7 Best Tools to Record and Capture Family Memories & Stories

Family stories are an essential part of our family history, heritage and culture. They provide a window into our past and a way for future generations to connect with those who have gone before them. Unfortunately, these stories can easily be forgotten or lost over time. Luckily, there are plenty of apps and tools available to help us capture and preserve our family stories for future generations. From photo journals to family tree apps, read on to discover the seven best tools for recording your family history and capture family memories!

1. Remento - Best all-around way to record family stories

The Remento Book turns weekly recorded reflections into written stories, shares them with invited family members each week, and prints them into a hardcover book featuring QR codes that link directly to the original recordings.

Each week, Remento storytellers receive a new prompt - either an open-ended question or photo - selected by the storyteller or invited family. From any device with internet, the storyteller records their response to the prompt - no logins or downloads required.

Remento’s Speech-to-Story™ technology then automatically turns their recording into a written story and shares it with family, each of whom can share a reaction or ask a follow-up from within the Remento website. After a year, the written stories and photos are compiled in a hardcover, color-printed book, featuring QR codes that link to the original recordings.

Pros:

• Speech-to-Story™ technology means no writing for your storyteller.
• No logins, downloads, or passwords to record a story.
• Preserve their stories in a hardcover, color-printed book, with QR codes that link to their voice.
• Book includes QR codes that link to the original recording.
• Pick prompts from Remento's question bank, or learn the stories behind your photos.
• Invite your family to pick prompts, add photos, and watch new recordings.

Cons:

• Not well suited for people that want to write their stories

2. Storyworth - Best for capturing written family stories

Storyworth is an online storytelling platform that helps families capture and preserve memories through stories. Users create a Storyworth account, then invite family members to join. Each week, family members receive a story prompt via email, which they can answer in a few sentences or paragraphs. At the end of the year, Storyworth compiles all the stories into a beautiful keepsake book that can be shared and enjoyed. Storyworth also allows users to upload photos and videos, as well as connect with other family members to share stories and keep in touch.

Pros:

• Offers weekly prompts to help loved one stay on track.
• Customize questions to personalize the experience.

Cons

• Writing stories can feel like a “homework assignment” to older family members.
• Cost of subscription can be expensive for some families.
• Can be difficult to capture stories from older family members who are not tech-savvy.
• Limited support for non-English languages.

3. Ancestry.com - Best for adding stories to genealogical records

Ancestry.com is a genealogy platform used by millions of people to research their family history and discover new relatives. It offers users access to billions of historical records and family trees, as well as powerful search and analysis tools.

Pros:

• Offers access to historical records and documents.
• Allows customers to build a family tree.
• Offers DNA testing to help customers connect with distant relatives.

Cons:

• Subscription plans can be expensive for those who are only interested in a few features.
• Limited access to DNA testing for people outside the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Germany and Australia.
• No easy way to capture family stories.

4. Storied - Best for adding stories to archival documents

Storied is a new family history site that lets users build a family tree, search historical records and newspapers, craft stories, relive memories, collect photos, and pull it all together by collaborating with groups of family and friends.

Pros:

• Allows multiple users to work together on stories.
• Promotes collaboration and creative expression.
• Access to a robust collection of historical records and newspapers.

Cons:

• Requires export of content from other family tree services, like Ancestry.com.

5. LegacyBox - Best tool for digitizing family photos and videos

LegacyBox is a popular platform that allows users to digitize their old photos, videos, and film reels, preserving memories in digital form. With LegacyBox, users can quickly and easily transfer, organize, and store their memories. The platform also offers different print sizes and items available for purchase, such as photo books and calendars.

Pros

• Easy and convenient way to digitize and preserve home movies and photos.
• Simple and straightforward process.
• Excellent customer service and a customer satisfaction guarantee.

Cons

• More expensive option for digitizing and preserving home movies and photos.
• Requires putting precious family artifacts in the mail.
• Digitized content arrives disorganized and in a format that’s difficult to share.

6. Shutterfly - Best tool for creating printed photo books

Shutterfly is an online photo and video sharing platform, allowing users to store and share their memories through photos, videos, and other digital media. It also offers a range of services to help users turn their photos into prints, cards, and other customizable items.

Pros:

• Offers a range of customization options, enabling users to create their own photo albums and memory books.
• A wide selection of designs and templates to choose from.

Cons:

• The service can be expensive.
• Manually sorting through large volumes of photos can feel cumbersome.
• No easy way to share the final product digitally.

7. Aura - Best digital picture frame

Aura Frame is a digital photo frame that allows users to easily share their photos with friends and family. It has an app that can be downloaded to any device, allowing users to upload their photos, videos and other digital content to the frame. With Aura Frame, users can also create custom photo albums and slideshows of their favorite memories.

Pros:

• App allows for easy sharing of photos directly to a frame.
• A great way for non-tech-savvy older relatives to enjoy digital photos.
• Great customer support.

Cons:

• The hardware is expensive
• The app does not sync with other photo-sharing platforms.
• Does not support video streaming.

Conclusion

Preserving family stories is important for keeping your family's history alive. With these 7 tools, you can easily preserve and share your family's stories with future generations. Choose the one that best suits your needs and start preserving your family's legacy today.