Comparison
Storii calls your parent three times a week with automated prompts. Lived has you sitting down with them for one afternoon. Both capture stories — but only one of them captures the story of you listening.
Storii is a subscription service that calls your parent's phone a few times a week with automated story prompts.
Every call, a recorded voice asks a question from a library of over 1,000 prompts. Your parent answers on the phone. The audio is saved and transcribed. It works with landlines, which matters for older adults who do not use smartphones. Over months, a written archive of stories builds up.
Storii costs around $9.99 per month — roughly $120 per year. It is designed for seniors who live alone or are not tech-comfortable. The idea is simple: remove the app, remove the screen, just answer the phone.
Lived is a cinematic video interview platform. You sit down with someone you love, Lived guides the conversation, and we edit the video into a beautiful 8 to 12 minute documentary film.
The whole experience takes one afternoon. No app download. No equipment. Your parent does not touch any technology — they just talk. You sit beside them. Questions appear on your screen, not theirs. A few days later, the finished film arrives.
Lived is $79, one-time. No subscription.
| Lived | Storii | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Cinematic documentary film (8–12 min) | Audio recordings and transcripts |
| Format | Video | Audio + text |
| How it works | One guided conversation together | Automated phone calls 3x a week |
| Who asks the questions? | Someone who loves them | A recorded voice on the phone |
| Time commitment | One afternoon | Ongoing, for months |
| Tech required for storyteller | None — just sit and talk | Phone (landline works) |
| Price | $79 one-time | $9.99 / month (~$120 / year) |
| Edited for viewing | Professionally edited film | Raw audio and transcripts |
Storii fills a real gap. A parent who lives alone, who cannot use a smartphone, who wants someone to check in — Storii is a regular rhythm that brings stories out of them, and that is genuinely valuable.
But here is the honest version: a recording of your mom answering a robocall is not the same as a recording of your mom answering you. The tone is different. The depth is different. The pauses hit differently when the person across the table is someone she loves and has a hundred stories about.
The best stories come out when your parent feels safe, seen, and loved. That happens when you are in the room. Not on a scheduled call from a stranger's voice.
Unlike Storii, Lived captures video — you see their face. Unlike Storii, Lived is done in one afternoon, not months of calls. And unlike Storii, Lived is edited into a film you can watch at Thanksgiving, not a stack of transcripts you will never finish reading.
Lived needs you to be in the room. If your parent lives across the country and you cannot get there, Storii is a real option and we would say so. But if you can get there — even for one afternoon — the thing you get by being there with them is the thing neither app can build for you.
Storii is a subscription service that calls your parent's phone three times a week with automated story prompts from a library of over 1,000 questions. The storyteller answers on the phone. Audio is recorded and transcribed. It works with landlines, which makes it accessible to older adults who do not use smartphones. After months of calls, a written record of their stories accumulates.
Both work without tech skills, but differently. Storii uses a landline — your parent just picks up the phone. Lived uses your phone, but the storyteller never touches it. They sit and talk. You hold the phone. So Storii suits parents who live alone and are comfortable on the phone. Lived suits families where someone can sit with them for an afternoon.
Storii is about $9.99 per month — roughly $120 per year. Lived is $79 one-time. Over one year, Storii costs about $120 and Lived costs $79. Over two years, Storii costs about $240 and Lived still costs $79.
Storii produces audio recordings and written transcripts. It is not a film. It is not a printed book. Some users share transcripts with family or commission a printed compilation elsewhere. Lived produces an 8 to 12 minute professionally edited documentary film.
That is the real question with Storii. An automated voice reading prompts is not the same as someone who loves your parent leaning forward and saying "tell me about the day you met mom." Storii is a regular rhythm, which has value — but it is not a conversation. Lived is built on the idea that the person asking matters as much as the questions.
Give someone you love the chance to share theirs.
Give the gift of a story $79, one-time. No subscription.