[{"_1":2,"_3":-5,"_4":-5},"loaderData",{"_5":6,"_7":8},"actionData","errors","root",{"_13":14},"routes/author.$slug",{"_9":10,"_11":12,"_13":14,"_15":16,"_17":16,"_18":19,"_20":21},"posts",[39],"author",{"_22":23,"_24":25,"_26":27,"_28":-5,"_29":30,"_31":-5,"_32":-5,"_33":-5,"_34":-5,"_35":-5,"_36":-5,"_37":38},"locale","en","currentPage",1,"totalPages","siteName","TellMeYourStory App","siteUrl","https://tellmeyourstoryapp.com","slug","rachel-okonkwo","name","Rachel Okonkwo","bio","Rachel covers data privacy and security in consumer technology, with a focus on how personal information is stored and protected.","avatarUrl","jobTitle","Digital Privacy Journalist","company","twitterHandle","linkedinUrl","websiteUrl","createdAt","updatedAt","id",4,{"_37":40,"_22":41,"_13":14,"_42":-5,"_43":-5,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":45,"_55":47,"_56":-5,"_57":38,"_58":16,"_59":60,"_61":-5,"_36":-5,"_35":-5,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_11":12,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71},19,"tmys-vs-lifetales","translationOfId","translationOfKey","title","Tell Me Your Story vs LifeTales: Honest Comparison (2026)","excerpt","Tell Me Your Story: AI tools and a digital book PDF.","content","\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Feature	Tell Me Your Story	LifeTales
Price	$49.99 (Standard) / $79.99 (Premium) — one-time	$10/mo beta ($120/yr), $19.99/mo after beta ($240/yr)
Payment model	One-time purchase, no renewal	Annual or monthly subscription
True cost over 3 years	$49.99–$79.99 total	$360–$720 (annual) or $1,800 (monthly) + book fees
Input method	Voice-first (speak, don't type)	Text, video, photos (no voice-first workflow)
AI features	Story polish (3 levels), follow-up questions, book assembly	None (listed as upcoming)
Privacy	Device and iCloud storage. Book manuscripts and original story text on our service.	Company AWS servers (Toronto, Canada)
Data ownership	Device and iCloud storage. Manuscripts and original story text stored by our service.	User owns content per ToS, stored on company servers
If company shuts down	Stories safe in your iCloud	Must download ZIP backup; server access lost
Languages	6 (EN, DE, FR, PL, ES, IT)	English only
Book included in price	Yes — printing included	No — $69–$79 extra per copy (when available)
Offline support	Full offline recording and editing	No (web app requires internet)
Platform	Native iOS app (iPhone + iPad)	Web app only (no native mobile app)
Target user	Elderly-friendly, no tech skills needed	Tech-comfortable families who want collaboration
Collaboration	CloudKit family sharing, guest contributions	Up to 6 collaborators with social features

\n\n

How much does LifeTales actually cost over 3 years?

\n\n

Tell Me Your Story saves $670+ over three years compared to LifeTales' full-price annual plan. That gap keeps growing every month you'd still be paying.

\n\n

LifeTales runs on subscriptions. During beta: $10/month ($120/year). Once beta ends, pricing jumps to $19.99/month annual ($239.88/yr) or $49.99/month monthly ($599.88/yr). Base prices only.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Period	LifeTales (Beta)	LifeTales (Full-Price Annual)	LifeTales (Monthly)	TMYS Standard	TMYS Premium
Year 1	$120	$239.88	$599.88	$49.99	$79.99
Year 2	$240	$479.76	$1,199.76	$49.99	$79.99
Year 3	$360	$719.64	$1,799.64	$49.99	$79.99

\n\n\n\n\n\n

Which is easier for a 75-year-old to use?

\n\n

Tell Me Your Story is easier for one reason: it's voice-first. Tap a button, talk, done. LifeTales requires typing in a web browser with no native mobile app.

\n\n

LifeTales used to have an iOS app (App Store ID 1244902797). It was pulled. The current product is a JavaScript web app, built desktop-first with a mobile-responsive version added later. To use it, your parent opens Safari, types a URL, logs in, and works through a browser-based interface. Four steps before a single word gets recorded.

\n\n

The primary input is typing. LifeTales does offer video recording, but that assumes your parent is comfortable talking into a front-facing camera. There's no voice-first workflow and no \"press one button and talk\" option.

\n\n

Tell Me Your Story was built for people who've never downloaded an app before. Touch targets are 44 points minimum, the Apple accessibility guideline most apps ignore. VoiceOver reads every screen. Dynamic Type scales the text. Your mother taps Record, talks about the summer she met your father, and the app handles transcription and formatting automatically.

\n\n

LifeTales sends weekly email prompts. Smart move (memoir abandonment is the #1 reason these projects die). But responding still means typing on a website. Among the memoir apps we've tested, voice input consistently wins with older users who grew up writing letters, not typing emails.

\n\n

\"Grandmother — Voice recording means grandparents can share stories naturally, no typing required

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

LifeTales has been building since 2015 and is still in public beta as of April 2026. Eleven years of development on a memoir product that doesn't yet print memoirs. They do offer PDF downloads, e-book exports, and a downloadable offline website (an HTML archive of your memoir). Tell Me Your Story also exports PDF. But if you want a physical book to hold and gift-wrap and set on a shelf, only one of these apps delivers right now.

\n\n\n\n\n\n

Which is safer for private family stories?

\n\n

Your stories are saved on your device and in iCloud. AI and book creation send selected text and photos to our service. Our service also stores book manuscripts and the original story text so you can edit your book.

\n\n

With Tell Me Your Story, recordings and transcripts live in your private iCloud alongside any photos you attach. Your stories are saved on your device and in iCloud. AI and book creation send selected text and photos to our service. Our service also stores book manuscripts and the original story text so you can edit your book. For families serious about preserving stories long-term, that design choice makes a real difference.

\n\n

LifeTales is different. Your stories sit on AWS infrastructure managed by LifeTales Inc., a pre-seed startup in Toronto with roughly 6 employees (per Crunchbase and Tracxn). Building since 2015 without significant outside funding. Their privacy policy was last updated June 2020, before their complete product pivot from family social app to memoir platform.

\n\n

To be fair: LifeTales' terms say you own your content, and you can download a ZIP backup. But \"ownership\" and \"access\" aren't the same thing. If LifeTales shuts down and you haven't grabbed that backup, your family's stories go with them.

\n\n

Here's a detail that raised a flag. LifeTales has a FAQ section about what happens when your subscription lapses. The page uses JavaScript-rendered rich text, and the answer doesn't actually render in some browsers. For a product holding your family's most personal memories, broken transparency around data access isn't a small problem.

\n\n

Does LifeTales have AI features?

\n\n

LifeTales has zero AI features as of April 2026.

\n\n

Their feature plans list two AI-related goals: improving story prompt relevancy and adding voice transcription. Both are filed under \"Post launch\" with no announced timeline.

\n\n

Tell Me Your Story offers three AI polish levels. Raw keeps the exact words. Light removes filler and stammers. Full reshapes the recording into narrative prose while preserving the speaker's voice. Beyond polish, the AI generates follow-up questions based on what was said, extracts key memories, proposes book structure, and assembles a complete manuscript with foreword and afterword plus chapter transitions between.

\n\n

Every other memoir app released after 2024 includes some form of AI editing or transcription. LifeTales is the exception. Some families actually prefer that level of manual control (and if that's you, it might be a selling point). But it does mean the storyteller handles all the organizing and editing themselves. The Tell Me Your Story vs StoryWorth comparison shows a similar AI gap.

\n\n

What does LifeTales do better?

\n\n

Collaboration. LifeTales wins here, clearly. Up to 6 family members can contribute stories, leave comments, and react to entries within the platform. Think of it as a private social network for family memories. Tell Me Your Story has CloudKit family sharing and guest contributions but no commenting or reactions.

\n\n

Multimedia flexibility is another LifeTales advantage. You can combine text, video, photos, audio, and external links (YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud) in a single story. Tell Me Your Story handles voice recordings plus up to 4 photos per story. If your family wants embedded video alongside written narratives, LifeTales gives you more room.

\n\n

LifeTales also lets you publish selected stories as a public memoir website anyone can visit. Tell Me Your Story is private-only. And those weekly email prompts to both the storyteller and collaborators? Useful. Gentle reminders keep memoir projects from stalling, and LifeTales bakes that in.

\n\n

Who should choose which?

\n\n\n\n\n\n

Tell Me Your Story's honest limitations: iOS only with no Android or web version, no video recording, no social features (comments or likes), and no public memoir website. It requires an Apple ID and iCloud. Voice plus photos only, no embedded YouTube or Vimeo. If you need Android support or collaborative social features, LifeTales (despite its subscription model) fits better. For a broader look at alternatives, see the Tell Me Your Story vs Remento comparison.

","contentPlain","Feature Comparison:\n- Price: Tell Me Your Story $49.99 (Standard) / $79.99 (Premium) one-time vs. LifeTales $10/mo beta ($120/yr), $19.99/mo after beta ($240/yr)\n- Payment model: Tell Me Your Story one-time purchase vs. LifeTales subscription\n- True cost over 3 years: Tell Me Your Story $49.99-$79.99 total vs. LifeTales $360-$720 (annual) or $1,800 (monthly) + book fees\n- Input method: Tell Me Your Story voice-first vs. LifeTales text, video, photos (no voice-first)\n- AI features: Tell Me Your Story story polish (3 levels), follow-up questions, book assembly vs. LifeTales none (listed as upcoming)\nYour stories are saved on your device and in iCloud. AI and book creation send selected text and photos to our service. Our service also stores book manuscripts and the original story text so you can edit your book. LifeTales company AWS servers (Toronto)\n- Languages: Tell Me Your Story 6 (EN, DE, FR, PL, ES, IT) vs. LifeTales English only\n- Platform: Tell Me Your Story native iOS vs. LifeTales web app only\n\nHow much does LifeTales actually cost over 3 years?\n\nTell Me Your Story saves $670+ over three years compared to LifeTales' full-price annual plan. That gap keeps growing every month you'd still be paying.\n\n\n\n3-year cost comparison:\n- Year 1: LifeTales Beta $120, Full-Price Annual $239.88, Monthly $599.88 vs. TMYS Standard $49.99, Premium $79.99\n- Year 2: LifeTales Beta $240, Full-Price Annual $479.76, Monthly $1,199.76 vs. TMYS Standard $49.99, Premium $79.99\n- Year 3: LifeTales Beta $360, Full-Price Annual $719.64, Monthly $1,799.64 vs. TMYS Standard $49.99, Premium $79.99\n\n\nWhich is easier for a 75-year-old to use?\n\nTell Me Your Story is easier for one reason: it's voice-first. Tap a button, talk, done. LifeTales requires typing in a web browser with no native mobile app.\n\nLifeTales used to have an iOS app (App Store ID 1244902797). It was pulled. The current product is a JavaScript web app, built desktop-first with a mobile-responsive version added later. Your parent opens Safari, types a URL, logs in, and works through a browser-based interface. Four steps before a single word gets recorded.\n\nThe primary input is typing. LifeTales offers video recording but assumes comfort with talking into a front-facing camera. No voice-first workflow.\n\nTell Me Your Story was built for people who've never downloaded an app. Touch targets are 44 points minimum. VoiceOver reads every screen. Dynamic Type scales text. Tap Record, talk, the app handles transcription and formatting.\n\nLifeTales sends weekly email prompts. Smart move (memoir abandonment is the #1 reason these projects die). But responding still means typing on a website. Voice input consistently wins with older users who grew up writing letters, not typing emails.\n\n\n\n\nLifeTales has been building since 2015 and is still in public beta as of April 2026. Eleven years of development on a memoir product that doesn't yet print memoirs. They offer PDF downloads, e-book exports, and downloadable offline websites. Tell Me Your Story also exports PDF. For a physical book, only Tell Me Your Story delivers right now.\n\n\nWhich is safer for private family stories?\n\nYour stories are saved on your device and in iCloud. AI and book creation send selected text and photos to our service. Our service also stores book manuscripts and the original story text so you can edit your book.\n\nWith Tell Me Your Story, recordings and transcripts live in your private iCloud alongside any photos you attach. Your stories are saved on your device and in iCloud. AI and book creation send selected text and photos to our service. Our service also stores book manuscripts and the original story text so you can edit your book.\n\nLifeTales stories sit on AWS infrastructure managed by LifeTales Inc., a pre-seed startup in Toronto with roughly 6 employees. Building since 2015 without significant outside funding. Privacy policy last updated June 2020, before their product pivot.\n\nLifeTales terms say you own your content, and you can download a ZIP backup. But if LifeTales shuts down and you haven't grabbed that backup, your family's stories go with them.\n\nHere's a detail that raised a flag: LifeTales has a FAQ about what happens when your subscription lapses. The page uses JavaScript-rendered rich text, and the answer doesn't render in some browsers. Broken transparency around data access isn't a small problem.\n\nDoes LifeTales have AI features?\n\nLifeTales has zero AI features as of April 2026. Their plans mention improving story prompts and adding voice transcription, both listed as upcoming goals.\n\nTell Me Your Story offers three AI polish levels: Raw (exact words), Light (filler removed), Full (narrative prose preserving the speaker's voice). AI generates follow-up questions, extracts key memories, proposes book structure, and assembles a complete manuscript with foreword and afterword plus chapter transitions between.\n\nEvery other memoir app released after 2024 includes some form of AI editing or transcription. LifeTales is the exception. Some families prefer full manual control over how their stories read. But it does mean the storyteller handles all the organizing and editing themselves.\n\nWhat does LifeTales do better?\n\nCollaboration. LifeTales wins here, clearly. Up to 6 family members contribute stories, leave comments, and react to entries. Think of it as a private social network for family memories. Tell Me Your Story has CloudKit family sharing and guest contributions but no commenting or reactions.\n\nMultimedia flexibility: LifeTales combines text, video, photos, audio, and external links in one entry. Tell Me Your Story handles voice plus up to 4 photos per story.\n\nLifeTales lets you publish selected stories as a public memoir website. Tell Me Your Story is private-only. Weekly email prompts to storytellers and collaborators keep projects from stalling.\n\nWho should choose which?\n\n\n\nTell Me Your Story limitations: iOS only with no Android or web version, no video recording, no social features, and no public memoir website. Requires Apple ID and iCloud. Voice plus photos only.","citations",[],"metaTitle","metaDescription","ogImageUrl","authorId","categoryId","status","published","publishedAt","readingTimeMinutes",9,"isFeatured",false,"category",{"_22":129,"_24":130,"_82":131,"_132":133,"_54":134,"_55":135,"_136":-5,"_35":-5,"_37":16,"_137":-5},"faqs",[108,109,110,111],"postTags",[72,73,74],{"_75":40,"_76":98,"_78":99},{"_75":40,"_76":83,"_78":84},{"_75":40,"_76":77,"_78":79},"postId","tagId",14,"tag",{"_22":80,"_24":81,"_82":-5,"_35":-5,"_37":77},"lifetales-alternative","LifeTales Alternative","nameTranslations",25,{"_22":85,"_24":86,"_82":87,"_35":-5,"_37":83},"voice-recording","Voice Recording",{"_88":89,"_90":91,"_92":93,"_94":95,"_96":97},"de","Sprachaufnahme","fr","Enregistrement vocal","pl","Nagrywanie głosu","es","Grabación de voz","it","Registrazione vocale",15,{"_22":100,"_24":101,"_82":102,"_35":-5,"_37":98},"memoir-app","Memoir App",{"_88":103,"_90":104,"_92":105,"_94":106,"_96":107},"Memoiren-App","Application mémoires","Aplikacja do wspomnień","App de memorias","App per memorie",{"_37":126,"_75":40,"_35":-5,"_113":127,"_115":128,"_117":16},{"_37":122,"_75":40,"_35":-5,"_113":123,"_115":124,"_117":125},{"_37":118,"_75":40,"_35":-5,"_113":119,"_115":120,"_117":121},{"_37":112,"_75":40,"_35":-5,"_113":114,"_115":116,"_117":38},"en:tmys-vs-lifetales:faq:4","question","Can I switch from LifeTales to Tell Me Your Story?","answer","LifeTales lets you download your memoir as a ZIP file (stories, comments, media). There's no direct import into Tell Me Your Story, but re-recording stories by voice takes about 15 minutes per story — faster than typing them out again.","sortOrder","en:tmys-vs-lifetales:faq:3","LifeTales vs Tell Me Your Story — which is better for elderly parents?","Tell Me Your Story is voice-first (tap and talk) on a native iOS app designed with 44-point touch targets and VoiceOver support. LifeTales requires typing in a web browser with no native app. For parents who struggle with typing or small screens, Tell Me Your Story is significantly easier.",3,"en:tmys-vs-lifetales:faq:2","Which memoir app has better privacy?","Your stories are saved on your device and in iCloud. AI and book creation send selected text and photos to our service. Our service also stores book manuscripts and the original story text so you can edit your book. LifeTales stores stories on company AWS servers in Canada. Both claim user data ownership, but Tell Me Your Story's architecture means your stories survive even if the company disappears.",2,"en:tmys-vs-lifetales:faq:1","Does LifeTales require a subscription?","Yes. LifeTales charges $19.99/month (annual plan) or $49.99/month (monthly plan) after the beta period ends. There is no one-time purchase option. If you stop paying, your access to the memoir platform is uncertain.","comparisons","Comparisons",{"_88":138,"_90":139,"_92":140,"_94":141,"_96":142},"description","Side-by-side comparisons of memoir apps, storytelling tools, and family history platforms.","Memoir App Comparisons","Compare the leading memoir and family storytelling apps. Side-by-side analysis of pricing, features, privacy, and book quality.","parent","parentId","Vergleiche","Comparaisons","Porównania","Comparaciones","Confronti"]

Articles by Rachel Okonkwo

Tell Me Your Story vs LifeTales: Honest Comparison (2026)