A Storyworth alternative with no subscription

Yes: Heirleaf is a one-time payment of $49. There is no yearly plan, nothing renews, and there is no deadline to finish your book.

You answer questions about your life by writing or by speaking. You get your book as a PDF to save and print at home, and if you want it bound, we email you the files for a print shop. The first three questions are free, so you see your first page before you pay.

What “no subscription” means in money

Storyworth Basic is $59 or $69, depending on which of their pages you read, for one year of weekly questions, and it includes one printed hardcover. It doesn't renew on its own. After the year you get 3 more months to finish before printing, and your stories stay in your account.

Storyworth Unlimited does renew on its own: $199, then $99 a year, which is $397 over three years. It includes two hardcovers and any number of storytellers.

Heirleaf is $49, once, with no printed copy included. If you want it printed, a paperback from the print shop we work with costs about $8.50 to $11 in the US with shipping, before tax, depending on the length. We show you the real price for your book before you order.

So in money it's close to a tie with Basic. The difference is the clock: no year, no three months, no reminder to print. You finish when you finish.

Storyworth details checked on 26 September 2026 against their own pages, listed here. All prices are in US dollars as charged in the US, before sales tax. Where you are, Heirleaf is $49. Prices change: if something here is out of date, write to hello@heirleaf.com and we'll correct it.

Storyworth is a trademark of its owner. Heirleaf is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Storyworth; we name it only to compare.

What your book looks like

A page from our sample book, set in one of the designs you can choose. Ruth Ellen Mercer is an invented narrator.

Read the sample book Start a book