Storyworth vs Remento: which one to choose, and when neither fits
Storyworth and Remento are the two best-known ways to turn a life into a printed book. They are built for different people. Storyworth is for a storyteller who likes to write. Remento is for one who would rather talk. This page compares them side by side, with each company's own figures, so you can pick the right one for yourself or for the person you are buying for.
A note on who is writing: this page is published by Moonray, which makes a third product in this category. The comparison of Storyworth and Remento is meant to be useful whichever one you choose. Moonray has its own section near the end, clearly marked, and you can skip it.
Prices and features are as shown on each company's own site in September 2026. They change, so check before you buy.
The short answer
Choose Storyworth if the storyteller enjoys writing. A question arrives every week for a year, they answer it in their own sentences, and those sentences become the book. It is also the cheapest way in, at $69 for a book with a black-and-white interior.
Choose Remento if the storyteller would rather talk. They tap a link, record their answer out loud or on video, and Remento's software turns the recording into written text. Every page of the book carries a QR code that plays the original recording.
Side by side
| Storyworth | Remento | |
|---|---|---|
| How the questions arrive | One a week for a year, by email (Basic plan) or by email or text (Color and Unlimited) | A prompt by email or text, from hundreds of prompts or from your own photos |
| How the storyteller answers | Writes, by replying to the email or on the website. On the Color and Unlimited plans, can also tell stories by phone, transcribed automatically | Records audio or video on any device. No app, no login, no password |
| What happens to the answer | Printed as written; phone answers are transcribed | "Speech-to-Story" software turns the recording into a word-for-word transcript or a structured narrative |
| Follow-up questions | On the Unlimited plan, weekly guided phone interviews that ask follow-up questions | Not described on its site |
| Languages | English and Spanish; stories can be written in any language on the website | English and Spanish, with more languages said to be coming |
| Price | $69 (black-and-white interior), $99 (colour, phone stories), $199 (two books, unlimited storytellers, guided interviews) | $99 for the first year |
| After the first year | The $199 plan renews at $99 a year | Renew at $99 a year or $12 a month, or cancel and keep viewing the recordings |
| The book | 6 by 9 inch hardcover; up to 480 pages with a black-and-white interior, up to 300 in colour | 8 by 10 inch colour hardcover, up to 380 pages, a QR code on every page |
| Extra copies | $39 black-and-white, $79 colour up to 300 pages, $99 colour up to 480 | $69 up to 200 pages, $99 for 201 to 380 |
| Shipping | Economy shipping in the US included; other countries priced with their calculator | Included in the US; Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand for an extra fee |
| Refund | Full refund within 30 days, as long as no books have been printed | 30-day money-back guarantee |
Choose Storyworth if
- The storyteller likes to write, or used to. A weekly question is a small, pleasant appointment for them, not a chore.
- You want the book to be entirely in their own written sentences, with no software shaping them.
- You want the lowest price. The $69 plan is the cheapest printed memoir from either company.
- Several people in the family want to tell their stories. The $199 plan covers unlimited storytellers while it is active.
Choose Remento if
- The storyteller will talk but will not write. Speaking into a phone is easier than filling a page for most people.
- You want to hear the voice, not only read the words. The QR codes make the printed book play.
- The storyteller is comfortable on video, or you have old photos you want them to talk about.
- You are in the United States, where shipping is included.
Where the two differ most
Writing or talking. This is the real choice. A person who writes well gives Storyworth a book that is unmistakably theirs. A person who does not write will leave Storyworth's weekly emails unanswered, and will do much better with Remento.
What the software does. Storyworth prints what was written. Remento's software turns speech into text, either word for word or as a narrative. In both cases you can read and edit before anything is printed.
The book as an object. Storyworth's is the size of a bookshop novel. Remento's is a larger 8 by 10 inch format built around the QR codes.
What it costs over time. Both are priced around a first year. Remento renews at $99 a year unless you cancel; on Storyworth, the $199 plan renews at $99.
When neither fits
This section is about us, Moonray, so read it with that in mind.
Storyworth and Remento both send a prompt and wait for an answer. Moonray is a conversation. You chat with Moonray in an app you already use, WhatsApp or Telegram, by voice message or by typing, at any hour. It asks one question, listens, and asks the next one because of what you said. Over weeks it goes through a life in the order it was lived and comes back to the parts that were skipped. What you told it becomes chapters in your own words, and you read and approve every story before anything prints.
It fits best in three cases:
- The storyteller would rather talk. Moonray asks follow-up questions about each story to help them remember more, in English and other languages, and the book is written in the language it was told in.
- The family reads in two languages. For $59 more, the same book is printed in the other language, so a grandmother can have hers in her language and her grandchildren theirs in English.
- You are not in the United States. The price includes posting the book to the country you choose. Import duty, where a country charges it, is paid on delivery.
The price is $149, paid once: a year of conversations, the digital book, and one printed full-colour hardcover, with a photo beside each story if you add one on your own page. Every voice message is kept, and all of them can be downloaded. Extra copies are $59. The first two weeks are free, so you can try it before you pay; after that, there are no refunds.
What Moonray does not do: phone calls, video, or QR codes in the book.
The one-line version
Likes to write: Storyworth. Would rather talk and wants to hear the voice again: Remento. Would rather talk, wants the book in two languages, or lives outside the US: try Moonray.
More detail on each: Storyworth vs Moonray and Remento vs Moonray.