Remento vs Tell Me: their voice on every page of a book, or in your pocket every day?
Remento sends your parent a weekly prompt by email, they record audio or video on a web page, and after a year it prints a full-colour hardcover with a QR code on every story that plays the recording. Tell Me sends a question every few days on WhatsApp, they reply with a voice note in the same chat, and every story and recording is kept in a family archive on your phone, with a book you can add at the end if you want one. Both are built around hearing them. Remento is the one for their voice on the pages of a book; Tell Me is the one for their voice on your phone, in a conversation that carries on.
These two are the closest pair of the five, because both start from the same belief: the recording is the thing. Remento, founded in Los Angeles in 2020, turns the recording into a book with their voice behind every page. Tell Me, built in Scotland in 2026, keeps the recording next to its story on your phone and writes the next question from it. For a UK family the practical differences are as big as the philosophical one: Remento bills in dollars and its text messages only reach US numbers; Tell Me bills in pounds and lives in WhatsApp.
I built Tell Me, so read this knowing that.
Every fact about Remento here comes from its own website and help pages, checked on 11 September 2026, and each one links to where I found it. Where Remento's own pages disagree with each other, the table says so rather than picking a side, and both products get the same number of things they do well and the same number they do badly. If I've got something wrong, tell me and I'll fix it. How the whole comparison was put together.
Who should pick which
Three reasons each way, because a comparison that only finds reasons for one side isn't one. The cases where Remento is the better buy are real, and they're first.
Pick Remento if
- A hardcover with their voice on every page is what you want, and you'd like video as well as audio.
- Your parent is comfortable tapping a link and pressing record, and you'd rather they used a web page than a chat.
- You're in the US, where the text messages reach them and the book ships free.
Pick Tell Me if
- Your parent is on WhatsApp, and you'd rather they answered where the question arrived than on a separate page.
- You want the questions to follow the conversation: Remento's prompts are fixed, Tell Me writes the next one from what they said.
- You're in the UK: billed in pounds, nothing to ship, and you can try it before paying, with the first 10 stories free.
Remento and Tell Me, in words
Sentences rather than ticks, a source you can open on every Remento cell, and prices in each company's own currency. Checked 11 September 2026. All five side by side.
| What we compared | Remento | Tell Me |
|---|---|---|
| Getting the question | ||
| How the question arrives |
UK
Email. Text messages only go to US numbers
Weekly by default; adjustable from daily to monthly. Source: help.remento.coUS
Email and/or text message
Weekly by default; adjustable from daily to monthly. Source: help.remento.co |
WhatsApp, email, or the storyteller app. You pick one
A couple a week by default (Monday and Thursday); daily, every other day, or your own days if you prefer. Where this comes from |
| Do they need a smartphone or computer? |
Yes. They tap a link and record in a web browser
|
Yes. A phone with WhatsApp, an email address, or an iPhone for the app
|
| Who sets the pace |
A weekly rhythm you can adjust; the family adds, edits and votes on prompts
|
An ordered queue you curate. Think of a question on a Tuesday night and it goes to the front
Follow-ups that reference what they said are written for you and slot in next. Where this comes from |
| Answering | ||
| Can they just talk? |
Yes. Audio or video, up to 30 minutes, in the browser
|
Yes. A voice note on WhatsApp, or a recording in the app (up to ten minutes)
Email replies are typed, with photos attached. Where this comes from |
| Can they write instead? |
Yes, you can type, but it's built around speaking
|
Yes. A text on WhatsApp, a typed email reply, or typing in the app
|
| Do they answer where the question arrived? Every extra tap is a place to give up. |
No. The email or text links to a recording page
|
Yes. Reply to the WhatsApp message or the email, or tap record in the app
|
| Video |
Yes, recorded in the browser
|
Yes, on WhatsApp or in the storyteller app
|
| Works on a landline? |
No
|
No
|
| Their voice | ||
| Is the original recording kept? |
Yes. It's the whole point
|
Yes. Every recording and the exact original words sit next to the story
|
| Where you can hear it |
Online, and a QR code on every story in the book. The codes keep working if you stop subscribing
|
In the archive, on the web and in the Tell Me app, and in the download you can take home
|
| What the AI does | ||
| The AI's job |
Speech-to-Story turns the recording into a clean transcript or a written narrative, first or third person, short or long
|
Shapes each reply into a story and writes the follow-up questions from what they said. Nothing is trained on your family
|
| Can you see what they actually said? |
Yes. The recording and a transcript option sit alongside
|
Yes. The original words are shown under every story, and the recording plays
|
| Follow-up questions |
No. Fixed prompts
|
Yes. Written from what they said, sent as a later question
|
| The rest of the family | ||
| Family members |
Unlimited collaborators free; they can add, edit and remove prompts, react and vote
|
Invite family free, as viewers or as editors who can manage the questions
|
| Both parents, or a grandparent too |
$99 for each additional storyteller, with their own book
|
UK
The second is +£5.00/month or +£30/year; each after that +£39/year
Each storyteller gets their own questions, their own archive and their own free stories. Where this comes fromUS
The second is +$6.00/month or +$40/year; each after that +$49/year
Each storyteller gets their own questions, their own archive and their own free stories. Where this comes from |
| The questions | ||
| Question library |
15 themed categories (Remento doesn't publish a count), plus unlimited custom prompts
|
Every question is written for them, with their name, their family and their era. Around 200 to start, plus your own and the follow-ups written from what they said
Every one starts "Tell me…". Sensitive topics can be switched off per storyteller. Where this comes from |
| What you end up with | ||
| A printed book |
Yes. An 8×10 inch full-colour hardcover is included
Remento's help centre says 200 pages are included (380 for $30 more); its homepage says 380. Source: help.remento.co |
Optional. The archive is the product and it works from the first week; a printed book is an extra you order when there are enough stories worth printing, with a QR code on each story that plays their voice
|
| What you can download |
Audio and video only. Remento says "photos and written stories are not included"
|
Everything: every story, the original words, every voice and video recording, and every photo, in one download, on any plan
|
| Money | ||
| Can you try it before paying? |
No. $99 up front
|
Yes. The first 10 stories are free, with no card
A free story is only used when they actually reply, so a question they skip costs nothing. Where this comes from |
| What it costs to start |
UK
10 free stories per storyteller, then £9.99/month or £69/year
A free story is only used when they actually reply. No card to start. Where this comes fromUS
10 free stories per storyteller, then $12.99/month or $89/year
A free story is only used when they actually reply. No card to start. Where this comes from |
|
| Each year after |
$99 a year or $12 a month to keep recording; a new book is extra
|
UK
£9.99/month or £69/year while questions are being asked. When they stop, a free year, then Legacy at £20/year to keep reading and listening
US
$12.99/month or $89/year while questions are being asked. When they stop, a free year, then Legacy at $25/year to keep reading and listening
|
| Extra copies of the book |
$69 each, or $99 over 200 pages
|
|
| Changed your mind |
30-day money-back guarantee
|
No money-back window: the free stories are the trial, and you can cancel any time
|
| If you stop paying | ||
| What happens to the stories |
View-only: play, read, download. Books can still be ordered. Nothing deleted
|
UK
Nothing is deleted. The archive stays open for a year at no charge, then Legacy at £20/year keeps it online and looked after, with every story, recording and photo still yours to download; the full plan restarts whenever you like
The full download is included on every plan, so take your copy before you stop, or on Legacy. Where this comes fromUS
Nothing is deleted. The archive stays open for a year at no charge, then Legacy at $25/year keeps it online and looked after, with every story, recording and photo still yours to download; the full plan restarts whenever you like
The full download is included on every plan, so take your copy before you stop, or on Legacy. Where this comes from |
| Where you are | ||
| Billed in |
US dollars only
|
|
| Getting the book to you |
UK
$15 shipping (+$10 per extra book), all duties included, about three weeks
|
|
| Phone numbers and messaging |
WhatsApp in every country bar six; email anywhere
|
|
| The company | ||
| Who's behind it |
Founded in 2020 in Los Angeles by Charlie Greene and Alexandre Massonneau. Venture-backed; a Shark Tank deal with Mark Cuban in 2025
|
Tell Me Stories Ltd, Scotland, 2026. One person: me, David. I built it for my own parents, who use it, and I answer the email
My parents' own stories are in it. That is the plainest reason I can give that it isn't going anywhere. Where this comes from |
| Reviews Trustpilot, checked 11 September 2026. |
4.8 from 1,727 reviews
|
Launched 2026. The first 10 stories are free, so you can judge it yourself before paying
|
| Languages |
English; Speech-to-Story in English and Spanish
|
English only
|
"Check at checkout" marks a place where Remento's own pages disagree with each other, or say nothing. Sources open in a new tab. How this was put together.
One at a time, properly
What each one is, what it does well, where it falls short, and what it costs where you are. The same questions for both, mine second.
Remento
Speak, and it writes; a book with their voice on every page
Remento sends a weekly prompt by email or text. Your parent taps the link and talks, audio or video, up to half an hour. Remento's Speech-to-Story turns the recording into written prose, and at the end of the year it prints an 8×10 colour hardcover with a QR code on every story that plays the original recording. Founded in Los Angeles in 2020; it took investment from Mark Cuban on Shark Tank in 2025.
What it does well
- Their voice on every page. Scan any story in the book and hear them tell it. The codes keep working whether or not you keep paying.
- No writing, no app, no password: the link opens a recording page in any browser.
- Video as well as audio, and the whole family can add prompts, react, and vote on what gets asked next, for free.
- The biggest book of the five, full colour, and ships to the UK with all duties included.
Where it falls short
- Billed in US dollars only, and its text messages only reach US numbers. UK parents get email.
- No phone-call option. If they can't tap a link on a screen, Remento can't reach them.
- The download is audio and video only: Remento says "photos and written stories are not included".
- Reviewers complain about the volume of reminder emails and texts, AI-only support, and transcription errors.
What it costs where you are
UK $99 for a year and a book, plus $15 shipping to the UK (duties included). Then $99 a year or $12 a month to keep recording; a new book is extra.
US $99 for a year and a book, free US shipping. Then $99 a year or $12 a month to keep recording; a new book is extra.
Checked 11 September 2026.
Tell Me
A question in their WhatsApp, a voice note back, and the next question written from what they said
Tell Me sends your parent a question every few days on WhatsApp (or by email, or in a small app of its own). They answer with a voice note or a text in the same chat, whenever they like. Each reply is shaped into a story with the recording and their exact words kept underneath, and the next question is written from what they said. The stories go into a searchable archive the family can be invited into, and everything can be downloaded, on any plan. A printed book is an optional extra rather than the point, on purpose: Tell Me is built for the phone you will reach for when you miss them, not the shelf, and the book is what you order at the end if you want one. I built it for my own parents. They use it, their stories are in it, and I have more reason than anyone to keep it running.
What it does well
- The only one of the five where the next question is written from what they said last time. Mention the pub and the next question asks about the pub. Think of one yourself and it goes to the front of the queue.
- It lives where they already are. The question arrives in the WhatsApp chat they open every day and they answer it right there, with a voice note. No link, no sign-in, no app to learn.
- Everything is yours to take. Every story, every original word, every recording and photo, in one download, on every plan. Remento won't export the written stories at all.
- The only one you can try before paying. The first 10 stories are free, no card, and a skipped question never costs a story. Each question is written with their name, their family and their era.
Where it falls short
- It can't phone a landline. WhatsApp or email needs a device they use.
- The storyteller app is iPhone only; Android storytellers use WhatsApp or email.
- It is a subscription while the questions are running, not a one-off, and a year after they stop a small yearly Legacy fee is what keeps the archive online.
- English only. If your parent would answer more happily in another language, Storii and Storyworth can do that and Tell Me can't.
What it costs where you are
UK 10 free stories per storyteller, then £9.99/month or £69/year. A second storyteller adds £30/year. Legacy, for reading and listening once the questions stop, £20/year after a free year.
US 10 free stories per storyteller, then $12.99/month or $89/year. A second storyteller adds $40/year. Legacy, for reading and listening once the questions stop, $25/year after a free year.
Checked 11 September 2026.
Short answers
Does Remento work in the UK, and does Tell Me?
Which keeps their voice better, Remento or Tell Me?
Which is cheaper, Remento or Tell Me?
Does my parent need an app for Remento or Tell Me?
Can I ask my own questions on Remento or Tell Me?
Tell Me against the others
- All five side by sideStoryworth, Remento, Storii, StoryKeeper and Tell Me: a fit-finder, the full chart, and what families worry about.
- Storyworth vs Tell MeThe original weekly-question memoir, now with phone calls
- Storii vs Tell MeIt phones them. Nothing to install, nothing to tap
- StoryKeeper vs Tell Me£69 once, two hardbacks, their voice by QR code on each chapter
Start with one question.
Every storyteller starts with 10 free stories. No card. Pick a question, send it, and see what comes back. If the first voice note doesn't make you sit down, you've spent nothing. If it does, you'll know what the rest are for.
Every fact about Storyworth, Remento, Storii and StoryKeeper was taken from that company's own website, pricing page or help centre on 11 September 2026. Storyworth and Remento each publish articles about the other, and several smaller rivals publish "best alternatives" lists; none of those was used as a source for anything. Review scores are Trustpilot's on the same day. Forum quotes are paraphrased and unattributed.
Where a company's own pages disagreed with each other, the chart marks the cell rather than choosing. Where a figure isn't published, it says so. Tell Me's prices are pulled from the same place the rest of this site gets them, so they can't drift.
Prices change. If you find one that has, email me, and I'll check it and update the date above.
David
Tell Me Stories Ltd