Best Alternatives to Retold in 2025
Retold is a heartwarming app that transforms recorded family memories into hand-drawn animated films and keepsake books, preserving the storyteller's authentic voice. While it excels at turning voice notes into visual stories, you might be looking for different features—like more advanced editing, AI avatars, or broader storytelling formats. Here are the best alternatives to Retold, each with its own unique approach to capturing and sharing family stories.
Storyworth
Storyworth is a subscription-based service that emails your loved ones a weekly question, collects their written answers, and compiles them into a beautifully printed hardcover book. It's perfect for families who prefer text-based storytelling and want a tangible keepsake, without the animation or voice recording focus.
RecordMe
RecordMe is a simple voice recording app that lets you capture stories and messages, then share them via QR codes or links. It's ideal for preserving the original audio without any visual embellishments, making it a straightforward choice for those who want to focus purely on the voice and emotion.
Kupe
Kupe is a storytelling platform that uses AI to turn your photos and voiceovers into short, shareable video stories. It offers more creative control over visuals and editing than Retold, making it a great option for tech-savvy families who want to craft polished digital narratives.
MyLifeStory
MyLifeStory is a guided journaling app that helps seniors write their life stories with prompts and templates. It's designed for those who prefer writing over speaking, and it offers professional editing and book printing services, making it a robust alternative for creating a comprehensive family history.
VoiceThread
VoiceThread is a collaborative multimedia tool that allows users to add voice, text, or video comments to images, documents, and videos. It's more versatile than Retold for group storytelling, enabling multiple family members to contribute to a single story thread, which is great for collaborative memory building.
Animoto
Animoto is a video creation platform that turns photos and video clips into professional-looking slideshows with music and text. While it doesn't use hand-drawn animation, it offers a wide range of templates and customization options, making it a flexible choice for creating visual family stories that can be shared online or downloaded.
StoryCorps
StoryCorps is a nonprofit that records and preserves personal interviews, with a focus on oral history. Their app provides interview questions and recording tools, and you can archive your conversations in the Library of Congress. It's a meaningful alternative for families who want to contribute to a larger historical record.
While Retold uniquely combines voice recording with hand-drawn animation, these alternatives offer a spectrum of options—from text-based books (Storyworth) and pure audio preservation (RecordMe) to AI-driven video stories (Kupe) and collaborative platforms (VoiceThread). Consider whether you prioritize printed keepsakes, creative video editing, or archival significance, and choose the tool that best fits your family's storytelling style.