PreserveThe comparison
An honest side-by-side
Both platforms preserve meaningful stories. They just start from opposite ends — someone writing their own story, or someone receiving the story of what they mean.
| Feature | Preserve | Storyworth |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | You — one person is enough; you can gather memories from others and add them yourself | Memoirs: one person answering weekly prompts. Celebrations: many people each add a story |
| AI's role | AI asks the questions and helps organize; you do the telling | Compiles the subject's own written answers |
| Photos | Yes — from you, and from anyone you invite | Yes — from the subject |
| Videos | Yes — short video clips supported | Not a core feature |
| Voice notes | Yes — real voices in the story | Not a core feature |
| Collaborative memories | Available, never required — one Preserve, one or many voices | Memoirs is single-author; Celebrations gathers a group |
| Digital experience | A designed recipient experience with a beginning, middle, and end | Primarily a printed book (both Memoirs and Celebrations) |
| Printed keepsake | On the roadmap | Hardcover book included |
| Living tribute | Designed to be experienced while they're here | Memoirs arrives after a year; Celebrations is occasion-based |
| Occasion gifting | Birthdays, retirements, anniversaries, milestones | Memoirs is usually gifted for a year ahead; Celebrations is built around one occasion |
| Guided creation | A few guided questions, answered whenever you have a moment | Memoirs: weekly emailed prompts. Celebrations: an invite link for contributors |
| Cost | $19.99 one-time to publish; creating and previewing is free | Storyworth Memoirs offers three annual plans ranging from $59 to $199. Celebrations is free to start: $79 for a full-color book up to 300 pages, $99 for a full-color book up to 480 pages, and $39 for a black-and-white book with color cover up to 480 pages |
Storyworth pricing checked September 2026. Storyworth's own site currently presents its Memoirs plan details inconsistently, so this comparison shows the verified range rather than individual plan prices.
Who it's best for
Both are good tools. They solve different jobs.
Choose Storyworth if...
- Someone wants to tell their own life story, at length.
- They like being prompted regularly over a long stretch of time.
- A memoir is the goal, and a physical book is the keepsake.
- Family history — the years before you — is what you want recorded.
Choose Preserve if...
- You want to tell someone what they've meant to you, and give it to them.
- You'd rather finish in an evening or two than across a year.
- You want photos, video, voice notes, and your own words in one place.
- You want to make it yourself — inviting others is optional.
- You have an occasion: a birthday, anniversary, retirement, or milestone.
- A one-time $19.99 to publish, with free creation and preview, suits you better than a subscription.
The biggest difference
A story someone tells about their life, or something you tell them about what they mean.
Storyworth is a good way to capture someone's story from their own perspective — the memories they'd choose, the way they'd tell them, gathered over time and printed.
Preserve starts from the other side. You write what you remember about them, what was special, what they changed in you, and add the photographs, video, and voice you already have. Then you give it to them.
One is a memoir from the inside. The other is a gift made for the person, by someone who knows them.
Keep exploring
More on living tributes and meaningful gifts
Frequently asked
Preserve vs. Storyworth: common questions
Is Preserve a Storyworth alternative?
Yes. Preserve is the alternative that's made for the person, not by them, and its finished form is a playable digital experience rather than a book. Instead of Storyworth Memoirs' year of weekly prompts, you write what you remember and add photos, videos, and voice notes — and you can gather memories from other people and add those yourself. One person is enough; more voices make it richer.
Can I include memories from other people?
Yes, if you want. A Preserve made by one person is already complete. You can also gather stories, photos, videos, and voice notes from family, friends, or colleagues, add them yourself, and Preserve weaves everything into one living tribute.
Can I include videos?
Yes. Preserve accepts photos, short videos, and voice notes alongside written memories, so a grandchild's clip, a friend's toast, or a colleague's message can live inside the memoir itself.
Can I create one for someone who is alive?
Yes — that's the point. Preserve is designed as a living tribute so someone can see and feel their impact while they're here to experience it. Many families create one for a birthday, retirement, anniversary, or milestone.
Is there a printed version?
Preserve's default output is a beautifully designed digital experience that can be shared privately, given as a gift, and revisited over time. Print keepsakes are on the roadmap; Storyworth's core deliverable — for both Memoirs and Celebrations — is a hardcover book.
What does Preserve cost?
Creating and previewing a Preserve is free. Publishing it, so it can be given, is a one-time $19.99 — there's no subscription.
What's the biggest difference between Preserve and Storyworth?
Storyworth turns stories into a printed book: Memoirs from one person over a year, Celebrations from a group for an occasion. Preserve helps you capture what another person has meant to you and give it to them as a finished expression of appreciation. One person can make a complete Preserve; inviting others is optional.
Tell someone what they mean to you, and give them something they can keep.
Write it in your own words, add the photos, video, and voice you already have, and give it privately when it's ready.