Storyworth, Remento, StoryKeeper and Moonray: the life story book services compared
Four services that turn a life into a printed book, side by side. They differ in how the stories are told, what language they can be told in, what the book looks like, and how you pay. Whether you are making your own memoir or giving one, the right choice depends mostly on one question: does the storyteller like to write, or would they rather talk?
This page is published by Moonray, one of the four. Figures for the other three are as shown on their own sites in September 2026. Prices change, so check before you buy.
Side by side
| Storyworth | Remento | StoryKeeper | Moonray | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How the stories are told | A question a week by email; answer by writing, or by phone on the $99 and $199 plans | A prompt by email or text; record audio or video from the link | Write, dictate, or record audio or video online; phone calls on the Plus plan | A conversation on WhatsApp or Telegram, by voice message or text, at any hour |
| Follow-up questions | Guided phone interviews on the $199 plan | Not described on its site | Not described on its site | After every answer: Moonray asks the next question from what was said, and comes back to what was skipped |
| What you need | A browser; no app, no login | A browser | WhatsApp or Telegram, already on the phone | |
| Languages | English and Spanish | English and Spanish | English | English and other languages |
| Photos | Attach them to email answers | Upload photos as prompts | Unlimited colour photos; colourising on Plus | Add a photo to each story on your own page, plus a cover photo |
| The book | 6 by 9 inch hardcover; black-and-white inside on $69, full colour on $99 and $199 | 8 by 10 inch full-colour hardcover, up to 380 pages, a QR code on every page | 5.8 by 8.3 inch (A5) hardcover, up to 500 pages | A5 full-colour hardcover, stories in the order the life happened, in the language they were told |
| Price | $69, $99 or $199 | $99 for the first year | $99 (Classic) or $139 (Plus, two copies and phone calls) | $149, one payment: a year of conversations, the digital book and one printed book. The first two weeks are free |
| After the first year | The $199 plan renews at $99 a year | Renews at $99 a year or $12 a month, or cancel | One-time payment | One-time payment, no automatic renewal |
| Extra copies | $39 to $99 | $69 or $99 | Two copies on Plus | $59 each, and the same book in the other language for $59 |
| Voice recordings | Phone stories are transcribed | Kept, and played from the QR codes; still viewable if you cancel | Lifetime access to recordings | Every voice message kept, and all of them downloadable |
| Shipping | Free in the US; other countries by calculator | Free in the US; Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand for a fee | Free in the US; 18 countries listed | Included to the country you choose |
| Refunds | Within 30 days, if no book has been printed | 30-day money-back guarantee | 60-day money-back guarantee | No refunds; the first two weeks are free |
The short answer
Storyworth if the storyteller enjoys writing. The book is in their own written sentences, and the $69 plan is the cheapest printed memoir here.
Remento if you want to hear the voice again. Every page carries a QR code that plays the recording.
StoryKeeper if the book is mostly about photographs. Unlimited colour photos, colourising on the Plus plan, and a 500-page book.
Moonray if the storyteller would rather talk than write. It asks follow-up questions about each story to help them remember and share more details.
Where Moonray is strongest
It is a conversation, not a form. The others send a prompt and wait for an answer. Moonray asks one question, listens, and asks the next one because of what was said. Over weeks it goes through a whole life in the order it was lived and comes back to the parts that were skipped.
No new app, no appointment. It happens on WhatsApp or Telegram, which are already on the phone. The storyteller sends a voice message or types, whenever they like, from the kitchen or the bus.
One book in two languages. For $59 the same memoir is translated and printed in the other language, so a grandmother can read hers in her language and her grandchildren theirs in English.
A full-colour hardcover with your photos. Every story can have its own photo, added on your own page, and the cover can carry one too. You read and approve every story before anything prints.
One payment, shipped anywhere. $149 covers a year of conversations, the digital book and one printed book posted to the country you choose. No subscription and nothing renews. The first two weeks are free, so you can try it before you pay.
Every voice is kept, and all of it is downloadable. Each voice message is stored in a private, encrypted archive, and you can download every one of them at any time.
Try Moonray free for two weeks
Others worth knowing
Meminto (from $99, one payment). A full-colour A5 hardcover with text, photos, voice and video; stories are written or recorded in an app, or told on automatic weekly phone calls. English, German, Spanish and Portuguese. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Storii. Automated phone calls, up to three a week, from over a thousand questions, delivered as an audiobook and an e-book, with a printed book available. Its prices load on its own pricing page.
Tell Mel (from $39). An AI that phones the storyteller and asks follow-up questions in the moment, in ten languages. Its site does not say whether a printed book is included.
A human biographer. A person interviews and writes the book. The best result available, at several times the price of anything above.
More detail: Storyworth vs Moonray, Remento vs Moonray, Storyworth vs Remento.