Introduction
Storyworth has been a popular choice for families wanting to preserve their loved ones' life stories in a book. Since its launch in 2011, many Storyworth alternatives have entered the market. We reviewed 30 memory preservation platforms, and here are the top five. All information is sourced from their official websites at the time of writing.
Factors to Consider
With several memory preservation platforms available, it’s essential to choose the one that aligns with your preferences. Factors like the price, renewing subscriptions, the final product, the format of the memories (text, audio, video), and required work should all play a role in your decision.
To ensure impartiality and accuracy, I only included details that can be objectively verified from their websites. Subjective claims, like a competitor having better customer service, were excluded from the comparisons below.
Let’s start by taking a closer look at Storyworth, and then we’ll explore how it stacks up against its alternatives. After each of Storyworth’s alternatives, I included a "Pick If" to help you quickly make a decision.
Storyworth
- Subscription Model: Yes. After it ends, you must renew your subscription for another year or send whatever you have to be printed within a few months.
- Book: Black & White (color upgrade for $40-60). Smaller relative to others (6x9 inches).
- Text: No formatting (you can’t underline or use italics), Latin alphabet only.
Storyworth is the most well-known brand in the memory preservation space, due to how long they’ve been around and their well-executed marketing efforts (TV ads, influncer sponsorships, etc). They’re known as a gift you can buy for your older family members.
How Storyworth Works
Storyworth is a subscription service where, each week, a question is emailed to your gifted family member. They respond with a story, and after a year, these stories are compiled into a 6 x 9 hardcover book. The default subscription gives you a black-and-white book. You can’t upgrade your family member to a color book upfront. However, color printing options are available, you just have to pay extra at the time of printing.
What to Know before Buying Storyworth
While Storyworth is well-known, it does have some limitations. Storyworth’s subscription model may not be ideal for everyone. The platform focuses exclusively on written stories, primarily via email reply, so if you’re looking to preserve memories through audio, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Storyworth Alternative 1: My Stories Matter
- Subscription Model: No.
- Book: Larger than Storyworth (8x10 inches), Full-Color.
- Text: Full formatting options (can bold, use italics, etc), any language.
My Stories Matter offers optional emailed questions, similar to Storyworth. However, My Stories Matter allows you to adjust the frequency if you don’t want them weekly.
With My Stories Matter, you can preserve memories using voice dictation in addition to typing. Professional designers craft personalized cover designs, so you don’t have to do it yourself. Their editors can help proofread upon request. Their photo editors can restore your photos. My Stories Matter is for those who want to preserve their memories without time constraints and who value a beautifully curated, high-quality book.
Does My Stories Matter Require a Subscription?
No. Books cost (at the time of writing) $99.
Storyworth vs My Stories Matter
One of the key strengths of My Stories Matter compared to Storyworth is its flexibility. While Storyworth primarily focuses on text-based memory books with a subscription model, My Stories Matter allows users to create Memory Books with features like speech-to-text functionality, co-writing with loved ones, and even offers photo restoration and personalized cover design. This provides a richer, more personalized experience that can capture not just the words, but also the visuals and collaborative storytelling of your loved ones.
My Stories Matter also includes options like listening to songs to spark memories and a digital Timeline to easily look back on your stories.
If you think your loved one might really enjoy reminiscing and get into recording their life stories, My Stories Matter is a much better choice. If you think they’ll just want to reply to emails and not dive in too deeply, Storyworth will work just as well.
Pick My Stories Matter If:
- You care about the final book cover design and formatting but don’t want to fiddle with it yourself.
- You care about the quality of the book’s content and may want help proofreading, restoring photos, or co-writing with loved ones.
- You prefer a one-time purchase with no time limit to print.
Storyworth Alternative 2: Meminto
- Subscription Model: Must finish within 2 years or pay to extend the time limit.
- Book: Couldn't find details.
Meminto is a platform from Germany that offers more variety in memory preservation compared to Storyworth. Founded in 2017, Meminto allows users to create memory books that incorporate text and audio elements. Like Storyworth, you answer weekly questions to populate your book. Once you’re finished, they have a cover design template that you can use to put together your cover.
How Much Does Meminto Cost?
Their base prices, according to their FAQs, are: a book of 100 pages or fewer costs $99. 100 to 200 pages costs $129, and 200 to 300 pages is $149, plus shipping and handling of about $10-$20. You can also purchase additional credits to use their AI.
Meminto's Interactive Technology
One of Meminto’s standout features is its ability to embed audio into memory books via a QR code. Users can scan QR codes to visit the audio clips on the web. This interactivity is something Storyworth doesn’t offer, which could be an advantage for tech-savvy families.
Meminto as a Storyworth Competitor
While Storyworth excels in simplicity and ease of use, Meminto offers more flexibility and a multimedia experience. If you’re interested in creating a memory book that goes beyond text, Meminto might be the better choice. However, at the time of writing, they cap each story to a certain number of characters, which is something that Storyworth doesn’t do.
Pick This If:
- You’re looking for a platform that integrates text & audio (via QR codes) into your memory book.
- You prefer a one-time payment without the commitment of a subscription.
Storyworth Alternative 3: A Life Untold
- Subscription Model: No.
- Book: Square: dimensions unspecified (the book is exactly as long as it is tall).
A Life Untold is another platform that offers a structured approach to creating personalized memory books. Founded by an Australian couple, this platform guides users through the process of documenting their life stories with a focus on reflection and storytelling.
How much does Life Untold cost?
$199, but at the time of this writing (Oct 8, 2024), they have a 50% discount. Note: they do have a time limit of 12 months to complete your book. After 15 months, they charge $5/month until you finish. If the books are longer than 150 pages, they charge $.50 a page. You can also buy additional copies for $79.
A Life Untold's Sample Questions
According to their blog, they have some creative categories of questions. Their questions include 1-word answers questions such as “Name your favorite: Book, Movie, Musician, Quote, Animal, Word…,”. They also include questions such as “Which of these words do you associate with your work: Love, Hate, Routine, Money, or something else?”. You have 101 questions to choose from.
A Life Untold as a Storyworth Competitor
Both A Life Untold and Storyworth offer similar approaches. The key differences are the book dimensions, price, and whether or not you answer via email.
Pick A Life Untold If:
- You know you definitely don’t want weekly prompts and just want to do it all online yourself.
- You prefer a book that has the same height and length (square).
- You like their unique questions.
Storyworth Alternative 4: My Life in a Book
- Subscription Model: Yes. You subscribe to their 1-year Story Prompt Program.
- Book: Small (5.83” × 8.27”), Full-Color.
- Text: No formatting (underline, italics).
My Life in a Book is a French company offering a similar concept to Storyworth, sending weekly questions via email to help loved ones share their stories. Once completed, their memories are compiled into a book.
How Much Does My Life in a Book Cost?
Subscriptions start from $79, which includes 1-year of story prompts. I couldn't see on their website what happens if you don't finish after the year. You can pick out of some pre-made cover designs. Shipping is included for US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand, otherwise it's $15.
My Life in a Book vs. Storyworth
Frankly they seem very similar aside from the color by default in the price. It looks like My Life in a Book added a new add-on feature to artificially recreate your voice using AI. I couldn’t see any reviews on it yet nor could I try it out, so I cannot comment on the new feature but it will be likely be important to some people one way or another.
Pick My Life in a Book If:
- You want something very similar to Storyworth but in color.
- You're ok with only being able to add 1 photo per story (per their FAQs).
Storyworth Alternative 5: Circa Legacy
- Subscription Model: No.
- Book: Fully customized with text, audio, and video options.
- Text: Fully formatted and transcribed.
If you don’t want to do any writing or recording yourself, Circa Legacy offers to do it all for you.
Circa Legacy costs $3,500. You get interviewed for 4 hours, and their writer transcribes and edits it. You then get their writing in up to 100 pages in a hardcover book laid out by their designer. You can include up to 40 photos.
Circa Legacy is ideal for those who want a polished, professional product without having to do the work themselves and are willing to pay the money.
Circa Legacy as a Storyworth Competitor
Circa Legacy and Storyworth offer different approaches to memory preservation. While Circa Legacy provides a full-service experience, Storyworth is more hands-on, allowing users to be directly involved in creating their memory book. If you’re looking for a hand-off approach and don’t mind paying a premium, Circa Legacy could be a great option.
My Stories Matter Concierge Service
My Stories Matter also offers a Concierge Interview service, similar to Circa Legacy. Compared to Circa Legacy, My Stories Matter’s interview service is slightly more expensive but includes almost 3x the number of interviews for a more in-depth, longer book. It also includes complimentary services such as photo restoration and enhancement for an even higher-quality final product.
Pick Circa Legacy If:
- You just want to be interviewed.
- You want a full-service experience with minimal effort on your part.
- You’re willing to pay a premium.
Making the Right Choice
Preserving your memories is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and future generations. While Storyworth remains the most well known brand, many alternatives may be a better fit for your needs. We hope we’ve made it easy for you to pick the right one for you and your family.