Memoir Gift Guide 2026: What You Actually Get for the Price
Memoir services are one of the most popular holiday gifts for parents and grandparents, and around Black Friday, every one of them runs a sale. But a lower sticker price doesn't tell you what's included. The features that matter most, especially phone interviews, are often reserved for the most expensive plan or sold as add-ons, and many plans renew after the first year. This guide helps you compare what you actually get, so the gift you buy is the gift they can use.
The Short Answer
Before buying a memoir gift on sale, check three things: whether the phone feature is an interview or just a recording, whether it's included or an add-on, and whether the plan renews after year one. Memorygram's Legacy Book includes guided phone interviews with no subscription. Storyworth includes guided phone interviews only on its Unlimited plan, which renews at $99 per year. Remento sells phone recording as a $25 add-on, without follow-up questions in its documented call flow, and its plan renews at $99 per year or $12 per month.
Five Questions to Ask Before You Buy
Does the sale plan include the feature you want? A discount on a lower tier may not include phone interviews at all.
Is the phone feature an interview or a recording? Only an interview asks follow-up questions.
Is the phone feature included or added at checkout? Add-ons raise the real price.
What happens after year one? A sale usually applies to the first year only. Renewals are typically charged at the regular rate.
Does it work for your storyteller? Check landline support if they don't use a smartphone.
Pick by the Person You're Buying For
For a parent who gives short answers
Choose a service with guided phone interviews, so follow-up questions turn short replies into full stories. Memorygram includes them in every Legacy Book. At Storyworth, they are only on the Unlimited plan.
Memorygram puts both parents in one shared book with guided phone interviews for $50 more than a single Legacy Book. Storyworth Unlimited gives each parent a separate memoir with guided interviews and renews yearly. See the full memoir gift for both parents comparison.
For a gift with no ongoing charges
Memorygram's Legacy Book is a one-time purchase with no subscription or auto-billing. Storyworth Unlimited and Remento both renew after the first year unless cancelled.
For a large family recording several storytellers
Storyworth Unlimited lets you give separate memoirs to unlimited family members while the plan is active, and includes two books. It can be a good fit when you're recording several people in separate books.
Current Prices
Memorygram Legacy Book: $93, one-time
Guided phone interviews with follow-up questions, weekly scheduled calls, an anytime call-in number, landline support, one 8.5" x 11" full-color hardcover (up to 450 pages), voice recordings with QR code playback, a PDF e-book, and unlimited sharing. No renewal.
Storyworth Color: $99
One full-color book, phone recording, and monthly Family Calls. No guided phone interviews.
Storyworth Unlimited: $199, renews at $99 per year
Two full-color books, unlimited separate memoirs, weekly guided phone interviews, phone recording, and weekly Family Calls.
Remento: $99, renews at $99 per year or $12 per month
One hardcover book and recording through a link on any internet-connected device. Phone recording is a $25 add-on, with no follow-up questions in its documented call flow.
It depends on the storyteller. For a parent who would rather talk than write, a service with guided phone interviews gets the fullest stories. Memorygram includes guided phone interviews in its one-time Legacy Book with no subscription.
Do Black Friday memoir deals include phone interviews?
Not always. Check the plan the discount applies to. At Storyworth, guided phone interviews are only on the Unlimited plan. At Remento, phone recording is a separate add-on.
Do memoir subscriptions renew at the sale price?
Check each company's terms. Storyworth's pricing page lists the Unlimited renewal at $99 per year, and Remento renews at $99 per year or $12 per month. Memorygram has no renewal.
I'm very appreciative of the format, i.e., questions provided and personal questions as well as the free format style. I also appreciate the "no pressure" attitude that allows me to write when I have the time and not constantly nagging me to finish my book.
Such a great idea! I’m so glad we found this and am collecting my parents’ stories, in their own word, before it’s too late. I can’t speak to the quality of the book since we haven’t printed it yet, but the platform and process have all been really easy to use. Love it!
My 86 year old father LOVES this. We are still in the process with weekly calls which he loves because even though he can’t find his keys some days , his memory for things going back decades is unrivaled and he will talk for 45 minutes about such detailed things from his past! it’s quite fascinating. We work together to come up with the questions that he would like to answer. We have enough questions to last quite a long time. I don’t have any idea how we’re going to finally be able to edit and put it in a book, but we are enjoying the process. For him it’s perfect to be able to just talk and for it to be recorded.
I already completed my book for my children and siblings it was a great experience that I started in June and needed for Christmas.
Memorygram customer service ,
Kris in particular took care quickly of my many questions and concerns, and rushed it through well before Christmas.
When my wife said she wanted to try to write a memoir in chapters instead of questions I immediately suggested MemoryGram. She is still just getting started but finding it the perfect solution.
I captured many of my college fraternity stories using Memorygram as a 50th Reunion gift for my Colgate DU Brothers. It was a huge success and the guys loved the crazy memories presented in an attractive hard cover book! Well done!!
I love the memorial page and the Heart with the QR code is great. Being to scan it and go directly to his page knowing I won’t have to search for it is wonderful. I brought one for each of my parents as well and the loved it.
I love memorygram it has been wonderful to have a place for our memories of my decreased husband not just for me but his family and our children and grandchildren and one day their children.
I’m starting the process, but I’m so excited. This will be a fancy version of my grandma’s original family history!
(The Rose Tree).👵🏻🌹🧑🧑🧒🧒📖✍🏻
/JN (Jan/13/26)
This was an extra tag I’d purchased after I realized I should’ve gotten two. I could not figure out how to order one on the website so I went to Facebook and sent a message. I got a very prompt response with the help I needed. Within minutes I was able to place my order. I was very impressed and happy with the customer service. I’m also very satisfied with the memorial site I’ve been able to create for my son.
My mother absolutely loves this, thank you for such a thoughtful, amazing memory maker that I can pass down for generations to come to my children. What a gift!!!!!!
I have ordered books from Memorygram three times. I have found the pages of the books as well as the hardcover to be of extremely high quality, made to last for generations. The website is very user friendly and the customer service exceptional. I would highly recommend this company to anyone wishing to leave a legacy.
I found the Memorygram experience both easy and interesting. It was interesting in that the more I got into answering their question set, the more I remembered events in my life that gave me better insight to respond, It is a very solid product that lets you essentially design the book as you would like your life and experiences presented. The result is a keepsake that can be passed to future generations in a format which is easy for someone to read through. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to express their experiences and thoughts, either with a partner or individually.
I recently had a bench dedicated for my son. The plaque is nice, but I was very happy to see these medallions advertised. I immediately ordered one for the bench. The adhesive seems to be very strong and should last. My only issue has been uploading photos and a video. I figured out the photos but have not had luck with the video. Overall, I love this product and have suggested it to friends.
Store owner replied:
Hi Pamela!
Thank you so much for your kind words. We are truly honored to help preserve his legacy for you and your family. Our team is reaching out to you via email now to help get those videos uploaded so they can be included and cherished for years to come.
I love that I have an indoor memorial for my husband that I can share with our friends and family.
I ordered two, one for my daughter’s monument and one to have in our home. I love these and the customer service I have received from Danielle has been superb. She answers my emails the same day and has resolved any issues promptly. Best customer service ever!
I adore my dog tags. I made the memorial in honor of my dad, and the tags did not disappoint. Anytime I wanted to show my friends and family, the QR code worked wonderfully. Any problem that I might have had was resolved very quickly. Only thing is I wish you could add more pics at a time but otherwise it is fantastic.
Well, my daughter and I purchased it for my husband for Father's day. He has a lot of history and stories from his military experience, work as a postal executive and just life in general. We are a blended family. so this is something he can pass down to his grandchildren and great children...it's just an amazing way for him to share his life with his family, young and old.
Hello Memorygram,
I just want to say that things are going very well with the Memorygram tool. It’s not only easy to use, but it’s also deeply meaningful. It allows me to preserve, organize, and reflect on moments that matter—stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
It’s been a powerful part of my personal journey, especially as I work to honor family history, culture, and hard-earned wisdom across generations. Thank you for creating something that respects memory and empowers legacy.
Gratefully,
Murf
I love that it came with both the necklace and Keychain. I use it as a Keychain and shared the link with several friends and family who really love the idea to memorialize their own loved ones.
I lost my daughter a year ago. I was working on this for a couple of days to add pictures and videos of her life. It's a great idea to keep your loved ones alive. Thank you for creating this tool.
I am writing my own memoir stories instead of using the questions provided (although they are quite good), and am enjoying the experience. I am having difficulty adding photos to my stories, though. Any help would be appreciated.
Your site is easily navigated and easy to understand, so thanks for that.
S Pope
Store owner replied:
Hi Sarah. Thank you so much for your kind words! We designed Memorygram to be easy for every age and tech level. We’ll email you right away with simple steps for adding photos to make sure you are set —happy writing!
this is a good way to share your thought and memory to the love one who has left us too soon, no matter what age they were. they will always be young in our hearts
I love the heart I ordered for my son’s grave stone. I have not yet gotten to add Dominic’s memories to the QR but I can’t wait to share his memories and his life.
The heart plaque is very well made and quality material. I also ordered the dog tag necklace. I love wearing it in memory of My Dominic.
This has helped me with my grieving process. I could out this out there and anyone who wanted to know about my son could scan the memory gram and know al about him. Everyone has enjoyed being able to learn about Ethan and what he was like when he was here on earth.
