside WhatsApp, so there is no new account to set up. It is a low-effort way to find out whether a conversational format suits your storyteller before paying for anything.

If phone calls are easiest

Storii schedules three life-story prompt calls a week, and the storyteller can also call in whenever they like. Calls are recorded, transcribed and rewritten into biographical text, and the family can download an audiobook and an eBook. Plans are monthly or yearly, and a gift box covers twelve months of calls.

Tell Mel uses an AI interviewer that phones on a schedule and adapts its follow-up questions to each answer. Plans are sold by interview hours rather than by book, and the stories go to a private website rather than a printed volume.

StoryKeeper Plus also includes a phone-call service. For a storyteller who avoids screens, ask each company how calls are scheduled, how long they last, and who can listen to the recordings afterward.

If you want to review every chapter before anyone reads it

MemoirWell works differently from weekly-question services. The author, or a relative helping them, starts a guided conversation about one memory and answers by speaking or typing. MemoirWell drafts a chapter in the author's own words, then keeps it as a draft until the author has checked the facts it relies on, looked at a family-safe version for private details, made any edits and approved it. Relatives can be invited to read along or help write.

That review suits people who care more about accuracy and control than about a weekly rhythm. The trade-offs are real: MemoirWell runs in a web browser rather than over the phone, and printed copies are not available yet—the finished book downloads as a PDF or EPUB. The first chapter is free and needs no card, which is enough to judge whether the drafts sound like the storyteller. See MemoirWell pricing.

If you want someone else to do the work

LifeBook Memoirs is a managed service rather than an app: face-to-face interviews, a handpicked ghostwriter, a project manager, photo restoration and a set of hardback books. Packages cost $18,000, $27,000 or $42,000, so it suits families who want professionals to carry the whole project from first interview to delivery.

Questions to ask before you choose

1. How does the storyteller like to talk? Writing, recording, a phone call, or a conversation with someone in the room.
2. Is a printed book essential, and by when? Some services include a hardcover; others are digital or charge for printing separately.
3. Who decides the final words? Check whether AI rewrites the answers, whether the storyteller approves the text, and whether the original recording is kept.
4. What happens after the first year? Compare renewal prices and whether you keep access to everything if you stop paying.
5. Can the family take part? Look at invitations, contributor roles and who can read what.
6. Can you take everything with you? Recordings, transcripts, photos and the finished text should all be exportable.