The shoebox is on the table. Old prints, a few cassette tapes, a family tree your uncle typed out in 1994, and a phone full of photos of the grandchildren. Which app should all of this go into? There is no single answer, because these apps do different things. This guide says what each one is for, what it costs, who can see what you put in, how you get it out again, and in which languages it works.
Updated 16 October 2026, with a new section on HereAfter AI shutting down; first published 27 September 2026. Prices last checked: 3 October 2026, on each maker's own website. We make The Memory Palace, an app made by a small team in Leuven, Belgium, and it is one of the apps below. We describe the others as fairly as we can, and say where they are the better choice.
The short answer
For a printed book of one person's life, choose Storyworth (writing) or Remento (speaking). For a free archive tied to a family tree, FamilySearch Memories. For the thousands of everyday photos, Google Photos with shared albums. For storage you pay for once, FOREVER. For the practical side, accounts and documents plus voice memories for heirs, MyLifeLedger. For one place where photos, voices, the family tree and the stories behind them stay together, in your own language, The Memory Palace.
Whichever app you consider, ask what happens to your memories if the maker stops. Our own answer is on what happens if we stop. To try ours, get The Memory Palace app; the link opens the right store for your phone.
Seven apps at a glance
| App | Format | Price (as stated) | Who can view | Export | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storyworth | Weekly questions, then a printed book | $69, $99 or $199 for the first year (Unlimited renews at $99) | People on your sharing list | E-book downloads | English and Spanish; write in any language |
| Remento | Spoken stories, a book with QR codes, an app | $99 the first year, then $99 a year or $12 a month | Private by default, invited family | Download recordings, photos and stories | Speech-to-story in English and Spanish |
| MyLifeLedger | Organiser for accounts and documents, with voice memories and life stories | $49 a year, first year covers two people | Private, with invited family per section | Everything in one click | Not stated |
| FamilySearch Memories | Online archive and app, linked to the family tree | Free | Public by default for deceased people, private for living people | Download per item | Not stated on the Memories page |
| Google Photos shared albums | Cloud photo library with shared albums | 15 GB free, then from €1.99 a month | Anyone with the link, or chosen accounts | Google Takeout, ZIP or TGZ | Not stated on the pages checked |
| FOREVER | Paid-once storage for photos and video | One-time, from $179.99 (10 GB) to $10,999.99 (2 TB); 2 GB free to try | The people you choose | Not stated on the pricing page | Not stated |
| The Memory Palace | A walkable 3D palace with photos, video, voices, stories and family tree | Free (1 GB), Keeper €49 a year, Guardian €79 a year | Private until you invite someone to a room or wing | Full ZIP on every plan, family tree as GEDCOM | English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish |
Prices and features change. Check them on the maker's site before you buy.
For a book of one person's life: Storyworth and Remento
Storyworth sends the storyteller one question a week. They answer in writing, or on the Color and Unlimited plans by phone. After a year the stories are printed as a hardcover book. It costs $69, $99 or $199 for the first year. Only people on your sharing list can read the stories, and when the subscription ends you keep access to them. It is offered in English and Spanish, and you can write in any language; our article on Storyworth in other languages lists local alternatives.
Remento also sends weekly prompts, but the storyteller speaks the answers. Each recording becomes an editable written story, and the printed book has QR codes that play the original voice. It costs $99 for the first year. If you stop paying, you can still view all recordings; you only cannot record new ones. Speech-to-story works in English and Spanish.
For a free archive close to the family tree: FamilySearch Memories
FamilySearch Memories is free. You can save photos, stories, documents and audio recordings, linked to the people in the FamilySearch family tree. Memories about deceased people are public by default and can be found by others; memories about living people are private. You download them item by item.
For everyday photos: Google Photos shared albums
Google Photos backs up the photos on your phone. A shared album can be opened by anyone with the link, who can also add photos, or only by the Google accounts you choose. You get 15 GB free, shared with Gmail and Drive; 100 GB costs €1.99 a month. Google Takeout exports everything as ZIP or TGZ files. If you stay over your storage quota for two years, content may be removed, with at least three months' notice. It is excellent for the thousands of photos of daily life, less so for the story behind the one photo that matters.
For storage you pay for once: FOREVER
FOREVER sells storage as a one-time purchase, from $179.99 for 10 GB to $10,999.99 for 2 TB, with 2 GB free to try. On paid storage it guarantees access for your lifetime plus 100 years. You share with the people you choose. Its pricing page does not describe how you export your files, and we found no Dutch, German or French interface.
For paperwork and voice memories for heirs: MyLifeLedger
MyLifeLedger is an organiser for the practical things heirs need to find, such as where accounts and documents are, with room for voice memories and life stories. It costs $49 a year, and the first year covers two people. You choose per section which family members can see what. Everything can be exported in one click, and if you stop paying, the ledger stays available read-only. Other languages than English are not stated.
For everything together: The Memory Palace
The Memory Palace, which we make, is your own 3D memory palace: your photos, voice recordings and stories each get a room you can walk through. Private by default; invite family and friends when you choose. Videos and the family tree go in as well, and you invite people per room or wing. On the Guardian plan you also choose who may take over the palace later, and when. The family tree comes in and goes out as GEDCOM, and a full ZIP export is available on every plan, including the free one.
- Price: a free plan with unlimited rooms and 1 GB, Keeper €49 a year (25 GB), Guardian €79 a year (100 GB, with legacy access for heirs).
- Where: in the browser, on iPhone and iPad, and on Android.
- Languages: English, Dutch, German, French and Spanish. Data is stored in the EU.
- Where it is not the best choice: it does not print a book (it does send a weekly question by email). For that, Storyworth or Remento gets you there more directly.
When an app closes: HereAfter AI (new, 16 October 2026)
HereAfter AI let people record their life stories by voice for their loved ones. In July 2026 its own homepage said: "unfortunately HereAfter is shutting down", and asked account holders who want their life story recordings to email its support address. On 16 October 2026 hereafter.ai showed only an error page ("Page not found"). If you used it, write to support now and keep the files you get in two places. For everyone else it is the reason to check, before you start, how you get your recordings out and what a maker promises if it stops. Our own answer is on what happens if we stop.
How to choose
- Decide what you want to end up with. A book on the shelf, a safe copy of every photo, a family tree, or a place the family visits together.
- Check who can see it. Public by default, a link anyone can open, or private until you invite: these differ more than the front pages suggest.
- Check how you get your data out. Memories outlive subscriptions. Download a copy now and then, whatever you pick.
- Check the language. A grandmother who speaks only Dutch or French will not answer questions in English.
- Start with one person and one box. The best app is the one your family actually uses.
Whatever you choose, start with the oldest photos and the oldest people. Our guide on organising old family photos digitally is a good first step.
If the memories you want to keep are mostly your own, from friendships, travels or a period in your life, read apps to keep your own memories, compared.
Sources
- Storyworth, pricing: welcome.storyworth.com/storyworth-pricing
- Storyworth, supported languages: help.storyworth.com/en_US/what-languages-are-supported
- Storyworth, when a subscription ends: help.storyworth.com/en_US/manage-account/when-does-my-subscription-end
- Remento, FAQ: remento.co/faq
- MyLifeLedger, pricing: mylifeledger.com/pricing
- FamilySearch Memories: familysearch.org/en/memories
- FamilySearch Help Center, who can view Memories: familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/who-can-view-the-items-uploaded-to-memories
- Google Photos Help, shared albums: support.google.com/photos/answer/6131416
- Google One plans: one.google.com/about/plans
- Google One Help, storage over quota: support.google.com/googleone/answer/9312312
- Google Takeout: support.google.com/accounts/answer/3024190
- FOREVER, pricing: forever.com/pricing
- HereAfter AI, homepage as archived on 21 July 2026 ("HereAfter is shutting down"): web.archive.org/web/20260721214652/https://www.hereafter.ai
- The Memory Palace, pricing: thememorypalace.ai/pricing