Last verification: August 2026
If you want to preserve a parent's, grandparent's, or loved one's life story, Memorygram offers a simple way to turn memories into a professionally printed family keepsake. Unlike traditional memoir services that require extensive writing, Memorygram allows storytellers to answer questions by speaking or writing, add personal photos, and eventually turn those memories into a hardcover book.
What makes Memorygram particularly interesting is its focus on preserving the storyteller's actual voice. Each story can be connected to a QR code in the finished book, allowing family members to scan the code and listen to the original recording while reading the story.
Memorygram is a life-story and memoir service designed to help people preserve their personal memories and family history. The service guides storytellers through questions about their childhood, family, relationships, career, important life events, values, and experiences.
Instead of asking someone to write an autobiography from beginning to end, Memorygram breaks the process into individual questions. Users can answer by typing, using voice-to-text, or talking through Memorygram's phone interview feature. Photos can also be uploaded throughout the process.
The stories and photos are eventually compiled into a full-color hardcover book. Memorygram currently describes its Legacy Book as an 8.5" × 11" coffee-table-style book, with up to 450 pages and a customizable cover.
The process is designed to be relatively simple and can be completed at the storyteller's own pace.
1. Purchase a Memorygram Book
You first purchase the Memorygram Legacy Book and identify who will be telling the stories. If you're buying it as a gift, you can schedule when the recipient receives the digital invitation, so you don't have to ship anything to get started.
2. Answer Questions About Your Life
Memorygram provides guided questions designed to encourage meaningful stories. You can choose from its question library, create your own questions, or answer the questions provided by the service.
The platform currently allows users to select up to 60 questions and adjust how frequently they receive them. You can also work at your own pace rather than strictly following a weekly schedule.
3. Speak or Write Your Stories
This is one of Memorygram's biggest differences from traditional memoir services.
You don't have to sit down and type everything. You can record your memories using voice-to-text or use Memorygram's phone interview feature. The phone option works with regular phones, including landlines, so the storyteller doesn't necessarily need a smartphone, app, or internet connection.
4. Add Photos and Edit Your Stories
Family photos can be added to individual stories, and users can return later to edit stories, rearrange photos, and make changes before the book is printed. Family members can also help with the process.
5. Create the Hardcover Book
Once the stories are ready, Memorygram turns them into a professionally printed hardcover book. Users can customize the cover and preview the book before printing. The current Legacy Book format is an 8.5" × 11" full-color hardcover designed as a substantial family keepsake.
1. Voice Recording and QR Codes:The most distinctive feature is the ability to preserve the storyteller's actual voice.After recording a story, the audio can be saved and connected to a QR code in the printed book. A family member can scan the QR code with a phone and hear the original storyteller telling the story in their own voice.This adds something that a traditional printed memoir cannot provide. Years later, family members can read the story while hearing the person's voice, accent, laugh, and storytelling style.
2. Phone-Based Storytelling:Memorygram is also designed for people who aren't comfortable with modern technology. The phone interview feature allows the storyteller to simply answer questions over the phone.This can be particularly useful for older parents and grandparents who don't want to download an app, create complicated accounts, or type long answers.
3. Guided Questions:Rather than starting with a blank page, storytellers receive questions that help trigger memories.Questions can cover childhood, parents, family traditions, relationships, career, challenges, important life lessons, and other meaningful experiences. Users can also customize the questions or write their own.
4. Full-Color Hardcover Book:Memorygram isn't simply a digital memory-storage platform. The end product is a physical hardcover book.The current book format is 8.5" × 11", with full-color printing and space for photos throughout. The cover can also be customized with personal photos and text.
5. Family Members Can Participate:Memorygram doesn't have to be a one-person project. Family members can help select questions, upload photos, and contribute stories.This makes it possible to create a shared family history rather than simply one person's autobiography.
Memorygram is particularly well suited for:
Parents and grandparents — especially those who have decades of stories but don't enjoy writing.
Families looking for a meaningful gift — It can work well for birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day, Father's Day, retirement, or other milestones.
People who want a physical keepsake — The finished hardcover book makes it more tangible than a digital-only memory service.
Families who want to preserve a loved one's voice — The QR audio feature makes Memorygram especially interesting for this use case.
People who don't want to write an autobiography — The ability to speak stories instead of typing them can make the process considerably easier.
Memorygram is most compelling if your priority is preserving the emotional side of a person's story, not simply creating a written autobiography.
The combination of guided questions, voice recording, photographs, QR-linked audio, and a physical hardcover book creates a more immersive keepsake than a traditional text-only memoir. It is also relatively accessible for older adults because they can tell their stories over the phone rather than learning a new app or typing everything themselves.
The biggest consideration is whether you actually want these features. If all you need is a simple written memoir, a less voice-focused service may be sufficient. But if you want future generations to read the stories, see the photos, and hear the person's actual voice, Memorygram offers a particularly compelling package.
Memorygram uses a one-time purchase model rather than a recurring subscription. At the time of writing, the company's website lists the Legacy Book at approximately $98.80–$99 on sale, although pricing and promotions can change.
The purchase currently includes:
Additional copies can be purchased for family members. Memorygram's website currently advertises discounted pricing for additional copies when ordered with the original book, so it's worth checking the current price before purchasing.
We want to help you decide if Memorygram is right for you. For more information on how to choose the best life story and memoir service, and why our Reviews Team considers Memorygram a top option for preserving family stories, voices, and memories, see our full Memorygram review.
Why Trust Our Expert Review?
5,200 HOURS OF RESEARCH • 10 EXPERTS CONSULTED • 1 SURVEY DEPLOYED
Our Reviews Team recommends life story services we believe can genuinely help families preserve meaningful memories for generations to come. We’ve spent extensive time researching and comparing memoir and life-story services to provide the most accurate Memorygram review. To make these recommendations, we:
To provide a fair and useful Memorygram review, our Reviews Team evaluated the service based on the factors that matter most when choosing a life story service. We looked at the ease of getting started, storytelling options, quality of the prompts, voice-recording experience, photo integration, book quality, customization, overall value, and the time and effort required to complete the process.
We also considered how well Memorygram works for different types of storytellers, including people who prefer speaking rather than writing. Our goal was to determine whether Memorygram delivers on its promise of making it easier to preserve meaningful stories, family memories, photos, and the storyteller’s authentic voice in a keepsake that can be enjoyed for generations.
✔️ Easy to Use — Simple prompts and flexible storytelling options make it easy to start preserving memories without writing an entire autobiography.
✔️ Voice-Friendly — Share stories by speaking instead of typing, making Memorygram especially convenient for parents and grandparents.
✔️Preserve Their Voice — QR codes can connect stories in the finished book to original voice recordings, helping preserve the storyteller’s authentic voice.
✔️ Beautiful Keepsake — Turn personal stories and photos into a professionally printed hardcover book that can be treasured for generations.
✔️ Personalized — Choose from guided questions or create your own prompts to focus on the memories that matter most.
✔️ Family-Friendly — Family members can participate by helping collect stories, photos, and meaningful memories.
✔️ Convenient Phone Interviews — Loved ones can share their stories over the phone without needing to type or learn complicated technology.
✔️ Work at Your Own Pace — Answer questions gradually and build the story over time rather than trying to complete everything in one sitting.