Comparison
StoryWorth builds a printed book from 52 weekly writing prompts. Lived builds a cinematic film from one guided conversation. Both are thoughtful — but they ask very different things of your parent.
StoryWorth is a text-based family story platform that sends weekly email prompts for a year. Your parent writes a response — a paragraph, a page — and at the end of the year everything is compiled into a printed hardcover book.
Founded in 2013, StoryWorth is the market leader for family story capture. Over a million books have been printed. The platform offers hundreds of thoughtful prompts, and family members can suggest questions too. Voice recording is available, but the recording is not saved — only the text transcription is kept.
StoryWorth costs $99 per year as a subscription.
Lived is a cinematic video interview platform. You sit down with someone you love, Lived guides the conversation, your phone captures the video, and we edit it into a beautifully produced 8 to 12 minute documentary film.
The whole experience takes one afternoon — about 45 minutes to an hour of conversation. You do not need special equipment, just a phone and a quiet room. Lived handles the questions, pacing, and editing. Your parent does not touch anything — they just talk.
Lived costs $79, one-time. No subscription.
| Lived | StoryWorth | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Cinematic documentary film (8–12 min) | Printed hardcover book |
| Format | Video | Text |
| How it works | One guided video conversation | Weekly email prompts over 12 months |
| Time commitment | One afternoon | 12 months of weekly writing |
| Writing required? | None | Yes — every week for a year |
| Price | $79 one-time | $99 / year subscription |
| Equipment needed | Phone with camera | Computer or phone for typing |
| Best for | People who light up when they tell a story | People who love to write |
| The experience | Together — a real conversation | Solo — they write on their own |
StoryWorth is a wonderful option for certain people and situations. It has helped over a million families preserve their stories in writing, and there are good reasons it is so popular.
StoryWorth has earned its reputation. A printed book is a meaningful keepsake, and the year-long format gives people time to reflect deeply on each question.
The choice between Lived and StoryWorth often comes down to two questions.
Does your parent prefer talking or writing? Many of the people who would share the most extraordinary stories would never sit down and type them out. They are storytellers, not writers. For them, a conversation is the natural format — and Lived was designed for exactly that.
Do you want to be part of the experience? StoryWorth is something you give and then wait for. Lived is something you do together. With Lived, you are in the room. You hear the stories as they are told. You share that afternoon. For many families, that shared experience is as meaningful as the film itself.
A book captures what someone said. A film captures how they said it — the way they lean forward when the story gets exciting, the way their voice softens when they talk about someone they love. Unlike StoryWorth, Lived requires no writing — and unlike StoryWorth, the whole thing is finished in one sitting, not drawn out over a year.
You will not get a physical object you can put on a shelf. That is what StoryWorth delivers, and it is a lovely thing. But when your mom presses play three years from now and hears her own voice telling that story the way only she could tell it — that is a gift no book can match.
Both Lived and StoryWorth are thoughtful ways to celebrate someone's life and stories.
If your parent loves writing and you want a printed book, StoryWorth is excellent. If your parent loves talking and you want a cinematic film you can watch together, Lived is made for that moment.
Some families do both — a StoryWorth book for the written record, and a Lived film to capture the voice, the expressions, and the feeling of being in the room with someone you love.
StoryWorth is text. Lived is video. StoryWorth sends weekly writing prompts for a year, compiled into a printed hardcover book. Lived captures one guided conversation on video and turns it into a cinematic 8 to 12 minute documentary film. StoryWorth is something your parent does alone over a year. Lived is something you do together in one afternoon.
Lived is $79 one-time. StoryWorth is $99 per year, subscription-based. Over two years, Lived costs $79 and StoryWorth costs $198.
StoryWorth is primarily text-based. Voice recording is available and transcribed, but the recordings themselves are not saved — only the text is kept. The final output is a printed book of written stories. Lived captures full video, preserved as a finished film.
Lived. Most storytellers are not writers. Many of the best stories never get written down because sitting at a keyboard is not how your mom tells the story about the summer her grandfather bought a boat. Lived is built for people who tell stories out loud. No writing required, ever.
Yes, and some families do. StoryWorth gives you a written record. Lived gives you a film. A family might commission a StoryWorth book as an ongoing project and a Lived film for an occasion — Mother's Day, a big birthday, a retirement — when they want something finished in one sitting that they can watch together.
Give someone you love the chance to share theirs.
Give the gift of a story $79, one-time. No subscription.