Storii vs Tell Me: the one that rings them, or the one that messages them?
Storii telephones your parent up to three times a week, reads out a question, and records the answer, so it works on any phone including a landline with nothing to install. Tell Me sends the question to their WhatsApp every few days and they answer with a voice note in the same chat, which needs a smartphone. Neither prints a book. Storii is the one for a parent who will only ever answer the phone; Tell Me is the one for a parent who already uses WhatsApp.
Storii and Tell Me are the two of the five without a book, and the two that put least in the storyteller's way. They part on one question: does your parent have a smartphone? Storii, founded by a Scot in 2014 and now run from Edinburgh and California, rings them and needs nothing else. Tell Me, built in Scotland in 2026, lives in WhatsApp, the app most parents over seventy already open every day, and writes the next question from what they said.
I built Tell Me, so read this knowing that.
Every fact about Storii here comes from its own website and help pages, checked on 11 September 2026, and each one links to where I found it. Where Storii'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 Storii is the better buy are real, and they're first.
Pick Storii if
- Your parent has a landline and no smartphone, or won't use one. Storii rings them; nothing to install, nothing to tap.
- You want the call to happen to them, on a schedule you set, up to three times a week.
- You'd like a library of a thousand questions in seven languages, and an audiobook and a PDF to download.
Pick Tell Me if
- Your parent already uses WhatsApp. The question arrives in the chat they open every day, and they answer with a voice note whenever suits them, not when the phone rings.
- You want the questions to follow the conversation: Storii's are fixed, Tell Me writes the next one from what they said, and yours go to the front of the queue.
- You want to know the price before you start, and to try it first: every Tell Me price is on the site, and the first 10 stories are free.
Storii and Tell Me, in words
Sentences rather than ticks, a source you can open on every Storii cell, and prices in each company's own currency. Checked 11 September 2026. All five side by side.
| What we compared | Storii | Tell Me |
|---|---|---|
| Getting the question | ||
| How the question arrives |
A phone call: Storii rings them
Up to three scheduled calls a week at times you choose, and they can ring in whenever they like. Source: www.storii.com |
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? |
No. Any phone, including a landline; no internet needed
|
Yes. A phone with WhatsApp, an email address, or an iPhone for the app
|
| Who sets the pace |
The call schedule you set, up to three a week
|
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. That's the whole product: up to 15 minutes a call
Storii's App Store listing says 10 minutes; its FAQ says 15. Source: www.storii.com |
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? |
No. It's spoken; transcripts can be edited afterwards
|
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. |
Yes. Press 1 during the call and talk
|
Yes. Reply to the WhatsApp message or the email, or tap record in the app
|
| Video |
Can be uploaded to the profile; not recorded on the call
|
Yes, on WhatsApp or in the storyteller app
|
| Works on a landline? |
Yes
|
No
|
| Their voice | ||
| Is the original recording kept? |
Yes. Every call is stored
|
Yes. Every recording and the exact original words sit next to the story
|
| Where you can hear it |
Online, shared by link, or downloaded as an audiobook
|
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 |
Transcribes, then posts an "AI Biography Rewrite" next to the transcript
|
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 transcript and the rewrite are posted together
|
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 family "connections"; recordings shared by link
|
Invite family free, as viewers or as editors who can manage the questions
|
| Both parents, or a grandparent too |
One phone number per account, so a couple share a line
|
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 +$49/year
Each storyteller gets their own questions, their own archive and their own free stories. Where this comes from |
| The questions | ||
| Question library |
1,000+, plus your own, typed or spoken
|
Every question is written for them, with their name, their family and their era. Around 200 to start, plus your own and the follow-ups written from what they said
Every one starts "Tell me…". Sensitive topics can be switched off per storyteller. Where this comes from |
| What you end up with | ||
| A printed book |
No. A PDF eBook and an audiobook to download
|
Optional. The archive is the product and it works from the first week; a printed book is an extra you order when there are enough stories worth printing, with a QR code on each story that plays their voice
|
| What you can download |
An audiobook and a PDF eBook, any time
|
Everything: every story, the original words, every voice and video recording, and every photo, in one download, on any plan
|
| Money | ||
| Can you try it before paying? |
No. A subscription or a gift box up front
|
Yes. The first 10 stories are free, with no card
A free story is only used when they actually reply, so a question they skip costs nothing. Where this comes from |
| What it costs to start |
UK
Not shown: Storii's pricing page currently displays "$-" for every plan. Last published: $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year; the UK gift box is £49.99
The monthly and annual figures come from a Storii blog post dated November 2024. Source: www.storii.comUS
Not shown: Storii's pricing page currently displays "$-" for every plan. Last published: $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year; the gift box is $59.99 on sale
The monthly and annual figures come from a Storii blog post dated November 2024. Source: www.storii.com |
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 |
Monthly or annual while the calls are running; billing stops when the calls stop
|
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 |
No book
|
|
| Changed your mind |
14 days, and only if the activation code is unused
|
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 |
Read-only, free, for life
|
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 | ||
| Getting the book to you |
No book to ship
|
|
| Phone numbers and messaging |
UK
Calls out to UK numbers; the UK call-in number is a mobile (07…), charged at their own tariff
|
WhatsApp in every country bar six; email anywhere
|
| The company | ||
| Who's behind it |
Founded in 2014 by Cameron Graham. Edinburgh and San Mateo; its sister product, StoriiCare, runs in care homes
|
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. |
No Trustpilot reviews; the family app was last updated in 2023
|
Launched 2026. The first 10 stories are free, so you can judge it yourself before paying
|
| Languages |
English (UK, US, Australian), French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese
|
English only
|
"Check at checkout" marks a place where Storii'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.
Storii
It phones them. Nothing to install, nothing to tap
Storii telephones your parent. You set up to three calls a week; it rings, reads out a question from a library of over a thousand, and records the answer when they press 1. Each call is transcribed within minutes and an AI rewrite is posted next to it on a web profile the family can read. There is no app to install and no internet needed at their end. Founded in 2014 by a Scot, Cameron Graham; the company now sits in Edinburgh and California, alongside a care-home product called StoriiCare.
What it does well
- The only one of the five that needs nothing from the storyteller but a telephone. Landlines work.
- The call happens to them. For the parent who will never open an email, that is the difference between some stories and none.
- Every call is stored; download the lot as an audiobook or a PDF any time, and the archive stays readable free for life if you stop paying.
- Seven languages, and unlimited family members.
Where it falls short
- On the day I checked, Storii's pricing page showed "$-" for every plan. The last figures it published were $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, in a blog post from November 2024.
- No printed book, only what you print yourself from the PDF.
- No Trustpilot reviews at all, and the family app was last updated in 2023. It looks like a good mechanism inside a business that is mostly doing something else.
- One number per account, refunds only before the activation code is used, and the UK call-in number is a mobile, charged at their own tariff.
What it costs where you are
UK Not shown on its pricing page. Last published: $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, billed in dollars. The gift box is £49.99 on sale, £89.99 otherwise.
US Not shown on its pricing page. Last published: $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. The gift box is $59.99 on sale, $119.99 otherwise.
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
Which works on a landline, Storii or Tell Me?
What does Storii cost compared with Tell Me?
Do Storii or Tell Me print a book?
Which one asks follow-up questions, Storii or Tell Me?
What happens to the stories if I stop paying Storii 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
- Remento vs Tell MeSpeak, and it writes; a book with their voice on every page
- 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