Phone calls have become one of the most popular ways to capture a parent's or grandparent's life story. No typing, no apps, and for many older storytellers, no learning curve at all. But "phone feature" means very different things depending on which memoir service you choose. Some services record an answer to a question. Some connect a family member to the call. Only a few actually interview the storyteller with follow-up questions, and the price of that feature varies widely.
This guide compares the phone features offered by Memorygram, Storyworth, and Remento: what happens on each type of call, which plans include it, and what it costs over time, including subscription renewals.
The Short Answer
Memorygram includes guided phone interviews with follow-up questions in every Legacy Book, a one-time purchase of $93 with no subscription, no renewal fee, and no plan tiers. At Storyworth, the comparable feature, weekly guided phone interviews, is only on the Unlimited plan, which costs $199, about twice Memorygram's price, and auto-renews yearly at $99. Remento sells "Record by Phone Call" as a $25 add-on to its $99 subscription. Remento's checkout describes it as an automated interviewer that guides each recording, but its help center describes a call that reads the prompt aloud, plays a beep, and records the answer, with no follow-up questions in the call flow.
Phone Interview vs. Phone Recording: Why It Matters
Not every "phone feature" is an interview. A phone recording plays a question and records whatever the storyteller says. A phone interview asks a question, listens, and then asks follow-up questions to draw out names, places, feelings, and details. For storytellers who tend to give short answers, the follow-up questions are what turn a two-minute reply into a full story. When comparing prices, check which one you are paying for.
For a deeper look at how each type of call works and what to ask before you buy, see our guide to phone recording vs. phone interview.
The Three Types of Phone Features
Memoir services use the word "phone" to describe three different things:
- Phone recording. The service calls the storyteller, reads the question, and records the answer. Nobody responds while the storyteller talks. The result is usually a transcript.
- Family call (bridged call). The service dials the storyteller and a relative at the same time and records their conversation. The relative asks the questions. The service does not.
- Guided phone interview. An automated interviewer asks a question, listens, and asks follow-up questions based on what the storyteller just said. The conversation is then written into a finished story.
Only the third type does the interviewing for you.
Every Phone Feature Compared: What It Does and What It Costs
Memorygram Guided Phone Interview
Type: Guided phone interview
On the call: The interviewer asks one question, then follow-up prompts about what the storyteller saw, who was there, what they felt, and what they learned. Storytellers can ask for a different question mid-call.
Follow-up questions: Yes
Written result: Polished narrative with filler words removed; original audio saved
How calls start: Weekly scheduled calls at days and times the family chooses, an email link, or a dedicated number the storyteller can dial anytime
Cost: Included in the $93 Legacy Book, one-time, no renewal
Storyworth Story Calls (listed as "Voice record stories")
Type: Phone recording
On the call: The storyteller requests a call, Storyworth calls, and the storyteller answers the week's question
Follow-up questions: No
Written result: Word-for-word transcript; a built-in proofreader is available for the storyteller to run
Plans: Color ($99) and Unlimited ($199)
Storyworth Family Calls
Type: Family call (bridged call)
On the call: Both people enter their phone numbers, both receive a call, an automated prompt plays the question, and the relative asks the questions
Follow-up questions: Only from the relative on the line
Written result: Cleaned-up transcript of the conversation
Plans: Monthly on Color ($99), weekly on Unlimited ($199)
Storyworth Magic Interviews (listed as "Weekly guided phone interviews")
Type: Guided phone interview
On the call: Storyworth's automated interviewer asks follow-up questions as the storyteller talks
Follow-up questions: Yes
Written result: Polished narrative
Plans: Unlimited only ($199, auto-renews at $99 per year). Some Storyworth blog posts say this feature is on the Color plan, but Storyworth's pricing page lists it only on Unlimited.
Remento Record by Phone Call
Type: Phone recording
On the call: Remento calls at the scheduled weekly time, explains the session, reads the prompt aloud, plays a beep, and records for up to 30 minutes. The storyteller hangs up when done. A missed call can be restarted from the link in the email or text prompt.
Follow-up questions: None in the call flow described in Remento's help center
Written result: Speech-to-Story narrative or cleaned transcript
Availability: U.S. customers only
Cost: $25 add-on to the $99 plan, $124 total in year one; the plan auto-renews at $99 per year or $12 per month
Price Comparison at a Glance
Memorygram Legacy Book
Price: $93, one-time; no subscription or auto-billing
Phone features: Guided phone interviews, weekly scheduled calls, anytime call-in number
Follow-up questions on the call: Yes
Storyworth Basic
Price: $69
Phone features: None listed
Follow-up questions on the call: No
Storyworth Color
Price: $99
Phone features: Phone recording, monthly Family Calls
Follow-up questions on the call: No
Storyworth Unlimited
Price: $199; auto-renews yearly at $99
Phone features: Weekly guided phone interviews, phone recording, weekly Family Calls
Follow-up questions on the call: Yes
Remento
Price: $99; auto-renews at $99 per year or $12 per month. Phone add-on: $25
Phone features: Record by Phone Call (add-on)
Follow-up questions on the call: Not in the documented call flow
What It Costs to Get a Guided Phone Interview
The fair comparison is the price of a phone call that actually interviews the storyteller with follow-up questions. Here is what that costs in the first year:
- Memorygram: $93, one-time, included in every Legacy Book
- Storyworth: $199, Unlimited plan only
- Remento: Not offered; its phone add-on records answers without follow-up questions
What about Storyworth Color at $99?
Storyworth Color is priced about the same as Memorygram, but it does not include guided phone interviews. Its phone feature is a recording: the storyteller answers the week's question and gets a word-for-word transcript, with no follow-up questions on the call. Color also includes monthly Family Calls, where a relative joins the call and asks the questions. To get Storyworth's version of the interview Memorygram includes, you need the $199 Unlimited plan.
What about Remento's $25 phone add-on?
Remento's Record by Phone Call brings the first-year price to $124, about $25 more than Memorygram, and the call reads the prompt, plays a beep, and records the answer. Paying more at Remento still does not get you follow-up questions during the call.
Renewal charges if not cancelled after year one
- Memorygram: None
- Storyworth Unlimited: $99 per year
- Remento: $99 per year or $12 per month
One-Time Purchase vs. Subscription: The Real Cost Over Time
Memorygram is a one-time purchase. Storyworth Unlimited and Remento are subscriptions that renew every year unless cancelled. Here is what each costs over three years if the subscription is left running.
Memorygram Legacy Book (guided phone interviews)
Year 1: $93
Through Year 2: $93
Through Year 3: $93
Storyworth Unlimited (guided phone interviews)
Year 1: $199
Through Year 2: $298
Through Year 3: $397
Remento + Record by Phone Call (phone recording, $25 add-on counted once)
Year 1: $124
Through Year 2: $223
Through Year 3: $322
In year one, Storyworth's guided interviews cost about twice what Memorygram charges. By year three, the total is about four times Memorygram's price. Remento costs more than Memorygram from the first year and does not include follow-up questions in its documented call flow.
Cancelling a subscription also changes what you can do. Remento's FAQ states that storytellers cannot record new stories without an active subscription. Memorygram has nothing to cancel and nothing to renew.
Where the Others Come Out Ahead
Storyworth Unlimited includes two full-color books and lets you give separate memoirs, each with guided phone interviews, to unlimited family members while the plan is active, which can make sense for families recording several storytellers in separate books. Remento lets storytellers record video as well as audio, and its checkout lists extra hardcover copies at $59 each (regularly $69). For a single storyteller, or two parents sharing one book, Memorygram is the lowest-priced way to get guided phone interviews and the only option with no renewal.
Memorygram: How the Phone Interview Works
Families choose the days and times for weekly scheduled calls. When the call comes in, the storyteller answers and Memorygram's automated phone interviewer asks one question, then offers gentle follow-up prompts, such as what they saw, who was with them, what they felt, and what they learned. If the storyteller doesn't like a question, they can ask for a different one during the call.
Storytellers can also start a call from an email link or dial Memorygram's interviewer number directly whenever they feel inspired, which helps if they miss a scheduled call.
Most stories take about 5 to 15 minutes, and storytellers can talk for up to 30 minutes. The phone feature works on any phone, including a landline, with no internet, app, or smartphone needed. It is available in the United States with U.S. phone numbers.
After each call, the recording is transcribed and written into a polished narrative with filler words removed. Voice recordings are saved as downloadable audio files, and a QR code printed in the book plays the storyteller's voice. Memorygram's voice-to-text transcription is currently English only, and the original audio is always saved.
What's included for $93: one 8.5" x 11" full-color hardcover book (up to 450 pages), guided phone interviews, voice recordings with QR code playback, a downloadable PDF e-book, and unlimited sharing. There is no subscription and no auto-billing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a phone interview memoir service cost?
In 2026, guided phone interviews with follow-up questions cost $93 one-time with Memorygram and $199 for the first year with Storyworth's Unlimited plan, which then auto-renews at $99 per year. Remento's phone option is a $25 add-on to its $99 plan, and its documented call flow records the answer without follow-up questions.
Is Memorygram a subscription?
No. The Memorygram Legacy Book is a one-time purchase of $93. There is no subscription, no auto-billing, and no renewal fee, and guided phone interviews are included.
Which memoir service gives the most phone features for the price?
For one storyteller, Memorygram includes guided phone interviews with follow-up questions, scheduled weekly calls, and an anytime call-in number for $93 one-time. Getting guided phone interviews at Storyworth requires the $199 Unlimited plan, which renews at $99 per year. Remento's phone option costs $124 in the first year and renews at $99 per year, and its documented call flow records answers without follow-up questions.
Does Storyworth Color include phone interviews?
No. Storyworth Color ($99) includes phone recording with a word-for-word transcript and monthly Family Calls, but not guided phone interviews with follow-up questions. Those are only on the $199 Unlimited plan.
What's the difference between Storyworth Story Calls, Family Calls, and Magic Interviews?
Story Calls record the storyteller's answer and produce a word-for-word transcript. Family Calls connect the storyteller and a relative on one call, and the relative asks the questions. Magic Interviews are the only one of the three where Storyworth asks follow-up questions, and they are only on the $199 Unlimited plan.
How much will Storyworth Unlimited cost after the first year?
Storyworth Unlimited costs $199 for the first year and auto-renews at $99 per year unless cancelled, for a total of $397 over three years.
Does Remento do phone interviews?
Remento's checkout describes its $25 Record by Phone Call add-on as an automated interviewer that guides each recording. Its help center describes the call itself: the prompt is read aloud, a beep plays, and the storyteller's answer is recorded for up to 30 minutes. No follow-up questions are part of that call flow.
Does Storyworth include phone calls on every plan?
No. Storyworth's pricing page lists no phone features on Basic, phone recording and monthly Family Calls on Color, and weekly guided phone interviews on Unlimited.
What is the cheapest way to get guided phone interviews for a parent?
Among Memorygram, Storyworth, and Remento, Memorygram has the lowest price for guided phone interviews with follow-up questions at $93 one-time, with no renewal fee.
Is there a subscription for phone interviews?
Memorygram is a one-time purchase with no auto-billing. Storyworth's Unlimited plan auto-renews yearly at $99 unless cancelled. Remento auto-renews at $99 per year or $12 per month unless cancelled.
Do these phone features work on a landline?
Memorygram and Storyworth both state their phone features work on any phone, including landlines. Remento's Record by Phone Call help article does not mention landlines.
Can my parent call in instead of waiting for a scheduled call?
Memorygram storytellers can dial an interviewer number anytime. Storyworth storytellers request a call through their account. Remento storytellers can start a phone recording from the link in their email or text prompt.
Can two parents share one book, and what does it cost?
Memorygram: Both parents can tell their stories in the same book, and both get guided phone interviews. Adding the second storyteller costs $50, for a total of $143, one-time, with no renewal.
Storyworth: Each Storyworth memoir is for one storyteller. To get guided phone interviews for both parents, you need the Unlimited plan at $199, which gives each parent their own memoir and auto-renews at $99 per year. Storyworth can combine two storytellers into one book, but only by contacting its support team, and each storyteller gets a separate section.
Remento: Remento is designed for one storyteller per book, so each parent gets a separate book. A second storyteller costs a one-time $99, for a total of $198 before the $25 phone add-on, and the subscription renews at $99 per year or $12 per month. The phone add-on records answers without follow-up questions.
Related Guides
- Phone Recording vs. Phone Interview: What Memoir "Phone Features" Actually Do
- Storyworth Color vs. Unlimited: Which Plan Includes Phone Interviews?
- How Much Does Storyworth Cost After the First Year?
- The Best Memoir Gift for a Parent Without a Smartphone or Internet
- Memoir Gift for Both Parents: One Shared Book vs. Separate Books
- Memoir Gift Guide 2026: What You Actually Get for the Price
Prices and features as of October 2026, based on each company's published pricing pages, checkout pages, and help center articles.
