The Best Apps to Record Grandparents' Stories
A transparent, hands-on look at how StoryWorth, Storii, Remento, HereAfter AI and Afterlife AI capture family stories, so you can pick the one that fits your grandparent and what you want to keep.
Some of the most ordinary moments are the ones we wish we had recorded: the way Grandad told a story, the song Nan hummed in the kitchen, the answer to "how did you two actually meet?" Apps that record grandparents' stories exist to capture those moments while the storyteller is still here to share them, in their own words and, increasingly, their own voice.
This guide is published by Afterlife AI, and yes, we make one of the products below. We have tried to profile the real options fairly, including where a competitor is the better pick. The category splits into roughly three jobs: turn answered prompts into a printed keepsake book, make recording effortless for a grandparent who is not comfortable with technology, or build something interactive that loved ones can revisit and, in some cases, hear or talk with later.
The right choice depends less on features and more on two questions: how comfortable is the storyteller with phones and apps, and what do you want at the end, a book on the shelf or a living archive you can revisit?
What to look for
A few things separate a tool your grandparent will actually use from one that gathers dust:
Ease for older users. Does it need a smartphone, an app download, passwords, or just a phone call or an emailed link? The less friction, the more stories you will actually collect.
Voice and audio. Some tools capture only typed answers; others record the storyteller's real voice. Hearing the voice, not just reading the words, is often what families treasure most.
Transcripts. Automatic transcription makes spoken answers searchable, editable and ready to print.
Keepsake output. A hardcover book, an audiobook, a PDF, or an interactive archive. Decide what you want to hold or share before you choose.
Who can access it. Can the whole family contribute and listen, and what happens to the content over the long term?
Price. Most options sit between a low monthly fee and a yearly subscription, sometimes plus a print cost. Always check current pricing on the provider's own site.
The main options
StoryWorth
StoryWorth is the best known name for turning memories into a printed memoir. Each week for a year, the storyteller gets a question by email ("What was your first job?") and replies by typing, or recording, their answer. At the end of the year you can compile every story and photo into a hardcover keepsake book.
It is a strong fit if the goal is a polished book and the storyteller is comfortable answering email. Pricing is typically an annual plan, with higher tiers adding full-colour interiors, voice recording and guided phone interviews; check StoryWorth's site for current figures. The trade-off: the core experience leans on writing, a barrier for grandparents who would rather talk than type.
Storii
Storii is built specifically for grandparents and elders who are not online. It works over automated phone calls: the storyteller receives scheduled calls asking life-story questions, and answers simply by speaking after a prompt. No smartphone, app or internet is required, which removes the single biggest barrier for many older relatives.
Answers are recorded and transcribed automatically, and you can download the results as an audiobook or a PDF, or share recordings with family. Pricing is generally a modest monthly subscription, sometimes offered as a gift-box bundle; confirm the latest on Storii's site. If your grandparent struggles with screens, this is often the easiest path to getting their voice recorded at all.
Remento
Remento centres on speaking rather than writing, then turns it into a book. Storytellers get weekly prompts by text and email, open a link (no app, no password) and record a voice or video answer. Recordings are automatically transcribed and lightly cleaned up into readable stories.
Its signature touch is the finished hardcover, which prints the written stories and photos alongside QR codes that link back to the original recordings, so readers can scan a code and hear the moment in the storyteller's actual voice. Pricing is typically a yearly plan that includes one book, with extra books priced separately; check Remento's site for current numbers. It is a good middle ground between an easy voice-first experience and a tangible keepsake.
HereAfter AI
HereAfter AI is interactive rather than print-focused. A friendly virtual interviewer guides the storyteller through prompts and records their answers in audio, organised around their life, relationships and personality. Later, family members can ask questions out loud and hear answers played back in the person's recorded voice, alongside their photos.
The appeal is an archive you converse with rather than a book you read. Plans are usually tiered by how many stories and photos you record, with listening generally free for invited family; verify current pricing on HereAfter AI's site. It suits families who want an ongoing, voice-based way to revisit memories.
Afterlife AI
Afterlife AI (that is us, by an Australian company) takes the interactive idea further. Instead of recording fixed answers, you build a governed AI Persona of yourself while alive: your memories, stories, values and way of speaking, captured through conversation so it grows the more you put in. You can talk with your own Persona today, and the people you choose can keep talking with it later, after a verified process called Executor Lock activates.
Voice is part of it. With your explicit consent, your Persona can speak its replies in your own voice, consent-based voice preservation that you control while alive and that is locked, never re-created or changed, at your passing. Playback is always a chosen tap, never autoplay, and the voice streams to you. The voice is created free for every consenting user; the unlimited listening experience is the paid part.
Pricing is three public tiers: a Free build (60 memories and 100 conversations to build your Persona, no card, and your free build never expires), Legacy at $14.99/month and Eternal at $29.99/month. Family inherits the time you have paid for. Afterlife AI is best understood not as a memoir tool but as a living, governed Persona, so it is a different proposition from a one-year book project.
Which is right for you
There is no single winner, only the best fit for your situation:
Your grandparent is not comfortable with technology: choose Storii. Automated phone calls with no app, screen or internet make it the gentlest way to get an elder's voice recorded.
You mainly want a printed book to hand around: choose StoryWorth for a writing-led memoir, or Remento if you want a book that is voice-first and includes QR codes back to the recordings.
You want an interactive voice archive to revisit: HereAfter AI lets family ask questions and hear recorded answers.
You want an interactive Persona that captures how someone thinks and speaks, while they are alive: choose Afterlife AI, especially if hearing them in their own voice and preserving a governed legacy for the family matters to you.
Many families use two: Storii or StoryWorth for a book, plus an interactive tool for the voice. Try a free option first.