Memorygram Biography Service vs. Legacy Book: Which One Is Right for Your Family?
Memorygram offers two ways to turn a loved one’s life story into a full-color hardcover book:
The Legacy Book is self-guided. Your loved one tells their stories by phone call, text, email or typing. An automated interviewer asks the questions, and your family edits and arranges the book. It’s a one-time purchase under $100.
The Biography Service is done for you. A professional journalist interviews your loved one in live, one-on-one sessions, then Memorygram’s writers and designers create the finished book. Packages start at $2,997.
Both end in a premium 8.5" x 11" full-color hardcover. The difference is who does the work: your family, or Memorygram’s team.
Side-by-side comparison
How the Legacy Book works
The Legacy Book is built for families who want to capture a loved one’s stories in their own words, at their own pace.
You set it up. Name the storyteller, then choose how questions arrive (phone call, text or email) and how often.
You choose the questions. Pick from Memorygram’s question library or write your own. Family members can choose questions for the storyteller.
They tell their stories. On a phone call, an automated interviewer asks one question and offers follow-up prompts. Most stories take 5 to 15 minutes. The phone feature works on any phone, including a landline, with no internet, app or smartphone (U.S. numbers).
Every story is saved. Each one is transcribed, and the original audio is always kept as a downloadable file.
You build the book. Edit stories, add photos, rearrange the order and preview the book as a PDF as often as you like. Most books include 35 to 55 stories.
You print it. Customize the cover, title and author names. Every copy includes a QR code that plays the storyteller’s voice.
Extras:
Add a second storyteller to the same book for $50.
Order extra copies for $77 each with your purchase (regularly $89).
Shipping is calculated when your finished book is ready to print.
A 30-day money-back guarantee applies as long as no books have been printed.
How the Biography Service works
The Biography Service is for families who want a polished, professionally written biography without doing the writing or editing themselves.
Free consultation. A relaxed phone call about your loved one and who the book is for.
Journalist match. Memorygram matches you with a professional journalist. There’s no contract or payment until you’ve met and approved them.
Live interviews. One-on-one sessions of about an hour each, held remotely: 6, 8 or 10 depending on package. Memorygram states that interviews are always with a real journalist, never AI.
Professional writing. After the full interview series, a writer turns everything into one manuscript in your loved one’s voice.
Your review. You read the full manuscript and send notes on what to change, add or clarify.
Design and photos. Photos are placed beside the related text, and the team designs a custom cover.
Final approval. Nothing goes to print until you approve it.
Packages:
Memorygram describes Platinum as its top gifting choice, Sapphire as suited to couples telling their story together, and Diamond as its best seller.
Which one should you choose?
Choose the Legacy Book if:
Budget matters, and you’d like a beautiful book for under $100
Your loved one is happy to talk on the phone, text or type at their own pace
Someone in the family is comfortable editing transcripts and adding photos
You want their voice recordings saved, with a QR code in every copy
You want both parents in one book for just $50 more
Choose the Biography Service if:
You want a professionally written narrative, not edited transcripts
No one in the family has time to edit or design the book
Your loved one’s story is complex (a long career, military service, immigration, a family business) and would benefit from a skilled interviewer’s follow-up questions
You want multiple hardcover copies included for different branches of the family
You want a firm timeline, starting at 1 to 2 months with Platinum
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between the Memorygram Legacy Book and the Biography Service? The Legacy Book is self-guided. An automated interviewer collects stories by phone, text or email, and the family edits and arranges the book. The Biography Service is done for you: a professional journalist interviews your loved one, and Memorygram’s writers and designers create the finished book.
How much does each cost? The Legacy Book is a one-time purchase under $100. Biography Service packages are $2,997 (Platinum), $3,999 (Sapphire) and $6,000 (Diamond), with Custom packages from $3,500. Each package can be paid in three installments.
Is the Biography Service interview done by AI? No. Memorygram states that every Biography Service interview is a live conversation with a real journalist. The Legacy Book uses an automated phone interviewer.
Which one is faster? The Biography Service Platinum package lists a timeline of 1 to 2 months. The Legacy Book typically takes 6 to 8 months at one question per week, or about 2 to 3 months if your loved one answers several questions a week.
Do both include a hardcover book? Yes. Both produce an 8.5" x 11" full-color hardcover. The Legacy Book includes one copy and a downloadable PDF e-book. Biography Service packages include 3, 5 or 10 copies plus a digital copy.
Which one saves my loved one’s voice? The Legacy Book always saves the original audio as downloadable files, and every printed copy includes a QR code that plays the recordings.
Can two people be in the same book? Yes. With the Legacy Book, add a second storyteller to the same book for $50. With the Biography Service, the Sapphire package is designed for couples telling their story together.
Does my loved one need a smartphone or computer? Not for the Legacy Book. Its phone feature works on any phone, including a landline, with no internet or apps (U.S. numbers). Biography Service interviews are held remotely. Ask about the format during the free consultation.
We really appreciate the opportunity to tell our story through Memorygram. We have met with challenges since embarking upon this project. Things are expected to improve soon. Slowly, but surely we aim to complete our story!
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.
Very nice platform and features. Support has been very helpful when experiencing issues with features. They are responsive and have taken care of everything I have uncovered. Needed an order that I couldn't place on the site, and they were very helpful in getting it adjusted per my request.
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.
